Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsRupture of the left atrial roof due to blunt trauma.
Cardiac rupture after blunt trauma is rare and associated with high mortality. The anatomic pattern of blunt cardiac rupture has been demonstrated with the right cardiac chambers more frequently affected than the left. Furthermore, left atrial injury is usually restricted to the atrial appendage and the pulmonary vein-atrial junction. Herein, we report the first case of a 61-year old man with a rupture of the left atrial roof after blunt trauma with minimal thoracic injury.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsSurgical algorithm for heterogeneous bilateral quadruple pulmonary nodules.
A 65-year old female with no history of smoking reported experiencing 6 months of tightness in the chest. Chest computed tomography showed two pulmonary nodules in the left upper lobe (one in S3 segment, the other in S4 segment), one nodule in the left lower lobe and a ground-glass opacity (GGO) in the right upper lobe. Synchronous bilateral thoracoscopic wedge resections of the lung were performed to investigate the nodules. ⋯ The final pathological diagnosis of the nodule in the left S3 segment was well differentiated adenocarcinoma (pT1bN0M0, IA), the nodule in the left S4 segment was moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (pT1aN0M0, IA), the nodule in the left lower lobe was cryptococcal granuloma and the GGO in the right upper lobe was adenocarcinoma in situ. The patient is currently following a favourable course in her recovery. Here, we would like to share the surgical algorithm used for the treatment of heterogeneous bilateral quadruple pulmonary nodules.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Mediastinal staging in daily practice: endosonography, followed by cervical mediastinoscopy. Do we really need both?
In patients with lung cancer, endosonography has emerged as a minimally invasive method to obtain cytological proof of mediastinal lymph nodes, suspicious for metastases on imaging. In case of a negative result, it is currently recommended that a cervical mediastinoscopy be performed additionally. However, in daily practice, a second procedure is often regarded superfluous. The goal of our study was to assess the additional value of a cervical mediastinoscopy, after a negative result of endosonography, in routine clinical practice. ⋯ In patients with a high probability of mediastinal metastases, based on imaging, and negative endosonography, cervical mediastinoscopy should not be omitted, not even when the aspirate seems representative.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the acute treatment of cardiovascular collapse immediately post-partum.
We describe the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in a 30-year old woman at 37 weeks' gestation, following cardiac arrest from pulmonary embolism immediately post-partum from an emergent Caesarean section. In this case, ECMO was initiated though modified techniques with only the equipment available in a delivery room as a last resort to save a new mother after a significant downtime of 83 min. The patient received tissue plasminogen activator during the resuscitation resulting in significant blood loss. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first reported case where ECMO has been used in a resuscitation from massive pulmonary embolism immediately post-partum, after thombolytics were administered. Here, we discuss our strategies for emergent cannulation in a suboptimal environment, management of profound bleeding and oxygenation strategies in this hostile setting. Given the potential for success and the significant life-years gained, aggressive measures, such as ECMO, should be considered in such extreme life-threatening cases.