Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2020
Development of a porcine model of emergency resternotomy at a low-volume cardiac surgery centre.
Emergency resternotomy in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a rarely performed, yet potentially life-saving intervention. Success relies on recognition of a deteriorating clinical condition, timely deployment of equipment/personnel and rapid execution. Given how infrequently it is performed, we sought to develop a large animal model of resternotomy to prepare ICU nurses and technicians at our low-volume cardiac surgery military centre. ⋯ The model was an effective and realistic method to augment training of ICU staff about resternotomy. Costs associated with this model can be reduced when used in conjunction with large animal labs. This model should be used together with mannequin-based methods of resternotomy training to provide a realistic training environment and assessment of skills at capable institutions.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2020
Heat production during pulmonary artery sealing with energy vessel-sealing devices in a swine model.
Energy vessel-sealing devices are being increasingly utilized to seal pulmonary artery (PA) branches during lobectomy. Heat from these devices can potentially injure surrounding tissues. We evaluated heat production from devices in a live animal model. ⋯ A 3-mm safety margin between the instrument blades and vital structures is recommended. Instrument blades can reach high temperatures that may cause tissue damage.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2020
Adult cardiovascular surgery and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: the Italian experience.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly affected all health care professionals. The outbreak required a thorough reorganization of the Italian regional local health care system to preserve resources such as ventilators, beds in intensive care units and surgical and anaesthesiological staff. Levels of priority were created, together with a rigorous triage procedure for patients with COVID-19, which led to postponement of all elective procedures. ⋯ Systemic inflammation, cytokine storm and hypercoagulability associated with COVID-19 increased the risk of heart failure and cardiac death. In this regard, the early use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation could be life-saving in patients with severe forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome or refractory heart failure. The goal of this paper was to report the Italian experience during the COVID-19 pandemic in the setting of cardiovascular surgery.