Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jun 2011
Case ReportsPulseCath(R) as a right ventricular assist device.
The PulseCath(®) is a pulsatile pump that offers a circulatory support up to 3 l/min. The PulseCath(®) is indicated for patients who require a higher degree of support than that offered by the intra-aortic balloon pump. We describe the first two cases of the use of the PulseCath(®) as a temporary support for the right ventricle after insertion through the pulmonary artery trunk. ⋯ In the first patient an irreversible metabolic unbalance, already present prior to PulseCath(®) insertion, led to multi-organ failure and eventually to death. In the second case the early utilization of PulseCath(®) led to a complete recovery of the right ventricle and the patient was discharged in good clinical condition. Besides the technical feasibility, this report would suggest that a correct timing is the key to success for the PulseCath(®) as a right ventricular assist device.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · May 2011
Case ReportsExtra-anatomic lateral bypass combined with embolization of the femoral stump for management of groin infection and bleeding due to metastatic carcinoma of the penis.
We report a possible treatment strategy for a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis in hemorrhagic shock, due to erosion of the right femoral artery by metastatic inguinal lymph nodes. Because of coexistent groin infection and the inability to perform radical excision, the patient was treated with a lateral extra-anatomic iliac femoral prosthetic bypass; to prevent further bleeding, the femoral stump was embolized percutaneously. The patient was discharged home and did not experience any vascular complications during the follow-up, until death due to pulmonary metastasis.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · May 2011
ReviewDoes positron emission tomography offer prognostic information in malignant pleural mesothelioma?
A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether positron emission tomography is useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Altogether 136 papers were found using the reported search, of which 15 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. ⋯ Overall, PET accurately diagnoses MPM, predicts survival and disease recurrence. It can guide further management by predicting the response to chemotherapy and excluding surgery in patients with extrathoracic disease. Combined PET-CT has additional benefits in accurately staging disease.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · May 2011
Multicenter StudyProcedural, 30-day and one year outcome following CoreValve or Edwards transcatheter aortic valve implantation: results of the Belgian national registry.
We report clinical outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), using the CoreValve revalving system (18 Fr transfemoral or subclavian) or the Edwards Sapien valve (22 Fr transfemoral or 24 Fr transapical) as part of a Belgian prospective non-randomized multicentre registry. All 15 Belgian centres performing TAVI participated to this registry (seven exclusively Edwards Sapien, eight exclusively CoreValve). All consecutive high-risk symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis were evaluated by a heart team and screened for eligibility for TAVI. ⋯ One-month mortality was both related to cardiac and non-cardiac reasons. Overall one-year survival was 78% in the CoreValve transfemoral treated patients, 100% in the CoreValve subclavian treated patients, 82% in the Edwards transfemoral treated patients and 63% in the Edwards transapical treated patients. This mid-term mortality was mainly related to age-related, non-cardiac complications.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · May 2011
Comparative StudyExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute respiratory distress syndrome: is the configuration mode an important predictor for the outcome?
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly applied as rescue-therapy for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Here, we evaluate the effect of different configuration strategies (venovenous vs. venoarterial vs. veno-venoarterial) on the outcome. From 2006 to 2008, 30 patients received ECMO for severe ARDS. ⋯ Although univariate analysis could not rule out a significant predictor for the outcome, there was a trend visible to decreased mortality in the vva-group when compared to vv- and va-groups (27% vs. 63% vs. 75%; P = 0.057). ECMO provides a survival benefit in patients when considering a predicted mortality rate of 80% in ARDS. The configuration mode appears to impact the outcome as the veno-venoarterial appears to further improve the survival in this subset of patients.