Circulation
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Comparative Study
High-frequency jet ventilation for respiratory failure after congenital heart surgery.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is considered when respiratory failure (RF) persists despite increasing conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV). High-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) can improve ventilation with comparable mean airway pressure (PAW) to that found on CMV. This study was undertaken to determine whether HFJV is an effective treatment and alternative to ECMO for RF after congenital heart surgery. ⋯ This study suggests that HFJV improves ventilation and is an alternative to ECMO in patients with RF after surgery for congenital heart disease.
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Thrombosis is a serious complication of heart valve replacement, and management is often difficult. In recent years, thrombolytic therapy has been used as the primary technique by some investigators. ⋯ Fibrinolytic treatment appears to be an attractive nonsurgical alternative for prosthetic heart valve thrombosis, but because of the risk of cerebral embolism, its use should be reserved for tricuspid valve thrombosis or critically ill patients with mitral or aortic valve thrombosis. The use of a fibrinolytic agent in cases of small, nonobstructive paravalvular thrombosis demonstrated with transesophageal echocardiography needs further studies.
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When high-dose aprotinin is used during cardiopulmonary bypass, there is a prolongation of the activated coagulation time (ACT), which is used to monitor heparinization. The aim of this study was to provide guidelines for monitoring heparin levels by the ACT if aprotinin is used during cardiopulmonary bypass. ⋯ Aprotinin prolongs the ACT and APTT independently of heparin. If high-dose aprotinin is used during cardiopulmonary bypass, ACTs should be maintained at times > 750 seconds to allow for appropriate levels of heparin.
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Theoretically, the efficacy of continuous warm blood cardioplegia may be improved when administered retrogradely (RCWBC) rather than antegradely (ACWBC) in the setting of acute regional ischemia because of enhanced oxygen and substrate delivery to myocardial tissue distal to an acute coronary artery occlusion. ⋯ These data suggest that with acute regional ischemia, both global and ischemic zone regional systolic function are depressed by ACWBC, whereas RCWBC affords adequate protection of contractile performance. However, a loss of diastolic compliance may result as a consequence of warm retrograde delivery.
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Doppler echocardiographic studies have previously documented abnormalities of mitral flow during acute rejection similar to those seen in patients with "restrictive" physiology. As central venous flow is known to be abnormal in such patients, it was proposed that examination of superior vena caval flow with Doppler echocardiography might be useful for the detection of acute cardiac rejection. ⋯ During acute cardiac rejection, forward systolic superior vena caval flow is markedly diminished compared with nonrejectors. This is accompanied by other Doppler echocardiographic features consistent with the development of "restrictive" physiology. It is postulated that the loss of forward systolic flow in the superior vena cava is due to diminished long-axis shortening of the right ventricle associated with acute cardiac rejection.