Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
-
Comparative Study
Surgical embolectomy versus thrombolytic therapy in the management of acute massive pulmonary embolism: Short and long-term prognosis.
Comparison between surgical embolectomy and thrombolytic therapy in patients suffering from acute massive pulmonary embolism (AMPE). ⋯ Early surgical treatment was associated with fewer complications in comparison to thrombolytic therapy.
-
We report our initial experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in elective high-risk complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). ⋯ Elective high-risk PCI supported by ECMO is a viable alternative for patients who are at very high risk for CABG.
-
Case Reports
Haemophilus parainfluenzae aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) successfully treated with oral levofloxacin.
Antibiotic treatment of native valve infective endocarditis (IE) traditionally consists of 4-6 weeks of intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy. Oral (PO) antibiotic therapy is being used more frequently, for part or all of treatment for IE but experience in treating IE with PO antibiotics is limited. Preferable agents for oral therapy of IE are antibiotics with a high degree of activity against the IE pathogen and that have high bioavailability (>90%) so that achievable serum and tissue levels are the same as with equivalent IV antibiotics. ⋯ Haemophilus sp. IE is relatively virulent and often complicated by heart failure and/or embolic phenomena. We describe the first reported case of Haemophilus parainfluenzae aortic PVE successfully treated with oral levofloxacin without aortic valve replacement.
-
Observational Study
Potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of acute aortic dissection.
The purpose of this study was to identify biological markers for early diagnosis of acute aortic dissection (AAD). ⋯ smMHC, sELAF, PC1, or D-dimer alone is a biomarker for early diagnosis of AAD, but the combination of these markers has significantly higher diagnostic value.
-
To investigate the attitudes of Greek intensive care unit (ICU) medical and nursing staff towards euthanasia. ⋯ Confusion prevails among Greek ICU physicians and nurses regarding the definition of euthanasia. The majority of staff disagrees with active euthanasia, but upholds its legalization.