Perfusion
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Extracorporeal life support systems (ECLS) have become common in cardiothoracic surgery, but are still "Terra Incognita" in other medical fields due to the fact that perfusion units are normally bound to cardiothoracic centres. The Lifebridge B2T is an ECLS that is meant to be used as an easy and fast-track extracorporeal cardiac support to provide short-term perfusion for the transport of a patient to a specialized centre. With the Lifebridge B2T it is now possible to provide extracorporeal bypass for patients in hospitals without a perfusion unit. ⋯ BioMedicus (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) venous cannula. The "Plug and Play" philosophy, with semi-automatic priming, integrated check-list, a long battery time of over two hours and instinctively designed user interface, makes this device very interesting for units with high-risk interventions, such as catheterisation labs. If a system is necessary in an emergency unit, the Lifebridge can provide a high security level, even in centres not acquainted with cardiopulmonary bypass.
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Comparative Study
Syndecan-1 plasma levels during coronary artery bypass surgery with and without cardiopulmonary bypass.
The glycocalyx covering the endothelium is shed during ischemia and reperfusion. The shedding is accompanied by increased levels of the glycocalyx component syndecan-1 in the circulation. Our aim was to compare plasma levels of syndecan-1 in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), with or without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). ⋯ There were no significant differences in peak syndecan-1 plasma concentrations between on-pump and off-pump patients. Plasma levels of syndecan-1 increased significantly during CABG, with or without the use of CPB. There were no significant differences in syndecan-1 concentrations in the two groups.
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The cytokine network and its association with complement activation during cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is complex. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) differs from CPB in duration of days to weeks rather than hours. However, few studies have analyzed the levels of inflammatory mediators during ECMO treatment. ⋯ C-reactive protein (CRP) levels showed a similar pattern as the IL-6, with higher levels in non-survivors throughout the observation period. However, in contrast to IL-6, the differences between survivors and non-survivors reached statistical significance, but only at the end of the observation period. It is possible that early measurements of IL-6 in ECMO patients could give prognostic information beyond that of CRP.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
ICU outcomes in adult cardiac surgery patients in relation to ultrafiltration type.
Ultrafiltration (UF) is used to ameliorate the deleterious effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in cardiac surgery patients. There are two different methods; conventional ultrafiltration (CUF), performed during CPB, and modified ultrafiltration (MUF), performed after CPB is finished. It has not been established which is better, and controversy remains regarding the optimal UF strategy. ⋯ In the present study, with adult patients receiving elective cardiac surgery, the combined ultrafiltration group had a larger fluid removal. However, neither type of ultrafiltration nor amount of filtered volume was accompanied by different postoperative ICU clinical outcomes. Ultrafiltration was considered a safe and reliable technique, with no related complications.
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Serious pulmonary and cardiac failure may be treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) when conventional treatment fails. In some severely ill patients, it may be necessary to initiate ECMO at the local hospital and, thereafter, transport the patient back to the ECMO center. The aim of this study was to evaluate our experiences with transportation of patients on ECMO. ⋯ Time from departure to arrival at Rikshospitalet was a mean of 3.2 (0.50-5.10) hours for survivors versus 2.5 (0.5-4.40) for non-survivors, p=0.41. This study shows that ECMO can be successfully established at local hospitals, using an experienced team, and that transportation of patients on ECMO can be performed safely and without technical difficulties. Survival for this group of patients did not differ from patients treated at the ECMO center.