Journal of cardiac surgery
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Impella to unload the left ventricle in patients undergoing venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiogenic shock: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Impella is frequently used to unload the left ventricle in patients with cardiogenic shock on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). There is limited data regarding the use of this strategy. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the said strategy. ⋯ This study suggests that the use of Impella as an unloading strategy in patients with VA-ECMO decreased mortality, increased rate of hemolysis, neutral bleeding risk, and similar rates of acute kidney injury requiring CVVHD.
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Arising from the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in China, a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been rapidly spreading since its first presentation in late 2019. The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on the 11th March 2020, and as of 29th of April 2020 more than 3 million cases have been reported worldwide with over 225 000 confirmed deaths. Where mechanical ventilation may not be enough, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) could play a role as a form of rescue therapy and may provide beneficial results in the hands of skilled clinicians in centers with experience of using ECMO appropriately in selected patients. Our understanding of COVID-19 is ever-changing and the need for intensive care beds is rising, which means that ECMO will surely play a key role in the near future.
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We received a response to our Editorial from a group in Brazil that raised valuable concerns about the struggles in transforming medical education in low-income countries. Here, we address the concerns they raised that reinforce the global need for a "Coalition for Medical Education."
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Patient selection and cannulation arguably represent the key steps for the successful implementation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Cannulation is traditionally performed in the operating room or the catheterization laboratory for a number of reasons, including physician preference and access to real-time imaging, with the goal of minimizing complications and ensuring appropriate cannula positioning. Nonetheless, the patients' critical and unstable conditions often require emergent initiation of ECMO and preclude the safe transport of the patient to a procedural suite. ⋯ In the current pandemic, the strategy of veno-venous bedside cannulation may have additional benefits for the care of patients with refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome due to coronavirus-disease-2019, decreasing the risk of exposure of health care worker or other patients to the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 occurring during patient transport, preparation, or during disinfection of the procedural suite and the transportation pathway after ECMO cannulation.