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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With the ongoing coronavirus, journals and the media have extensively covered the impacts on doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and other healthcare workers. However, one group that has rarely been mentioned despite being significantly impacted is medical students and medical education overall. This piece, prepared by both a medical student and a cardiothoracic surgeon with a long career in academic medicine, discusses the recent history of medical education and how it has led to issues now with distance-based learning due to COVID-19. It concludes with a call to action for the medical education system to adapt so it can meet the needs of healthcare learners during COVID-19 and even beyond.
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The current Covid-19 pandemic is a significant global health threat. The outbreak has profoundly affected all healthcare professionals, including heart surgeons. To adapt to these exceptional circumstances, cardiac surgeons had to change their practice significantly. We herein discuss the challenges and broad implications of the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of the heart surgeons.
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The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had a significant global impact on healthcare systems. One implication of this pandemic is the cancellation of elective cardiac surgeries and the centralization of services. ⋯ Data should be collected during this period to provide a good insight following the lockdown period to understand the implication of such service alteration. Future research should also focus on the effects on long-term mortality and morbidity as well as financial implications on hospitals as a result of these changes.