Annals of surgery
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Monitoring of ventricular function by central venous (CVP) and pulmonary wedge pressures (PCW) was compared with ejection fraction and end-diastolic volume (gated pool scan) in patients resuscitated from hypovolemic and septic shock. Sixteen patients were studied within 24 hours of resuscitation and all showed depressed right ventricular ejection (RVEF) and/or an increased end-diastolic volume (RVEDVI). Group I (eight patients, hypovolemia and sepsis) had low RVEF (mean, 0.30), high RVEDVI (mean 129.2 ml/m2), and nearly normal left ventricular function (LVEF 0.63 and LVEDVI 63.6 ml/m2), compared to angiographic normals (RVEF 0.52, RVEDVI 55.8 ml/m2; nL LVEF 0.59, LVEDVI 52.3 ml/m2). ⋯ Both LVEDVI and RVEDVI were correlated significantly with cardiac index and with each other. RV dysfunction occurs after resuscitation of hypovolemia and sepsis without reliable alteration in filling pressure and is likely related to myocardial ischemia as well as increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Survival seems to depend on improvement in RV performance, which can be measured at the bedside by cardiac scintigraphy.
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Between 1967 and July 1982, 1103 operations were performed for the tetralogy of Fallot of all types with 116 (10.5%) hospital deaths. Eighty-eight hospital deaths (10.5%) occurred in the 836 patients undergoing repair. The incremental risk factors for hospital death after repair include pulmonary arterial problems (p = 0.0002), major associated cardiac anomalies (p less than 0.0001), small size (young age) (p less than 0.0001), and more than one previous operation (p = 0.0004). ⋯ No iatrogenic pulmonary arterial problems have been recognized. Protocols based on these results are presented. Many of these selective recommendations may become unnecessary if the damaging effects of cardiopulmonary bypass are overcome by future research.