Revista médica de Chile
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Revista médica de Chile · Jun 2005
Comparative Study[Intrathoracic blood volume versus pulmonary artery occlusion pressure as estimators of cardiac preload in critically ill patients].
Monitoring of cardiac preload by determination of pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) has been traditionally used to guide fluid therapy to optimize cardiac output (CO). Since factors such as intrathoracic pressure and ventricular compliance may modify PAOP, volumetric estimators of preload have been developed. The PiCCO system is able to measure CO and intrathoracic blood volume (ITBV) by transpulmonary thermodilution. ⋯ ITBVI correlated better with CI than PAOP, and therefore it seems to be a more accurate estimator of preload in unstable, mechanically ventilated patients.
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Revista médica de Chile · Jun 2005
Case Reports[Radiofrequency ablation of ventricular tachycardia in a patient after surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot: case report].
Ventricular tachycardia is one of the most feared complications after surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot and it is associated with sudden death. We report a 26 years old female with a history of surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot at age of 4 year-old, who developed sustained ventricular tachycardia despite antiarrhythmic drugs. She was successfully treated with radiofrequency catheter ablation. Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a valid treatment for these patients.
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Revista médica de Chile · May 2005
Review[Use of positron-emission tomography with F18-fluorodeoxyglucose for the assessment of lung lesions suspicious of malignancy].
Positron-emission tomography (PET) with F18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is very helpful in the evaluation and management of lung lesions. It is specially useful for the characterization of solitary nodules, for the staging, evaluation of recurrence and therapeutic response in non-small cell lung cancer, for the evaluation of small cell lung cancer and for the assessment of pulmonary metastases. This article is a literature review on PET with FDG in lung cancer. A preliminary analysis of PET results at the Military Hospital in Santiago, Chile, is also presented.
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Revista médica de Chile · May 2005
[Pediatric non-invasive ventilation for acute respiratory failure in an Intermediate Care Unit].
Pediatric noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is infrequently used for acute respiratory failure (ARF), BiPAP/CPAP applied through nasal mask can be attempted if strict selection rules are defined. ⋯ NIV can be useful and safe in children with ARF admitted to a Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit. If strict inclusion protocols are followed, NIV might avoid mechanical ventilation.
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Revista médica de Chile · May 2005
Case Reports[CT angiography as the diagnostic and decision making method used for surgical indication in pulmonary hypertension due to chronic thromboembolism. Report of one case].
Pulmonary hypertension due to chronic pulmonary thromboembolism is frequently underdiagnosed and has a very poor prognosis if untreated. When the presence of central pulmonary artery thrombus is confirmed, thromboendarterectomy is the treatment of choice, with very good results. We report a 28 years old male with two previous episodes of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) who was admitted due to 8 months of progressive shortness of breath and a syncope. ⋯ He received systemic thrombolysis with partial thrombus disappearance. Therefore a pulmonary thromboendarterectomy was performed and an inferior vena cava filter was placed. The patient was discharged with marked improvement in his functional capacity.