Zeitschrift für Kardiologie
-
Review Comparative Study
[Inhalative strategies for improvement of pulmonary hemodynamics and gas exchange in sepsis and severe pulmonary hypertension].
Chronic pulmonary hypertension and septic lung failure display different clinical features resulting in severe disturbances in the pulmonary circulation. In these diseases, the pulmonary bloodflow is impaired by a pathologic constriction of blood vessels that may lead to right ventricular overloading as well as serious worsening of gas exchange mainly caused by ventilation/perfusion mismatch. Various mechanisms deteriorating the vascular function may induce both an irreversible and a reversible contraction of pulmonary vessels, respectively. ⋯ Thus, the decrease in pulmonary-vascular resistance is paralleled by both optimized ventilation-perfusion matching and subsequently improved gas exchange. First clinical studies with inhaled nitric oxide and aerosolized prostacyclin have been performed in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients with septic lung failure. At present, the use of the long-acting prostacyclin analogue ilomedin for ambulant treatment of patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension is under investigation.
-
Review Comparative Study
[Supraventricular tachycardia in infants, children and adolescents: diagnosis, drug and interventional therapy].
Supraventricular tachycardias are the most frequent forms of symptomatic tachyarrhythmias in infants, children and adolescents. Clinical symptoms depend on age and underlying cardiac anatomy. Newborn babies and infants with paroxysmal atrioventricular reentrant tachycardias usually present with signs of congestive heart failure due to rapid heart rate. ⋯ In addition, underlying sinus node dysfunction may be aggravated in a considerable portion of the patients affected. Catheter ablation based on conventional endocardial mapping techniques by multipolar electrode catheters with the aim of identifying the critical region of the reentrant circuit is associated with an impaired success rate and a considerable recurrence rate. It may be assumed that, using the modern mapping techniques currently available (electroanatomical mapping and non-contact mapping), results of radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial reentrant tachycardias after surgical correction of congenital heart disease will be significantly improved within the next few years.
-
The antiarrhythmic properties of adenosine, its ultra-short half-life and the absence of frequent serious side effects make it a front-line agent in arrhythmia management, especially in the treatment of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia. Due to a shortening of atrial refractoriness, adenosine can facilitate the induction of atrial fibrillation. Life threatening tachycardias may result from a potential rapid conduction of atrial fibrillation over an accessory pathway especially if the latter one has a short antegrade refractory period. ⋯ Because of its ultrashort half-life, serious side effects after adenosine administration are rare. The possibility of life threatening proarrhythmias after intravenous adenosine administration should be taken into consideration if the etiology of a paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is not clear and a concomitant Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome cannot be excluded. As with application of all intravenous antiarrhythmic agents, the administration of adenosine should only be performed if continuous ECG monitoring and cardioversion facilities are available and possible.