Journal of thoracic disease
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Penetrating cardiac injury, caused by intracardiac foreign bodies, presents a big challenge to surgeons for that it is difficult to exactly locate the intracardiac foreign bodies due to the continuous movement of heart. We present the case of successful removal of two self-inflicted intramyocardial needles by minimally invasive procedures. ⋯ The patient was discharged from hospital 5 days after surgery without any complications. In our case, the TTE and TEE provide valuable informations on the choice of surgical procedure, which avoids opening the chest and use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
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In the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) immediate resuscitation with chest compressions and ventilation is crucial for survival. As manual resuscitation is associated with several drawbacks, mechanical resuscitation devices have been developed to support resuscitation teams. ⋯ This review will focus on two mechanical resuscitation devices, the Lund University Cardiac Assist System (LUCAS) and AutoPulse devices and the actual literature available. In conclusion, the general use of mechanical resuscitation devices cannot be recommended at the moment.
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There is continued debate about the clinical ramifications of single-dose etomidate for rapid sequence induction (RSI) in patients with sepsis. This history of this debate includes early studies identifying an association between etomidate infusions and mortality with adrenal suppression as a hypothesized mechanism. ⋯ Acknowledging the small number and heterogeneity of studies on this topic, we feel that the recent meta-analysis by Gu et al. provides an accurate and complete assessment of the existing literature on this topic. We continue to utilize etomidate for the purposes of RSI in this critically ill patient population and feel that the current data supports this position.
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Endotracheal intubation is frequently performed in the intensive care unit (ICU). It can be life-saving for many patients who present with acute respiratory distress. However, it is equally associated with complications that may lead to unwanted effects in this patient population. ⋯ This leaves the critical care clinician with uncertainty regarding the best sedative to administer in this patient population. The following editorial discusses current evidence regarding etomidate use for endotracheal intubation and mortality. In particular, we highlight a recent article with the largest population to date that found no association between etomidate and mortality in the critically ill and illustrate important findings that the reader should be aware of regarding this article.