Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions
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Catheter Cardiovasc Interv · Aug 2011
Case ReportsLASER endovascular atherectomy with secondary stenting of technically challenging calcified celiac trunk stenosis.
Endovascular therapy for chronic mesenteric ischemia is a proven, feasible alternative approach to open surgical repair with significantly lower morbidity and mortality. A clinical dilemma is encountered when technically challenging lesions are encountered during the procedure. We present here an 86 year-old woman who had intractable abdominal pain with postprandial exacerbation. The patient had successful endovascular light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation atherectomy of a highly calcified celiac truck, showing the feasibility of this technique.
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Catheter Cardiovasc Interv · Aug 2011
Interventional cardiology fellowship training in Canada: a report card using standardized criteria.
Several institutions in Canada offer fellowship training in interventional cardiology (IC). However, no national mechanism exists to ensure uniformity of training or assessment of final competency. ⋯ Canadian IC training meets ACGME/ACC recommendations for procedural volume and academic activity. However, participation in outpatient clinics and compliance with administrative requirement of faculty and program assessment by trainee was suboptimal. Formal accreditation is highly desirable to standardize program content and administration for optimal IC training.
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Catheter Cardiovasc Interv · Aug 2011
Case ReportsEmergency manual systemic-to-pulmonary artery autotransfusion for severe cyanotic spell.
Cyanotic spell is an important complication of tetralogy of Fallot. We report a simple, innovative method that bailed out a patient with life-threatening, refractory cyanotic spell in the catheterization laboratory. Manual autotransfusion of blood from aorta into the pulmonary arteries resulted in significant clinical improvement.