Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Aug 2010
Surgical approaches to the blalock shunt: does the approach matter?
The Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt is an excellent palliative procedure for cyanotic congenital heart defects. We reviewed two techniques of performing the BT shunt, median sternotomy and thoracotomy, in relation to morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Median sternotomy approach to performing BT shunt seems to carry a higher morbidity than thoracotomy. We recommend a large case series study and longer follow up.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Aug 2010
Case ReportsCardiogenic shock complicating subarachnoid haemorrhage diagnosed as Tako Tsubo cardiomyopathy: a cautionary tale.
Tako Tsubo or "stress" cardiomyopathy and its variants are well recognised as potential causes of acute coronary presentations, with manifestations including chest pain, cardiac failure and arrhythmia. Similarly, subarachnoid haemorrhage may be associated with cardiac abnormalities. Tako Tsubo cardiomyopathy is a diagnosis of exclusion with typical left ventricular dysfunction in the absence of epicardial coronary disease, but importantly also after exclusion of an intracerebral insult. We describe a case of unrecognised intracerebral haemorrhage with left ventricular dysfunction consistent with both variant Tako Tsubo cardiomyopathy and subarachnoid haemorrhage in a patient treated with intra-aortic balloon pump counterpulsation and associated heparinisation.