Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2014
Review Historical ArticleUse of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults.
Since the first successful application of the heart-lung machine in 1953 by John Gibbon [1], great efforts have been made to modify the bypass techniques and devices in order to allow prolonged extracorporeal circulation in the intensive care unit (ICU), commonly referred to as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO uses classic cardiopulmonary bypass technology to support circulation. ⋯ ECMO is a temporary form of life support providing a prolonged biventricular circulatory and pulmonary support for patients experiencing both pulmonary and cardiac failure unresponsive to conventional therapy. Despite the advent of newer ventricular assist devices that are more suitable for long term support, ECMO is simple to establish, cost-effective to operate.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2014
Arrhythmogenicity of hypothermia - a large animal model of hypothermia.
Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is used to mitigate cerebral injury after an out of hospital cardiac arrest. There is a perceived risk of increased arrhythmias with temperatures lower than the current target of 32-34°C for TH. This study sought to develop and investigate the electrophysiological changes in a sheep model of systemic hypothermia regarding the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias. ⋯ Hypothermia causes a significant increase in the heterogeneity of depolarisation and repolarisation. There is evidence to suggest that SR is protective with most of the increase in heterogeneity occurring with cooling to 34°C. This raises the possibility that the current target temperatures for therapeutic hypothermia may be safely lowered to provide a gain in cerebral protection.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effect of optimising cerebral tissue oxygen saturation on markers of neurological injury during coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Surgical revascularisation of the coronary arteries is a cornerstone of cardiothoracic surgery. Advanced age and the incidence of preoperative co-morbidity in patients presenting for coronary artery bypass graft surgery increases the potential for stroke and other perioperative outcomes. It is hypothesised that by using interventions during cardiac surgery to improve cerebral oxygenation, the risk of patients enduring adverse neurological outcomes would be reduced. ⋯ Monitoring brain oxygen saturation during on-pump CABG together with an effective treatment protocol to deal with cerebral desaturation must be advocated.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2014
Case ReportsRight ventricular loop indicating malposition of J-wire introducer for double lumen bicaval venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) cannula.
The key to safe placement of a bicaval double lumen cannula for Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV ECMO) is to visualise correct guide wire placement in the inferior vena cava (IVC), thus aiding subsequent correct advancement of the cannula. Transoesophageal (TOE) and transthoracic (TTE) echocardiography, as well as fluoroscopy, have been described as aiding imaging techniques. We report a case of guide wire malposition into the right ventricle, despite echocardiographic confirmation of guide wire position deep into the IVC. This malposition, if undetected, may have resulted in potential life threatening complications.