PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hemodynamic monitoring has gained widespread acceptance in intensive care units. Despite ongoing debate regarding its safety and efficacy, monitoring with the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) remains used for the management of severe heart failure and shock. RECENT FINDINGS: To reanalyze using the most recently published literature in ...

We examined mechanisms by which hypoxia may elicit pulmonary capillary recruitment in humans. On separate occasions, twenty-five healthy adults underwent exposure to intravenous saline infusion (30 ml/kg ∼ 15 min) or 17-h normobaric hypoxia ( [FIO2 = 12.5%). Cardiac output (Q) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) were measured before ...

A 40-year-old woman presented with dyspnoea, chest pain and fatigue. Her medical history was unremarkable. An early systolic ejection murmur was heard in the 3D left inter-costal space. Chest X-ray revealed normal cardiothoracic ratio with an anomalous vessel adjacent to the left pulmonary hilum. Echocardiography and exercise tolerance test were ...

We report the case of a newborn with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and right ventricle-dependent coronary circulation. He died several weeks after a Blalock-Taussig procedure because of a progressive stenosis of the main coronary artery. We present echocardiographic and dual-source CT images of the stenosis, with autopsy correlation. ...

We present postoperative and midterm (3 years) angiographic changes after removal of five (of six) occluded stents from the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and its reconstruction with a 9-cm-long on-lay patching done with the left internal mammary artery.

We present a case of an elderly man suffering from an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with preshock vital signs and remarkable ST-T wave depression in leads V4-V6, and ST elevation in lead aVR. Coronary angiography showed total occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) and impending occlusion in the distal ...

Sufficient time has passed that adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) specialists now frequently encounter survivors born with complete transposition of the great arteries and palliated with an atrial or arterial switch procedure. To ensure the ongoing health of these patients, it is of paramount importance that their surgeries are understood ...

Aims Dissociated pulmonary vein rhythm (PVD) has been taken as a signal of PV isolation, but has been questioned recently; we assessed the relationship between PVD and acute PV reconnection after PV isolation in this study. Methods and results Eighty-five consecutive patients (52 males; mean age 59 ± 11 years) ...

Cryopreserved pulmonary allograft is frequently used to reconstruct the hypoplastic aortic arch. A decellularized graft preparation is available as an alternative reconstructive material. This case series profiles our experience using this material for neonatal aortic arch reconstruction. Data from 14 patients who received decellularized pulmonary allograft (DCPA) from 2001 to ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess if pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) can predict outcome in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of CTA studies of patients with PE and documentation of pulmonary artery (PA)/aorta ratio, right ventricular (RV)/left ventricular (LV) ratio, superior vena cava (SVC) diameter, pulmonary obstruction index (POI), ventricular ...

Juxtaposition of the atrial appendages is a rare congenital cardiac malformation, with the appendages both located on the left or right side of the great arteries. It is usually associated with cyanotic congenital heart disease. The aim of this report is to illustrate the anatomical features of normal and juxtaposed ...

Suture-mediated closure devices have been previously described as an interesting alternative to femoral cutdown during endovascular aortic procedures. The insertion of two or three devices before the cannulation (preclose technique) permits successful percutaneous access also with a large sheath up to 24 Fr diameter. The main benefit of percutaneous access ...

Iron deficiency is known to be common and detrimental in chronic left heart failure, where parenteral iron treatment has been shown to improve exercise capacity, New York Heart Association functional class and patient wellbeing. There is now increasing interest in the role of iron in the natural history of pulmonary ...

The Eustachian valve (EV) is an embryological remnant of the inferior vena cava valve that prenatally directs the oxygenated blood from inferior vena cava across the patent foramen ovale (PFO) into systemic circulation. We present a 30-year-old man with PFO whose prominent EV initiated spontaneous right-to-left shunt without Valsalva maneuver ...

BACKGROUND: The appropriate approach for aortic coarctation associated with other cardiac diseases necessitating surgery is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results after simultaneous surgery performed via median sternotomy and consisting of extra-anatomical ascending-to-descending aortic bypass and various other cardiac procedures. METHODS: Between January 1999 ...

Rationale: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and migration are crucial events involved in the pathophysiology of vascular diseases. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a class III histone deacetylase (HDAC), has been reported to have the function of antiatherosclerosis, but its role in neointima formation remains unknown. Objective: The present study was ...

Paradoxical embolism is the result of systemic arterial embolism and pulmonary embolism. It indicates the presence of an intracardial defect in the area of the atrial or ventricular septum. The most frequent cause of an intracardiac defect associated with paradoxical embolism is a patent foramen ovale (PFO). In the case ...

Thromboembolic disease is a potentially severe pathology, which can represent a life threat if it is not diagnosed early, especially when the cardiopulmonary backup is limited. When its clinical feature implies a massive occlusion of the arterial pulmonary tree and a cardiac failure is ensued, it can be seriously life ...

We report an unusual case of congenital giant coronary aneurysm. A 23 year old male with a history of acute myocardial infarction presented an abnormal shadow in the left cardiac border on routine X-ray. Electrocardiogram and physical examination were normal without any clinical signs of inflammation, but computed tomography (CT) ...

OBJECTIVE: To maximize the use of left internal thoracic artery in coronary artery bypass grafting, we have adopted a strategy to revascularize the left anterior descending artery area using a single skeletonized left internal thoracic artery; auto-Y composite grafting and sequential bypassing. This study evaluated graft patency and clinical outcomes ...

When the bilateral internal thoracic arteries are grafted to the left coronary arteries, it remains controversial whether the better conduit is provided by grafting the saphenous vein graft (SVG) or the gastroepiploic artery (GEA) to the right coronary artery territory. From the beginning of the present study, we consistently used ...

A 37-year-old woman who sustained blunt chest trauma as a result of a car accident was found unconscious at the accident site with signs of circulatory compromise. Computed tomographic trauma screening excluded thoracic, intracranial, and intra-abdominal bleeding, or other pathologic findings, except a small circumferential hemopericardium. Echocardiography revealed a hemopericardium ...

A 32-year-old pregnant woman was referred at 33 weeks' gestation for prenatal ultrasound demonstrating fetal hydrops due to absent aortic valve with free aortic valve insufficiency. Elective caesarian section at 34 week's gestation was performed. Surgical intervention was planned immediately after labor at which time mitral valve closure and atrial septostomy using ...

To determine the prevalence of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing valve surgery at a tertiary care cardiac centre. The medical records of 144 consecutive patients who underwent mitral, aortic or dual (mitral and aortic) valve replacement surgery at the Tabba Heart Institue between January 2006 to December 2008 were ...

The management of pulmonary hypertension has already incorporated the use of multiple therapies into routine practice. Available therapies act principally through vasodilatation of the pulmonary arterial circulation through well-delineated mechanisms, although right ventricular function determines function and prognosis. Therefore, the goal of these therapies is effectively to preserve right ventricular ...

Successful anatomical repair in congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries depends on adequate re-routing of the atrial venous pathways. Abnormal positioning of the heart or abnormal venous drainage, or both, can impair access to the atrial pathways and previous palliative procedures can further complicate the reconstruction required to achieve ...

Forced expiratory volume in one second strongly predicts mortality from cardiovascular disease. FEV(1) has been associated with aortic stiffness a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. However, the anatomical site and possible mechanisms linking aortic stiffness and lung function are unknown. We therefore examined if FEV(1) and CT percent emphysema ...

We describe the surgical technique of reimplantation of the right superior pulmonary vein into the left atrium in 2 patients with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the superior vena cava without atrial septal defect. A right axillary minithoracotomy is done through the fourth intercostal space. The pulmonary vein is ...

To report the initial 18 months experience of the first multi-disciplinary regional Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Clinic in Australia. Prospective cohort study. Community setting on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. A total of 47 patients (mean age±standard error of the mean: 71.8±1.8 years; male/female ratio 13/34). Diagnosis of ...

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in COPD carries a poor prognosis. Statin therapy has been associated with numerous beneficial clinical effects in COPD, including a possible improvement in PH. We examined the association between statin use and pulmonary hemodynamics in a well-characterized cohort of patients undergoing evaluation for lung transplantation. Methods: ...

Abstract The present article will review new technology in the invasive approach to mitral valvular disease. Mitral valve pathology continues to present an important challenge to the cardiac surgeon and interventionalist. From the early days of closed mitral valvular commisurotomy, a number of new approaches to this valve have been ...

We performed descending thoracic aortic repair via posterolateral thoracotomy using retrograde cerebral perfusion with direct cannulation into the left internal jugular vein. No postoperative neurological dysfunction was observed. This patient was discharged without any adverse events.

Long-term follow-up and testing for patients who have undergone congenital heart surgery is an evolving field. We report the case of a 17-year-old patient who had an arterial switch operation as an infant for d-transposition of the great vessels and suffered sudden cardiac arrest while participating in a cross-country event. ...

The 6-minute walk test is a useful tool to assess functional outcome after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. However, little is known about the longitudinal dynamics in functional improvement. We performed a longitudinal follow-up of 6-minute walk distance, New York Heart Association functional class, and echocardiography after ...

Objectives: Atrial septostomy is essential for palliation of some complex congenital cardiac anomalies, such as transposition of the great arteries and left-/right-sided atrioventricular valve stenosis or atresia. Conventionally, balloon atrial septostomy is done in neonates. Beyond the neonatal period, surgical septostomy is done using cardiopulmonary bypass and can lead to ...

A 1.5-year-old child underwent transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and balloon aortic valvuloplasty concurrently with excellent immediate and follow-up results. Technical details of concurrent treatment of both PDA and aortic stenosis by transcatheter methodology and a review of utility of transcatheter techniques in managing two or more cardiac ...

Recent advances in multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) technology enabled better visualization of testicular (gonadal) vein using submillimeter slice thickness and three-dimensional images. Normally, the testicular vein measures 1-3 mm and drains into the inferior vena cava and left renal vein on the right and left sides, respectively. They can be ...

Despite a wide development in aortic leaflets repair techniques, aortic valve annuloplastic procedures are still poorly investigated. We present our aortic valve annuloplastic system consisting of a handmade prosthetic ring with 2 components for reshaping the aortic annulus and sinotubular junction (STJ) and illustrates our surgical approach and clinical results. ...

Aortopulmonary window is rarely associated with other cardiac anomalies, such as anomalous origin of one coronary artery. This exceptional association has been reported in 15 patients, with different surgical solutions. We describe 2 patients with aortopulmonary window with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery, one of which presented with ...

The assessment of patients with suspected or confirmed pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and secondary pulmonary hypertension (PH) continues to evolve and, in recent years, evidence demonstrating that cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) provides valuable information has grown at an impressive rate. The key premise supporting the use of CPX is that ...

Aims: To identify asymptomatic patients with impaired cerebral perfusion using CT perfusion (CTP) technique during staged carotid stenting (CAS) and cardiac surgery. Methods and results: This is a prospective, non-randomised study in 16 neurologically asymptomatic patients designed to analyse cerebral perfusion using CTP before and after CAS. Mean transit time ...

Background: Pulmonary dysfunction related to inflammatory response and radical oxygen species remains a problem in off-pump coronary bypass graft surgery (OPCAB), especially in patients with reduced left ventricular (LV) function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of N-acetylcystein (NAC) on pulmonary function following OPCAB. Methods: Patients ...

Midventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a rare form of cardiomyopathy that may be associated with an apical aneurysm. The mechanism of aneurysm formation is uncertain, but it may be related to subendocardial ischemia. In this report, we describe a 57-year-old man with recurrent ventricular arrhythmias that were refractory to medical treatment ...

The lack of suitable target vessels remains a challenge for aortocoronary bypass grafting in end-stage coronary heart disease. This study aimed to investigate the arterialization of cardiac veins as an alternative myocardial revascularization strategy in an experimental long-term model in pigs. Selective retrograde perfusion of a coronary vein (aorta to ...

Noninvasive testing for patency and completeness of the palmar arch prior to radial artery (RA) harvesting for coronary revascularization is a frequently requested test in the Vascular Laboratory (VL). The sonographer and interpreting physician must be aware of palmar arch anatomy and common variations in order to provide accurate information ...

Percutaneous aortic valve implantation has become an alternative technique to surgical valve replacement in patients with high risk for open chest surgery. Vascular stents clinically used today for non-invasive aortic valve replacement tend, however, to impede the dimension changes of the compliant aortic root over the cardiac cycle. The purpose ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to determine etiologic factors of systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve after repair. METHODS: We describe 6 patients with mitral valve repair (MVRep) for degenerative mitral valve disease and a bulging angulated subaortic septum that seemed a risk factor for SAM. ...

Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery is increasingly being carried out on patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease, but the best grafting candidate for non-left anterior descending coronary arteries is unclear. This research sought to systematically compare the efficacies and safeties of coronary bypass with radial artery and other available grafts. ...

To determine the incidence of Coronary Artery Ectasia (CAE) at our teaching hospital to describe the patients and angiographic characteristics. A retrospective analysis was conducted on all coronary angiograms performed at the catheterization laboratory of Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, a tertiary care center, between the period of August 2006 ...

The number of reoperations for prosthetic valve replacement has increased in recent years due to the steady increase in life expectancy. However, reoperations are complex and require experience and skills. We report the case of a 69-year-old female with severe right heart failure who underwent tricuspid valve re-replacement 28 years ...