Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsRupture of the left atrial roof due to blunt trauma.
Cardiac rupture after blunt trauma is rare and associated with high mortality. The anatomic pattern of blunt cardiac rupture has been demonstrated with the right cardiac chambers more frequently affected than the left. Furthermore, left atrial injury is usually restricted to the atrial appendage and the pulmonary vein-atrial junction. Herein, we report the first case of a 61-year old man with a rupture of the left atrial roof after blunt trauma with minimal thoracic injury.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Comparative StudySternal-sparing approach for reoperative bilateral lung transplantation.
A sternal-sparing approach for bilateral lung transplantation was recently applied to reoperative lung transplant cases and is compared with the traditional clamshell approach. ⋯ Reoperative bilateral lung transplantation with a sternal-sparing approach is feasible and may yield outcomes similar to those in the traditional clamshell approach. Further analysis with larger numbers of patients is warranted to delineate the benefits of this approach for patients requiring reoperative lung transplantation.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsLung perfusion and ventilation during implantation of left ventricular assist device as a strategy to avoid postoperative pulmonary complications and right ventricular failure.
Right ventricular failure is a major contributor to increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device implantation. Cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with increased pulmonary ischaemia and pulmonary vascular resistance. Continuous pulmonary perfusion and ventilation represents an emerging strategy for pulmonary protection during cardiac surgery. We hypothesize that this technique may have a pivotal role in reducing postoperative right ventricular dysfunction in high-risk patients undergoing LVAD placement.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsSurgical algorithm for heterogeneous bilateral quadruple pulmonary nodules.
A 65-year old female with no history of smoking reported experiencing 6 months of tightness in the chest. Chest computed tomography showed two pulmonary nodules in the left upper lobe (one in S3 segment, the other in S4 segment), one nodule in the left lower lobe and a ground-glass opacity (GGO) in the right upper lobe. Synchronous bilateral thoracoscopic wedge resections of the lung were performed to investigate the nodules. ⋯ The final pathological diagnosis of the nodule in the left S3 segment was well differentiated adenocarcinoma (pT1bN0M0, IA), the nodule in the left S4 segment was moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (pT1aN0M0, IA), the nodule in the left lower lobe was cryptococcal granuloma and the GGO in the right upper lobe was adenocarcinoma in situ. The patient is currently following a favourable course in her recovery. Here, we would like to share the surgical algorithm used for the treatment of heterogeneous bilateral quadruple pulmonary nodules.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2013
Case ReportsExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the acute treatment of cardiovascular collapse immediately post-partum.
We describe the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in a 30-year old woman at 37 weeks' gestation, following cardiac arrest from pulmonary embolism immediately post-partum from an emergent Caesarean section. In this case, ECMO was initiated though modified techniques with only the equipment available in a delivery room as a last resort to save a new mother after a significant downtime of 83 min. The patient received tissue plasminogen activator during the resuscitation resulting in significant blood loss. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first reported case where ECMO has been used in a resuscitation from massive pulmonary embolism immediately post-partum, after thombolytics were administered. Here, we discuss our strategies for emergent cannulation in a suboptimal environment, management of profound bleeding and oxygenation strategies in this hostile setting. Given the potential for success and the significant life-years gained, aggressive measures, such as ECMO, should be considered in such extreme life-threatening cases.