The Annals of thoracic surgery
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To summarize this rather wide-ranging study, let us review the high points. The future practice of thoracic surgery will be increasingly affected by governmental factors and will have even greater technological dimensions. To do this work, we must continue to attract high-caliber individuals, and this is best accomplished by the early and continuing involvement in the educational process of strong role models from our field. ⋯ Likewise, although the accreditation process must protect the resident from exploitation, it must not be so restrictive that it does not allow for educational innovation and justifiable differences among programs. These are the thoughtful opinions of our colleagues. They deserve serious consideration.
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Transport of critically ill neonates in need of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be risky. Their extreme cardiorespiratory instability may delay or even preclude conventional transport to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation center. We report the use of a UH-1 helicopter specially adapted for mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support to transport a critically ill neonate.
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Over a 12-year period, 40 patients underwent repair of partial anomalous pulmonary veins (PAPV) draining to the superior vena cava (SVC) proximal to the sinus node. Mean age was 6 +/- 2 years. In all patients, the SVC was cannulated superior to the PAPV, which were baffled with pericardium to left atrium. ⋯ Obstruction of the SVC and PAPV developed in 1 patient in group II with high drainage. Intermittent complete heart block developed in 1 patient in group III who also had ventricular septal defect repair. We conclude that atriocavoplasty is effective for rerouting of the PAPV and enlarging the SVC, but may predispose to sinus node disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Many lung transplant programs consider ventilator dependence as a contraindication for transplantation. Among 54 patients in whom bilateral lung transplantations for cystic fibrosis were performed by the Joint Marseille-Montreal Lung Transplant Program, 10 were ventilator dependent. Three of them died in the early postoperative period (30%): 2 as a result of cerebral anoxia and sepsis, 1 of Pseudomonas cepacia pneumonia. ⋯ Obliterative bronchiolitis developed in 66% of patients at risk (2 of 6 patients surviving more than 6 months). We conclude that transplantation in mechanically ventilated patients with cystic fibrosis is not associated with an increase in morbidity or mortality after bilateral lung transplantation. Long-term survival, as in patients who undergo transplantation while spontaneously breathing, is limited by the development of obliterative bronchiolitis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of low-dose aprotinin on coagulation and fibrinolysis in cardiopulmonary bypass.
To study the effect of low-dose aprotinin on hemostasis in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for coronary artery bypass operations and to elucidate the mechanism of aprotinin action, we randomized 14 of 27 patients to receive 30,000 KIU/kg aprotinin in the CPB priming volume and 7,500 KIU/kg aprotinin intravenously each hour during CPB (1 patient was excluded from the aprotinin group because of protamine shock). Intraoperative and postoperative blood loss was significantly reduced in the aprotinin group. Antithrombin III level was significantly decreased, and the levels of thrombin-antithrombin III complexes were significantly increased during CPB in both groups, indicating activation of the clotting system. ⋯ A marked decrease in the platelet count was observed during CPB similarly in both groups. These findings demonstrated that low-dose aprotinin administration was effective in reducing intraoperative and postoperative blood loss and that activation of the clotting system during CPB was not followed by hyperfibrinolysis in aprotinin-treated patients. The improved hemostasis is mainly attributable to the prevention of hyperfibrinolysis during CPB.