Monthly archive

Ira Shukla, Sheila Hanson, Ke Yan, and Jian Zhang recently published a paper, “Vasoactive-Inotropic Score and Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal Score as Outcome Predictors for Children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation” in Frontiers in Pediatrics. Here we summarize their findings. The complete published manuscript is also available on the Frontiers website.

Elias Pratt and colleagues recently published a research paper, “A Daily, Respiratory Therapist Assessment of Readiness to Liberate from Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome,” in Critical Care Explorations. Here we summarize their work.

Susan Guy and colleagues recently published a research paper, “Caution in Using the Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time to Monitor Argatroban in COVID-19 and Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT),” in Clinical and Applied Thombosis/Hemostasis. Here we summarize their work.

In the contemporary era, for the treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a viable alternative to isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (iSAVR). The evolution of TAVR over the previous two decades, particularly its usage in younger patients, has provided a glimpse of the new technique's progressive integration into everyday practice.

Medical training has high stakes, sometimes higher than other forms of training. It involves working with a very complex subject matter and having to make life and death calls. It is important to provide an education that takes into account the needs of the learner to offer good outcomes. Here is where educational psychology might contribute to medical training, providing better strategies for teaching.

Surgical palliation (resulting in the Fontan circulation and total cavo-pulmonary connection) is beneficial to palliate symptoms in patients with a range of congenital cardiac diseases and lesions as hypoplastic left heart syndrome and tricuspid atresia. Passive venous flow directly enters the pulmonary circulation, increasing oxygen saturation in arterial blood.

The PARTNER (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve Trial) has been paving the way since 2011, establishing that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is equally effective as surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are at high surgical risk. In 2019, the advantages of TAVR were extended to patients with minimal surgical risk, with decreased rates of mortality, stroke, and re-hospitalization after one year than with SAVR.

The rising frequency of chronic lung disorders like COPD, as well as the unexpected and potentially devastating outbreaks of acute infectious diseases like swine flu and COVID-19, underline the urgent need for better therapies for respiratory insufficiency and respiratory failure.