Monthly archive

In September 2020, researchers from the University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Department of Cardiology/Electrophysiology described their technique for laser lead extraction during VA-ECMO in a 64-year-old patient. The complete manuscript by Yalin Yildirim, Johannes Petersen, Tobias Tonnis, Christian Detter, Hermann Reichenspurner, and Simon Pecha can be found in the Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery. The key points of their case study are detailed below.

Since the number of patients receiving pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantations has been increasing over the past few years, the number of patients requiring lead revision and extraction has also been rising. One such reason for requiring lead extraction is lead endocarditis, which often requires complete removal of all lead material from the vascular space.

In March 2022, researchers from the University of Missouri (Department of Neurology), Society for Healthcare Innovation, and University of Pennsylvania (Departments of Neurology and Anesthesiology and Critical Care) discussed the challenges that emerge on ECMO that can jeopardize antimicrobial therapy success. The complete manuscript by Francisco Gomez, Jesyree Veita, and Krzysztof Laudankski can be found in Antibiotics. Its summary is detailed below.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a treatment that provides hemodynamic or respiratory support to severely critically ill patients. However, ECMO introduces many variables that must be considered for antibiotic pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics to minimize risks and maximize the therapeutic benefit. Since ECMO use in those with systemic infection is increasing, it is crucial to understand the interactions between ECMO, its derived techniques, and antibiotics in order to ensure successful patient care.

In April 2022, practitioners from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery delved further into the observed impact of COVID-19 on the number of cardiac surgeries, the financial burden, and what can be expected as institutions work on recovering. The full manuscript, written by Edgar Aranda-Michel, Derek Serna-Gallegos, George Arnaoutakis, Arman Kilic, James A. Brown, Yancheng Dai, Courtney Dunn-Lewis, and Ibrahim Sultan, can be found in the Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery website. Their findings are detailed below.

While numerous studies have looked at the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and how the healthcare industry has explicitly been affected, this study is the first to specifically report data concerning revenue lost due to decreases in cardiac surgical volume. With cardiac departments composing a significant portion of a hospital’s income, the impact of these decreases is substantial.