The Role of Regional Anesthesia in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
An insightful article acknowledges the prevalent practice of prolonged postoperative ventilatory management with delayed extubation in pediatric cardiac surgery centers worldwide. It also highlights the increasing trend towards early extubation, emphasizing its benefits. The complete manuscript by Tomohiro Yamamotoa and Ehrenfried Schindlerb is available in Current Opinion in Anesthesiology. Below, we will discuss the findings of this study…
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ECMO: A bridge to Patient Care
ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) has dramatically evolved since its introduction in the 1960s with Dr. Gibbon’s first version of a heart-lung machine to Dr. Robert Bartlett’s first neonatal survivor in 1974 to the process we now experience. Since 1989, over 204,000 ECMO cases have been submitted to ELSO (Extracorporeal Life Support Organization). Although most ECMO…
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Improving Heart Surgery Recovery – A New Technique for Perfusionists
Cardiac surgery is evolving to focus on survival rates and enhanced recovery through Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery (ERACS) programs. Perfusion strategies during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are pivotal in achieving these goals. An insightful article was posted in the Journal of Extracorporeal Technology, exploring the effectiveness of Hematic Antegrade Repriming (HAR) in reducing hemodilution priming and…
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Mannitol Is Associated with Less Postoperative Delirium after Aortic Valve Surgery in Patients Treated with Bretschneider Cardioplegia
In cardiac surgeries that use extracorporeal circulation (ECC), postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication. This condition is associated with extended hospital stays, increased costs, and higher morbidity. According to a recent retrospective study that focused on the effects of intraoperative mannitol during aortic valve replacement (AVR), mannitol could potentially decrease the incidence of POD,…
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How Do We Forecast Tomorrow’s Transfusion: Infectious Safety?
Transfusion medicine is constantly evolving, and Pathogen Reduction Technologies (PRTs) are at the forefront, offering distinct advantages and challenges. PRTs aim to minimize the risk of infections transmitted through transfusion while addressing immune responses associated with blood product transfusion. However, the efficacy of PRT-treated blood products can be compromised, potentially escalating the demand for blood…
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How can the healthcare system deliver sustainable performance? A scoping review
This scoping review aims to understand how the literature defines, conceptualizes, and measures the sustainable performance of healthcare systems (SPHS). The research was conducted on peer-reviewed articles and editorials published up to February 2021. The study focused on five aspects of SPHS – definitions, measurement, challenges, possible solutions, and the scaling of these solutions. The…
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Standardized Definitions for Bioprosthetic Valve Dysfunction Following Aortic or Mitral Valve Replacement
In August 2022, researchers from the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, University of Pennsylvania, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Columbia University, University of Washington Medical Center, Beaumont Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ N.H.S. Foundation Trust, Cambridge University and King’s College Hospital, University of Edinburgh (B.H.F. Centre for Cardiovascular Science), St Paul’s and Vancouver General Hospital,…
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Essential Factors for Implementing a Clinical Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery Program
In September 2022, researchers from the University of California David Health, Division of Cardiac Surgery, discuss the most critical factors for successfully implementing a robotic mitral valve surgery program. The complete manuscript by Anna Xue, Sarah Chen, Alison Ranade, Kimberly Smith, Jeff Kasten, Jorge Catrip, and Bob Kiaii is available in the Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery….
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An Investigation into Reporting Practices for Coagulation in Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
In February 2022, researchers from Erasmus University Medical Center – Sophia Children’s Hospital (Pediatric Hematology and Pediatric Intensive Care), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (Hematology), The University of Melbourne (Department of Pediatrics), The Royal Children’s Hospital (Department of Clinical Hematology and Department of Paediatric Intensive Care), Sydney Children’s Hospital (Kids Cancer Centre), University Medical Center (Medical…
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What’s New with TAVR? An Update on Device Technology
In the past two decades, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the approach to aortic stenosis management. The technique has significantly evolved, expanding its application to younger, lower-risk patients with longer life expectancies and treating the disease at earlier stages. This progress has prompted the continuous evolution of device technology and minimized procedural complications….
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Abiomed Recalls Impella Left Sided Blood Pumps
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a Class 1 recall of all Impella left-sided blood pumps. “There is a potential risk that the Impella motor housing may come into contact with the distal stent of a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR),” the FDA’s announcement says. “The contact may damage or destroy the…
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Dietary metabolic signatures and cardiometabolic risk
Machine learning strategies were used in a study to identify individual metabolic patterns concerning diet and its long-term impact on cardiometabolic-cardiovascular disease (CM-CVD) in early adulthood. These analyses were conducted on 2,259 adults participating in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. The complete manuscript by Ravi V. Shah, Lyn M. Steffen, Jared…
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