Variations in Information Reported Amongst Studies Regarding Coagulation in Pediatric ECMO
A study published in March assessed how outcome definitions, study population, and ECMO-, transfusion-, and coagulation- related parameters were described in pediatric ECMO studies. The complete manuscript was written by Joppe Drop, Suelyn Van Den Helm, Paul Monagle, Enno Wildschut, Matthijs de Hoog, Sabrina T.G. Gunput, Fiona Newall, Heidi J. Dalton, Graeme MacLaren, Vera Ignjatovic,…
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Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump for Left Ventricular Unloading in VA-ECMO: Timing is Everything
An editorial published in April 2022 discusses the benefits and pitfalls of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) combined with intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) to manage CS. The complete manuscript, written by Agam Bansal, Dhiran Verghese, and Sarachandra Vallabhajosyula, can be found in the Journal of the American Heart Association. A summary of the editorial is…
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Anesthetic Gases in Cardiac Surgery, A Systemic Review
Isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane are volatile anesthetic agents used to induce and maintain general anesthesia. In cardiac surgery, inhaled anesthetics have an additional use case in providing strong cardioprotective properties during myocardial ischemia. The use of volatile agents at a minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of 0.5 to 2.0 during cardiac surgery results in fewer individuals…
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Challenges Facing Women Healthcare Workers in Their Professional Growth
Despite actively striving to be promoted, women healthcare workers remain underrepresented in management and leadership roles. Women are underrepresented across the healthcare industry. This underrepresentation has been a trend for years, but it will not change without action. The industry is facing fierce competition, particularly from within the insurance sector. Technological advances are shifting the…
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Mechanical ventilation, prone positioning, and delivery in pregnant patients with severe COVID-19
In February, practitioners from the University of Maryland Department of Anesthesiology published a study on the care and outcomes of 17 pregnant COVID-19 patients who required mechanical ventilation. The full manuscript, written by Michael Wong, Shobana Bharadwaj, Allison Lankford, Jessica Galey, and Bhavani Kodali, is available on the Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia website. Here we summarize their…
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Role of circulating Interleukin-7 (IL-7) and its inverse correlation with Pulmonary arterial hypertension
The team at the pediatric cardiology and critical care department at Hanover medical school in Germany, including Franziska Diekmann, Ekaterina Legchenko, Philippe Chouvarine, Ralf Lichtinghagen, Harald Bertram, Christoph M. Happel, and Georg Hansmann, recently published a study investigating the role of circulating Interleukin-7(IL-7) and its inverse correlation with the Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in humans….
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Pigmentation Affects Elastic Fiber Patterning and Biomechanical Behavior of the Murine Aortic Valve
Sana Nasim, Popular Pandey, Rosemerie M. Kanashiro-Takeuchi, Jin He, Joshua D. Hutcheson, and Lisi Kos recently published a paper looking at the relationship between aortic valve pigmentation and elasticity, building on their previously-published work. Their full manuscript is publicly available in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. Here, we summarize their findings. The aortic valve is necessary for unidirectional…
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Study Explores Size Ratio in Aortic Valve Leaflets and Root Using CT Imaging
This is a summary of the study conducted by Tianyang Yang, Haini Wen, Ismail El-Hamamsy, Qiming Ni, Yanbin Sun, and Dan Zhu available to read here entitled “Relationship Between Leaflets and Root in Normal Aortic Valve Based on Computed Tomography Imaging: Implication for Aortic Valve Repair” published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine in November 2021. This study explores the…
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Using Deep Learning for Tricuspid Valve Segmentation in HLHS Patients
Christian Herz and colleagues recently published a research report on their novel, deep learning-based approach to tricuspid valve segmentation in pediatric patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Their full manuscript is publicly available on Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. Here, we summarize their findings. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a severe congenital heart defect that…
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Study Finds Predictive Polling Useful in Disease Forecasting
This is a summary of the study “Using prediction polling to harness collective intelligence for disease forecasting” by Tara Kirk Sell, Kelsey Lane Warmbrod, Crystal Watson, Marc Trotochaud, Elena Martin, Sanjana J. Ravi, Maurice Balick, and Emile Servan-Schreiber, and published on BMC Public Health’s website. Please click here to view the original article and Creative Commons license for the…
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Diagnostic Modalities in Critical Care: Point-of-Care Approach
In December of 2022, Sasa Rajsic, Robert Breitkopf, Mirjam Bachler, and Benedikt Treml published a useful review on current point of care (POC) diagnostic modalities in critical care. Here, we summarize their review for our readers; their full manuscript is available online. Since the organization of the first intensive care unit (ICU) in the 1950s in…
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Case Report: Sclerodermiform Dermatitis After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft with an Internal Thoracic Artery Conduit
In November of 2021, Caroline Gerhardt and colleagues published a report on the first case of sclerodermiform dermatitis at an internal thoracic artery donor graft site. Here we summarize their findings, which are a cautionary tale for those providing post-operative care for patients who undergo a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure using the internal…
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