Vasoplegic syndrome following cardiothoracic surgery— A Review of pathophysiology and update of treatment options
Vasoplegic syndrome occurs in up to 50% of all patients receiving cardiac surgery. This condition is a type of vasodilatory shock that proceeds cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Vasoplegic syndrome involves normal or increased cardiac output and decreased systemic vascular resistance (SVR) leading to organ hypoperfusion. It has a similar mechanism and presentation as sepsis, usually requiring…
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Anti‑Xa activity and Hemorrhagic Events Under Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Usage of Veno-Venous (V-V) and Veno-Arterial (V-A) Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly common in ICU setups. This carries a risk of numerous complications, and among them, hemorrhagic events result in high mortality. These events occur due to anticoagulants used for preventing thromboembolic events and clotting inside the equipment used in ECMO. To monitor the…
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How Biotechnology is Impacting the Treatment and Prevention of Heart Disease
Biological processes utilization for industrial and other applications, notably gene modification of microbes for the synthesis of hormones and antibiotics is Biotechnology. Now Cardiovascular disorders are a major global public health issue, with the highest mortality and morbidity rates within all disorders. For treating and preventing heart diseases, development of drugs is now gaining importance….
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Comparison of Skeletonized vs Pedicled Internal Thoracic Artery Harvesting
The clinical trial used two methods to do a coronary artery bypass grafting and studied the long-term clinical outcomes. The two methods in use were the skeletonized internal thoracic arteries and the pedicled internal thoracic arteries (ITAs). The study involved 2161 patients and the results indicate patients with skeletonized ITAs had higher rates of cardiovascular…
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High-stress work environments and mental health
Healthcare workers have been under tremendous stress since the beginning of the pandemic. Even before, the healthcare environment has often been considered difficult for many reasons and has a disproportionate impact on the emotional well-being of professionals. Healthcare workers face a lot of stressors. Their decisions often carry significant consequences with high cost for errors…
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How Inflation is Affecting Healthcare Costs in the USA
Americans spend a significant amount of money on healthcare each year. There is an increase in insurance premiums, high deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses. There has been an inflationary effect across the board in the medical industry. One of the core reasons for this inflation in healthcare costs is due to government policy. Since Medicare…
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The Relationship Between AKI and Cardiac Surgery
The study investigated the relationship between levosimendan treatment and acute kidney injury (AKI) among cardiac surgery patients. It analyzed the experiences of 854 LEVO-CTS patients who were undergoing the treatment. AKI is associated with high treatment cost, mortality, and morbidity, which may occur after cardiac surgery. Therefore patients who have undergone cardiac surgery are likely…
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FDA approves TransMedics’ OCS Heart system
TransMedics Group has secured approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its OCS Heart System that is developed for use with organs collected from donors after brain death (DBD). The OCS Heart System is designed to preserve DBD donor hearts deemed unsuitable for procurement and transplantation at initial assessment due to limitations…
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Manufacturing Perspectives in Engineering Heart Valves
Valvular heart diseases (VHD) that cause stenosis and regurgitation in heart valves, such as congenital, rheumatic, and degenerative heart illnesses, require constant clinical monitoring. Aortic or pulmonary valve anomalies are responsible for 33% of congenital heart disorders. Although patients with VHD have received transcatheter therapies and minimally invasive operations, the bulk of valve replacement surgeries…
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FDA Approves Abbott’s Portico Valve for TAVR
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Portico with FlexNav (Abbott) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system for patients with “symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme risk for open-heart surgery,” the company announced recently. Portico is a self-expanding TAVR valve with leaflets that help provide optimal blood flow when…
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Emergency Reversal of Anticoagulation
The risk of bleeding varies with the type of anticoagulant agent used. The incidence of bleeding while on warfarin has been estimated at 15-20% per year, with life-threatening bleeding occurring.At a rate of 1-3% per year. Providers should remember that all patients with emergent or life-threatening bleeding require attention to basic interventions, including cessation of…
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Radiation-Associated Coronary Disease in Young Cancer Survivors
The article “Radiation-Associated Coronary Disease in Young Cancer Survivors” highlights important developments in radiotherapy (RT) research in reducing and evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD). Many significant findings have surfaced from well-executed research studies, evolving the therapeutic landscape and changing how we treat and monitor breast cancer patients post-RT. Major research objectives include how to reduce…
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