ALERT!
This site is not optimized for Internet Explorer 8 (or older).
Please upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use an alternate browser such as Chrome or Firefox.
Journal and News Scan
April 10, 2015
Submitted by: CTSNet Staff
Transplantations of hearts from donors >50 years (n=26) were compared to 136 transplantations of hearts from younger donors. Hearts from older donors were preferably transplanted to older recipients, who had also longer waiting times. Short- and long-term survival of both groups was similar, however, there was a tendency to a higher frequency of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in the group that received older hearts.
April 10, 2015
Submitted by: CTSNet Staff
Transplantations of hearts from donors >50 years (n=26) were compared to 136 transplantations of hearts from younger donors. Hearts from older donors were preferably transplanted to older recipients, who had also longer waiting times. Short- and long-term survival of both groups was similar, however, there was a tendency to a higher frequency of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in the group that received older hearts.
April 9, 2015
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
This concensus statement reviews the unique physiology, insertion techniques, and clinical indications for use of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support devices. As the options for management of different etiologies of heart failure in adult and pediatric populations expand, understanding the advantages of specific devices is vital.
April 8, 2015
Submitted by: Jill Ley
This thought provoking article by Drew et al., utilized state-of-the art monitoring technology to document the problem of "alarm fatigue" by recording an astounding number of alarm events; 2,558,760 unique alarms were triggered for 461 patients over a 31-day period. They documented an audible alarm burden of 187/bed/day that is of great concern to patients and clinicians alike who must respond promptly to maintain safety, while confirming that 88.8% of these alarms were false. The authors offer detailed documentation of this pervasive problem, cited repeatedly as one of the top 10 technological hazards of 2015, as well as offering realistic solutions that can be used to increase the reliability of current and future alarm systems.
April 8, 2015
Submitted by: Joseph Basha
The authors describe a simplified method of providing regional citrate anticoagulation for Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) to patients. This simplified method could be beneficial for surgical patients needing renal replacement therapy where systemic anticoagulation is contraindicated and improve adoption of CRRT as a first choice therapeutic modality to treat acute renal failure in the post op surgical patient. The authors report only 5 patients and an intensly supervised, non randomized pilot study.
April 7, 2015
Submitted by: Arie Blitz
The authors prospectively performed coronary angiograms in their patients undergoing isolated CABG who demonstrated a rising cardiac troponin I profile in the first 12 hours following heart surgery - despite being asymptomatic. Among a total of 1693 patients from 2005-2011, 29 (1.7%) of patients had a rising CTnI. Of these, 16 patients (55%) demonstrated significant abnormalities on the angiograms, including occlusions, stenoses, dissections, hematomas, and kinking.
April 4, 2015
Submitted by: Tom C. Nguyen
This multicenter randomized trial examined restrictive versus liberal threshold in red-cell transfusion in patients after cardiac surgery. The results were provocative, with more deaths in the restrictiv group compared to the liberal transfusion group. Posoperative complications were also slightly higher in the restrictive group.
April 2, 2015
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Repair of this congenital defect in 34 pts was associated with no early mortality and substantial improvement in LV function (EF, shortening fraction, LVEDD). No postoperative circulatory support was required.
April 2, 2015
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
This analysis compared results of open repair for chronic Type B dissection (OAR) and endovascular repair (TEVAR) using propensity matching techniques. Freedom from rupture/reintervention at 10 years was 78%. Specific outcomes were similar for both types of intervention, but overall treatment efficacy was better for OAR.
April 2, 2015
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Outcomes of stented bovine pericardial aortic valvular prostheses were evaluated over a 30 year experience. 48% had concomitant CABG and 26% had additional valve procedures at the time of implant. Explants were required in 1.9% at 10 years and in 15% by 20 years. Explant rates were 3-fold higher in patients younger than 60 years. Patient-prosthesis mismatch and high gradients were associated with a higher risk of explant.