Há risco de êmbolos durante a infusão com o uso de aquecedores com linhas de aquecimento de sangue e líquidos? / Is there risk of emboli during Infusion with Line type blood-liquid warmers? / ¿Existen riesgos de émbolos durante la infusión con el uso de calentadores con líneas de calentamiento de sangre y líquidos?

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Os aquecedores de sangue e de líquidos que aquecem em linha são amplamente usados por causa do baixo custo, do uso prático e porque não dependem de equipamentos. Nosso objetivo foi investigar a formação de bolhas em dois aquecedores tipo linha com duas formas de aquecimento diferentes. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Dois grupos foram designados às marcas de aquecedores de sangue e líquidos: S-line e Astoflo®. Com o uso de 10 conjuntos de soro para cada grupo (n = 20), 1.000 mL de solução NaCl a 9% foram infundidos a 350 mL.hora-1 durante uma hora na sala de operação. As seguintes temperaturas foram mensuradas: das partes proximal, intermediária e distal das linhas; do ambiente de ensaio; do líquido usado e do líquido ao atingir a cânula após o aquecimento. O tempo para a formação visível de bolhas foi registrado. Os achados foram estatisticamente comparados com o uso do teste-U de Mann-Whitney. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença entre os grupos em relação às temperaturas proximal, intermediária e distal das partes das linhas; do ambiente do estudo; do líquido usado e do líquido ao atingir a cânula (p > 0,05). Bolhas foram observadas nos dois aquecedores e o tempo para a formação de bolhas foi semelhante nos dois grupos de estudo (p = 0,143). CONCLUSÕES: No cenário experimental, criamos condições semelhantes ao nosso ambiente clínico. Ambos os tipos de aquecedores forneceram níveis de aquecimento semelhantes e formaram bolhas visíveis. Considerando que uma pequena quantidade de êmbolos pode ser fatal em bebês e crianças, a formação de bolhas deve ser seriamente considerada em caso de êmbolos e estudos adicionais devem ser feitos para determinar a quantidade, as razões e os conteúdos da formação de bolhas.

INTRODUCTION: Line type blood-liquid warmers are used widely due to their low expense, practical use and nondependence on sets. We aimed to investigate the relationship of bubbles in line type warmers with two different warming properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups were designed with S-line and Astoflo® brand blood-liquid warmers. By using 10 medisets for each group (n = 20), we infused 1,000 mL 0.9% NaCl solutions at 350 mL.hour-1 speed for one hour in the operating room. Temperatures at the proximal, midway and distal parts of lines, temperature of experiment environment, temperature of liquid used and temperature of liquid reaching the cannula after warming were measured. Time to visually observable bubble formation was recorded. We compared findings statistically using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups with respect to temperatures at the proximal, midway and distal parts of lines, temperature of experiment environment, temperature of liquid used and temperature of liquid reaching the cannula (p > 0.05). Bubbles were observed with both warmers and time to bubble formation was similar in the two study groups (p = 0.143). CONCLUSIONS: In the experimental setting, we have designed conditions similar to our clinical environment. Both types of warmers provided similar warming levels and formed visible bubbles. Considering that low amounts of emboli can be fatal in infants and children, bubble formation should be taken seriously into account for emboli and further studies should be carried out to determine the amount, the reasons and the contents of bubble formation.

JUSTIFICATIVA Y OBJETIVOS: Los calentadores que poseen un calentamiento en línea de sangre y de líquidos son extensamente usados a causa de su bajo coste, del uso práctico y también porque no dependen de equipos. Nuestro objetivo fue investigar la formación de burbujas en dos calentadores de tipo línea con dos formas de calentamiento diferentes. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Dos grupos fueron designados a las marcas de calentadores de sangre y líquidos: S-line y Astoflo®. Con el uso de 10 conjuntos de suero para cada grupo (n = 20), 1.000 mL de solución NaCl al 9% se infundieron a 350 mL.hora-1 durante una hora en quirófano. Las siguientes temperaturas fueron mensuradas: de las partes proximal, intermedia y distal de las líneas; del ambiente de ensayo; del líquido usado y del líquido al alcanzar la bránula después del calentamiento. El tiempo para la formación visible de burbujas fue registrado. Los hallazgos fueron estadísticamente comparados con el uso del test-U de Mann-Whitney. RESULTADOS: No hubo diferencias entre los grupos con relación a las temperaturas proximal, intermedia y distal de las partes de las líneas; del ambiente del estudio; del líquido usado y del líquido al alcanzar la bránula (p > 0,05). Burbujas se observaron en los dos calentadores y el tiempo para la formación de burbujas fue similar en los dos grupos de estudio (p = 0,143). CONCLUSIONES: Dentro del escenario experimental, creamos condiciones parecidas a nuestro ambiente clínico. Ambos tipos de calentadores suministraron niveles de calentamiento parecidos y formaron burbujas visibles. Considerando que una pequeña cantidad de émbolos puede ser fatal en bebés y en niños, la formación de burbujas debe ser seriamente considerada en caso de émbolos y estudios adicionales deben ser realizados para determinar la cantidad, las razones y los contenidos de la formación de burbujas.

Embolia arterial periférica. Relato de casos internados / Peripheral arterial embolism. Report of hospitalized cases

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the frequency of peripheral embolisms, the underlying heart disease,triggering factors, the sites of the emboli, and evolution of the patients. METHODS: We analyzed 29 cases of peripheral arterial embolism out of a total of 20,211 hospitalizations in a cardiology center in the city of São Paulo. The age was 51.89ñ18.66 years, and 15 were males. RESULTS: Embolism in the right lower limb occurred in 18 patients (62.0 percent),in the left lower 11(37.9 percent) and right upper 3 (10.3 percent) limbs, and in the left arm (1). Four patients had embolism in two limbs. The heart disease, mitral valvar heart disease (9 patients - 31.0 percent); infective endocarditis (7-24.1 percent); dilated cardiomyopathy (6 - 20.6 percent); ischemic coronary heart disease (6 patients - 20.6 percent); and one patient with cor pulmonale. Atrial fibrillation was observed in 20 patients (68.9 percent), chronic in 12 patients (41.3 percent ) and acute in 8 (27.5 percent). All patients with mitral valvar heart disease had atrial fibrillation, chronic in 8 patients (88.8percent); patients with cardiomyopathy and coronary heart disease, 4 in each group had atrial fibrillation, acute in 60 percent of the patients.Patients with infective endocarditis, 3 had staphylococcus and 2 Gram-negative bacteria. In the follow-up, 2 patients (6.8percent) required limbs amputation, and 5 (17.2 percent) died due to embolism. CONCLUSION: Most of the time, embolism does not cause permanent complications. Our data highlight the importance of anticoagulation for patients acute atrial fibrillation in myocardial dysfunction and for patients with chronic atrial fibrillation in cases of mitral valvar heart disease to prevent peripheral embolism.

Embolism and atrial fibrillation. A longitudinal follow-up.

Six hundred and forty-nine patients with proven chronic atrial fibrillation were followed for a total of 1,436 patient-years without anticoagulation. The patient were divided into 7 disease groups with each having an average age ranging from 39 to 69 years. Eleven per cent of the patients had systemic embolism prior to being registered for the follow-up. The diseases which had the highest incidence of embolism prior to being followed were the same as those producing the highest rate of systemic embolism while under observation. The disease groups were rheumatic valvular (predominantly mitral stenosis) and ischemic heart diseases. Their embolic rate were 3.9 to 5.1 emboli per 100 pt-yr. Other disease groups with lower embolic rates of 0 to 0.9 per 100 pt-yr were heart failure, non-rheumatic mitral regurgitation, atrial septal defect and thyrotoxicosis. Since the incidence of systemic embolism varied according to the primary disease, and since the hemorrhagic complication of anticoagulant therapy is finite, it is advised that low risk group may not benefit greatly from anticoagulation. However, the true low risk group has still to be properly determined.