Sincronía auriculo-ventricular en pacientes portadores de marcapasos con estimulación VDD. Estudio descriptivo de un periodo de 14 años / Atrioventricular synchrony in patients with pacemaker with VDD mode pacing. A 14-year descriptive study

Objetivo: Analizar el rendimiento de la estimulación con marcapasos de modalidad VDD en pacientes con bloqueo auriculo-ventricular (AV) completo con especial atención a la permanencia en sincronía AV. Diseño: Se trata de un estudio retrospectivo observacional, descriptivo sobre una serie de casos. Ámbito: Servicio de Medicina Intensiva de un centro hospitalario de tercer nivel. Pacientes: Totalidad de pacientes con marcapasos VDD implantado entre 1994-2008. Variables: Se analizó causa de trastorno del ritmo, tiempo de mantenimiento de la sincronía AV, motivo de la pérdida de la misma, número de recambios de generador y motivo, edad a la que se hizo el primoimplante, incidencia de fallo de sensado auricular y de fibrilación auricular. Se comparó la población que entro en Fibrilación auricular con el resto que mantenían actividad auricular. Resultados: Se analizaron 95 pacientes, 49 (51,6%) varones y 46 (48,4%) mujeres con edad media de Edad 77,08±8,37 años. El síntoma más frecuente fue el presíncope y mareo con 43 casos (45,3%), el trastorno del ritmo más frecuente fue el bloqueo AV de IIIo con QRS ancho con 68 casos (71,6%). El tiempo medio de Sincronía AV mantenida fue de 73,01±4,2 meses, sin diferencias significativas entre diferentes causas de pérdida de la misma. Al final del estudio permanecían en sincronía AV estudio 56 casos (73,3%). Conclusiones: El tiempo de sincronía AV es elevado, siendo las causas más importantes de su pérdida, la entrada en fibrilación auricular y el infrasensado auricular (AU)

Objective: To analyze the performance of VDD mode pacing in patients with complete AV block with special attention on maintaining AV synchrony. Design: This is a descriptive, retrospective and observational study of a case series. Setting: Intensive Medicine Department of a tertiary Hospital. Patients: All patients with VDD pacemakers implanted between 1994 and 2008. Main measurements: The cause of the rhythm disorder, time of atrioventricular synchrony, cause of its loss, number of pacemaker replacement and reason, age when the first implant was performed, incidence of failure of atrial sensing and atrial fibrillation. We compared patients with atrial fibrillation with the rest who maintained normal atrial activity. Results: A total of 95 patients, 49 (51.6%) males and 46 (48.4%) female with mean age of 77.08±8.37 years, were analyzed. The most common symptom was dizziness and presyncope in 43 cases (45.3%), the most common rhythm disorder was the III AV block with wide QRS with 68 cases (71.6%). Average time of AV synchrony was maintained 73.01±4.2 months with no significant differences between different causes of synchrony loss. At the end of the study, 56 cases remained in AV synchrony (73.3%). Conclusions: The preservation time of AV synchrony is high, the most important causes of loss being entry in atrial fibrillation and atrial infrasensing (AU)

[Atrioventricular synchrony in patients with pacemaker with VDD mode pacing. A 14-year descriptive study]. / Sincronía auriculo-ventricular en pacientes portadores de marcapasos con estimulación VDD. Estudio descriptivo de un periodo de 14 años.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the performance of VDD mode pacing in patients with complete AV block with special attention on maintaining AV synchrony. DESIGN: This is a descriptive, retrospective and observational study of a case series. SETTING: Intensive Medicine Department of a tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: All patients with VDD pacemakers implanted between 1994 and 2008. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The cause of the rhythm disorder, time of atrioventricular synchrony, cause of its loss, number of pacemaker replacement and reason, age when the first implant was performed, incidence of failure of atrial sensing and atrial fibrillation. We compared patients with atrial fibrillation with the rest who maintained normal atrial activity. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients, 49 (51.6%) males and 46 (48.4%) female with mean age of 77.08+/-8.37 years, were analyzed. The most common symptom was dizziness and presyncope in 43 cases (45.3%), the most common rhythm disorder was the III AV block with wide QRS with 68 cases (71.6%). Average time of AV synchrony was maintained 73.01+/-4.2 months with no significant differences between different causes of synchrony loss. At the end of the study, 56 cases remained in AV synchrony (73.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The preservation time of AV synchrony is high, the most important causes of loss being entry in atrial fibrillation and atrial infrasensing.

Is an emergency heart transplantation justified?

INTRODUCTION: Emergency heart transplantation remains an important controversy due to the shortage of donors and the previously demonstrated results inferior to other patients. These recipients display a worse clinical status and their donors are more often considered suboptimal. Nevertheless, it is the only therapeutic option for patients with advanced cardiomyopathy and acute decompensation with no response to other therapies. We compared results among the emergency indication with those of elective transplants. METHODS: We analyzed the 213 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation in our center up to December 2004 to compare emergency with elective heart transplantations for preoperative and surgical variables as well as outcomes. RESULTS: A higher percentage of emergency patients were New York Heart Association class IV, displayed renal dysfunction, and were women. Regarding donors, a higher percentage were over 40 years of age. No differences were observed in the early and first-year mortality or morbidity rates, although we noted a greater 5-year mortality rate among emergency cases. CONCLUSIONS: In our center emergency heart transplantation was associated with only slightly worse results compared with elective transplantations. Both donors and recipients should be carefully selected to improve results.

Infections in cardiac transplant recipients: clinical and microbiological characteristics and consequences.

INTRODUCTION: Infections are one of the main complications that cause morbidity and mortality in cardiac transplant recipients. We sought to establish the incidence of infections, identify the predisposing factors and determine their consequences. PATIENTS: A prospective study of 30 patients who received cardiac transplantations in our hospital from July 2003 to May 2005. RESULTS: Of the 30 transplant recipients, 93.3% were men (average age, 48 years); the average age of the women was 53 years. The incidence of infection was 70%: 21 episodes of infection. The main clinical symptoms were bacteriemia (28%), pneumonia (19%), and surgical wound infections (14%). The etiology of the infection, as established in 12 cases (57%), was bacterial (66%), viral (25%), or fungal (9%). The most common microorganisms were cytomegalovirus and coagulase-negative staphylococcus. None of the donors had a history of infection. There was a higher frequency of serious complications, such as renal failure (12.9%), respiratory insufficiency (9.6%), and multiorgan failure (9.6%) among patients with versus without infections (P < .05). The 1-year survival rate of patients with infections was similar to that of patients with no infections (83% vs 88%, P = NS). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of infections was 70%. Bacteremia, pneumonia, and surgical wound infections occurred most frequently. Cytomegalovirus and coagulase-negative staphylococcus were the most frequent microorganisms. Patients with infections had the most serious complications, but their survival rate was similar to that of patients free of this complication.

Myocardial preservation using Celsior: clinical results in high-risk cardiac transplantation.

Graft failure during the first few days posttransplantation remains one of the main unresolved complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of Celsior preservation solution on the incidence of early graft failure in high-risk cardiac transplant recipients. A retrospective study was carried out evaluating the cardiac transplants in 179 heart recipients. The patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) Celsior preservation solution (n = 37), and (2) Control solution (n = 142). To evaluate the efficacy of the Celsior solution, a subgroup of transplants from older donors or with ischemia times greater than 4 hours was compared with the other cases. The incidence of early graft failure was lower among the Celsior subgroups with longer ischemia times or of older donors compared with the control groups. We conclude that preservation with Celsior solution in cardiac transplantation is safe and effective. It even has advantages to reduce early graft failure compared with conventional solutions, a benefit that may be more evident in subgroups at high risk for myocardial dysfunction.

Neovascularization by cardiomyoplasty.

UNLABELLED: Nowadays cardiomyoplasty is used in cases of cardiac insufficiency as an alternative to cardiac transplant for patients with very developed ischemic cardiopathy, refractory to pharmacological treatment and without possibility of revascularization by using conventional techniques. OBJECTIVES: Our Cardiovascular Research Group has proposed as an objective, the detection of any possible myocardial neovascularization through the muscle used for cardiomyoplasty. In the case that there are new blood vessels to the diseased myocardium through the latissimus dorsi muscle flap in which it is wrapped and which aids it mechanically, it would be possible to confirm the working hypothesis that cardiomyoplasty not only improves the cardiocirculatory function mechanically but also facilitates a better blood flow to the ischemic myocardium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cardiomyoplasty technique is described using an experimental model of myocardial ischemia. The vascular cast is achieved by injecting methacrylate simultaneously into both the coronary tree and the wide dorsal muscle. In 15 experiments the connections between the coronary vascular system and the vascular structure of the latissimus dorsil muscle flap are demonstrated by several methods. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that cardiomyoplasty, as well as improving ventricular function, favours the revascularization of the myocardium. Cardiomyoplasty could be indicated for cases of ischemic cardiopathy in patients in whom it is not possible to perform direct revacularization using conventional methods.

Integrity of the pericardium. Its beneficial effects on the protection of the right ventricle in the presence of acute pulmonary hypertension.

UNLABELLED: After cardiac transplant (CT), the right ventricle can be subject to an acute pressure overload, especially in cases where there is a pre-existing severe pulmonary hypertension. OBJECTIVES: To determine the maximum tolerance of the right ventricle (MxTRV) when faced with acute pressure overload. To study the function of both ventricles of the healthy heart (donor) when faced with different degrees of pulmonary hypertension. To detect possible interactions between the ventricles in the absence of the pericardium to approximate the experimental model to the clinical model of CT. METHODS: The pulmonary artery is progressively constrained in an experimental model until biventricular failure is detected. This experiment is performed in two different situations: with and without pericardial integrity. RESULTS: When pericardial integrity is maintained the MxTRV faced with a pressure overload is 73.2+/-8.56 mmHg. When this pressure is exceeded there is a circulatory collapse with a sharp fall in the cardiac output and in the aortic pressure. However, when pericardectomy is performed (model similar to CT), only 52+/-6.71 mmHg is tolerated (p< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: With the pericardium open, as in CT, the maximum pressure that the right ventricle can support is significantly less than with the pericardium closed. The pericardium has a positive effect in protecting the systolic ventricular interaction.

Enterobacter bacteremia. An analysis of 50 episodes.

During a six-year period, 147 patients had Enterobacter bacteremia (3.8% of the episodes of bacteremia), with an incidence of 1.25 per 1,000 admitted patients. We chose a random group of 50 cases for analysis. The disease was community acquired in 24% of the cases and nosocomially acquired in the remaining 76%. The bacteremia was unimicrobial in 70% and part of a polymicrobial bacteremia in 30%. The species most commonly causing bacteremia was Enterobacter cloacae. Portals of entry, in decreasing order of frequency, were unknown, surgical wound, respiratory tract, and urinary tract. The most common clinical finding was fever (92%). Shock occurred in 30% of the patients, and only two patients had evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Of the Enterobacter isolates, 12% were resistant to gentamicin. Overall mortality was 42%; factors associated with a poor prognosis were inadequacy of antimicrobial chemotherapy, septic shock, type of underlying disease, clinical condition, and requirement of intensive care.