Centrifugal pump support for distal aortic perfusion during repair of traumatic thoracic aortic injury.

Paraplegia from ischemic injury of the spinal cord and renal failure from inadequate perfusion of the kidneys may occur from aortic cross-clamping during repair of traumatic thoracic aortic injuries. After Institutional Review Board approval, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of 26 patients surgically treated for traumatic transection of the descending thoracic aorta during a 14 year period (1987-2001), using centrifugal pump (Sarns) support for distal aortic perfusion. The study group comprised 19 males and 7 females, whose ages ranged from 15 to 69 years. For all but 1 patient, who fell from a flagpole, the injuries were incurred in motor vehicle accidents. Aortic cross-clamp time lasted between 5 to 78 min (median = 40 min). Mean arterial pressure ranged from 50 to 80 mm Hg (median = 70 mm Hg). All patients survived operation without developing paraplegia or renal failure. Distal centrifugal pump perfusion during repair of traumatic injury of the descending thoracic aorta is a valuable adjunct during surgical treatment and aids in preservation of spinal cord and renal function.

Postcardiotomy centrifugal assist: a single surgeon's experience.

Because of the infrequent application of cardiac assist devices for postcardiotomy heart failure, most published reports include the results of learning curves from multiple surgeons. Between October 1986 and June 2001, a single surgeon used 35 Sarns Centrifugal Pumps as ventricular assist devices in 21 patients with severe hemodynamic compromise after open heart surgery (0.88% incidence). Patients' ages ranged from 39 to 77 (mean, 59.6 years). Three patients required right ventricular assist devices, 4 left ventricular assist devices, and 14 had biventricular assist devices. For all, the indication for application was inability to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass despite multiple inotropes and intraaortic balloon pumping. All were expected to be intraoperative deaths without further mechanical assistance. Patients were assisted from 2 to 434 h (median, 48 h). Fifteen patients (71.4%) were weaned from device(s), and 11 patients (52.4%) were hospital survivors. Actuarial survival in those dismissed from the hospital was 78% at 5 years and 39% at 10 years. Patients facing certain demise after cardiac surgery can be salvaged with temporary centrifugal mechanical assist. Results are competitive with that achieved with more sophisticated devices. Hospital survivors enjoy reasonable longevity.

Transthoracic defibrillation of dogs with Edmark, biphasic, and quadriphasic waveforms.

Patients with high transthoracic impedance are reported to be at higher risk of poor outcomes when treated by present defibrillators. This study evaluates the defibrillation efficacy of biphasic truncated exponential (BTE), quadriphasic truncated exponential (QTE), and Edmark waveforms at simulated low, average, and high impedance levels. Waveforms were tested at 2 energy levels in random order in anesthetized dogs (n = 15, 16.9 +/- 1.2 kg), and a supplemental study estimated the ED50 peak current for BTE and QTE at a simulated high impedance level. Overall, BTE and QTE were equivalent, and both were superior to Edmark at equal delivered energies (P<.0001). However, in simulated high impedance patients at 24 J, QTE was superior to BTE (71% vs. 49%, P =.011 (borderline significance-see text)). Supplemental study, QTE mean ED50 peak current was lower than BTE (7.9 vs. 8.9 A, P =.0049). QTE and BTE waveforms were superior to Edmark at all studied conditions, but QTE appears to be superior to BTE in simulated high impedance patients.

A Calf Model for Left Ventricular Centrifugal Mechanical Assist.

The increased use of centrifugal mechanical assist (CMA) for treatment of refractory postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock highlights the need for experimental testing to improve clinical results. This report describes the preoperative conditioning, anesthetic and surgical technique, and postoperative management of a reliable calf model refined in this laboratory for in vivo sub-chronic (96 h) testing of CMA. Holstein bull calves (2 to 3 months old; mean body weight, 78 kg; n = 35) were instrumented for left ventricular CMA; 4 of these calves were sham-operated controls. Anesthetic recovery and postoperative restraint were accomplished in a specially designed crate to which each calf was preconditioned extensively. Younger calves were more readily conditioned and more tolerant of postoperative restraint than older calves. One calf died of ventricular fibrillation in-traoperatively. One calf that had been heparinized developed uncontrollable hemothorax and died 12 h postoperatively. One calf prematurely dislodged his aortic cannula 15 h postoperatively and exsanguinated. Six calves developed pelvic limb paresis or paralysis because of lumbar spinal cord thromboembolism by 36 h postoperatively, and 3 of these calves were sacrificed by 42 h postoperatively. Fifteen calves required sedation in the first 12 h after the operation. Tachycardia associated with bottle feeding occurred in 15 calves. Second-degree atrioventricular block was noted frequently during deep relaxation. Postmortem examination demonstrated the absence of surgical wound and distant infection, security of cannulae in all but the calf that prematurely dislodged the aortic cannula, absence of thrombus formation at cannu-lation sites, and presence of thromboembolism in 51% of the calves. The incidence of thromboembolic lesions was not influenced by the need for chemical restraint, by the occurrence of feeding-associated tachycardia, or by the presence of atrioventricular block. There were no thromboembolic lesions in any of the sham-operated controls.