A Kaleidoscope heart.

In the current manuscript, we report an unusual case of a young 18-year-old woman who survived an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest secondary to Bland-White-Garland syndrome. Her transthoracic echocardiogram showed an abnormal color Doppler flow-pattern within the myocardium indicative of coronary fistulous flow that prompted further evaluation with coronary CT angiography, which confirmed the diagnosis. Our case serves not only as a reminder to consider coronary artery anomalies as a cause of sudden cardiac death in young individuals but also as a prompt to investigate unusual echocardiographic findings with alternative imaging when the diagnosis may not be initially clear.

Intracardiac Right-to-Left Shunt Impeding Liberation From Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Two Case Studies.

OBJECTIVES: Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is an increasingly used form of advanced respiratory support, but its effects on the physiology of the right heart are incompletely understood. We seek to illustrate the impact of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation return blood flow upon the right atrium by considering the physiologic effects during interatrial shunting. PATIENTS: Two veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients in whom an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation induced right-to-left interatrial shunt appears to have created a barrier to liberation from extracorporeal support. CONCLUSIONS: Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation return flow generates a high-pressure jet that has potential to exert focal pressure upon the intra-atrial septum. In patients with potential for interatrial flow, this may lead to a right-to-left shunt, which becomes physiologically apparent only when sweep gas flow is ceased.

CRITICAL CARE ECHO ROUNDS: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

UNLABELLED: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an advanced form of organ support indicated in selected cases of severe cardiovascular and respiratory failure. Echocardiography is an invaluable diagnostic and monitoring tool in all aspects of ECMO support. The unique nature of ECMO, and its distinct effects upon cardio-respiratory physiology, requires the echocardiographer to have a sound understanding of the technology and its interaction with the patient. In this article, we introduce the key concepts underpinning commonly used modes of ECMO and discuss the role of echocardiography. CASE: A 38-year-old lady, with no significant past medical history, was admitted to her local hospital with group A Streptococcal pneumonia. Rapidly progressive respiratory failure ensued and, despite intubation and maximal ventilatory support, adequate oxygenation proved impossible. She was attended by the regional severe respiratory failure service who established her on veno-venous (VV)-ECMO for respiratory support. Systemic oxygenation improved; however, significant cardiovascular compromise was encountered and echocardiography demonstrated a severe septic cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction <15%, aortic velocity time integral 5.9 cm and mitral regurgitation dP/dt 672 mmHg/s). Her ECMO support was consequently converted to a veno-veno-arterial configuration, thus providing additional haemodynamic support. As the sepsis resolved, arterial ECMO support was weaned under echocardiographic guidance; subsequent resolution of intrinsic respiratory function allowed the weaning of VV-ECMO support. The patient was liberated from ECMO 7 days after hospital admission.