Reversal of Total Artificial Heart Mechanical Valve Thrombosis Using Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis.

Total artificial heart is associated with increased incidence of thromboembolism, which can prove to be fatal. The presence of four metallic tilting discs increases the chances of thrombus formation and sudden obstruction of the valve in a closed position resulting in severe hemodynamic collapse. Such a condition is conventionally treated by a surgical approach for device change; however, this procedure is extremely high risk and associated with complications and poor outcomes. We describe two total artificial heart patients with sudden obstruction to the filling of the right side due to fixing of the atrioventricular valve in a closed position due to a thrombus. After a quick diagnosis by rescue transesophageal echocardiography, we successfully treated these patients with catheter-directed thrombolysis with minimal adverse outcomes. We propose a carefully weighed application of this approach in hemodynamically unstable patients too tenuous for a timely surgery and with low risk for bleeding.

Finding a proper "Mate": Comparison of left ventricular assist devices using cerebral oximetry.

INTRODUCTION: Axial-flow and centrifugal-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have been utilized in the management of heart failure, but it remains unknown whether these devices differ in end-organ perfusion. Our goal was to evaluate the association between device type and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), and determine if this confers any benefit in short-term postoperative outcomes. METHODS: Adult patients who underwent primary LVAD implantation at our institution from 2014 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were stratified into axial-flow and centrifugal-flow groups. Intraoperative rSO2 readings were used to calculate the change in mean rSO2 from pre- to post-bypass. Multivariable modeling was performed to compare delta rSO2 between groups, and to analyze the association between LVAD type and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: There were 152 patients included, of which 76 had an axial-flow device and 76 had a centrifugal-flow device implanted. The rSO2 level increased from pre-bypass to post-bypass on average 3.5% (CI: 2.1 to 5.0) for the axial group compared to 0.1% (CI: -1.2 to 1.4) for the centrifugal group, which was a significant difference (ß = -2.22, CI: -4.21 to -0.32, p = 0.022). Axial devices approached significance for lower odds of postoperative complications (OR: 0.35, CI: 0.11 to 1.06, p = 0.063), and were associated with significantly shorter ICU LOS (ß = -0.36, CI: -0.60 to -0.11, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Axial devices resulted in a greater increase in rSO2 than centrifugal pumps after separation from CPB. Further investigation is warranted to evaluate the effect of LVAD selection on long-term end-organ perfusion and subsequent patient outcomes.

Optimizing cerebral oxygenation in cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial examining neurocognitive and perioperative outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to determine whether targeted therapy to optimize cerebral oxygenation is associated with improved neurocognitive and perioperative outcomes. METHODS: In a prospective trial, intraoperative cerebral oximetry monitoring using bilateral forehead probes was performed in cardiac surgical patients who were randomly assigned to an intervention group in which episodes of cerebral oxygen desaturation (<60% for >60 consecutive seconds at either probe) triggered an intervention protocol or a control group in which the cerebral oximetry data were hidden from the clinical team, and no intervention protocol was applied. Cognitive testing was performed preoperatively and at postoperative months 3 and 6; domains studied were response speed, processing speed, attention, and memory. Perioperative outcomes studied were death, hospital length of stay, intensive care unit length of stay, postoperative day of extubation, time on mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit delirium, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment on intensive care unit admission, and intensive care unit blood transfusion. RESULTS: Group mean memory change scores were significantly better in the intervention group at 6 months (0.60 [standard error, 0.30] vs -0.17 [standard error, 0.33], adjusted P = .008). However, presence, duration, and severity of cerebral desaturation were not associated with cognitive change scores. Perioperative outcomes did not differ between the intervention and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted therapy to optimize cerebral oxygenation was associated with better memory outcome in a group of cardiac surgical patients. Some aspects of the protocol other than desaturation duration and severity contributed to the observed neuroprotective effect.

ASA physical status assignment by non-anesthesia providers: Do surgeons consistently downgrade the ASA score preoperatively?

OBJECTIVE: The American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in the perioperative period. When surgeries are scheduled by surgeons and their staff at our large institution a presumed ASA-PS is chosen. This is because our institution (and, anecdotally, others in our hospital system and elsewhere), recognizing the relationship between higher ASA-PS and poorer postoperative outcomes, requires all patients with higher ASA-PS levels (≥3) to undergo enhanced preoperative workup. The patients may not, however, necessarily be seen in the anesthesia clinic prior to surgery. As a result, patients are assigned a presumed ASA-PS by a non-anesthesia provider (e.g., surgeons and physician extenders) that may not reflect the ASA-PS chosen by the anesthesiologist on the day of surgery. Errors in the accuracy of the ASA-PS prior to surgery lead to unnecessary and costly preoperative testing, delays in operative procedures, and potential case cancellations. Our study aimed to determine whether there are significant differences in the assignment of ASA-PS by non-anesthesia providers when compared to anesthesia providers. DESIGN: We administered an IRB-approved survey asking the ASA-PS of 20 hypothetical case vignettes to 229 clinicians in various departments. Responses by non-anesthesia providers were compared to the consensus of the department of anesthesiology. SETTING: Faculty office spaces and conferences. PATIENTS: No patients, physicians only. INTERVENTIONS: Survey administration. MEASUREMENTS: ASA-PS scores acquired from surveys. MAIN RESULTS: Residents and faculty in the department of anesthesiology demonstrated no statistical difference in the median ASA score in 19/20 case scenarios. All other departments were statistically different when compared to the department of anesthesiology (p<0.05). The probability of a department either over- or under-rating the ASA-PS was calculated, and is summarized in Fig. 3. All departments, except anesthesiology, had a 30-40% chance of under-rating the ASA-PS of the patients in the clinical vignettes. CONCLUSIONS: Non-anesthesia providers assign ASA-PS with significantly less accuracy than do anesthesia providers, even when adjusted for multiple comparisons. Surgical and procedural departments were found to consistently under-rate the ASA-PS of patients in our clinical vignettes.

Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Comprehensive Clinical Review.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a profoundly dangerous, potentially lethal, immunologically mediated adverse drug reaction to unfractionated heparin or, less commonly, to low-molecular weight heparin. In this comprehensive review, the authors highlight heparin-induced thrombocytopenia's risk factors, clinical presentation, pathophysiology, diagnostic principles, and treatment. The authors place special emphasis on the management of patients requiring procedures using cardiopulmonary bypass or interventions in the catheterization laboratory. Clinical vigilance of this disease process is important to ensure its recognition, diagnosis, and treatment. Misdiagnosis of the syndrome, as well as misunderstanding of the disease process, continues to contribute to its morbidity and mortality.

Use of real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in type A aortic dissections: advantages of 3D TEE illustrated in three cases.

Stanford type A aortic dissections often present to the hospital requiring emergent surgical intervention. Initial diagnosis is usually made by computed tomography; however transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can further characterize aortic dissections with specific advantages: It may be performed on an unstable patient, it can be used intra-operatively, and it has the ability to provide continuous real-time information. Three-dimensional (3D) TEE has become more accessible over recent years allowing it to serve as an additional tool in the operating room. We present a case series of three patients presenting with type A aortic dissections and the advantages of intra-operative 3D TEE to diagnose the extent of dissection in each case. Prior case reports have demonstrated the use of 3D TEE in type A aortic dissections to characterize the extent of dissection and involvement of neighboring structures. In our three cases described, 3D TEE provided additional understanding of spatial relationships between the dissection flap and neighboring structures such as the aortic valve and coronary orifices that were not fully appreciated with two-dimensional TEE, which affected surgical decisions in the operating room. This case series demonstrates the utility and benefit of real-time 3D TEE during intra-operative management of a type A aortic dissection.

Challenges in the perioperative management of the patient receiving extended-release naltrexone.

Patients receiving extended-release (XR) naltrexone who are having surgery present unique challenges to anesthesia providers, the most obvious of which is an altered response to the effects of opioid agonists. Based on the timing of the last XR naltrexone dose, patients may be refractory to the effects of opioid agonists or potentially more sensitive to dangerous side effects due to receptor upregulation and hypersensitivity. Complicating matters, redosing XR naltrexone soon after opioid use may precipitate opioid withdrawal. We present a case of a 22-year-old woman receiving XR naltrexone for a history of heroin abuse undergoing a thyroidectomy and neck dissection. We discuss the intraoperative and postoperative anesthetic and analgesic planning, as well as solutions to some of the challenges these patients pose.

Avoiding ECMO in a patient with "pump" lung post-cardiopulmonary bypass.

As newer anesthesia ventilators are developed their capabilities are becoming more similar to intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators. However, in situations where there is severe decrease in lung compliance, an ICU ventilator may be superior in its ability to regulate inspiratory flow improving both ventilation and oxygenation. We present a case where an ICU ventilator was brought to the operating room and used in the treatment of ARDS post-cardiopulmonary bypass and ultimately allowed us to avoid extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy.

Exposure to childhood infections and risk of Epstein-Barr virus--defined Hodgkin's lymphoma in women.

The role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) etiology remains unresolved as EBV is detected in only some HL tumors and few studies have tried to reconcile its presence with factors suggesting viral etiology (e.g., childhood social class, infection history). In a population-based case-control study of San Francisco Bay area women, we analyzed interview data by tumor EBV status. Among 211 young adult cases, EBV-positive HL (11%) was associated with a single vs. shared bedroom at age 11 (OR = 4.0, 95% CI 1.1-14.4); risk was decreased for common childhood infections (OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-1.0), including measles before age 10, but not with prior infectious mononucleosis (IM), which is delayed EBV infection. No study factors affected risk of young adult EBV-negative HL. Among 57 older adult cases, EBV-positive HL (23%) was unrelated to study factors; EBV-negative HL was associated with a single bedroom at age 11 (OR = 3.6, 95% CI 1.5-9.1) and IM in family members (OR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.1-9.0). Thus, delayed exposure to infection may increase risk of EBV-positive HL in young adults, but risk patterns differ in younger and older women for both EBV-positive and -negative HL. Late EBV infection does not appear relevant to risk, suggesting that other pathogens impact HL etiology in affluent female populations. Inconsistency of findings with prior studies may reflect failure of study risk factors to proxy meaningful exposures, risk differences by gender, or selection or misclassification bias. Null findings for EBV-negative HL indicate that etiologic models should be reconsidered for this common form.