Apoyo metabólico del corazón isquémico en cirugía cardíaca / Metabolic support of the ischemic heart during cardiac surgery

We examine [IBM1] the basic principles and clinical results of the metabolic intervention with glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) solutions in the field of cardiovascular surgery. On the basis of many international publications concerning this subject, and the experience obtained in the operating room of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia [quot ]Ignacio Chávez[quot ], we conclude that the metabolic support wit GIK is a powerful system that provides very useful energy to protect the myocardium during cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. The most recent publications indicate their effects in reducing low output syndromes, due to interventions on the coronary arteries, as well as producing a significant reduction of circulating fatty acids. These effects are produced also in the field of interventional cardiology, where GIK solutions protect the myocardium against damage due to impaired microcirculation. It is evident that these solutions must be utilized in higher concentrations that the initial ones, equal to those employed in laboratory animals. On the other side, it is worthy to remember that it has been always underlined that this treatment represents only a protection for the myocardium. Therefore, its association with other drugs or treatments favoring a good myocardial performance is not contraindicated--on the contrary, it yields better results. The present review presents pharmacological approaches, such as the use of glutamato, aspartate, piruvato, trimetazidina ranolazine and taurine to optimize cardiac energy metabolism, for the management of ischemic heart disease.

[Complications of the use of the pulmonary flotation catheter in surgery. Prospective study]. / Complicaciones del uso del catéter de flotación pulmonar en cirugía cardiovascular. Estudio prospectivo.

UNLABELLED: We studied 120 insertions of the Swan-Ganz catheter in 119 patients who needed hemodynamic monitorization for cardiovascular surgery. All catheter insertions were carried out soon after the anesthetic induction employing the modified Seldinger technique through the internal jugular vein, taking as reference the intracavitary pressure waves to get the pulmonary artery wedge position. The time of insertion, time of use, complications of puncture, difficulty and complications of insertion, thoracic and pulmonary complications, and loop or knot in the catheter were examined. RESULTS: multiple punctures in 15 cases (12.5%), 8 carotid artery punctures (6.6%), 14 hematomas (11.6%), difficulty for pass through the right ventricle in 8 cases (6.6%) and pulmonary artery in 32 (26.6%) impossibility to get the pulmonary wedge position in 13 cases (10.8%), loop of catheter in 3 (2.5%), ectopic atrial beats in 30 cases (25%), atrial tachycardia in 4 (3.3%), ectopic ventricular beats in 73 (60.8%). General arrhythmia incidence was 67.5%, none serious. All complications were minor and not life-threatening. Only in two cases (1.6%) the complications were major, both pulmonary infarction, but were life-threatening to patients; in 20 patients (16.6%) the outcome was without complications. There were no deaths for the catheter use. The results of this study showed that complications caused by the pulmonary artery flotation catheter were smaller than the benefit obtained in the management of these patients.