Immuno-Electrophysiological Mechanisms of Functional Electrical Connections Between Recipient and Donor Heart in Patients With Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Presenting With Atrial Arrhythmias.

[Figure: see text].

Bi-directional hepatic hydrothorax.

A 59-year-old male with alcoholic cirrhosis presented to our hospital with an acutely painful umbilical hernia, and 4 mo of exertional dyspnea. He was noted to be tachypneic and hypoxic. He had a massive right sided pleural effusion with leftward mediastinal shift and gross ascites, with a tense, fluid-filled, umbilical hernia. Emergent paracentesis with drain placement and a large volume thoracentesis were performed. Despite improvement in dyspnea and drainage of 15 L of ascitic fluid, the massive transudative pleural effusion remained largely unchanged. He underwent a repeat large volume thoracentesis on hospital day 4. The patient subsequently developed a tension pneumothorax, which resulted in a dramatic reduction in the effusion. A chest tube was placed and serial radiographs demonstrated resolution of the pneumothorax but recurrence of the effusion. The radiographs illustrate the movement of fluid between the peritoneal and pleural cavities. In this case, the mechanism of pleural effusion was confirmed to be a hepatic hydrothorax via an unintended tension pneumothorax. Methods to elucidate a hepatic hydrothorax include Tc99m or indocyanine green injection into the ascitic fluid followed by its demonstration above the diaphragm. The unintended tension pneumothorax in this case additionally demonstrates bi-directional flow across the diaphragm.

Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm after Swan-Ganz catheterization: a case presentation and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: The Swan-Ganz catheter for pulmonary artery (PA) cannulation was introduced in 1970 and has been utilized in the management of critically ill and cardiac patients. Although the routine use of this catheter has not been associated with better patient outcomes in prospective randomized trials, their ability to provide crucial hemodynamic measurements and the ease of bedside insertion makes them valuable in certain complex clinical scenarios. However, Swan-Ganz catheter insertion is not without complications. PA injury is the most serious complication suspected by the occurrence of hemoptysis after the procedure. We present a case of PA injury with pseudoaneurysm formation after Swan-Ganz catheterization along with a comprehensive review of literature. METHODS: We reviewed all PubMed/Medline indexed articles published between 1993-2013, reporting the development of PA pseudoaneurysm after Swan-Ganz catheter use. Cases were analyzed with specific reference to patient demographics, indication for Swan-Ganz insertion, initial presenting symptom, duration between insertion and first evidence of PA injury, inciting event, site of pseudoaneurysm, treatment and outcome. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were identified from 27 papers. In the reviewed population, 87.8% were older than 60 years of age and 82.9% were females. Fifty-one percent of the patients had an episode of hemoptysis on the day of Swan-Ganz catheter insertion. Ninety-seven percent of the patients had PA pseudoaneurysm in the right pulmonary circulation. The admission-to-discharge mortality rate in the reviewed cohort was 15%. Cause of death in 22% of the cases was hemoptysis, while non-catheter related complications were responsible for the remaining deaths. CONCLUSION: PA injury is a feared complication after Swan-Ganz catheterization and can be fatal. In patients who develop massive or recurrent hemoptysis after Swan-Ganz catheter use, PA injury must be considered and airway protection should be employed along with appropriate catheter based or surgical interventions.