Extracorporeal Life Support and Mechanical Circulatory Support in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Refractory Cardiogenic Shock.

The prevalence of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation is increasing worldwide as more health care centers develop the necessary infrastructure, protocols, and technical expertise required to provide mobile extracorporeal life support with short notice. Strict adherence to patient selection guidelines in the setting of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, as well as in-hospital cardiac arrest, allows for improved survival with neurologically favorable outcomes in a larger patient population. This review discusses the preferred approaches, cannulation techniques, and available support devices ideal for the various clinical situations encountered during the treatment of cardiac arrest and refractory cardiogenic shock.

The Cadaver Conundrum: Sourcing and Anatomical Embalming of Human Dead Bodies by Medical Schools during and after COVID-19 Pandemic: Review and Recommendations.

COVID-19 pandemic has posed a new challenge for medical schools across the world regarding the acceptance of donated and unclaimed dead bodies for academic purpose. Uncertainty of the COVID-19 status among the donated bodies poses a health risk for embalming personnel and medical students who handle the embalmed cadavers. There is a paucity of literature delineating the criteria for accepting or rejecting the bodies during COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, there is no recommended standard operating procedure for anatomical embalming during COVID-19. We propose certain criteria for accepting and rejecting the human dead bodies for anatomical embalming. And we propose some technical modifications to the conventional procedure of formalin-based anatomical embalming. A guarded approach and diligent screening of donated bodies is the way forward during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advanced training in laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgical procedures using Genelyn®-embalmed human cadavers: A novel model.

BACKGROUND: Human cadaver is ideal for learning and acquiring new surgical skills. While cadavers preserved using Thiel's embalming method are commonly used for training in laparoscopic surgery, it is a cumbersome technique. We report our experience of using Genelyn®-embalmed cadavers for training in advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional satisfaction survey corresponding to level 1 of the Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation was performed among 19 participants of advanced laparoscopy surgical skills training workshop, in December 2019, using Genelyn®-embalmed cadavers. Visual, haptic and tactile characteristics of the organs and tissues were assessed along with overall satisfaction of the workshop using Likert scale. RESULTS: Five Genelyn®-embalmed cadavers were used for the workshop. All the 19 participants perceived that the cadavers were odourless and allowed adequate insufflation for laparoscopic procedures. Most of the participants(n=16, 84%) agreed that the appearance and tactile fidelity of the solid organs, luminal structures and tissues in Genelyn®-embalmed cadavers were similar to that of a live patient. There was a strong agreement among participants that the workshop will help improve the laparoscopic skills(median Likert score-4). CONCLUSION: The participants of the surgical skill training workshop felt that the Genelyn®-embalmed cadavers were ideal for use in practicing advanced laparoscopic procedures.

Superficial palmar branch of the radial artery in a fibromuscular tunnel: a case report.

The radial artery usually passes on the radial side of the wrist lateral to the wrist to enter the anatomical snuff box and dorsum of the hand. If the radial artery passes anterior to the wrist, it usually enters the carpal tunnel, and in such cases, it may lead to the compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. During the routine dissection, we found a case of the unusual radial arterial branch that passed anterior to the wrist yet outside the carpal tunnel. The artery passed within a tunnel formed by the fibromuscular fibers of thenar muscles arising from the anterior aspect of the transverse carpal ligament. Knowledge of the course and distribution of the variant superficial palmar branch of radial artery are of importance to the surgeons operating around the wrist, radiologist interpreting angiograms, and orthopedists managing trauma to the wrist.

Communications between the tendons of flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus: a cadaveric study.

INTRODUCTION: Tibialis posterior tendon insufficiency in adult acquired flat foot deformity (AAFFD) is treated by reinforcing the posterior tibial tendon (PTT) using grafts from flexor hallucis longus (FHL) and flexor digitorum longus (FDL). The communication between FHL and FDL will influence the length of the graft that can be harvested from FHL and FDL. In this study, we aim to study the patterns of communications between FHL and FDL tendons and the location of Master Knot of Henry (MKH) and point of division of FDL tendons in Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this observational descriptive study, 36 formalin-fixed cadavers were sourced from Subbaiah Institute of Medical Sciences, Shimoga, Karnataka, India, and JIPMER, Puducherry, India, during the period of 2017-19. Various parameters of the foot to locate the MKH and point of division of FDL tendons and various types of communications between FHL and FDL were observed. RESULTS: Among the various types of communications between FHL and FDL tendons, type I was present in 61.76% of cases, type II in 2.94% of cases, type III in 7.35% of cases, type IV in 14.70% of cases, type V in 8.82% of cases, type VI in 0% of cases, type VII in 1.47% of cases and an unusual type in 2.94% of cases. CONCLUSION: In the present study done in Indian population, we found that type I variety is present more commonly followed by type IV. FHL and FDL tendon grafts can be lengthened based on the communications between them. In type I variety, the communication can be severed at the FDL end to lengthen the tendon graft for harvest.

Unusual and multiple variations of head and neck veins: a case report.

We report an unusual and multiple variation involving the right head and neck veins which were found during routine dissection in a 50-year-old male cadaver, facial vein draining into both external and internal jugular veins, fenestration in external jugular vein transmitting the supraclavicular nerve trunk, the anterior division of the retromandibular vein draining into anterior jugular vein and the absence of the common facial vein. The knowledge about these variations is important during various surgical and diagnostic procedures involving head and neck region.

Anatomical variations of the principal nutrient pedicle for iliac crest graft: the ilio-lumbar artery.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to observe the origin, course, length, diameter and termination of the ilio-lumbar artery (ILA) and its variations in south Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out in 34 sides in 19 cadavers (R-18, L-16) used for routine dissection for undergraduate students during the period of 2017-2018 in Department of Anatomy, JIPMER, Puducherry. On each side of the pelvis, the origin, length, diameter, course of the ILA and its relations to the surrounding anatomical structures was observed and documented. RESULTS: Out of 34 formalin-fixed pelvis halves of human cadavers, the ILA originated from the common iliac artery (CIA), the trunk of the internal iliac artery (IIA) and posterior division of IIA in around 0%, 61.76%, and 38.23% of the cases, respectively. In all the cadavers, the ILA passes in between the obturator nerve anteriorly and the lumbosacral trunk posteriorly and ILA terminates by giving iliac and lumbar arteries medial to the psoas major muscle. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we observed that the mean distance between the origin of ILA and the bifurcation of the CIA is significantly less than the study done previously. The knowledge about the variations in the origin, course, length, diameter, and termination of ILA is very important to the surgeon to avoid iatrogenic injury during surgeries in lumbosacral region and moreover, it will be easy to access the ILA for clamping or embolization. A similar study can be done with more sample size in different population to increase the knowledge base regarding ILA anatomy.

Morphometric analysis of talus and calcaneus.

PURPOSE: The variations in the subtalar joint regarding its morphology and articulation of bones are common worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the morphometric variations in articulating facets of talus and calcaneum in South Indian population. METHODS: For this study, the morphometric parameters of 92 dry tali and 49 dry calcanei of unknown gender were analyzed. The pattern of articulating facets was classified based on Boyan et al. as Type A (A1-A4), Type B (B1 and B2), and Type C. RESULTS: Type B was found to be the most common pattern in the study population (talus-97.8%; calcaneus-80.2%). The morphometric parameters were expressed as mean ± 2 SD. The anteroposterior length of the left talus was more than right talus, while the transverse width of right and left talus is almost equal. The length of right sulcus tali appears to be more than left sulcus tali, whereas the width and depth of right and left sulcus tali was almost equal. The transverse width of the right calcaneus was greater than left calcaneus. Width and depth of right and left sulcus calcanei were almost equal, but the length of right sulcus calcanei was more than the left sulcus calcanei (p value - 0.036). CONCLUSION: Analysis of the pattern of articulating facets of talus and calcaneum and establishing the common types and their morphometric parameters will be helpful as an important tool for reconstruction surgeries of hind-foot deformities and foot rehabilitation procedures.

Variations of the testicular artery and vein: A meta-analysis with proposed classification.

Variations of testicular vessels are more common than supposed. The testicular artery varies because of abnormal regression of the lateral mesonephric arteries in the fetus, whereas variations in the testicular vein are due to abnormalities in the involution of the intersubcardinal anastomosis. Such variations are usually found incidentally during surgical procedures around the renal pedicle and they often lead to complications. Several authors have attempted to classify them. However, these attempts have not been comprehensive. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide a simple yet comprehensive classification of variations of the testicular vessels. The PubMed database was searched using keywords pertaining to the testicular vessels. The results were subjected to the Anatomical Quality Assessment (AQUA) tool analysis and were screened for appropriateness for inclusion in this study. The screening procedure yielded 31 original articles, 83 case reports, and 1 review article. Both testicular arterial and venous variations were more common on the left side (20.73% and 24.61%) than the right (12.69% and 18.4%, respectively). We classified the testicular arteries on the basis of their number (N), site of origin (O), and course (C). Similarly, the testicular veins were classified on the basis of their number (N) and site of drainage (D). The proposed classification facilitates identification, understanding, and reporting of variations of the testicular vessels by radiologists. It will also help surgeons to enhance the quality of their treatment. Clin. Anat. 31:854-869, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Duplicated and Hypoplastic V4 Segment of Vertebral Artery along with Duplication of Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery: A Case Report.

Variations of V3 and V4 segments of Vertebral Artery (VA) are very rare. We report an extremely rare case of hypoplastic and duplicated V4 segment of right VA along with variant origin of right Anterior Inferior Cerebellar artery (AICA) from right Posterior Inferior Cerebellar artery (PICA). AICA was duplicated, with one vessel arising from PICA and another arising from distal Hypoplastic Vertebral Artery (HVA). HVA should be considered for the diagnosis of acute stroke of brainstem and cerebellum. Knowledge about VA variations is important to prevent iatrogenic injuries during surgeries involving posterior cranial fossa.

Ambulatory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with subclavian venoarterial cannulation to increase mobility and recovery in a patient awaiting cardiac transplantation.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can provide temporary cardiopulmonary support for patients in hemodynamic extremis or refractory heart failure until more durable therapies-such as cardiac transplantation or a left ventricular assist device-can be safely implemented. Conventional ECMO cannulation strategies commonly employ the femoral artery and vein, constraining the patients to the supine position for the duration of ECMO support. We have recently adopted a modified cannulation approach to promote patient mobility, rehabilitation, and faster recovery and to mitigate complications associated with femoral arterial cannulation, such as limb ischemia and compartment syndrome. This technique involves cannulation of the subclavian artery and vein. The current case report details our recent experience with this approach in a critically ill patient awaiting cardiac transplantation.

Body Donation- Consent from Non-Related Persons: Case Series, Review, and Recommendations.

Learning anatomy by dissection of cadavers is the best way to learn anatomy. Voluntary body donation is one of the sources of procuring cadavers. In the case of donations after hospital or non-institutional deaths, the family members of the deceased approach the hospital authorities regarding body donation of the deceased. There are situations, where there is no available accompanying near relatives of the deceased, which pose a challenge for personnel involved in the process of body donation. In two of the reported cases, the body donation was done by the live-in partner and a friend of the deceased. In another reported case, the son of the deceased was nominated by the donor at the time of registration. As the son of the deceased was not available at the time of death of the donor, donation was executed by another near relative. Anatomy Acts of individual States in the Union of India and Acts of other countries are examined about the consent for body donation by persons other than near relatives. None of the Anatomy Acts of various States in India provide an alternative in the absence of near relatives for claiming the body or for donating the body, except for Acts of Delhi and Kerala. There is a need to bring in a Unified Anatomy Act, common for all the States and Union territories in India and include: friend, live-in partner and a nominated person in the provisions of the Act to enable them to give consent for body donation.

Using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support preoperatively and postoperatively as a successful bridge to recovery in a patient with a large infarct-induced ventricular septal defect.

Rupture of the ventricular septum during acute myocardial infarction usually occurs within the first week. The event is usually followed by low cardiac output, heart failure, and multiorgan failure. Despite the many advances in the nonoperative treatment of heart failure and cardiogenic shock, including the intra-aortic balloon pump and a multitude of new inotropic agents and vasodilators, these do not supplant the need for operative intervention in these critically ill patients. This article describes the successful use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support as a bridge to recovery postoperatively in a patient with a large infarct-produced ventricular septal defect.

Transesophageal echocardiographic detection of left vertebral artery origin stenosis.

We discuss the case of a patient with stroke in whom severe stenosis at the origin of the left vertebral artery was identified by transesophageal echocardiography and subsequently confirmed with conventional angiography.

Effect of varying pacing waveform shapes on propagation and hemodynamics in the rabbit heart.

The propagation characteristics of myocardium stimulated with anodal, cathodal, and equiphasic biphasic pacing pulses were examined in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. Conduction velocity measurements were made using an array of bipolar extracellular electrodes, transmembrane potentials recorded using floating intracellular microelectrodes, and hemodynamics measured by fluid-filled catheter transducer systems. Anodal (A) stimulation pulses improved the electrical conduction at all the stimulus amplitudes tested in both longitudinal (e.g., 5 V 2-msec pulse: [A] 54.9 +/- 0.7 cm/sec; cathodal [C] 49.7 +/- 1.5 cm/sec) and transverse (e.g., 5 V 2 msec pulse: [A] 31.3 +/- 1.7 cm/sec; [C] 23.3 +/- 2.9 cm/sec) directions. Microelectrode recordings verified that increased conduction velocities of the anodal pulses were associated with faster upstrokes of the action potentials. The increased threshold associated with anodal pulses may be overcome by using a biphasic (B) waveform, in effect adding a second phase (e.g., 2-msec pulse: [A] 2.03 +/- 1.3 V; [C] 3.85 +/- 1.5 V; [B] 2.15 +/- 0.9 V). The conduction speeds achieved by the biphasic pulses were found to be comparable to the equivalent anodal pulses (e.g., 5 V 2-msec pulse: [B] 55.2 +/- 1.7 cm/sec longitudinal and 32.4 +/- 2.1 cm/sec transverse). It is postulated that the enhanced conduction by anodal and biphasic pulses may be due to preconditioning of the myocardium before stimulation, resulting in more vigorous action potential upstrokes. In preliminary experiments, it was observed that improved conduction elicited by these pulses also resulted in enhanced contractility as measured by shortened electromechanical delays and faster rate of rise of pressure development (dP/dtmax: [A] 25.4 +/- 0.4 mm Hg/sec; [C] 19.4 +/- 0.8 mm Hg/sec; [B] 25.7 +/- 1.2 mm Hg/sec, respectively). Use of novel hybrid pulses involving an anodal component may offer a way for implanted pacemakers to enhance the electro-mechanical response of the heart.