The use of surgical sealant to repair intubation-related tracheal injury.

This case study describes the management of a tracheal injury following emergency intubation in a 56-year-old man. After collapsing from heavy alcohol ingestion, intubation was performed using a bougie, leading to a punctate tracheal wound. Initial conservative treatment with antibiotics was followed by bronchoscopy, revealing a tracheal laceration.

An ABC approach to cardiothoracic complications and sequelae of COVID-19: a tertiary centre experience.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused unprecedented challenges to healthcare professionals (HCPs) worldwide. HCPs faced an unknown disease causing many complications, including now well-established acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary artery thromboembolic disease, and some not so well known, for instance, tracheobronchomalacia, tracheal tear or dehiscence, granulation tissue formation and pulmonary hypertension. Many of these complications require highly specialist care warranting early recognition of complications and involvement of appropriately trained professionals.

A specialised cardiorespiratory team approach in the intensive care management of COVID-19 patients: benefit on mortality, diagnosis and management.

Background: During the coronavirus pandemic, our intensive care units were faced with large numbers of patients with an unfamiliar disease. To support our colleagues and to assist with diagnosis and treatment, we developed a specialist team.

Methods: The acute respiratory disease support team reviewed 44 consecutive patients referred from the intensive care and coordinated therapies for pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thrombosis, evolving lung fibrosis and large airway intervention.

Deaths in people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities from both COVID-19 and non-COVID causes in the first weeks of the pandemic in London: a hospital case note review.

Objective: To undertake a case review of deaths in a 6-week period during the COVID-19 pandemic commencing with the first death in the hospital from COVID-19 on 12th of March 2020 and contrast this with the same period in 2019.

Setting: A large London teaching hospital.

Participants: Three groups were compared: group 1-COVID-19-associated deaths in the 6-week period (n=243), group 2-non-COVID deaths in the same period (n=136) and group 3-all deaths in a comparison period of the same 6 weeks in 2019 (n=194).

Point-of-care platelet function testing to predict blood loss after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a prospective observational pilot study.

Aim:: With an increase in the number of patients who are on antiplatelet medications until the day of surgery, we undertook a prospective observational study to assess the ability of thromboelastography, thromboelastography platelet mapping and aggregometry via multiplate to detect platelet dysfunction and predict blood loss following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

Methods:: Platelet function was evaluated pre- and post-cardiopulmonary bypass via thromboelastography, thromboelastography platelet mapping and aggregometry via multiplate in 52 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The median chest tube drainage of all patients in the study was ascertained to stratify patients into two groups: patients with and those without evidence of excessive blood loss after cardiac surgery.