Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in the Older Adults.

As the field of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) continues to advance and resuscitation protocols are being refined, older adults patients previously not considered for MCS are now being supported. MCS devices can broadly be classified based on the duration of support into temporary or durable devices. Although mortality is higher in the older adults, carefully selected patients, MCS support can be valuable and lead to excellent recovery.

The Year in Graduate Medical Education: Selected Highlights from 2023.

This special article is the third in an annual series of the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia that highlights significant literature from the world of graduate medical education published over the past year. Major themes addressed in this review include the potential uses and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in graduate medical education, trainee well-being and the rise of unionized house staff, the effect of gender and race/ethnicity on residency application and attrition rates, and the adoption of novel technologies in medical simulation and education. The authors thank the editorial board for again allowing us to draw attention to some of the more interesting work published in the field of graduate medical education during 2023.

An International Survey of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Education and Credentialing Practices.

Background: The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has grown rapidly over the past decades because of evolving indications, advances in circuit technology, and encouraging results from modern trials. Because ECMO is a complex and highly invasive therapy that requires a multidisciplinary team, optimal education, training, and credentialing remain a challenge.

Objective: The primary objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence and application of ECMO education and ECMO practitioner credentialing at ECMO centers globally.

Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in the Elderly.

As the field of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) continues to advance and resuscitation protocols are being refined, elderly patients previously not considered for MCS are now being supported. MCS devices can broadly be classified based on the duration of support into temporary or durable devices. Although mortality is higher in the elderly, carefully selected patients, MCS support can be valuable and lead to excellent recovery.

The Year in Cardiothoracic Transplant Anesthesia: Selected Highlights From 2021 Part II: Cardiac Transplantation.

This article spotlights the research highlights of this year that specifically pertain to the specialty of anesthesia for heart transplantation. This includes the research on recent developments in the selection and optimization of donors and recipients, including the use of donation after cardiorespiratory death and extended criteria donors, the use of mechanical circulatory support and nonmechanical circulatory support as bridges to transplantation, the effect of COVID-19 on heart transplantation candidates and recipients, and new advances in the perioperative management of these patients, including the use of echocardiography and postoperative outcomes, focusing on renal and cerebral outcomes.

Mechanical circulatory support devices in geriatric patients: more than just age.

Purpose Of Review: The use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices, such as left ventricular assist device and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the elderly have been rapidly increasing in various clinical settings over the past two decades. This review briefly summarizes recent literature on the role and outcomes of such mechanical circulatory support devices use in the elderly.

Recent Findings: Elderly patients are receiving increasing number of LVADs with improved survival and quality-of-life outcomes, despite multiple comorbidities.

Bedside troubleshooting during venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

In this review, we discuss common difficulties that clinicians may encounter while managing patients treated with venovenous (VV) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO is an increasingly important tool for managing severe respiratory failure that is refractory to conventional therapies. Its overall goal is to manage respiratory failure-induced hypoxemia and hypercarbia to allow "lung rest" and promote recovery.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as rescue therapy for severe hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used for more than 50 years as salvage therapy for patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure refractory to conventional treatment. ECMO was first used in the 1960s to treat hypoxemic respiratory failure in newborns. On the basis of its success in that population, ECMO began to be used in the early 1970s to treat adult hypoxemic respiratory failure.