Novel application of a percutaneous left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplant in a paediatric patient with severe heart failure due to viral myocarditis.

A 13-year obese female with suspected viral myocarditis presented with acute decompensated heart failure. Due to her body habitus, she was a poor candidate for immediate heart transplantation. A peripherally inserted left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was implanted via the right axillary artery.

Iatrogenic right coronary artery stenosis resulting from surgical tricuspid valve replacement: case report and review of the literature.

Iatrogenic injury to the right coronary artery (RCA) is a rare complication of tricuspid valve surgery. We herein describe the first-ever report of RCA injury related to tricuspid valve replacement surgery. A 38-year-old man with recurrent tricuspid endocarditis underwent redo tricuspid valve replacement by means of a minimally invasive right thoracotomy with a 32-mm St.

Laser Doppler flowmetry assessment of peristernal perfusion after cardiac surgery: beneficial effect of negative pressure therapy.

Negative pressure therapy has been successfully applied to clean, closed incisions in patients at high-risk for wound complications. Using laser Doppler flowmetry, we evaluated peristernal perfusion after cardiac surgery via median sternotomy, assessing the influence of mammary artery harvesting and the impact of negative pressure therapy. Twenty adult patients underwent median sternotomy for cardiac surgery followed by routine closure.

Modified ultrafiltration attenuates pulmonary-derived inflammatory mediators in response to cardiopulmonary bypass.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) stimulates systemic and pulmonary inflammation. Modified ultrafiltration (MUF) mitigates deleterious CPB effects by unclear mechanisms. We evaluated pulmonary inflammation in piglets undergoing CPB followed by MUF.

Use of negative pressure therapy on closed surgical incisions: a case series.

Multiple patient comorbidities and environmental factors increase the risk of incisional wound complications. The literature suggests that negative pressure therapy (NPT) on clean closed surgical incisions may help reduce the risk of wound infections and other complications. In this case study, NPT was applied in the operating room to clean closed surgical wounds in four high-risk patients (two men, two women) following coronary artery bypass grafting using bilateral internal mammary arteries, transmetatarsal amputation, and abdominal hysterectomy.

Does negative pressure wound therapy have a role in preventing poststernotomy wound complications?

Background: Sternal wound infection (SWI) remains a devastating complication after cardiac surgery, decreasing long-term and short-term survival. In treating documented SWI, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) reduces wound edema and time to definitive closure and improves peristernal blood flow after internal mammary artery (IMA) harvesting. The authors evaluated NPWT as a form of "well wound" therapy in patients at substantial risk for SWI based on existing risk stratification models.

Unusual cause of superior vena cava syndrome diagnosed with transesophageal echocardiography.

Purpose: An unusual case of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome caused by an infected right atrial-SVC junction thrombus may be diagnosed using transesophageal echocardiography.

Clinical Features: A 59-yr-old male with end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis presented with fungemia and later developed facial and bilateral upper extremity edema. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed subtotal occlusion of the SVC at its junction with the right atrium.