Clinical Proof of Concept for Stabilization of Tracheostomy Tubes Using Novel DYNAtraq Device.

Introduction: Tracheostomy is one of the most common surgical strategies in intensive care units (ICU) and provides relevant clinical benefit for multiple indications. However, the complications associated with its use range from 5 to 40% according to different series. The risk of these complications could be reduced if fixation strategies and alignment of the tracheostomy tube with respect to the tracheal axis are improved.

Improving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survival in COVID-19. Effect of a Bundle of Care.

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our program changed the model of care pursuing to protect the multidisciplinary team from the risk of infection and to serve as many patients as possible. Patient-healthcare interactions were restricted, and the ECMO bed capacity was increased by reducing the ECMO specialist-patient ratio to 1:4 with non-ECMO trained nurses support.

Invention and Pilot Study of the Efficacy and Safety of the SUPRAtube Device in Continuous Supraglottic Aspiration for Intubated and Mechanically Ventilated Patients.

Background: Bronchoaspiration of content that accumulates in the supraglottic area (eg, saliva, gastroesophageal reflux) is a risk factor for ventilator-associated pneumonia. A continuous supraglottic suction system may decrease the risk of bronchoaspiration in these patients.

Objective: (1) Constructing a conceptual model and functional prototype of a continuous supraglottic suction device for use in humans; (2) defining functional characteristics in ex vivo swine head models; and (3) evaluating its efficacy and safety in mechanically ventilated patients.

Somatic Support with Veno-venous ECMO in a Pregnant Woman with Brain Death: A Case Report.

Supporting homeostasis in a pregnant woman with brain death to achieve fetal viability is called somatic support. We present a case of young pregnant woman at 21 weeks' gestation who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to influenza A H2N3 infection requiring veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) support for refractory hypoxemia. The clinical course was complicated by intracranial hemorrhage and subsequent brain death.

Survival after heart transplantation for Chagas cardiomyopathy using a conventional protocol: A 10-year experience in a single center.

Background: Heart transplant (HT) remains the most frequently indicated therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure that improves prognosis in Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCM). However, the lack of benznidazole therapy and availability of RT-PCR follow-up in many centers is a major limitation to perform this life-saving intervention, as there are concerns related with the risk of reactivation. We aimed to describe the outcomes of a cohort of patients with CCM who underwent HT using a conventional protocol with mycophenolate mofetil, without benznidazole prophylaxis or RT-PCR follow-up.

[High risk infective endocarditis embolism during pregnancy: Medical or surgical management?].

A 22-year-old pregnant woman was seen at 14 weeks of pregnancy for infective endocarditis with a vegetation of 15 mm and wide mobility, which affected the native mitral valve accompanied by severe valvular insufficiency. Antibiotic treatment was given for 4 weeks despite the embolism risk. Due to persistence of vegetation size and after considering the fetal and maternal risk, the surgical procedure was favored.

The complementarity of the technical tools of tissue engineering and the concepts of artificial organs for the design of functional bioartificial tissues.

Although tissue engineering uses powerful biological tools, it still has a weak conceptual foundation, which is restricted at the cell level. The design criteria at the cell level are not directly related with the tissue functions, and consequently, such functions cannot be implemented in bioartificial tissues with the currently used methods. On the contrary, the field of artificial organs focuses on the function of the artificial organs that are treated in the design as integral entities, instead of the optimization of the artificial organ components.