Systemic and local saphenous vein graft thrombolysis using a tissue plasminogen activator.

Many studies are currently evaluating the potential role of thrombolytic therapy in patients with ischemic syndromes who have undergone previous coronary artery bypass grafting. Limited experience has been published regarding the use of local urokinase and streptokinase infusions and the use of systemic recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator as thrombolytic agents in patients with previous coronary artery bypass surgery. To date, however, there has been no published experience regarding the use of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) either systemically or locally in the post-bypass patient where angiographic demonstration of aortocoronary saphenous vein graft obstruction was available pre- and post-therapy.

Interhospital transport of patients with ongoing intraaortic balloon pumping.

During a 5-year period (1979 to 1983), 50 consecutive patients undergoing continuous intraaortic balloon (IAB) pumping were transferred from Evanston Hospital to Northwestern Memorial Hospital (16 miles), where they underwent cardiac operation. All patients had cardiac catheterization before transfer. Indications for IAB were cardiogenic shock (9 patients), postinfarction angina (18 patients), unstable angina (9 patients), evolving myocardial infarction (3 patients), accelerating angina or hemodynamic instability during cardiac catheterization (9 patients) and prophylactic insertion for high-grade left main stenosis (2 patients).

Sinus node function and dysfunction.

The wide range of normal sinus node function makes identification of dysfunction difficult. Emphasis is placed upon real time correlation of ECG bradyarrhythmia with typical symptoms. A spectrum of atrial electrical dysfunction is described which includes abnormalities of the sinus and AV nodes as well as failure of escape pacemakers and atrial tachyarrhythmias.