Normokalemic nondepolarizing long-acting blood cardioplegia.

Objective Blood cardioplegia, the gold-standard cardioprotective strategy, requires frequent dosing, resulting in hyperkalemia-induced myocardial edema. The aim of our study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a long-acting blood-based cardioplegia with physiological potassium levels versus the well-established cold blood St. Thomas' Hospital no.

Dialyzer-based cell salvage system: a superior alternative to conventional cell salvage in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objectives: Our goal was to test the hypothesis that the use of a dialyzer-based cell salvage system during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) reduces requirements for homologous blood transfusions (HBT) and improves postoperative haemtochemical parameters.

Methods: Data were prospectively collected for 222 patients who had OPCABG using 3 different cell salvage techniques: (1) dialyzer-based cell salvage (DBCS) ( n  = 75), (2) conventional cell salvage (CCS) ( n  = 73) and (3) without cell salvage (WCS) ( n  = 74). Salvaged blood was transfused at the end of the operation.

Transposition of Great Arteries with Intramural Coronary Artery: Experience with a Modified Surgical Technique.

Objective: Transposition of the great arteries is a common congenital heart disease. Arterial switch is the gold standard operation for this complex heart disease. Arterial switch operation in the presence of intramural coronary artery is surgically the most demanding even for the most experienced hands.

Pretransfusion Comparison of Dialyser-Based Hemoconcentrator With Cell Saver System for Perioperative Cell Salvage.

Objective: Cell Saver system is the method of choice for red blood cell salvage from the surgical field; however, cost is a limiting factor. We at our institute have devised a cost-effective version of dialyser-based autotransfusion system. We performed pretransfusion comparison of our autotransfusion system with conventional cell saver system.

A simple surgical technique for closure of apical muscular ventricular septal defect.

Objective: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is among the most common congenital heart diseases encountered in pediatric cardiac patients. Apical muscular VSD constitutes nearly 2% of defects, which may or may not be associated with other congenital heart defects. The purpose of our study is to present our innovative and simple surgical technique using custom-made low-profile polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) single disc device for closing multiple apical muscular and isolated apical muscular VSD.

Transposition of great arteries with aortopulmonary window: our surgical experience.

Background: Transposition of the great arteries with aortopulmonary window is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. An arterial switch operation with repair of the aortopulmonary window is the preferred operation in this subset. As the tissue between the great arteries is missing, it is considered to be a complex operation.