Effect of donor cardiac arrest and arrest duration on outcomes of lung transplantation.

Background: Limited data are available about lung transplantation (LTx) from donors suffering cardiac arrest (CA) prior to actual donation.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of LTx performed between January 2007 and September 2012 was done with the focus on CA in donors. The recipients were grouped depending on the history of donor CA and CA duration (downtime) as: No cardiac arrest ("NoCA"), CA downtime less than 20 min ("CA < 20"), and CA downtime equal to or more than 20 min ("CA > 20").

Preoperative predictors and outcomes of right ventricular assist device implantation after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation.

Objective: The outcomes of ventricular assist device therapy remain limited by right ventricular failure. We sought to define the predictors and evaluate the outcomes of right ventricular failure requiring right ventricular assist device support after long-term continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation.

Methods: Records of all continuous-flow left ventricular assist device recipients for the last 10 years were analyzed, including patients on preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and short-term ventricular assist device support.

Does postoperative blood pressure influence development of aortic regurgitation following continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation?†.

Objectives: The true impact of postoperative blood pressure (BP) control on development of aortic regurgitation (AR) following continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation remains uncertain. This study examines the influence of BP in patients with de novo AR following CF-LVAD implantation.

Methods: All patients with no or View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Organ donation following brain stem death after ventricular assist device implantation.

The availability of donor organs is the biggest limitation for lung transplantation, and a significant proportion of patients die on the waiting list. We describe a case of a 44-year-old lady who developed subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral edema on second postoperative day after left ventricular assist device implantation. She was declared brain stem dead 2 days later, and her organs were transplanted to suitable recipients on the waiting list for lung, liver and kidney transplantation.

Fungal infection in cardiothoracic transplant recipients: outcome without systemic amphotericin therapy.

Transplant recipients require immunosuppression to prevent allograft rejection, placing them at risk of opportunistic infections including fungal infection. Difficulties in managing fungal infections include: establishing diagnosis, poor treatment response, drug interactions and toxicity. We report our single centre experience of treating fungal infections using systemic non-Amphotericin current generation antifungals.

Successful treatment of novel H1N1 influenza related fulminant myocarditis with extracorporeal life support.

The prevalence of myocardial involvement in influenza infection ranges from 0% to 12%. The 2009 pH1N1 influenza virus, formerly known as swine flu, first appeared in Mexico and the United States of America in March and April 2009 and has swept the globe with unprecedented speed. We report a case of fulminant myocarditis associated with this virus treated successfully using extra-corporal membrane oxygenator.