Non-invasive assessment of left ventricular contractility by myocardial work index in veno-arterial membrane oxygenation patients: rationale and design of the MIX-ECMO multicentre observational study.

Introduction And Aims: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is an increasingly utilized therapeutic choice in patients with cardiogenic shock, however, high complication rate often counteracts with its beneficial cardiopulmonary effects. The assessment of left ventricular (LV) function in key in the management of this population, however, the most commonly used measures of LV performance are substantially load-dependent. Non-invasive myocardial work is a novel LV functional measure which may overcome this limitation and estimate LV function independent of the significantly altered loading conditions of VA-ECMO therapy.

Use of intraoperative haemoadsorption in patients undergoing heart transplantation: a proof-of-concept randomized trial.

Aims: The aim of this trial was to compare the clinical effects of intraoperative haemoadsorption versus standard care in patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT).

Methods And Results: In a randomized, controlled trial, OHT recipients were randomized to receive intraoperative haemoadsorption or standard care. Outcomes were vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS), frequency of vasoplegic syndrome (VS) in the first 24 h; post-operative change in procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels; intraoperative change in mycophenolic acid (MPA) concentration; frequency of post-operative organ dysfunction, major complications, adverse immunological events and length of in-hospital stay and 1-year survival.

Perceiving violence against healthcare workers in a child and adolescent emergency psychiatric ward in Hungary: a qualitative pilot study.

Aim: Psychiatry is a challenging setting that requires extraordinary effort from the staff. Healthcare workers in the field of psychiatry face substantial levels of violence, making the identification of abuse risk factors a social concern. Both the conduct of the children and their relatives can pose potential harm.

[The role of extracorporeal life support in cardiopulmonary resuscitation].

The frequency of the administration of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation is increasing both in the treatment of in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The latest resuscitation guidelines support the use of mechanical circulatory support devices in the cases of prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation in certain selected patient groups. However, only little evidence is available regarding the effectiveness of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and many open questions remained unanswered regarding the adequate conditions of this modality.

[Complex endovascular repairs of the aortic arch.].

Thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) of the aortic arch has started to spread in recent years. We present our initial experience with TEVAR involving supra-aortic branches using parallel and branched grafts. Parallel grafts are typically used in emergency cases.