Post-intensive care syndrome following cardiothoracic critical care: Feasibility of a complex intervention.

Objectives: To describe the long-term outcomes of cardiac intensive care unit patients and their primary caregivers, and to explore the feasibility of implementing a complex intervention, designed to support problems associated with post-intensive care syndrome and post-intensive care syndrome-family, in the year following discharge from the cardiac intensive care unit.

Design: A complex multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme, delivered as a quality improvement initiative, in a single centre in the West of Scotland. Outcomes were measured using surveys of health related quality of life, self efficacy, anxiety, depression, pain, caregiver strain, and insomnia.

Interoperator and intraoperator variability of whole blood coagulation assays: a comparison of thromboelastography and rotational thromboelastometry.

Objectives: Near-patient viscoelastic tests have proved useful in decreasing blood and blood product use in cardiac surgery. Two different analyzers are available, TEG and ROTEM. Many different individuals operate these devices, which raises concern that this factor may significantly affect results.

Ventricular assist devices as rescue therapy in cardiogenic shock after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

We review the journey to myocardial and neurologic recovery of a 42-year-old mother with severe acute cardiogenic shock and multiorgan failure after extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage, who was salvaged successfully using a CentriMag short-term biventricular assist device.

An audit of red cell and blood product use after the institution of thromboelastometry in a cardiac intensive care unit.

Cardiac surgery is estimated to use 20% of the UK blood supply. However, there has been much interest recently in decreasing red cell and blood product use not only to ease strain on blood stocks or avoid potential transmission of infection but also to decrease post-operative transfusion-related complications. Coagulopathies are not uncommon in cardiac surgical patients, but the time lapse for reporting conventional laboratory results has been highlighted as an obstacle to the appropriate use of blood products.