Analysis of The 2024 ESC/EACTS Guidelines For The Management Of Atrial Fibrillation.

The 2024 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for atrial fibrillation (AF) emphasize a patient-centered approach to management, structured around the AF-CARE pathway: Comorbidity and risk factor management (C), Avoiding stroke and thromboembolism (A), Reducing symptoms through rate and rhythm control (R), and Evaluation and dynamic reassessment (E). This framework ensures that comorbidities such as hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, and obesity are effectively managed to prevent disease progression and improve outcomes. A key principle of the guidelines is shared decision making involving patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare teams to ensure individualized care that reflects patient preferences.

Post-esophagectomy patients presenting for general anesthesia induction: a survey of practice among US anesthesiologists (PESO-GAIN-S).

Purpose: Following esophagectomy, annually several thousand patients in the United States (US) reach a stable post-esophagectomy status. Such patients may require general anesthesia (GA) for elective procedures, but no generally accepted guidelines exist for the induction of GA in post-esophagectomy patients.

Methods: A national survey describing a post-esophagectomy patient was emailed to 23,524 attending anesthesiologists who were members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

HeartMate 3: Analysis of Outcomes and Future Directions.

Heart failure (HF) remains a public health concern affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Despite recent advances in device-related therapies, the prognosis for patients with chronic HF remains poor with significant long-term risk of morbidity and mortality. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have transformed the landscape of advanced HF management, offering circulatory support as destination therapy or as a bridge for heart transplantation.

Short-Term Neurologic Complications in Patients Undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: A Review on Pathophysiology, Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes.

Regardless of the type, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) requires the use of large intravascular cannulas and results in multiple abnormalities including non-physiologic blood flow, hemodynamic perturbation, rapid changes in blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, coagulation abnormalities, and a significant systemic inflammatory response. Among other sequelae, neurologic complications are an important source of mortality and long-term morbidity. The frequency of neurologic complications varies and is likely underreported due to the high mortality rate.

Impact of Pressure Recovery Adjustment on Aortic Valve Area Classification of Disease Severity in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Patients.

Objectives: To determine the impact of pressure recovery (PR) adjustment on disease severity grading in patients with severe aortic stenosis. The authors hypothesized that accounting for PR would result in echocardiographic reclassification of aortic stenosis severity in a significant number of patients.

Design: A retrospective observational study between October 2013 and February 2021.

Diagnosis and Management of Vasoplegia in Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support: A Narrative Review.

Refractory vasodilatory shock, or vasoplegia, is a pathophysiologic state observed in the intensive care unit and operating room in patients with a variety of primary diagnoses. Definitions of vasoplegia vary by source but are qualitatively defined clinically as a normal or high cardiac index and low systemic vascular resistance causing hypotension despite high-dose vasopressors in the setting of euvolemia. This definition can be difficult to apply to patients undergoing mechanical circulatory support (MCS).

Should Obesity Be an Exclusion Criterion for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support? A Scoping Review.

Obesity is often considered a contraindication to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) candidacy due to technical challenges with vascular access, higher cardiac output requirements, and known associations between obesity and overall increased morbidity and mortality due to chronic health conditions. However, a growing body of literature suggests that ECMO may be as safe and efficacious in both obese and nonobese patients. This scoping review provides a synthesis of the available literature on the outcomes of obese patients supported with (1) venovenous (VV)-ECMO in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) not due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), (2) VV-ECMO in ARDS due to COVID-19, (3) venoarterial (VA)-ECMO for all indications, and (4) studies combining data of patients supported with VA- and VV-ECMO.