Publications by authors named "K Valchanov"

Severe accidental hypothermia can lead to cardiac arrest. The most efficient method of resuscitating and warming is by ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation). While the convention is to use VA ECMO (Veno Arterial ECMO), using VV ECMO (Veno Venous ECMO) in which the blood is returned directly into the right ventricle could be an alternative and lead to conversion to life sustaining cardiac rhythm.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the guideline-recommended treatment for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). However, some patients develop severe cardiopulmonary compromise before surgery, intraoperatively, or early postoperatively. This may result from advanced CTEPH, reperfusion pulmonary edema, massive endobronchial bleeding, or right ventricular (RV) failure secondary to residual pulmonary hypertension.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The right ventricle (RV) plays a crucial role in critical illness, but its functions and pathologies are less understood compared to the left ventricle, leading to a greater need for study.
  • With the rise of point-of-care echocardiography in critical care, there's a growing ability to detect and monitor RV issues in patients earlier than before.
  • The article discusses different states of RV injury, highlighting a lack of a universal definition and emphasizing the importance of understanding RV-pulmonary circulation dynamics to improve diagnosis and treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition that limits the quality of life and life expectancy. The predicted mortality at 1 year is estimated at 30-40% without treatment. Of the types of PAH, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is most amenable to treatment and guidelines recommend pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) surgery for 'operable' patients (where disease is found in the proximal pulmonary vessels).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF