Constrictive pericarditis: portal, splenic, and femoral venous Doppler pulsatility: a case series.

Purpose: Pulsatile flow of the portal vein has been implicated as an indicator of right ventricular dysfunction in cardiac patients. In patients with significantly elevated right atrial pressure, pulsatile venous flow may be transmitted to the portal, splenic, renal, and femoral veins. We describe the evolution of these echocardiographic findings in four patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP) undergoing pericardiectomy with simultaneous hemodynamic waveform and cerebral oximetry monitoring in the operating room and in the intensive care unit.

A review of pulmonary autograft external support in the Ross procedure.

: Although the Ross procedure offers several advantages over standard prosthetic AVR, its use remains limited. The risk of pulmonary autograft dilatation requiring reintervention remains one of the main concerns. Consequently, multiple techniques have been developed in attempt to mitigate this complication.

Myocardial Protection in Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery: Retrograde Cardioplegia Alone Using Endovascular Coronary Sinus Catheter Compared With Combined Antegrade and Retrograde Cardioplegia.

Objective: To compare myocardial protection with retrograde cardioplegia alone with antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMS).

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary care university hospital.

Perioperative Right Ventricular Pressure Monitoring in Cardiac Surgery.

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a cause of increased morbidity and mortality in both cardiac surgery and noncardiac surgery and in the intensive care unit. Early diagnosis of this condition still poses a challenge. The diagnosis of RV dysfunction traditionally is based on a combination of echocardiography, hemodynamic measurements, and clinical symptoms.

Aortic Valve Cusp Coaptation Surface Area Using 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography Correlates with Severity of Aortic Valve Insufficiency.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test both in humans and using finite element (FE) aortic valve (AV) models whether the coaptation surface area (CoapSA) correlates with aortic insufficiency (AI) severity due to dilated aortic roots to determine the validity and utility of 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic-measured CoapSA.

Design: Two-pronged, clinical and computational approach.

Setting: Single university hospital.

Low-Dose Versus High-Dose Tranexamic Acid Reduces the Risk of Nonischemic Seizures After Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

Objective: The incidence of postoperative nonischemic seizures associated with the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) and the possibility of prevention with a low-dose regimen of TXA were evaluated.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary care university hospital.