Background: Increased life expectancy and younger patients' desire to avoid lifelong anticoagulation requires a better understanding of bioprosthetic valve failure. This study evaluates risk factors associated with explantation for structural valve deterioration (SVD) in a long-term series of Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT aortic valves (AV).
Methods: From June 1982 to January 2011, 12,569 patients underwent AV replacement with Edwards Lifesciences Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT stented bovine pericardial prostheses, models 2700PM (n = 310) or 2700 (n = 12,259).
Background: Heparin is routinely administered to brain-dead donors before cardiac arrest, although it is not universally allowed for donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors due to concerns that death may be hastened. The lack of heparin may lead to thrombosis and compromised graft function. We evaluated the impact of timing of heparin administration and thrombi formation in a DCD pig model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is rarely used as a bridge to lung transplantation (BTT) because of its associated morbidity and mortality. However, recent advancements in perfusion technology and critical care have revived interest in this application of ECMO. We retrospectively reviewed our utilization of ECMO as BTT and evaluated our early and midterm results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early experience with lung transplantation (LTx) using organs from donors after cardiac death (DCD) has been promising, although widespread adoption has been slow because of the perception of diminished organ quality. Some centers have even suggested that use of DCD lungs is high risk and have recommended ex vivo evaluation before transplantation. We analyzed our growing single-center experience with DCD lungs procured and transplanted using protocols established for brain-dead donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute pulmonary embolism (PE) compromises oxygenation and is typically considered a contraindication to lung donation for transplantation. We report the use of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) to evaluate and possibly improve a pair of donor lungs with PE and poor oxygen exchange to a condition that might have been suitable for subsequent transplantation. A pair of donor lungs was procured for research after being declined for clinical use and placed on the EVLP circuit for 7 hours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
January 2011
We report 2 unusual cases of hypervascular masses in the parapharyngeal space. The first case involved a poorly differentiated metastatic carcinoma of oropharyngeal origin that mimicked a carotid body tumor. The second case involved a highly vascular myoepithelioma located in the parapharyngeal space.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Platybasia, or abnormal obtuseness of the basal angle, was first measured on plain skull images. At present, evaluation of the brain and skull more commonly involves CT and MR imaging. We evaluated a new MR imaging method of evaluating platybasia.
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