A Rare but Deadly Complication of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

We present a rare case of delayed coronary artery obstruction following a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Interestingly, the patient did not meet the criteria for traditionally recognized risk factors for delayed coronary obstruction. This case piques interest as to whether the severity of calcification on aortic valve leaflets plays any role in coronary obstruction post transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Pulmonary artery catheters for adult patients in intensive care.

Background: Since pulmonary artery balloon flotation catheterization was first introduced in 1970, by HJ Swan and W Ganz, it has been widely disseminated as a diagnostic tool without rigorous evaluation of its clinical utility and effectiveness in critically ill patients. A pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is inserted through a central venous access into the right side of the heart and floated into the pulmonary artery. PAC is used to measure stroke volume, cardiac output, mixed venous oxygen saturation and intracardiac pressures with a variety of additional calculated variables to guide diagnosis and treatment.