Publications by authors named "Raed Aser"

Article Synopsis
  • Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is critical for patients with failing heart and lung function, and a third cannula may be added when standard methods are insufficient.
  • A study at University Hospital Zurich from 2007-2019 found that only 3.1% of ECLS cases used a hybrid approach, with a high in-hospital mortality rate of 67.9% across various conditions.
  • Survivors of hybrid ECLS had lower severity of illness scores and required fewer platelet transfusions compared to non-survivors, indicating the need for careful patient selection based on specific clinical scenarios.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on creating a predictive model using machine learning to assess in-hospital mortality risk for patients undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), aiming to improve clinical decision-making prior to ECMO initiation.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from 837 patients to develop and validate a model using two variable sets (small and comprehensive), finding similar error rates (~35%) and a moderate area under the curve (AUC) between 0.70 and 0.71, indicating decent predictive ability.
  • - External validation showed varied performance, with higher error rates and lower AUCs (0.60 to 0.63), suggesting that while the model provides useful insights, there may
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates in-hospital mortality rates for adult patients undergoing veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) therapy at University Hospital Zurich from 2007 to 2019.
  • Among 221 patients, the in-hospital mortality rate was 37.6%, with no significant variation based on the specific clinical conditions treated.
  • Key independent predictors of mortality identified include older age, newly detected liver failure, and the need for blood and platelet transfusions.
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Aortic wrapping is a controversial repair in patients presenting with acute type A aortic dissection or intramural haematoma, but this method may be a potential alternative to medical treatment or conventional repair in patients aged >80 years and in those presenting with prohibitive co-morbidities such as stroke, circulatory collapse, full oral anticoagulation with the last generation drugs. We report on 5 high-risk and/or patients over 80 years who received external aortic wrapping with or without cardiopulmonary bypass during the last 18 months. All survived the procedure and could be extubated early postoperatively.

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Background: Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a salvage treatment for acute circulatory failure. Our high-volume tertiary centre performs more than 100 implants annually and provides ECLS-transports. With this study, we aimed to analyze the incidence and risk factors of limb ischemia depending on the vascular access.

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Background: The current standard for donor heart preservation consists of cold organ storage in three sequential plastic bags. This technique can cause freezing injuries of the donor heart as the temperature inside the transport box is not monitored routinely. The SherpaPak™ Cardiac Transport System (CTS) (Paragonix Technologies, Cambridge, MA, USA) aims to resolve this problem by maintaining a controlled preservation temperature between 4 and 8 °C.

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Secondary mitral valve regurgitation is a frequent consequence of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with severe heart failure. The management of this disease can be challenging since it often culminates in refractory pulmonary edema and multi-organ failure. We present the case of a 50-year-old male who was admitted in cardiogenic shock following myocardial infarction.

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Article Synopsis
  • * There is a shortage of donor organs, leading to long wait times and a mortality rate of about 20% for those on the waiting list.
  • * The review discusses current treatments, recent innovations, and future trends in managing advanced heart failure, emphasizing mechanical support and heart transplantation.
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The 7-year long-term survival after Aspergillus fumigatus mediastinitis after heart transplantation, an uncommonly described condition, is herein reported. A 66-year-old male developed an infection with A. fumigatus covering the entire thoracic cavity with a fungal turf after orthotopic heart transplantation.

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Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a resource-intensive, highly specialized and expensive therapy that is often reserved for high-volume centres. In recent years, we established an inter-hospital ECMO transfer programme that enables ECMO implants in peripheral hospitals. During the pandemic, the programme was expanded to include ECMO support in selected critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

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Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have become a common treatment option in advanced heart failure. Lack of aortic valve opening during left ventricular unloading is a common complication and associated with a worse outcome. Maintaining a minimum pulse pressure is an important goal during the early postoperative period after LVAD implantation since it is commonly seen as secure sign of aortic valve opening.

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Objective: To determine the pacing and sensing properties of different temporary epicardial pacemaker electrodes after cardiac surgery depending on position at the heart and time after surgery.

Methods: From September 2009 to October 2010, 60 patients undergoing cardiac surgery were prospectively randomized into two groups: group O: Osypka-electrodes (n = 30), group M: Medtronic-electrodes (n = 30). In position 1, the bipolar electrodes were inserted onto the anterior wall of the right ventricle and at the right atrial auricle, in position 2, onto the diaphragmal wall of the right ventricle and at the aortic aspect of the superior vena cava medial close to the atrium.

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Objectives: Coronary artery surgery in octogenarians is carried out with an increasing frequency. We tried to determine short- and long-term outcomes and quality of life after coronary artery surgery in this patient group.

Methods: From 3312 patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in two centres in the years 2004-06, 240 (7.

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