Retraction notice to "Endothelial-related coagulation in cardiac surgery" [Br J Anaesth 74 (1995) 174-9].

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

Retraction notice to "Influence of different anticoagulation regimens on platelet function during cardiac surgery" [Br J Anaesth 73 (1994) 639-44].

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

Retraction notice to "Does correction of acidosis influence microcirculatory blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass?" [Br J Anaesth 71 (1993) 277-81].

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

Postoperative bleeding after AB0-incompatible living donor kidney transplantation.

Background: Since 2007, we have performed 14 AB0-incompatible (AB0i) living kidney transplantations to increase the number of living kidney transplantations.

Methods: To prevent clotting, donor kidneys were perfused with an HTK/heparin solution with heparin washed out immediately pretransplantation. However, in 4/14 recipients, significant postoperative diffuse hemorrhage occurred with the need for surgical intervention in 3 patients.

Impact of pretransplant intravenous immunoglobulin administration on anti-AB0 antibody levels in AB0-incompatible living donor kidney transplantation.

Background: From March 2007 to July 2010, we performed 14 AB0-incompatible (AB0i) living kidney transplantations using donor blood group-specific immunoadsorption (IA), anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) pretreatment.

Methods: To analyze the effect of a presumed anti-donor blood group-specific antibody transfer by IVIG administration (0.5 g/kg; 5.

Dual chamber pacemaker implantation in dogs with atrioventricular block.

Background: Pacemaker implantation is the treatment of choice for symptomatic bradyarrhythmias. In dogs, a single chamber system is commonly used. In human patients with high-grade 2nd- or 3rd-degree atrioventricular (AV) block, physiologic pacing is recommended, because it improves cardiac output, blood pressure, exercise tolerance, and quality of life.

Extratumoral spiral fixed wire marking of small pulmonary nodules for thoracoscopic resection.

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for pulmonary nodules close to the visceral pleura is an established procedure. Different methods have been developed to mark these nodules when resecting small nodules distant to the pleural surface. The possibility of tumor cell spread due to nodule penetration is a major drawback.

Do we need pacemakers resistant to magnetic resonance imaging?

Aims: Manufacturers of pacemakers (PM) and of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices state that MRI scanning of PM wearers is contraindicated. This paper tries to summarise which effects can interfere with PM, what can be hazardous, and how treatment of PM in MRI can be modified to guarantee compatibility.

Material And Methods: All PM tested were from deceased patients.

Long-term incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmia and shock therapy in patients with primary defibrillator implantation does not differ from event rates in patients treated for survived cardiac arrest.

Introduction: Recent trials have demonstrated benefit of prophylactic defibrillator (ICD) implantation compared to conventional treatment in high-risk patients. However, many patients have rare or no sustained arrhythmias following implantation. Our study addresses the question, whether patients with prophylactic defibrillator implantation have a lower risk for life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) compared to sudden cardiac death (SCD) survivors.

Post-mortem evaluation of 415 pacemakers: in situ measurements and bench tests.

Aim: The hypothesis was that there is more undetected dysfunction of implanted pacemaker systems than that detected and corrected. This prompted a research project (sponsored by the German Research Foundation) to detect pacemaker abnormalities and evaluate their complications for patients, thus, proving or disproving the hypothesis.

Methods And Results: Four hundred and fifteen pacemakers of deceased patients were analyzed assessing their functionality by in situ measurements and bench tests including five measurements and one telemetric interrogation.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator in a child using a single subcutaneous array lead and an abdominal active can.

This report describes the case of an 8-year-old boy with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who underwent ICD implantation for recurrent syncope. To avoid vascular complications and to minimize the surgical approach in this small child, a nonthoracotomy ICD system was chosen using a single subcutaneous array lead with only one finger, an abdominally placed active can, and epicardial dual chamber pacing and sensing electrodes. During an 8-month follow-up, DFT was confirmed and there were no ventricular tachycardia or complications.

[Penetrating knife injury of the heart. Emergency management and definitive treatment: case report and review of the literature].

The outcome of patients with penetrating heart injuries depends to a great extent on aggressive primary care and fast transport to the closest appropriate trauma center. There, after confirming the diagnosis, the injured victim has to be transferred without any delay to the operating room where the penetrating injury can be dealt with. The importance of resolute emergency management is shown based on a case presentation and a review of the current literature.

Efficacy of single lead VDD pacing in patients with impaired and normal left ventricular function.

Atrial synchronous ventricular pacing seems to be the best pacing mode for patients with advanced AV block and impaired LV function. The long-term follow-up of single lead VDD pacing was studied in 33 patients with impaired LV function and compared to 42 patients with normal LV function. All patients received the same VDD lead and VDDR pacemaker.

[The intraoperative measured stimulation impedance of pacemaker electrodes is not a predictor for their longevity].

Unlabelled: As pacing impedance is inversely related to pacing current, the increase of pacing impedance additionally decreases pacing current. Whether the impedance measurement at implantation predicts the outcome during follow-up, was studied in 87 patients who received the VDD-single lead UniPass 425 connected to the pacemaker Unity (Sulzer Intermedics). The impedance changes between implantation and 6 months follow-up were assessed for each patient.

[Microembolizatoins during heart surgery under extracorporeal circulation].

Objective: By means of transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD), microembolic signals (MES) representing embolic events can be registered during cardiac surgery and extracorporeal circulation in a considerable number of patients. We conducted the present study to determine the neuro-psychiatric consequences of MES.

Methods: 25 patients scheduled for elective aorto-coronary bypass grafting (ACBG; n = 10) or aortic valve replacement (AVR; n = 15) were studied pre- and postoperatively with neuropsychiatric testing.

[The effect of a lower stimulation frequency on the AV synchronicity of VDD pacemakers].

Background And Objective: Implantation of a VDD pacemaker (ventricular pacing; dual sensing [atrial and ventricular]; dual response [triggered + inhibited]) together with a single VDD electrode catheter restores synchronous AV ventricular stimulation in patients with higher-grade AV block and intact sinus function. If higher-frequency stimulation occurs it may be a sign of pacemaker malfunction or of inadequate pacemaker programming. This study was undertaken to determine, at first follow-up examination, in how many patients with a VDD pacemaker VVI stimulation occurred more than 5% of the time; how such patients differed from those with 5% or fewer VVI stimulations; and whether a changed program reduced the proportion of VVI stimulations.

The effect of the anticoagulation regimen on endothelial-related coagulation in cardiac surgery patients.

Heparin is still the most commonly used anticoagulant in cardiac surgery necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass. In recent years, endothelial-related coagulation (e.g.

Cerebrovascular carbon dioxide reactivity in carotid artery disease. Relation to intraoperative cerebral monitoring results in 100 carotid endarterectomies.

Background: In patients with carotid artery disease, poor intracerebral collateralization is reflected by impaired cerebrovascular reactivity to carbon dioxide inhalation, which will improve after endarterectomy. The relationship between preoperative reactivity to carbon dioxide using transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) and intraoperative changes of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and TCD parameters were investigated.

Methods: In 94 patients, preoperative carbon dioxide reactivity was examined and defined impaired if mean blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (Vm-MCA) increased less than 1.

Endothelial-related coagulation in cardiac surgery.

The endothelium appears to play an important role in the regulation of intravascular coagulation. Thrombomodulin is one of the anticoagulant substances that is expressed by endothelial cells. The influence of age and illness on the thrombomodulin-protein C system was studied prospectively in 80 cardiac surgery patients.

Circulating adhesion molecules in cardiac operations: influence of high-dose aprotinin.

Cardiac operations using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are associated with a systemic inflammatory response most likely attributable to the release of various inflammatory mediators and activation of complement or coagulation cascade. In addition, (circulating) adhesion molecules, such as endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule (ELAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), appear to be of central importance in the CPB-related inflammatory process. In this situation, antiproteases, such as aprotinin, may help to prevent damage of endothelial integrity.

Influence of different anticoagulation regimens on platelet function during cardiac surgery.

Qualitative platelet defects are of great importance as a cause of bleeding in cardiac surgery. We have studied the effects of different anticoagulation regimens on platelet function in 60 patients undergoing elective aorto-coronary bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Patients were allocated randomly to four groups (each group n = 15) to receive either: bovine heparin 300 u.

RETRACTED: Does aprotinin influence endothelial-associated coagulation in cardiac surgery?

Aprotinin has been reported to reduce bleeding in cardiac surgery patients. Its mechanisms of action on coagulation have not been fully elucidated. In a prospectively randomized study of 40 patients undergoing elective aortocoronary bypass grafting, the influence of high-dose aprotinin (2 million IU of aprotinin before CPB, 500,000 IU/h until the end of operation, 2 million IU added to the prime) (N = 20) on endothelial-related coagulation was compared to a nontreated control group (N = 20).

RETRACTED: Volume loading with hypertonic saline solution: endocrinologic and circulatory responses.

Hypertonic saline solution appears to be an attractive method of volume expansion. In 45 patients undergoing elective aorto-coronary bypass grafting, endocrinologic and circulatory responses to volume loading with hypertonic saline solution prepared in low molecular weight (MW) hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solution (72 g/L NaCl, HES concentration: 6%; MW: 200,000 D; degree of substitution [DS]: 0.5) (HS-HES) was compared randomly to patients who had received low molecular weight HES solution (LMW-HES).

[Heart rhythm after conversion of ventricular tachyarrhythmia by internal shock delivery].

The purpose of this retrospective study is the analysis of dysrhythmias following internal cardioversion/defibrillation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) or fibrillation (VF) and to discuss their relevance to the therapy with automatic implantable devices. Therefore, 304 internal conversions of VT/VF during and/or after implantation of automatic defibrillators were evaluated in 51 patients. Significant post-shock arrhythmias (bradycardia, atrial fibrillation, non-sustained VT of > or = 10 cycles) were absent after 89% of internal shocks.