Incidence, predictors, and clinical impact of electrical storm in patients with left ventricular assist devices: New insights from the ASSIST-ICD study.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) can occur after continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation as a single arrhythmic event or as electrical storm (ES) with multiple repetitive VA episodes.

Objective: We aimed at analyzing the incidence, predictors, and clinical impact of ES in LVAD recipients.

Methods: Patients analyzed were those included in the multicenter ASSIST-ICD observational study.

Value of euroscore II to predict operative mortality in infectious endocarditis surgery.

Background: Stratification of surgical risk is an important step in cardiac surgery, often based on the estimation of operative mortality. The EuroSCORE II (ES II) incorporates several factors in the calculation of mortality, but few are specific to Infectious endocarditis (IE).

Aim: Our study is aimed to evaluate the predictive power of the Es II in the surgery of IE and to test its discriminating power according to certain specific parameters of the IE.

Particularities of cardiac surgery in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in chronic hemodialysis patients(1). Cardiac surgery in hemodialysis patients exposes to higher risks inherent in the particular status of these patients. The aim of our study is to report the perioperative particularities of hemodialysis patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and to determine the impact of preoperative clinical status on hospital and late morbidity and mortality.

Left ventricular assist pump pocket infection: conservative treatment strategy for destination therapy candidates.

Background: Heart failure is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, particularly among patients with advanced disease and no access to cardiac transplantation. LVAD implantation is not only a bridge-to-transplantation option for patients awaiting a heart donor, but is often used as bridge-to-destination therapy in patients unsuited for transplantation for various reasons. LVAD infection is considered the second-most common cause of death in patients who survive the initial 6 months on LVAD support.

Sternal Wound Infection after Cardiac Surgery: Management and Outcome.

Background: Sternal Wound Infection (SWI) is a severe complication after cardiac surgery. Debridement associated with primary closure using Redon drains (RD) is an effective treatment, but data on RD management and antibiotic treatment are scarce.

Methods: We performed a single-center analysis of consecutive patients who were re-operated for SWI between 01/2009 and 12/2012.

[Non penetrating cardiac trauma].

Traffic accidents are a very important leading cause of death in young adults in our country and the most cause of non penetrating cardiac trauma. Cardiac contusions represent the most common form of non penetrating cardiac trauma but a wide spectrum of cardiac injury ranging from, cardiac valve is not usually foremost in the minds of physicians dealing with acutely injured patients because initial screening is usually focused on others classic and common injuries. There is actually no controversies surrounding the fact that tnsoesophageal echocardiography is becoming the corner stone and the most useful modality of the evaluation of severe chest trauma with suspicion of cardiac injury.

[Morgagni hernia in elderly patients: a study about two cases].

Two cases of retrocostoxiphoid hernia are reported. Both patients were adults. The hernia was strangled in one case and symptomatic in the second case.