Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with free wall rupture and ventricular septal defect: a case report.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a rare cardiac presentation. It can be associated with severe complications such as hemodynamically significant ventricular septal defect and cardiac free wall rupture. In cases of mechanical complications, surgical repair is often indicated.

Cardiac surgery elicits pericardial inflammatory responses that are distinct compared with postcardiopulmonary bypass systemic inflammation.

Objectives: Cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass contributes to a robust systemic inflammatory process. Local intrapericardial postsurgical inflammation is believed to trigger important clinical implications, such as postoperative atrial fibrillation and postsurgical intrathoracic adhesions. Immune mediators in the pericardial space may underlie such complications.

Inferior vena cava tumor thrombus: clinical outcomes at a canadian tertiary center.

Objective: This study reports the surgical management and outcomes of patients with malignancies affecting the IVC.

Methods: This was a retrospective study that considered patients undergoing surgery for IVC thrombectomy in Calgary, Canada, from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2021. Parameters of interest included primary malignancy, the extent of IVC involvement, surgical strategy, and medium-term outcomes.

Comprehensive characterization of the postoperative pericardial inflammatory response: Potential implications for clinical outcomes.

Objective: There is a paucity of data on the inflammatory response that takes place in the pericardial space after cardiac surgery. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the local postoperative inflammatory response.

Methods: Forty-three patients underwent cardiotomy, where native pericardial fluid was aspirated and compared with postoperative pericardial effluent collected at 4, 24, and 48 hours' postcardiopulmonary bypass.

An observational study examining utilization of prehabilitation and its association with postoperative cardiac rehabilitation participation and risk factors following coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Growing evidence supports the use of prehabilitation before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to improve surgical outcomes, but its feasibility and impact on risk factor management in real-world clinical settings remain unknown. This observational study examined prehabilitation utilization and its association with postoperative cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation and cardiovascular risk profile.

Methods: As standard care in a large Canadian city, eligible patients were referred to prehabilitation upon entering the elective CABG waitlist then were re-referred to CR following surgery.

Brain death post cardiac surgery: A modified apnea test to confirm death by neurologic criteria for a patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Death by neurologic criteria (DNC) requires coma, absent brainstem reflexes, and the inability to breathe independently during apnea testing (AT). For patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), this clinical determination is more challenging. Herein, we report the case of a patient with DNC on ECMO post cardiac surgery, highlighting various considerations to the process and modifications required for AT.

Imaging limitations in evaluating blunt cardiac trauma: A case report.

A 20-year old male presented with life-threatening polytrauma secondary to a motor vehicle accident. He had sustained injuries to the chest, including blunt cardiac trauma. On a short-term follow-up imaging, it was determined the patient had an injury to the main pulmonary artery and possible pericardial rupture.

Mitral valve surgery for marantic endocarditis and multiple cerebral embolisation.

Valvular involvement is common in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) with increased risk of thrombo-embolic events. We report a patient with APS and multiple cerebral infarcts. Echocardiography demonstrated verrucous vegetations of the mitral valve in keeping with marantic endocarditis.

Glycemic control in diabetic and non-diabetic cardiac surgical patients and length of hospital stay.

Background: Maintaining blood glucose levels (BGL) within normoglycemic range has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. However, there is little evidence that maintenance of normoglycemic BGL is beneficial for diabetic and non-diabetic patients who undergo cardiac surgery.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between BGL and length of stay (LOS) of cardiac surgical patients.

Prophylactic Oral Amiodarone for the Prevention of Arrhythmias that Begin Early After Revascularization, Valve Replacement, or Repair: PAPABEAR: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: Atrial tachyarrhythmias after cardiac surgery are associated with adverse outcomes and increased costs. Previous trials of amiodarone prophylaxis, while promising, were relatively small and yielded conflicting results.

Objective: To determine whether a brief perioperative course of oral amiodarone is an effective and safe prophylaxis for atrial tachyarrhythmias after cardiac surgery overall and in important subgroups.