Echocardiographic analysis of ventricular geometry and function during repair of congenital septal defects

BACKGROUND: This study investigated changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry and systolic function after corrective surgery for atrial (ASD) and ventricular septal defects (VSD). METHODS: Transesophageal LV short-axis echocardiograms were recorded before and after operative repair of ASD (n = 11) and VSD (n = 7). Preload was measured using LV end-diastolic area indexed for body surface area. Measurements of septal-freewall (D1) and anterior-posterior (D2) endocardial diameters were used to assess LV symmetry from D1/D2. Systolic indices included stroke area, area ejection fraction, and fractional shortening. RESULTS: Preload, stroke area, area ejection fraction, and fractional shortening of D1 increased after ASD repair but decreased after VSD repair (p < 0.05). End-diastolic symmetry increased after ASD closure and decreased after VSD closure (p < 0.05). Increases in stroke area and ejection fraction after ASD correction primarily reflected increased shortening of D1. A positive correlation was found overall between percent change in end-diastolic area (EDA) and percent change in area ejection fraction (r(2) = 0.80, p < 0.0001, n = 18). CONCLUSIONS: Preload was the primary determinant of changes in LV function in this series of ASD and VSD repairs. Intraoperative changes in position of the interventricular septum affected systolic and diastolic LV symmetry and septal free wall shortening. Additional studies are needed to define changes in afterload and contractility as well as diastolic compliance and systolic mechanics.     

Emergency hospital admissions and three-year survival of adults with and without cardiovascular surgery for congenital cardiac disease

OBJECTIVE: This study determined the quantity and nature of emergencies leading to unscheduled hospital admissions of adults with congenital cardiac disease and their mid-term survival. RESULTS: During 1 year, 429 adults with congenital cardiac diseases were admitted 571 times, and 124 admissions (22%) of 95 patients (22%) were emergency admissions. Fifteen of the 95 patients were seen for the first time in 1 of the participating centers. The underlying anomalies were Fallot's tetralogy and pulmonary atresia (n = 26/7), univentricular heart after Fontan procedure (n = 25), atrial septal defect (n = 18), Eisenmenger syndrome (n = 12), complete transposition (n = 11), and others (n = 25). Indications for admission were cardiovascular complications (n = 103; 83%) (arrhythmia, cardiac failure, syncope, pacemaker problems, pericardial tamponade, and sudden death), infections (n = 8, 6%) (endocarditis, pacemaker infection, pneumonia, and cerebral abscess), acute chest pain (n = 7; 6%), and acute abdominal pain (n = 4; 3%). All patients required immediate emergency care, and 16 patients (17%) required urgent cardiovascular or abdominal surgery. Six patients died during the hospital stay. During a follow-up of 2.9 years (SD 0.8), 16 (18%) of the discharged patients died, and 2 additional patients underwent heart or heart-lung transplantation. CONCLUSION: Adults with congenital cardiac disease often experience serious emergency situations with a high in-hospital and mid-term post-hospital mortality. Care given by physicians with special expertise is important in this specific group of patients.     

Impact of staff turnover during cardiac surgical procedures

ObjectiveThe impact of staff turnover during cardiac procedures is unknown. Accurate inventory of sharps (needles/blades) requires attention by surgical teams, and sharp count errors result in delays, can lead to retained foreign objects, and may signify communication breakdown. We hypothesized that increased team turnover raises the likelihood of sharp count errors and may negatively affect patient outcomes.MethodsAll cardiac operations performed at our institution from May 2011 to March 2016 were reviewed for sharp count errors from a prospectively maintained database. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed.ResultsAmong 7264 consecutive cardiac operations, sharp count errors occurred in 723 cases (10%). There were no retained sharps detected by x-ray in our series. Sharp count errors were lower on first start cases (7.7% vs 10.7%, P < .001). Cases with sharp count errors were longer than those without (7 vs 5.7 hours, P < .001). In multivariable analysis, factors associated with an increase in sharp count errors were non–first start cases (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; P = .006), weekend cases (OR, 1.6; P < .004), more than 2 scrub personnel (3 scrubs: OR, 1.3; P = .032; 4 scrubs: OR, 2; P < .001; 5 scrubs: OR, 2.4; P = .004), and more than 1 circulating nurse (2 nurses: OR, 1.9; P < .001; 3 nurses: OR, 2; P < .001; 4 nurses: OR, 2.4; P < .001; 5 nurses: OR, 3.1; P < .001). Sharp count errors were associated with higher rates of in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.9; P = .038).ConclusionsSharp count errors are more prevalent with increased team turnover and during non–first start cases or weekends. Sharp count errors may be a surrogate marker for other errors and thus increased mortality. Reducing intraoperative team turnover or optimizing hand-offs may reduce sharp count errors.     

Pulse contour analysis for cardiac output monitoring in cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease

Conventional methods of cardiac output monitoring using pulmonary artery catheters may not be feasible in patients with congenital heart disease because of patients' small size or aberrant anatomy. We studied the accuracy of a new device, which uses pulse contour analysis to measure continuous cardiac output, in children and adults undergoing congenital heart surgery. Sixteen patients, median ages 7 yr old, were included in this prospective study. One-hundred-ninety-one data points were obtained in the pre- and postcardiopulmonary bypass periods and in the first 12 h after intensive care unit admission. We evaluated the relationship between cardiac index (CI) derived from transpulmonary thermodilution (TDCI) and CI derived from pulse contour analysis (PCCI). Bias and limits of agreement between TDCI and PCCI over all time periods were 0.1 +/- 1.94, indicating a wide dispersion of the data. Coefficient of correlation (r) between the TDCI and PCCI was 0.7. Although in previous studies, PCCI has been suggested to be accurate in adult cardiac surgery, we found it to be less reliable in our study patients, even after shunt correction. The relationships of the volume and pressure based measures of preload, intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBI), and central venous pressure with CI were also investigated. After repair, correlation (r) between PCCI or TDCI and ITBI (0.56 and 0.71, respectively) was better than that between PCCI or TDCI and CVP (0.16 and 0.11, respectively), indicating greater validity of ITBI as a measure of preload. IMPLICATIONS: Our results suggest that the pulse contour analysis cardiac output (CO) monitoring in patients undergoing congenital heart surgery may not provide as accurate or reliable measures of CO as previously suggested. The volume-based variable of preload intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBI) has better correlation with cardiac index (CI) than the central venous pressure, suggesting that ITBI may be a better indicator of preload.     

Endoscopic monitoring of operative procedures during cardiac surgery

Both intracardiac repair and fine anastomotic procedures are hard to visualize in the sterile operative field. To overcome this problem, we have recently developed an endoscope video system for intraoperative monitoring in open heart surgery. The endoscope can be introduced into the cardiac cavity in a sterile fashion and thus be used to visualize intracardiac lesions as well as the operative procedures. This endoscopic video monitoring system is considered to be useful not only for thoracic surgery but also for cardiac surgery as well. A preliminary report of this work was presented at the 95th Annual Congress, Japan Surgical Society, 10 April 1995, Nagoya, Japan     

杂交技术治疗复杂下肢动脉硬化闭塞症疗效分析

目的:探讨采用杂交技术治疗复杂下肢多节段动脉硬化闭塞症的临床疗效。方法:分析2014年3月—2014年9月行杂交技术治疗的30例(30条患肢)复杂下肢动脉硬化闭塞症患资料。30例患者病变部位累及主-髂动脉、股-腘动脉、股深动脉以及膝下动脉;均行血管腔内修复术,20例行动脉内膜剥脱术,10例行动脉取栓术,8例加行股深动脉成形术。结果:30例杂交手术均获得成功,技术成功率100%,围手术期并发症发生率30%(9/30)。临床成功率为96.67%,术后平均踝肱指数较术前提高了0.37±0.19。术后6、12个月一期通畅率分别为90%、73%,12个月救肢率为97.67%。结论:杂交技术治疗复杂下肢动脉硬化闭塞症具有较高的短期通畅率和救肢率。