1/8. Transient left ventricular failure following bilateral lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension.BACKGROUND: Bilateral lung transplantation is an established therapy for end-stage pulmonary hypertension. Its early postoperative outcome may be biased by various complications resulting in unexpected deterioration of the patient in terms of hemodynamics and blood gases. methods: We have reviewed the early postoperative course of patients who underwent bilateral lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension at our institution and analyzed all available data, especially hemodynamic measurements, echocardiographic documentation and therapeutical strategies, in those cases where cardiac dysfunction was found to be responsible for clinical deterioration. RESULTS: Three out of 20 lung transplant recipients operated for pulmonary hypertension experienced severe respiratory insufficiency accompanied by hemodynamic decompensation during the first days after surgery. Clinical and laboratory findings together with results of echocardiography and pulmonary artery catheterism helped establish the diagnosis of left ventricular failure. This proved to be transitory, but the response to therapy (inotropic drugs, afterload reduction and eventually prostaglandins) was very variable. Adequately treated, this complication did not preclude the outcome of transplantation by itself. CONCLUSION: Left ventricular failure is a possible complication after lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension. echocardiography and pulmonary artery catheterism may be useful adjuvant diagnostic tools, beside routine physical examination, chest X-ray, and laboratory analysis. Therapy of this complication must be adapted individually and may be complex.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Combined lung and liver transplantation in a girl with cystic fibrosis.PURPOSE: To describe the anesthetic considerations of a combined lung and liver transplant in a 14-yr-old girl with cystic fibrosis. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 14 yr-old girl with cystic fibrosis presented for combined liver and lung transplantation. Anesthetic management was complex in that the pulmonary, hemodynamic, and hematological changes after cardiopulmonary bypass and lung transplantation made the management of the subsequent liver transplant unique. We used a moderate dose fentanyl and isoflurane anesthetic with invasive monitoring including a pulmonary artery catheter. Upon reperfusion of the new liver our patient exhibited severe pulmonary hypertension that was associated with a decrease in cardiac output and systemic hypotension. Utilizing a pulmonary artery catheter, this episode was treated with an increase of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) infusion to 0.025 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) and the initiation of 3 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) dobutamine. The pulmonary hypertension resolved and the cardiac output and blood pressure returned to baseline levels. CONCLUSION: The anesthetic considerations for a combined lung and liver transplant are complex because of the interactions and alterations in cardiovascular, pulmonary and hemostatic systems. The use of a pulmonary artery catheter was critical to the management of our patient because it allowed us to accurately treat an episode of hypotension occurring during liver transplantation. This episode was secondary to acute pulmonary hypertension which is common after pulmonary transplantation but unusual during liver transplantation. It is also critical that a team approach is used to consider all of the concerns of the multiple services managing these complex patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Biventricular pacing for successful weaning from extracorporal circulation in an infant with complex tetralogy of fallot.Biventricular pacing therapy is an innovative therapy for improving cardiac output in adult patients with severe heart failure. However, this technique is not yet used in infants with congenital heart disease. We present a six month old infant with tetralogy of fallot and atresia of the left pulmonary artery in which biventricular stimulation led to improved left ventricular function and successful weaning from extracorporeal circulation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. Unruptured congenital aneurysm of the left sinus of valsalva in an adult with complex left heart malformations.A 26 year old man who presented with the first signs of right heart failure was found to have a large congenital aneurysm of the aortic sinus of valsalva and of the left coronary sinus. These were combined with left heart anomalies in the form of a bicuspid aortic valve, a rare variant of a persistent left superior vena cava with blood flow from the left atrium through the brachiocephalic vein into the superior vena cava and a kink in the aortic arch. An aortic coarctation had been corrected with a patch 12 years earlier. Although the aneurysm was not perforated and there were no clinical signs of infarction, the aneurysm was resected prophylactically and the left coronary artery was reinserted through a bypass with a Gore-Tex conduit. The case is noteworthy because this diagnosis is very rare and its early treatment may prevent several complications. The clinical features, treatment, and outcome are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. Detection of an aneurysm of the vein of Galen following signs of cardiac overload in a 22-week old fetus.OBJECTIVES: To present early prenatal diagnosis of an aneurysm of the Vein of Galen by detecting signs of cardiac overload in a 22-week old fetus. CASE: We report on a 22-week old fetus presenting with dilation of the heart, tricuspid and mitral valve regurgitation, reversed flow in the aortic arch and dilated neck vessels. Evaluation of the fetal brain revealed a dilated left ventricle, signs of brain hemorrhage and an anechoic structure between the two hemispheres. methods: By using the conventional Doppler technique, an intracerebral fistula and dilated vein of Galen was visualized. The complex vascular structure was demonstrated using 3-D color power angiography (3-D CPA). To our knowledge, this is the earliest diagnosis of this vascular malformation. CONCLUSION: Although signs of cardiac overload rarely appear before the third trimester in cases of arteriovenous fistulae, it was shown that these signs could lead to the correct diagnosis of an aneurysm of the vein of Galen. Additionally, we show that 3-D CPA is a promising technique to visualize complex vascular structures and make them easier to understand.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a young woman: from emergency coronary artery bypass grafting to heart transplantation.Primary spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) as cause of acute myocardial infarction is a rare entity with complex pathophysiology. SCAD must be considered every time that a healthy young patient presents an onset of acute myocardial ischemic syndrome or sudden death. Mostly it appears in young women without traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease and a significant proportion of them are hutted during the peripartum or early postpartum period. SCAD is frequently fatal and a great number of known cases have been diagnosed at necroscopy. The quick recognition of SCAD as cause of acute myocardial ischemia in a young patient is important to establish the best medical/surgical treatment between the different therapeutic attitudes. We describe the case occurred to a young low cardiac risk woman who suffered of idiopathic SCAD and was successfully treated by heart transplantation few days after that a conventional surgical myocardial revascularization had been attempted. Waiting for cardiac transplantation the patient survived several days, thanks to a mechanical left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The following hospital course was uncomplicated. To our knowledge, this is the second case of SCAD treated successfully by LVAD and orthotopic heart transplantation reported in literature.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Benefit of cardiac resynchronization therapy to a patient with a narrow QRS complex and ventricular dyssynchrony identified by tissue synchronization imaging.This report described an 81-year-old woman with severe symptomatic heart failure, reduced ejection fraction, mitral regurgitation, and an electrocardiographic QRS width of 118 ms who had ventricular dyssynchrony identified by echocardiographic tissue synchronization imaging. Because of her severe heart failure symptoms on maximal medical therapy, referral to implant a defibrillator, and mechanical dyssynchrony, she underwent cardiac resynchronization-defibrillator therapy with lateral left ventricular lead placement. This resulted in an immediate 30% increase in stroke volume and 35% decrease in mitral regurgitation. Echocardiographic tissue synchronization imaging may play a role in identifying mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with narrow QRS duration who may potentially benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. Undiagnosed coronary fistula causing low cardiac output syndrome after pediatric heart surgery.A patient with preoperative pulmonary hypertension and a large left to right intracardiac shunt underwent surgical correction of a complex cardiac anomaly and required extracorporeal life support for unexplained ventricular dysfunction following the procedure. Following recovery, a fistulous connection between the right coronary artery and main pulmonary artery was demonstrated. Implications and management strategies of unsuspected coronary fistula in pediatric heart surgery are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = complex (Clic here for more details about this article) |