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Trends Cardiovasc Med 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Medical Center, 1514 Jefferson Highway New Orleans, LA 70121, United States; Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States. Electronic address:

Rev Port Cardiol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Servicio de Cardiología y Unidad Coronaria, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela; CIBERCV, A Coruña, Spain.

Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Successful cardiac catheterization procedure begins with safe vascular access and ends with effective hemostasis after equipment removal. These new and advanced technologies in the cath lab require large-bore arterial accesses. Large-bore sheaths are associated with blood flow obstruction resulting in limb ischemia. Read More

Echocardiography 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Mount Sinai West, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York.

Background: Acute left ventricular (LV) apical ballooning with normal coronary angiography occurs rarely in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OHCM); it may be associated with severe hemodynamic instability.

Methods, Results: We searched for acute LV ballooning with apical hypokinesia/akinesia in databases of two HCM treatment programs. Diagnosis of OHCM was made by conventional criteria of LV hypertrophy in the absence of a clinical cause for hypertrophy and mitral-septal contact. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(49):e13582

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Suzhou Kowloon Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Suzhou, China.

Rationale: The Epstein-Barr (EB) virus has rarely been reported as a cause of fulminant myocarditis. To our knowledge, the present case is the first report on myocardial calcification in EB viral myocarditis and rhabdomyolysis.

Patient Concerns: A 17-year-old man was admitted to the department with fever, chest tightness, and tachypnea that had been present for 2 days. Read More

Curr Cardiol Rev 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Cardiology Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, IL. United States.

The management of patients with shock is extremely challenging because of the myriad of possible clinical presentations in cardiogenic shock, septic shock and hypovolemic shock and the limitations of contemporary therapeutic options. The treatment of shock includes the administration of endogenous catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) as well as various vasopressor agents that have shown efficacy in the treatment of the various types of shock. In addition to the endogenous catecholamines, dobutamine, isoproterenol, phenylephrine, and milrinone have served as the mainstays of shock therapy for several decades. Read More

BMC Anesthesiol 2018 Dec 6;18(1):184. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, 1 Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, China.

Background: Weaning post-cardiac surgery patients from mechanical ventilation (MV) poses a big challenge to these patients. Optimized left ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) may be crucial for reducing the MV duration of these patients. However, there is no research exploring the relationship between VAC and the duration of MV. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2019 Jan 27;123(1):139-144. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Division of Cardiology, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan.

A significant proportion of patients with acute myocarditis experience sudden cardiac death presumably due to cardiac arrhythmia. In this study, we explore the burden, the predictors of arrhythmia in acute myocarditis and the association between arrhythmias and adverse in-hospital outcomes. After evaluating the frequency of various tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmia in myocarditis population, we built a logistic model to determine the independent predictors of arrhythmias in myocarditis and a 1:1 propensity-matched analysis to examine the impact of arrhythmias. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Department of Cardiology, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia; Department of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address:

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) develops in patients who are under significant emotional, psychosocial, or sudden biochemical stress. However, the added burden of TC on the patients receiving chemotherapy has never been studied. We aimed to describe the additional clinical and economic burden, along with the potential predictors of TC and related in-hospital mortality in patients receiving chemotherapy using the largest inpatient cohort. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Cardiology, Heart and Lung Center, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Objectives: Our goal was to study the outcome of patients with cardiogenic shock who were treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO), including the subsequent long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 133 consecutive patients treated in a single centre from 2007 to 2016. The HRQoL was studied using the EuroQuol-5 dimensions-3 level questionnaire and the RAND 36-Item Short Form Health Survey at a minimum of 1 year after VA ECMO. Read More

Turk J Emerg Med 2018 Dec 7;18(4):172-175. Epub 2018 Mar 7.

Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Trabzon, Turkey.

We report a case of prolonged and successful resuscitation following cardiotoxicity-related arrest occurring after inhaling toluene and , which is an increasingly popular synthetic cannabinoid (SC). Following presentation to the emergency department because of lethargy, nausea and chest pain, a 28-year-old male user of and toluene suffered from cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation (VF). Cardiogenic shock, severe metabolic acidosis and regular wide QRS tachycardia were observed in the patient, and he developed VF every 5-10 minutes over the course of 10 hours. Read More

Atherosclerosis 2018 Nov 27;280:166-173. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, South Korea.

Background And Aims: We compared the clinical impact of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) on long-term clinical outcomes between ST-segment elevation (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug eluting stents (DES) because of the paucity of published data.

Methods: A total of 24,960 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who underwent PCI with DES and were prescribed the RASI were enrolled and divided into two groups, the STEMI group (n = 14,061) and the NSTEMI group (n = 10,899). The clinical endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as all-cause death, cardiac death (CD), recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), total coronary revascularization (target lesion revascularization [TLR], target vessel revascularization [TVR], non-TVR) during 2 years. Read More

Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2018 Dec 10:2048872618817485. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

1 Intensive Cardiac Care Unit, Cardiology Department, Heart Disease Institute, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.

Background:: Current guidelines recommend emergency surgical correction in patients with post infarction ventricular septal rupture (PIVSR), but patients with multiorgan failure are commonly managed conservatively because of high surgical risk. We assessed characteristics and outcomes of operated PIVSR patients with or without the use of short-term ventricular assist devices (ST-VADs). We also assessed the impact of a ST-VAD on the performance of surgery. Read More

Sci China Life Sci 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Cardiology, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China.

Fulminant myocarditis is primarily caused by infection with any number of a variety of viruses. It arises quickly, progresses rapidly, and may lead to severe heart failure or circulatory failure presenting as rapid-onset hypotension and cardiogenic shock, with mortality rates as high as 50%-70%. Most importantly, there are no treatment options, guidelines or an expert consensus statement. Read More

Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2018 Dec 2. Epub 2018 Dec 2.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Background: Periprocedural outcomes of transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with Mitraclip in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) are not well studied.

Methods: Patients who underwent TMVR with Mitraclip between 2011 and 2015 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS). All missing variables were excluded from the analysis and therefore, complete case analysis was performed. Read More

J Intensive Care Soc 2018 Nov 29;19(4):351-353. Epub 2018 Jan 29.

Adult Intensive Care Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.

Background: Leptospirosis is a rare infectious illness caused by the Spirochaete Leptospira. It has a wide-varying spectrum of presentation. We present a rare case of severe cardiogenic shock secondary to leptospirosis, in the absence of its common clinical features. Read More

J Invasive Cardiol 2018 Dec;30(12):456-460

Minneapolis Heart Institute, 920 E. 28th Street #300, Minneapolis, MN 55407 USA.

Objectives: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is most commonly used in patients with cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock. There are limited data on the use of VA-ECMO for elective, high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We examined the in-hospital and mid-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing complex, high-risk PCI with VA-ECMO support. Read More

J Invasive Cardiol 2018 Dec;30(12):443-446

Division of Cardiology, Careggi Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 17, I-50134, Florence, Italy. ruben.arg@ gmail.com.

Introduction: It is not clear if differences exist about treating left main bifurcation (LMB) and non-left main bifurcation (non-LMB) lesions by means of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: We prospectively analyzed all consecutive patients treated at our center for bifurcation lesions from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015, including acute myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiogenic shock, and compared the angiographic and clinical outcomes of patients with LMB and non-LMB lesions treated with PCI and second-generation drug-eluting stent (2G-DES) implantation. The primary endpoint was the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) composite, including MI, clinically indicated target-vessel revascularization (TVR), and cardiac death (CD) at 2-year follow-up. Read More

Arq Bras Cardiol 2018 Dec;111(6):864-866

Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu - Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, SP - Brazil.

Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2018 Dec 5:2048872618814708. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

7 Division of Cardiology, St. Gallen County Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Introduction:: Limited data are available on the impact of multisite artery disease in patients with acute coronary syndromes. In particular, it is unknown whether the outcomes of those high-risk patients have improved over time. Therefore, we addressed the multisite artery disease patient population enrolled in the Swiss nationwide prospective acute coronary syndromes cohort study AMIS Plus over two decades. Read More

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

a Department of Cardiology , Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Gothenburg Sweden.

Introduction: Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is an increasingly recognized acute heart failure syndrome which is self-limiting in most cases but can result in life-threatening complications. TS is difficult to distinguish from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) early in the disease course and currently lacks evidence-based treatment recommendations. Areas covered: Based on the available literature this systematic review discusses the clinical management of patients with TS during (i) the diagnostic workup; (ii) acutely after establishing the TS diagnosis; and (iii) after recovery of cardiac function. Read More

J Electrocardiol 2018 Nov - Dec;51(6):1131-1134. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

Clinical Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Italy.

Background: Pathological Q waves (QWs) in the first ECG recorded at hospital admission has been found to correlate with myocardial damage and mortality in STEMI patients. We investigated the association between new QWs recorded in the pre-hospital setting and adverse outcome during the hospital stay.

Methods: A pre-hospital ECG was recorded in 248 patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI. Read More

JACC Heart Fail 2018 Dec;6(12):1044-1046

Center for Advanced Heart Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address:

JACC Heart Fail 2018 Dec;6(12):1035-1043

Department of General and Interventional Cardiology, University Heart Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address:

Objectives: This report relates the authors' ongoing experience with percutaneous left ventricular (LV) unloading by using a transaortic LV assist device in combination with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and provides an in-depth analysis of the hemodynamic benefit of this approach.

Background: VA-ECMO is increasingly used in cases of severe cardiogenic shock. However, increase in afterload with subsequent LV overload is a major drawback of VA-ECMO. Read More

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2018 Nov 22. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy.

Levosimendan is an inodilator that promotes cardiac contractility primarily via calcium sensitization of cardiac troponin C and vasodilatation via opening of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in vascular smooth muscle cells; the drug also exerts organ-protective effects via a similar effect on mitochondrial KATP channels.This pharmacological profile identifies levosimendan as a drug that may have applications in a wide range of critical illness situations encountered in intensive care unit medicine: hemodynamic support in cardiogenic or septic shock; weaning from mechanical ventilation or from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; and in the context of cardiorenal syndrome.This review, authored by experts from 9 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland) examines the clinical and experimental data for levosimendan in these situations and concludes that, in most instances, the evidence is affirmative and encouraging, which is not the case with other cardio- and vasoactive drugs routinely used in the intensive care unit. Read More

Nat Rev Cardiol 2019 Jan;16(1)

Nature Reviews Cardiology, .

Artif Organs 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North College, Hebei, People's Republic of China.

Objective: The effectiveness of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) combined with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in patients with cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest remains controversial. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the short-term clinical outcomes of IABP combined with VA-ECMO versus VA-ECMO alone.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for English articles published from inception to August 18, 2018. Read More

Clin Nutr 2018 Oct 13. Epub 2018 Oct 13.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Critical Care Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Aggressive lipid reduction is recommended for patients with AMI, but reverse epidemiology, the lipid paradox, has been reported in several clinical studies. The cause of lipid paradox remains uncertain, and nutrition is one possible explanation. In this single-center retrospective study, we investigated the relationships between baseline LDL concentrations and clinical outcomes in patients with AMI, stratified by different nutritional status. Read More

Med Intensiva 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Servicio de Medicina Intensiva, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, La Coruña, España.

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation systems has increased significantly in recent years; given this reality, the Spanish Society of Critical Intensive Care Medicine and Coronary Units (SEMICYUC) has decided to draw up a series of recommendations that serve as a framework for the use of this technique in intensive care units. The three most frequent areas of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation systems use in our setting are: as a cardiocirculatory support, as a respiratory support and for the maintenance of the abdominal organs in donors. The SEMICYUC appointed a series of experts belonging to the three working groups involved (Cardiological Intensive Care and CPR, Acute Respiratory Failure and Transplant work group) that, after reviewing the existing literature until March 2018, developed a series of recommendations. Read More

Cardiovasc Diabetol 2018 Nov 27;17(1):148. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Departamento de Farmacologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia Facultad de Medicina, Campus de Espinardo, Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.

Glucagon is considered to exert cardiostimulant effects, most notably the enhancement of heart rate and contractility, due to the stimulation of glucagon receptors associated with Gs protein stimulation which causes adenylyl cyclase activation and the consequent increase in 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate production in the myocardium. These effects have been extensively demonstrated in experimental studies in different animal species. However, efforts to extrapolate the experimental data to patients with low cardiac output states, such as acute heart failure or cardiogenic shock, have been disappointing. Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IO.

Background: Surgical ablation procedure is commonly performed in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing cardiac surgeries; however, the evidence regarding its impact on in-hospital cardiovascular outcomes is controversial.

Methods: We queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database from 1998-to-2013 for patients with AF who underwent cardiac surgeries. We performed a propensity-score matching including 27 various baseline characteristics to compare those who underwent surgical ablation versus not. Read More

Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2018 Dec;7(8):687-688

Radiol Case Rep 2019 Feb 15;14(2):230-234. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Radiology, Temple University Hospital, 3401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.

Mortality associated with cardiogenic shock can reach 80%. Although most often diagnosed clinically, the hemodynamics of cardiogenic shock may manifest on contrast-enhanced computed tomography as dependent layering of contrast within the inferior vena cava (IVC), a finding referred to as the "IVC level sign." Herein we present 2 cases of the IVC level sign. Read More

Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2018 Nov 27:2048872618813907. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

7 Comprehensive Heart Failure Center Würzburg, Germany.

Background:: In ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, direct transport from the scene to the catheterisation laboratory bypassing the emergency department has been shown to shorten times to reperfusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of emergency department bypass on mortality in both haemodynamically stable and unstable STEMI patients.

Methods:: The analysis is based on a large cohort of STEMI patients prospectively included in the German multicentre Feedback Intervention and Treatment Times in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (FITT-STEMI) trial. Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2018 Nov 23. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

University of Maryland School of Medicine, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Baltimore, MD.

Background: There has been renewed interest in surgical pulmonary embolectomy (SPE) for the treatment of pulmonary embolism, but the real-world incidence and outcomes of SPE have yet to be well described using a large, granular dataset. We, therefore, examined the modern experience with SPE in North America as reported to the Society of Thoracic Surgery Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS ACSD).

Methods: The STS ACSD was queried for all isolated SPE for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (2011-2015). Read More

Cureus 2018 Sep 18;10(9):e3325. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

Cardiology, Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, USA.

Infective endocarditis is a severe and now more frequently encountered condition given the rise of intravenous (IV) drug use. An IV drug user presented with septic shock and bacterial endocarditis. Upon imaging, a fistulous tract was discovered, communicating from the annulus of the infected mitral valve to a large left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (PA). Read More

Am J Cardiol 2018 Nov 6. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Electronic address:

Postcardiac surgery cardiogenic shock (PCCS) is seen in 2% to 6% of patients who undergo cardiac surgery. There are limited large-scale data on the use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in these patients. This study sought to evaluate the in-hospital mortality, trends, and resource utilization for PCCS admissions with and without MCS. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Helsinki and Department of Emergency Medicine and Services, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Aims: The role of microRNAs has not been studied in cardiogenic shock. We examined the potential role of miR-423-5p level to predict mortality and associations of miR-423-5p with prognostic markers in cardiogenic shock.

Methods And Results: We conducted a prospective multinational observational study enrolling consecutive cardiogenic shock patients. Read More

Cardiovasc Revasc Med 2018 Oct 9. Epub 2018 Oct 9.

The Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, United States of America. Electronic address:

Background/purpose: The incidence of cardiovascular disease in cancer patients is rising. The risk of in-hospital complications for cancer patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not well defined.

Methods/materials: A retrospective single-center cohort assessing STEMI patients with a history of cancer (n = 58) and without a history of cancer (n = 551) who underwent primary PCI between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2017 was conducted. Read More

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2018 Oct 16. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ.

Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) 2018 Nov 21. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Grupo ICREC (Insuficiència Cardíaca I Regeneració Cardíaca), Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain; Servicio de Cardiología y Unidad Coronária, Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain; CIBER Cardiovascular, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Departmento de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Heart Lung 2018 Nov 20. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Emergency Medicine, UMPC University of Pittsburgh, USA.

Objective: Ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) in cardiac arrest patients after return to spontaneous circulation causes dysfunctions in multiple organs. Kidney injury is generally transient but in some patients persists and contributes both to mortality and increased resource utilisation. Ongoing shock may compound renal injury from IRI, resulting in persistent dysfunction. Read More

Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2018 Nov 23. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.

Objectives: This study sought to provide an overview of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in dialysis patients from a Japanese nationwide registry.

Background: Little is known about dialysis patients undergoing PCI because few are enrolled in clinical trials.

Methods: We analyzed 624,900 PCI cases including 41,384 dialysis patients (6. Read More

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2018 Sep 27. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA.

The Impella (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) is a minimally invasive transvalvular left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that effectively unloads the left ventricle (LV), especially in patients with ventricular arrhythmias in the setting of a venous-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (VA ECMO). Utilization of the Impella device has increased significantly in the last few years for high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention and cardiogenic shock because of its relatively easy implantation in the catheterization lab and the operating room. Although rare, iatrogenic injury of the aortic valve (AV) can be caused by placement of the device across the AV. Read More

Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2018 Nov 22;26(1):103. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Hobrovej 18-22, 9000, Aalborg, Denmark.

Background: Severe intoxication with carbon monoxide (CO) is extremely lethal and causes numerous deaths due to cardiac or respiratory failure. Conventional intensive treatment may not be sufficient. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment effect of extracorporeal veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) following severe CO poisoning in an experimental porcine model. Read More

J Crit Care 2018 Nov 10;50:11-16. Epub 2018 Nov 10.

Department of Intensive Care Adults, Erasmus University Medical Center, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015GD, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, s-Gravendijkwal 230, Rotterdam 3015, the Netherlands.

Purpose: In critical illness, the relation between the macrocirculation, microcirculation and organ dysfunction, such as acute kidney injury (AKI), is complex. This study aimed at identifying predictors for AKI in patients with cardiogenic shock.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-nine adult cardiogenic shock patients, with an admission creatinine <200 μmol l, and whose microcirculation was measured within 48 h were enrolled. Read More

J Clin Med 2018 Nov 20;7(11). Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan.

Background: Acute fulminant myocarditis (AFM) is a serious disease that progresses rapidly, and leads to failing respiratory and circulatory systems. When medications fail to reverse the patient's clinical course, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is considered the most effective, supportive and adjunct strategy. In this paper we analyzed our experience in managing AFM with ECMO support. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Nov;97(47):e13277

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Heidelberg.

Rationale: We present a case of incidental venous contrast pooling and layering in a patient without sudden cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock.

Patient Concerns: The patient presented with only discrete symptoms and did not suffer fatal cessation of the cardiac pump function during or shortly after the scan.

Diagnosis: The patient showed stigmata of venous gravity-dependent pooling and layering of contrast medium, which has frequently been described as a sign of imminent cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest. Read More

J Interv Cardiol 2018 Dec 20;31(6):717-724. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.

Objectives: Aim of the study was to assess in-hospital survival rate and the degree of myocardial recovery after MCS treatment (IABP or IMPELLA) at discharge and at 6 months in patients with AMI-CS and planned early percutaneous revascularization.

Background: All studies on MCS for acute myocardial infarction related cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) focused on its impact on in-hospital mortality; however, few data about its role on myocardial recovery are available.

Methods: Retrospective study on 64 patients: 36 patients (56%) received IABP and 28 (44%) Impella 2. Read More