A 47 year-old female died after mitral valve replacement. Post-cardiopulmonary bypass right ventricle was not able to pump despite good left ventricular contractility. At microscopic examination, diffuse right ventricular fatty infiltration was found. We found no previous report of this pathology in patients with mitral stenosis

BACKGROUND The need for cardiopulmonary bypass in the treatment of penetrating heart injuries is debated. OBJECTIVES To review our experience with penetrating heart injuries and determine the indications and outcome for cardiopulmonary bypass. DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING A university-based, level I trauma center. PATIENTS All victims of penetrating heart injury presenting betwe...

The left atrium is the most common location of myxomas, which are benign tumors. Only a few cases of myxomas in pregnancies have been reported. Our thorough medical literature search showed only 17 reported cases in the course of pregnancy. Myxomas during pregnancy and in the preterm period constitute a serious phenomenon that can mimic an early sign of a life-threatening pathology like severe ...

Renin-angiotensin system activation is suspected of being involved in postcoronary surgery hypertension, but appears to be useful in maintaining blood pressure during anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass. To clarify these points, 19 patients were compared: ten as a control group and nine who received captopril during two days before surgery. Anesthesia was the same for the two groups, and card...

Poisoning may induce failure in multiple organs, leading to death. Supportive treatments and supplementation of failing organs are usually efficient. In contrast, the usefulness of cardiopulmonary bypass in drug-induced shock remains a matter of debate. The majority of deaths results from poisoning with membrane stabilising agents and calcium channel blockers. There is a need for more aggressiv...

OBJECTIVES Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass frequently leads to excessive bleeding, obligating blood product transfusions. Because low factor XIII (FXIII) levels have been associated with bleeding after cardiac surgery, we investigated whether administering recombinant FXIII after cardiopulmonary bypass would reduce transfusions. METHODS In this double-blinded, placebo-controlled, ...

OBJECTIVES Vasoplegia is a frequent complication after cardiopulmonary bypass that often requires the application of norepinephrine. In a number of cases, however, vasoplegia is refractory to norepinephrine. The guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue could be an attractive treatment alternative in such cases. This study examines the results of methylene blue therapy for norepinephrine-refra...

Cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with significant morbidities, and the ideal temperature management during cardiopulmonary bypass remains uncertain. This review assessed the benefits and risks of maintaining normothermia during cardiopulmonary bypass in adult cardiac surgery. A total of 6,731 patients from 44 randomized controlled trials in 14 countries, comparing normothermic (> 34°C) and ...

Severe ventricular dysfunction in a patient prevented weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass after myocardial revascularization. Calcium chloride and increasing doses of dopamine had no effect. Coronary vasospasm was diagnosed based on ST elevation and myocardial failure. Verapamil 0.5 mg, injected into the aortic root, was followed by a dramatic improvement in cardiac contractility and successful...