IntroductionInfants with single ventricle (SV) anatomy are a high-risk group for ventricular assist device (VAD) support. Hybrid stage 1 palliation can be utilized to successfully bridge SV patients transplantation, such as in the setting of atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR) which precludes long-term palliation. Our case highlights how comprehensive pre-procedural planning mitigate fu...

I n the current issue of Circulation: Heart Failure, Hashim and fellow researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have published their outcomes for advanced heart failure (HF) patients supported with chronic inotrope infusions for a variety of indications, including bridging to transplanta-tion, anticipation of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement or for palliation. 1 T...

Introduction. In advanced HIV prior to combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), dysplastic marrow changes occurred and resolved with ART. Few reports of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in well-controlled HIV exist and management is undefined. Methods. Patients with well-controlled HIV and higher risk MDS were identified; characteristics, treatment, and outcomes were reviewed. Results. Of 292 M...

BACKGROUND Metastatic disease is the most common malignancy of the bone. Prostate, breast, lung, kidney, and thyroid cancer account for 80% of skeletal metastases. Bone metastases are associated with significant skeletal morbidity including severe bone pain, pathologic fractures, spinal cord or nerve roots compression, and malignant hypercalcemia. These events compromise greatly the quality of ...

INTRODUCTION In oncological patients, life quality can be greatly impaired by the presence of painful bone metastases, as standard forms of treatment often achieve inadequate palliation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with respect to pain relief in patients with refractory bone metastases or who are ineligible to conventional treatmen...

12 patients with malignant inoperable esophageal obstruction (carcinoma of the esophagus n = 7, carcinoma of the esophagogastric junction n = 3, mediastinal lymph node metastasis n = 2) and high-grade dysphagia were treated with self-expanding metal stents (Ultraflex, Microvasive) made of a nickel titanium alloy (Elastalloy). Other forms of palliation had failed in 9/12 patients. The degree of ...

Skeletal metastases or secondary cancerous lesions in bone, are common in patients suffering from breast, lung and prostate cancer, in the advanced stage of the disease. These metastatic lesions in skeleton, often lead to excruciating pain and other related symptoms such as: lack of mobility, neurological deficits, depression, anxiety, anger, fear of death etc., which adversely affect the quali...

EDITORIALS 401 live” dosage of irradiation therapy. About 50 percent of these patients achieve good palliation of their disease for periods of a few months to over one year. Those with no demonstrable spread of tumor beyond the confines of the esophagus are taken directly to surgery, where esophagogastrostomy is our preferred operative procedure. Patients who have localized extension of tumor b...

OBJECTIVES Recently, bone-avid radiopharmaceuticals have been shown to have potential benefits for the treatment of widespread bone metastases. Although (177)Lu-triethylene tetramine hexa methylene phosphonic acid (abbreviated as (177)Lu-TTHMP), as an agent for bone pain palliation, has been evaluated in previous studies, there are large discrepancies between the obtained results. In this study...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in places where chronic hepatitis B infection is endemic. Oral nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) therapy can reduce the risk of HCC, but cannot completely prevent its development. For HBV-related HCCs, viral inhibition by NAs can preserve or improve liver function, thereby increasing the chance of therapeutic intervention. A...