Myocardial protection during aortic surgery: comparison between Bretschneider-HTK and cold blood cardioplegia.

The ideal cardioplegic strategy in thoracic aorta operations requiring long cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp time has not been established. Suboptimal myocardial protection may lead to myocardial damage and possible post-operative complications. We evaluate post-operative cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) release, low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) and mortality, using a cold crystalloid single-dose intracellular or cold blood multidose cardioplegia in 112 elective or emergent thoracic aorta operation patients. Fifty-four patients (HTK group) received Custodiol® cardioplegic solution and 58 received cold blood cardioplegia (CB group). Cross-clamp time, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and cTnI peak release were similar in both groups. No differences were found for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, inotropic support, LCOS and in-hospital mortality. Two-way ANOVA analysis revealed an interactive effect on cTnI peak (p=0.012) of cardioplegic solution type across the cross-clamp time quintile. In the fifth quintile, cross-clamp time patient (>160 min) cTnI peak value was higher in CB patients (p=0.044). HTK and CB cardioplegic solutions assure similar myocardial protection in patients undergoing thoracic aorta operations. In long cross-clamp times, the lower post-operative cTnI release detected using HTK may be indicative of a better myocardial protection in these extreme conditions.

Acute Myocarditis After Black Widow Spider Bite: A Case Report.

The black widow spider (BWS) is a venomous spider whose bite can cause various clinical conditions that range from local damage to serious systemic complications, including death. Cases of myocarditis following a BWS bite are rare but they can be fatal on occasion. However, the prognostic significance of the bite and presentation of myocarditis is unknown. Our case involved a 50-year-old man who presented with myocarditis after being bitten by a BWS and subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit for cardiac monitoring. During the hospital stay, he showed worsening signs on both the electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluations despite therapeutic success. Subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance and coronary angiography investigations showed no significant alterations; blood and instrumental test results slowly improved, and the patient was discharged home after 12 days of hospitalization without complications. This case illustrates that acute myocarditis, although an infrequent complication of BWS bite, has the potential to be lethal. The correct diagnosis, which is not always easy to formulate, is important to identify those patients who can benefit from careful monitoring and specific therapies aimed at reducing the risk of life.

Community-based intervention to reduce demand for drugs in Northern Thai tribal villages.

This is an evaluation study of a community-based intervention model used in a project designed to reduce the demand for and use of opium, heroin, and other drugs among 85 tribal villages located in Northern Thailand. The Integrated Drug Abuse Prevention (IDAP) Project was conducted from 1995 to 1997 and used a community-based approach which included innovative methods such as multimedia awareness raising campaigns, networking between villages and local government agencies, and village-based drug detoxification and treatment to assist villages in solving their drug problems. The intervention model was successfully implemented in most villages and demonstrated very good results in improving awareness, decreasing the number of active drug users living in the villages, and preventing new cases of addiction. However, a follow-up study at 6 months after project termination indicated problems with sustainability of demand reduction activities and outcomes. These problems were attributed in part to a lack of empowerment among village leaders to continue activities without assistance from project staff. Also, village leaders expressed problems in resisting drug dealers who returned to the area, which suggested that support from law enforcement is critical to the viability of drug demand reduction programs.