[Intensive Care in Heart Surgery - is All Now Different?] / Intensivtherapie in der Herzchirurgie ­ alles anders?

With approximately 100000 operations performed in Germany per year, cardiac surgery is among the surgical specialties that require intensive care tratment most frequently. Although all therapeutic aspects of ICU treatment are of high importance among cardiac surgery patients, there is a focus on hemodynamics with the overarching goal of sufficient oxygen delivery. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are particularily prone to hemodynamic instability and low cardiac output syndrome, potentially culminating into cardiogenic shock. This article presents an overview of essential elements of intensive care medicine in cardiac surgery, paying special attention to hemodynamic monitoring, low cardiac output syndrome, inotropy, cardiac arrhyhmia, perioperative myocardial infarction, and patient blood management.

Comparison of outcomes in DeBakey type I versus DeBakey type II aortic dissection: a 17-year single center experience.

BACKGROUND: It is controversial if the type or the size of aortic dissection is associated with the mortality in patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD) type I or type II according to DeBakey. Due to the pronounced aortic pathology in DeBakey type I compared to DeBakey type II, it is to be expected, that the DeBakey type I is associated with a significant higher morbidity and mortality. But we hypothesize that the current advances in surgical techniques, circulatory management, and postoperative care improve the clinical outcome of patients with DeBakey type I and II. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the effect of these parameters on surgical outcome in patients with DeBakey type I and type II in a large cohort study. METHODS: From 2001 to 2019, 395 consecutive patients (34.2% female) underwent surgical aortic repair at our institution. Patients were retrospectively classified into 2 groups: patients with type 1 dissection (group 1: n=309, median age of 62.0 years) and patients with type 2 dissection (group 2: n=86, 67.5 years). Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier estimator. Risk factors were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The patients in group 1 suffered significantly more often from coronary heart disease [43 (13.9%) vs. 20 (23.3%), P=0.036]. Otherwise, there were no significant differences between both groups concerning preoperative risk factors. The median surgical duration (279 vs. 263 min, P=0.026) and the circulatory arrest time (35 vs. 27 min, P<0.001) in group 1 were significantly higher. In a significantly higher number of patients in group 1, the aortic arch was completely replaced (18.4% vs. 1.2%, P<0.001) and a simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting [18 (5.8%) vs. 11 (12.8%), P=0.028] was performed. The rate of re-thoracotomy [62 (20.1%) vs. 9 (10.5%), P=0.040], of postoperative delirium [66 (21.4%) vs. 9 (10.6%), P=0.024], and of tracheotomy [85 (27.5%) vs. 14 (16.3%), P=0.034] were significantly higher in group 1. Thirty-day mortality was 15.7% and did not differ significantly between both groups (P=0.867), as well as the long-term survival rates (P=0.956). CONCLUSIONS: Due to the pronounced aortic pathology in type I compared to type II, it is to be expected, that the type I is associated with a significant higher morbidity and mortality. DeBakey type I was an independent predictor for 30-day mortality in our study, however, based on our 17-year single center experience there was no difference between the long-term survival in both groups.

Eradication of a chronic wound and driveline infection after redo-LVAD implantation.

A 48 year old patient with dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic acne inversa underwent implantation of a LVAD system (Heartmate II, Thoratec, USA) March 2011. During 2011 and 2012 the patient was repeatedly readmitted for treatment of driveline infection with MRSA. Colonization was controlled with Linezolid and Rifampicin however reoccurred after discontinuation. In August 2012 the LVAD-system was exchanged due to pump dysfunction (HVAD, HeartWare Inc., USA). Postoperatively, the patient presented with ascites which secreted through the driveline exit. Consequently, the abdominal wall was surgically corrected to prevent exit of peritoneal fluid through the driveline, and the patient was discharged with sterile wound swabs. However 6 weeks after discharge the driveline exit wound started secreting pus showing abundant growth of multi resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). With clinical signs of increasing liver failure with regular need for paracentesis, and clinical signs of local infection, a CT scan of the abdomen was performed revealing an enrichment of contrast medium along the driveline and an abscess-like formation on the abdominal wall. Patient was admitted receiving regular dose Daptomycin and Rifampicin. The latter was discontinued after ten days. The abscess, surrounding driveline exit and abdominal wall cavity was excised and vacuum treatment initiated. Total duration of Daptomycin therapy was 3 weeks. While first week skin and wound swabs were still positive for MRSA, all samples were sterile after the second week. Inflammation was monitored by leucocyte count and IL6. The secretion of pus along the driveline ceased, the wound cavity was closed subsequently. After discharge and stop of antibiotics skin and driveline swabs remained negative for MRSA (10 weeks).