Fulminant myocarditis proven by early biopsy and outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is recommended in adult patients with fulminant myocarditis, the clinical impact of its timing is still unclear. METHODS: Data were collected from 419 adult patients with clinically suspected fulminant myocarditis admitted to intensive care units across 36 tertiary centres in 15 countries worldwide. The diagnosis of myocarditis was histologically proven in 210 (50%) patients, either by EMB (n = 183, 44%) or by autopsy/explanted heart examination (n = 27, 6%), and clinically suspected cardiac magnetic resonance imaging confirmed in 96 (23%) patients. The primary outcome of survival free of heart transplantation (HTx) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) at 1 year was specifically compared between patients with early EMB (within 2 days after intensive care unit admission, n = 103) and delayed EMB (n = 80). A propensity score-weighted analysis was done to control for confounders. RESULTS: Median age on admission was 40 (29-52) years, and 322 (77%) patients received temporary mechanical circulatory support. A total of 273 (65%) patients survived without HTx/LVAD. The primary outcome was significantly different between patients with early and delayed EMB (70% vs. 49%, P = .004). After propensity score weighting, the early EMB group still significantly differed from the delayed EMB group in terms of survival free of HTx/LVAD (63% vs. 40%, P = .021). Moreover, early EMB was independently associated with a lower rate of death or HTx/LVAD at 1 year (odds ratio of 0.44; 95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.86; P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: Endomyocardial biopsy should be broadly and promptly used in patients admitted to the intensive care unit for clinically suspected fulminant myocarditis.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Surgical Repair of Postinfarct Ventricular Septal Defect.

Postinfarct ventricular septal defect (PIVSD) is associated with high mortality and the management of these patients has been a challenge with little improvement in outcomes. We commenced a protocol of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) for those patients who present in cardiogenic shock with the aim to improve end-organ function before definitive surgical repair to reduce postoperative mortality. This study reviewed the results of this strategy. This was a single-center, retrospective review of all patients who were admitted to our institution with PIVSD in cardiogenic shock from September 2015 to November 2019. Clinical and investigative data were evaluated. Eight patients were referred with PIVSD during this period in cardiogenic shock. One patient had an anterior PIVSD and the other seven had inferior PIVSD. Six patients underwent surgical repair at a median (interquartile range, IQR) of 7 (5-8) days after initiation of VA ECMO. Two patients did not undergo surgical repair. Five patients survived after surgery and one patient died postoperatively due to multiorgan failure. Preoperative use of VA ECMO is a feasible strategy for PIVSD and may improve the results of repair.

HOSPITAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOGENIC SHOCK.

ABSTRACT: Background: Regionalized systems of care for the management of cardiogenic shock (CS) are increasingly being utilized. This study aims to assess whether receiving hospital characteristics such as the availability of 24-hour coronary angiography, on-site cardiac surgery, and annual treated CS volume influence outcomes in patients transferred by emergency medical services (EMS) to hospital with CS. Methods: This population-based cohort study included consecutive adult patients with CS who were transferred to hospital by EMS between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2019 in Victoria, Australia. Data were obtained from individually linked ambulance, hospital, and state death index data sets. The primary outcome assessed was 30-day mortality stratified by the availability of 24-hour coronary angiography (cardiac center) at the receiving hospital. Results: A total of 3,217 patients were transferred to hospital with CS. The population had an average age of 67.9 +/- 16.1 years, and 1,289 (40.1%) were female. EMS transfer to a cardiac center was associated with significantly reduced rates of 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.95), compared with noncardiac centers. Compared with the lowest annual CS volume quartile (<18 cases per year), hospitals in the highest volume quartile (>55 cases per year) had reduced risk of 30-day mortality (aOR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56-0.91). A stepwise reduction in the adjusted probability of 30-day mortality was observed in patients transferred by EMS to trauma level 1 centers (34.6%), compared with cardiothoracic surgical centers (39.0%), noncardiac surgical metropolitan (44.9%), and rural (51.3%) cardiac centers, all P < 0.05. Conclusion: Receiving hospital characteristics are associated with survival outcomes in patients with CS. These finding have important implications for establishing regionalized systems of care for patients with CS who are transferred to hospital by EMS.

A Phase 1 Study of a Novel Bidirectional Perfusion Cannula in Patients Undergoing Femoral Cannulation for Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Leg ischemia is a serious complication of femoral artery cannulation. The primary aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel bidirectional femoral arterial cannula (Sorin Group USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of LivaNova PLC, Arvada, CO USA) that provides both antegrade and retrograde flow, in patients undergoing peripheral cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass during cardiac surgery. METHODS: Patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery requiring femoral artery cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass were identified preoperatively. Informed written consent was obtained in all cases. Bidirectional cannula insertion used either a surgical cut-down and wire through needle approach or a percutaneous technique. Flow in the superficial femoral artery was assessed using Doppler ultrasound after commencement of cardiopulmonary bypass. Lower limb perfusion was assessed using reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy to measure regional oxygen saturations in the cannulated limb during cardiopulmonary bypass. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (median age = 61.3 years, range = 26-79 years, 10 males, 5 females) underwent femoral arterial cannulation using the novel bidirectional femoral cannula between August 2016 and May 2017. Fourteen cannulae were inserted directly into the femoral artery via a surgical cut-down and wire through needle technique. One bidirectional cannula was inserted using a percutaneous insertion technique. Indications included minimally invasive mitral and aortic valve surgery, thoracic aortic aneurysm repair, and redo cardiac surgery. The median duration of cardiopulmonary bypass was 129 minutes (range = 53-228 minutes). The cannula was inserted and positioned without difficulty in 14 of 15 patients. Incorrect sizing and arterial spasm prevented correct cannula positioning in one patient. Antegrade flow in the superficial femoral artery was observed on Doppler ultrasound in 12 of 12 patients in which this was performed. Continuous stable distal perfusion was demonstrated in the cannulated limb in 14 of 15 patients. No procedural complications occurred in the immediate or convalescent postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that in patients undergoing femoral arterial cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass during cardiac surgery, the use of a novel bidirectional cannula is safe and easy to insert and provides stable distal perfusion of the cannulated limb. Use of the device should largely obviate the need to insert a separate downstream perfusion cannula or use other techniques to protect against lower limb ischemia. Further research on a larger scale and in different patient populations is now warranted.

ECMO as a bridge to non-transplant cardiac surgery.

Cardiac surgery performed on patients in cardiogenic shock is associated with a high mortality and morbidity. This review outlines the current role of preoperative veno-arterial extra corporeal membrane oxygenation to allow hemodynamic stability and organ recovery before definitive cardiac surgery.

Predictive factors of bleeding events in adults undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

BACKGROUND: Bleeding is the most frequent complication associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in critically ill patients. Nonetheless, risk factors for bleeding have been poorly described especially those associated with coagulation anomalies and anticoagulant therapy during ECMO support. The aim of this study is to describe bleeding complications in critically ill patients undergoing ECMO and to identify risk factors for bleeding events. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed ICU charts of adults who received either veno-venous (VV) or veno-arterial (VA) ECMO support in two participating ICUs between 2010 and 2013. Characteristics of patients with and without bleeding complications, as per the Extracorporeal Life Support Organisation (ELSO) definition, were compared, and the impact of bleeding complications on patient outcomes was assessed using survival analysis. Variables that were independently associated with bleeding, including daily clinical and biological variables during ECMO courses, were modelled. RESULTS: Of the 149 ECMO episodes (111 VA ECMO and 38 VV ECMO) performed in 147 adults, 89 episodes (60 %) were complicated by at least one bleeding event. The most common bleeding sources were: ECMO cannula (37 %), haemothorax or cardiac tamponade (17 %) and ear-nose and throat (16 %). Intra-cranial haemorrhage occurred in five (2.2 %) patients. Bleeding complications were independently associated with worse survival [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.17, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.07-4.41, P = 0.03]. Higher activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.00, 95 % CI 1.64-5.47, P < 0.01], APACHE III score [adjusted OR 1.01, 95 % CI 1.01-1.02, P = 0.01] and ECMO following surgery [adjusted OR 3.04, 95 % CI 1.62-5.69, P < 0.01] were independently associated with greater risk of bleeding occurrence. A similar association between bleeding and higher aPTT was found when non-post-surgical VA ECMO was considered separately. CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding events based on the ELSO bleeding definition occurred in more than 60 % of ECMO episodes and were associated with hospital mortality. We identified higher aPTT prior bleeding as an independent risk factor for bleeding event, suggesting that better control of the aPTT (through a better control of either coagulopathy or anticoagulation) may improve patients' outcome.

Buying time: The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung transplantation in pediatric patients.

To describe our experience to date of four children with end-stage lung disease who have been bridged with ECMO to successful lung transplantation in our institution. Between March 2006 and June 2012, a total of 21 pediatric patients successfully underwent lung transplantation within The Alfred's lung transplantation program. This included four children who were bridged on ECMO prior to transplantation according to the "ECMO bridge to transplant" protocol and whose clinical notes and outcomes were reviewed. Lung transplantation is an established life-saving treatment for patients with severe lung disease, but remains limited due to scarcity of suitable donor organs. This is a particular issue in the pediatric setting, where the smaller child waits disproportionately longer compared with adult patients for size-matched donor lungs. As ECMO has become more widely accepted, its use as a bridge to lung transplantation in pediatric patients with severe acute lung injury or end-stage chronic lung disease has been considered. The medical notes from the four pediatric patients were retrospectively reviewed. Our report describes excellent short- and medium-term outcomes in a small number of children who have been bridged to transplant on ECMO.

Documentation of clinical review and vital signs after major surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the quality of postoperative documentation of vital signs and of medical and nursing review and to identify the patient and hospital factors associated with incomplete documentation. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective audit of medical records of 211 adult patients following major surgery in five Australian hospitals, August 2003--July 2005. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of patients with complete documentation of medical review (each day) and nursing review and vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature and oxygen saturation) (each nursing shift), and the proportion of available opportunities for medical and nursing review where documentation was incomplete. Univariate and multivariate odds ratios for the association between incomplete documentation and hospital and patient factors. RESULTS: During the first 3 postoperative ward days, 17% of medical records had complete documentation of vital signs and medical and nursing review. During the first 7 postoperative ward days, nursing review was undocumented for 5.6% of available shifts and medical review for 14.9% of available days. Respiratory rate was the most commonly undocumented observation (15.4% undocumented). Certain hospitals were significantly associated with incomplete documentation. Vital signs were more commonly undocumented in patients without epidural or patient-controlled (PC) analgesia, during evening nursing shifts, and during successive postoperative ward days. Nursing review was more commonly undocumented in the evening and for patients without epidural or PC analgesia. Medical review was more commonly undocumented on weekends. CONCLUSION: Hospital and patient factors are associated with incomplete documentation of clinical review and vital signs after major surgery.

Early decompressive craniectomy for patients with severe traumatic brain injury and refractory intracranial hypertension--a pilot randomized trial.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to test the feasibility and to assess potential recruitment rates in a pilot study preliminary to a phase III randomized trial of decompressive craniectomy surgery in patients with diffuse traumatic brain injury (TBI) and refractory intracranial hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A study protocol was developed, inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined, and a standardized surgical technique was established. Neurologic outcomes were assessed 6 months after injury with a validated structured questionnaire and a single trained assessor blind to treatment group. RESULTS: During the 8-month pilot study at a level 1 trauma center in Melbourne, Australia, 69 intensive care patients with severe TBI were assessed for inclusion. Six patients were eligible, and 5 (8%) were randomized. Six months after injury, 100% of patients received outcome assessments. Key improvements to the multicenter Decompressive Craniectomy study protocol were enabled by the pilot study. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe TBI and refractory intracranial hypertension, the frequency of favorable neurologic outcomes (independent living) was low and similar to predicted values (40% favorable). A future multicenter phase III trial involving 18 neurotrauma centers with most sites conservatively recruiting at just 25% of the pilot study rate would require at least 5 years to achieve an estimated 210-patient sample size. Collaboration with neurotrauma centers in countries other than Australia and New Zealand would be required for such a phase III trial to be successful.