Intraoperative diastolic function assessed by TEE does not agree with preoperative diastolic function grade in CABG patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the agreement of the 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines for grading diastolic dysfunction (DD) with the most commonly used intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)-based diastolic function grading algorithm in cardiac surgical patients, and to describe the contribution of the echocardiographic variables used in the algorithms to any observed differences. DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis. SETTING: University tertiary medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Hundred and one patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at a single institution from June 2017 to February 2019. INTERVENTIONS: Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) diastolic function grade determined by the 2016 American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) guidelines was compared to intraoperative diastolic function grade obtained by TEE. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Incidence of DD on preoperative TTE was only 19.8%, while 62.3% of patients were graded as having DD on the intraoperative TEE exam. There was grade agreement between TTE and TEE in only 47/101 patients (46.5%). The McNemar test showed poor agreement between the two algorithms (OR for disagreement = 15.33, CI = 4.77-49.30; p < 0.0001). Despite the low incidence of DD on preoperative TTE, mean lateral e' values were significantly lower on TTE compared to TEE (7.7 cm/s vs 9.5 cm/s; p = < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There is strong disagreement between TTE and TEE-based DD grading algorithms. Due to the different echocardiographic variables used in each and the unique clinical settings in which they are applied, they produce fundamentally different results.

Mentoring Fellows in Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology for Academic Practice in the Contemporary Era-Perspectives From Mentors Around the United States.

This special article presents perspectives on the mentoring of fellows for academic practice in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology. A comprehensive mentoring model should address the areas of clinical care, educational expertise and exposure to scholarly activity. The additional value of educational exposure to patient safety, quality improvement and critical care medicine in this model is also explored.

Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Clinical Practice Improvement Advisory for Management of Perioperative Bleeding and Hemostasis in Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Bleeding after cardiac surgery is a common and serious complication leading to transfusion of multiple blood products and resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Despite the publication of numerous guidelines and consensus statements for patient blood management in cardiac surgery, research has revealed that adherence to these guidelines is poor, and as a result, a significant variability in patient transfusion practices among practitioners still remains. In addition, although utilization of point-of-care (POC) coagulation monitors and the use of novel therapeutic strategies for perioperative hemostasis, such as the use of coagulation factor concentrates, have increased significantly over the last decade, they are still not widely available in every institution. Therefore, despite continuous efforts, blood transfusion in cardiac surgery has only modestly declined over the last decade, remaining at ≥50% in high-risk patients. Given these limitations, and in response to new regulatory and legislature requirements, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) has formed the Blood Conservation in Cardiac Surgery Working Group to organize, summarize, and disseminate the available best-practice knowledge in patient blood management in cardiac surgery. The current publication includes the summary statements and algorithms designed by the working group, after collection and review of the existing guidelines, consensus statements, and recommendations for patient blood management practices in cardiac surgery patients. The overall goal is creating a dynamic resource of easily accessible educational material that will help to increase and improve compliance with the existing evidence-based best practices of patient blood management by cardiac surgery care teams.

Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Clinical Practice Improvement Advisory for Management of Perioperative Bleeding and Hemostasis in Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Bleeding after cardiac surgery is a common and serious complication leading to transfusion of multiple blood products and resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Despite the publication of numerous guidelines and consensus statements for patient blood management in cardiac surgery, research has revealed that adherence to these guidelines is poor, and as a result, a significant variability in patient transfusion practices among practitioners still remains. In addition, although utilization of point of care coagulation monitors and the use of novel therapeutic strategies for perioperative hemostasis, such as the use of coagulation factor concentrates, has increased significantly over the last decade, they are still not widely available in every institution. Therefore, despite continuous efforts, blood transfusion in cardiac surgery has declined only modestly over the last decade, remaining at 50% or greater in high-risk patients. Given these limitations and in response to new regulatory and legislature requirements, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists has formed the Blood Conservation in Cardiac Surgery Working Group in order to organize, summarize, and disseminate the available best-practice knowledge in patient blood management in cardiac surgery. The current publication includes the summary statements and algorithms designed by the working group, after collection and review of the existing guidelines, consensus statements, and recommendations for patient blood management practices in cardiac surgery patients. The overall goal is creating a dynamic resource of easily accessible educational material that will help to increase and improve compliance with the existing evidence-based best practices of patient blood management by cardiac surgery care teams.

Quantitative Echocardiography Improves Resident Assessment of Left Ventricular Systolic Function.

Background: The use of echocardiography to assess left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is an important component of anesthesiology resident education; however, there is no consensus on the most effective method for teaching this skill set. This study investigates the impact and feasibility of teaching a quantitative LVEF assessment method to anesthesiology residents, compared with teaching visual estimation techniques. Methods: We included all anesthesiology residents rotating through cardiac anesthesia at our institution from August 2020 through March 2021. Participants completed a pretest to assess baseline ability to accurately estimate LVEF. All tests consisted of transthoracic echocardiography images with standard views from 10 patients. Participants were assigned to either a control group that received teaching on visual estimation of LVEF or an intervention group that was taught quantitative LVEF assessment with the Simpson biplane method of discs. After 4 weeks, all participants were administered a postteaching exam. A retention exam was administered an additional 4 weeks later. LVEF accuracy was measured as the absolute difference between their LVEF estimation and the reference value. Results: Control and intervention groups performed similarly on the preteaching exam of LVEF estimation accuracy. Intervention-group residents demonstrated significantly improved accuracy in LVEF assessment on the postteaching exam (3.6% improvement in accuracy, confidence interval [CI], 1.23-5.97; P = .03) compared with the control group (0.60% improvement inaccuracy, CI, -1.77-2.97; P = .62). The observed improvement was not maintained through the retention exam.Conclusions: Addition of quantitative LVEF assessment to traditional teaching of visual LVEF estimation methods significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy of anesthesiology residents' left ventricular systolic function assessment.

Anesthesia Considerations for Lead Extraction.

The role of the anesthesiologist in lead extraction procedures is multifaceted and highlights the collaborative, multidisciplinary teamwork needed to ensure patient safety and procedural success in these complex cases. Thorough preoperative evaluation and identification of high-risk characteristics enable the anesthesiologist to tailor a comprehensive intraoperative and postoperative care plan for each case. Institutional practices may vary but anesthetic management typically includes general anesthesia with an endotracheal tube, invasive measurement of arterial blood pressure, vascular access for rapid volume expansion, echocardiographic monitoring, preparation for blood transfusion, and initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass in the event of an emergency.

Anesthesia for Heart Transplantation.

This article seeks to evaluate current practices in heart transplantation. The goals of this article were to review current practices for heart transplantation and its anesthesia management. The article reviews current demographics and discusses the current criteria for candidacy for heart transplantation. The process for donor and receipt selection is reviewed. This is followed by a review of mechanical circulatory support devices as they pertain to heart transplantation. The preanesthesia and intraoperative considerations are also discussed. Finally, management after transplantation is also reviewed.