Gradually Progressive Dyspnea and Exercise Intolerance in an Otherwise Active Middle-Aged Woman: Why Was the Presentation of Congenital Heart Disease Delayed?

Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) increasingly are surviving into adulthood. In the United States alone, there are more than one million adult patients living with CHD with the number increasing about 5% each year. With more than 85% of infants with CHD surviving into adulthood with their disease, encounters with these patients in the operating room for cardiac and noncardiac operative procedures is becoming more commonplace. Most of these patients receive corrective surgery early in life, although some may live with uncorrected CHD with no-to-relatively mild symptoms and present at a later time in life with symptoms of heart failure or pulmonary hypertension. The authors present an adult patient with uncorrected CHD presenting with late onset of heart failure symptoms. The authors also review the patient's complex congenital heart lesion, transesophageal echocardiography findings, and intraoperative management.

Perioperative Interrogation of Medtronic Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices: A Guide for Anesthesiologists.

This is the final review article in a 4-part series focusing on the perioperative management of the 4 major companies' cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in the United States. This article presents information pertinent to the perioperative management of Medtronic (Minneapolis, MN) transvenous CIEDs, including responses to magnet application, interpretation of interrogation reports, and basic programming (eg, mode, rate, rate modulation, and tachyarrhythmia therapies). Information regarding the Medtronic Micra (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) has been published previously. In addition, it contains an introduction to the concept of magnetic resonance (MR) conditional devices and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) practices.

The Year in Electrophysiology: Selected Highlights From 2018.

This article is the first in an annual series for the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. The authors thank the editor-in-chief, Dr. Kaplan, the associate editor-in-chief, Dr. Augoustides, and the editorial board for the opportunity to start this series, namely the research highlights of the year that pertain to electrophysiology in relation to cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia. This first article focuses on esophageal thermal injury during radiofrequency ablation, perioperative management of patients presenting for ablation procedures, left atrial appendage occlusion devices, and, finally, heart failure diagnostic devices.

A case of hepatic portal venous gas due to viral gastroenteritis.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic portal venous gas is the presence of gas within the portal venous system that can result from a variety of insults to the gastrointestinal system, and which may be a diagnostic clue to ominous abdominal pathologies, such as acute bowel ischemia or necrosis. CASE: We report a case of a 71-year-old man with acute onset abdominal pain whose initial radiologic testing showed extensive portal venous gas. The patient was managed conservatively with resolution of portal venous gas on day 2 of hospitalization. The findings were consistent with a final diagnosis of hepatic portal venous gas caused by viral gastroenteritis. CONCLUSION: History and physical examination along with presenting signs and symptoms, in conjunction with imaging studies, are vital to delineate the cause of hepatic portal venous gas. In the absence of alarming signs and symptoms, hepatic portal venous gas can be conservatively managed without the need for invasive surgical exploration.