Clinical and Laboratory Predictors for the Development of Low Cardiac Output Syndrome in Infants Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Pilot Study.

Cardiac surgery employing cardiopulmonary bypass exposes infants to a high risk of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of clinical and laboratory variables to predict the development of low cardiac output syndrome, a frequent complication following cardiac surgery in infants. We performed a prospective observational study in the pediatric cardiovascular ICU in an academic children's hospital. Thirty-one patients with congenital heart disease were included. Serum levels of nucleosomes and a panel of 20 cytokines were measured at six time points in the perioperative period. Cardiopulmonary bypass patients were characterized by increased levels of interleukin-10, -6, and -1α upon admission to the ICU compared to non-bypass cardiac patients. Patients developing low cardiac output syndrome endured longer aortic cross-clamp time and required greater inotropic support at 12 h postoperatively compared to bypass patients not developing the condition. Higher preoperative interleukin-10 levels and 24 h postoperative interleukin-8 levels were associated with low cardiac output syndrome. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated a moderate capability of aortic cross-clamp duration to predict low cardiac output syndrome but not IL-8. In conclusion, low cardiac output syndrome was best predicted in our patient population by the surgical metric of aortic cross-clamp duration.

Serum discrimination and phenotype assessment of coronary artery disease patents with and without type 2 diabetes prior to coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) accelerates coronary artery disease (CAD) and atherosclerosis, the causes of most heart attacks. The biomolecules involved in these inter-related disease processes are not well understood. This study analyzes biomolecules in the sera of patients with CAD, with and without type (T) 2DM, who are about to undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The goal is to develop methodology to help identify and monitor CAD patients with and without T2DM, in order to better understand these phenotypes and to glean relationships through analysis of serum biomolecules. Aorta, fat, muscle, and vein tissues from CAD T2DM patients display diabetic-related histologic changes (e.g., lipid accumulation, fibrosis, loss of cellularity) when compared to non-diabetic CAD patients. The patient discriminatory methodology utilized is serum biomolecule mass profiling. This mass spectrometry (MS) approach is able to distinguish the sera of a group of CAD patients from controls (p value 10-15), with the CAD group containing both T2DM and non-diabetic patients. This result indicates the T2DM phenotype does not interfere appreciably with the CAD determination versus control individuals. Sera from a group of T2DM CAD patients however are distinguishable from non-T2DM CAD patients (p value 10-8), indicating it may be possible to examine the T2DM phenotype within the CAD disease state with this MS methodology. The same serum samples used in the CAD T2DM versus non-T2DM binary group comparison were subjected to MS/MS peptide structure analysis to help identify potential biochemical and phenotypic changes associated with CAD and T2DM. Such peptide/protein identifications could lead to improved understanding of underlying mechanisms, additional biomarkers for discriminating and monitoring these disease conditions, and potential therapeutic targets. Bioinformatics/systems biology analysis of the peptide/protein changes associated with CAD and T2DM suggested cell pathways/systems affected include atherosclerosis, DM, fibrosis, lipogenesis, loss of cellularity (apoptosis), and inflammation.

Integration of Pediatric Palliative Care Into Cardiac Intensive Care: A Champion-Based Model.

Integration of pediatric palliative care (PPC) into management of children with serious illness and their families is endorsed as the standard of care. Despite this, timely referral to and integration of PPC into the traditionally cure-oriented cardiac ICU (CICU) remains variable. Despite dramatic declines in mortality in pediatric cardiac disease, key challenges confront the CICU community. Given increasing comorbidities, technological dependence, lengthy recurrent hospitalizations, and interventions risking significant morbidity, many patients in the CICU would benefit from PPC involvement across the illness trajectory. Current PPC delivery models have inherent disadvantages, insufficiently address the unique aspects of the CICU setting, place significant burden on subspecialty PPC teams, and fail to use CICU clinician skill sets. We therefore propose a novel conceptual framework for PPC-CICU integration based on literature review and expert interdisciplinary, multi-institutional consensus-building. This model uses interdisciplinary CICU-based champions who receive additional PPC training through courses and subspecialty rotations. PPC champions strengthen CICU PPC provision by (1) leading PPC-specific educational training of CICU staff; (2) liaising between CICU and PPC, improving use of support staff and encouraging earlier subspecialty PPC involvement in complex patients' management; and (3) developing and implementing quality improvement initiatives and CICU-specific PPC protocols. Our PPC-CICU integration model is designed for adaptability within institutional, cultural, financial, and logistic constraints, with potential applications in other pediatric settings, including ICUs. Although the PPC champion framework offers several unique advantages, barriers to implementation are anticipated and additional research is needed to investigate the model's feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy.

Right atrial myxoma presenting as a pulmonary embolism in a 32-year-old female.

Primary cardiac tumors are typically benign, with myxomas being most common. We present a 32-year-old female with a chief complaint of dyspnea and a constant non-radiating chest pressure along the left sternal border. She was found to have a pulmonary embolism that was ultimately caused by embolization of a right atrial myxoma with remnants of a large, highly mobile mass attached to the right inter-atrial septum prolapsing through the tricuspid valve. The patient underwent a median sternotomy, right atrial mass resection, pulmonary embolectomy, and inter-atrial septum reconstruction using the patient's pericardium. The importance of finding the etiology of initial diagnoses is stressed with long-term outcomes for patients.

Delaying Decannulation After Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Is Safe and Advantageous.

Removal of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulae and discontinuing systemic anticoagulation typically occurs soon after separation from ECMO. We have found, however, that delaying decannulation after terminating ECMO therapy does not predispose to adverse outcomes and may be advantageous. Between January 2014 and June 2016, 36 postcardiotomy patients at the Children's Hospital of Oklahoma required ECMO. In this cohort of 36 patients, there was a need for 42 ECMO runs. Of the 42 ECMO runs, 29 (69%) survived to decannulation. Of those ECMO runs that survived to decannulation, 18 (62%) were cannulated centrally and 11 (38%) were cannulated via the neck. For the runs where the patient survived to decannulation, the mean number of days on ECMO support was 4 ± 2 days. There was an average time interval of 21 ± 14 hours from ECMO termination to decannulation. A single patient failed being separated from ECMO support and required reinstitution of ECMO 18 hours after separation (but did not require recannulation).

Neonatal vocal fold motion impairment after complex aortic arch reconstruction: What should parents expect after diagnosis?

OBJECTIVES: To study the incidence, sequelae, follow up, and recovery rate of vocal fold motion impairment (VFMI) after complex aortic arch reconstruction in neonates. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case control study. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 105 neonates who underwent complex aortic arch reconstruction from 2014 to 2016. We compared patients that did have VFMI compared to a control group of patients with normal vocal fold movement. Descriptive statistics were computed for all demographic and clinical variables by treatment group. RESULTS: 36% of patients were evaluated for VFMI (n = 38) by an otolaryngologist. The incidence of VFMI was 22% (n = 23). Females were more likely to have VFMI (p = 0.02). Aspiration was more common in patients with VFMI (p = 0.006). The difference in age, weight, incidence of pneumonia, nasogastric tube, gastrostomy, total length of stay, genetic anomaly, and reintubation was not significant between the VFMI group and control group (p > 0.05). Tracheostomy was not performed in any patients with unilateral paralysis. Only 61% of patients followed up in clinic (n = 14). 64% of patients showed improvement or resolution (n = 9). Average time to improvement was 4.8 months. Average time to complete resolution was 10.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: VFMI after complex aortic arch reconstruction is relatively common. Despite increased aspiration in patients with VFMI, pneumonia did not occur at all in either group. Tracheostomy was not necessary in any patients with a unilateral paralysis. Most patients showed an improvement in the VFMI within 5 months of surgery. Our data support the need for otolaryngology follow-up after the diagnosis of VFMI.

Advancing the Legislative Priorities of Cardiothoracic Surgeons: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Political Action Committee.

In the late 1990s, several federal government health policy decisions threatened the viability of thoracic surgery as a specialty. To respond to such decisions, active participation in political processes was given extremely high priority by the Executive Committee of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Creation of the STS Political Action Committee (STS-PAC) in 1997 was a part of the platform of participation. The purpose of the STS-PAC is to enhance the Society's voice and stature in health care policymaking. Although the STS-PAC receives voluntary contributions from STS members, on average, only 10% of STS members contribute to the STS-PAC. For the 2015-2016 election cycle, there were 542 contributors to the STS-PAC totaling $273,000. An annual contribution of $100 from every STS member would put the STS-PAC into the top 10 for medical PACs (whereas currently it is ranked 22nd of 28 in the group of physician and dental association PACs). Despite the relatively small dollar amount the STS-PAC directs, its strategic disbursement of these dollars has yielded impressive results. For example, the STS-PAC was able to use its influence to effectively stop the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from implementing a potentially calamitous rule that would effectively end traditional global surgical payments. Other advocacy successes include providing guidance to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in developing the national coverage determination for transcatheter aortic valve replacement and structuring its complex reimbursement schedule, and ensuring that a provision was included in the bill that would give the STS National Database access to claims data. The STS-PAC is a principal component of the STS' advocacy armamentarium. Despite the many successes of the STS-PAC, with even modest contributions by more STS members, the STS-PAC could become a leading medical PAC, and would give the STS an even stronger presence and voice in Washington, DC. Clearly, contributing to the STS-PAC provides STS members the opportunity to have a voice and an impact on health policy and the care of their patients.