[Hybrisep, a new method for the diagnosis of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis: a case report].

Blood cultures were considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) but were frequently negative. This report describes an IE patient who successfully underwent aortic valve replacement; it discusses a new diagnostic method of blood culture-negative IE. Recently, Hybrisep (FUSO Pharmaceutical Industries, Japan), a rapid diagnostic method for bacteremia was developed using in situ hybridization, which is superior in sensitivity to conventional blood cultures. In this case, echocardiography confirmed severe aortic regurgitation and aortic valve vegetations, while serial blood cultures could not reveal any pathogenic organisms. A preoperative serum sample was found to be positive for Enterococcus faecalis by Hybrisep. Gram stain examination of the excised valves showed gram-positive cocci and therefore correlated with the finding by Hybrisep. After surgery, the patient was successfully treated with appropriate antibiotics according to these results. In summary, Hybrisep will have a promising positive impact on IE patient care.

[Novel echogenic needle for ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block "Hakko type CCR"].

A novel echogenic insulated nerve block needle (CCR-needle: Echogenic Needle Type CCR; Hakko, Japan) is commercially available since 2006 in Japan. This needle has three echogenic dimples, namely corner cube reflectors (CCR) on its tip. The CCR-needle will potentially provide a significant advantage for detecting the needle tip. In this report, we firstly evaluated this new disposable echogenic needle in simulation phantom, and demonstrated improved visibility of the needle tip. Afterwards, an interscalene brachial plexus block was performed on a male patient undergoing shoulder surgery. The needle insertion procedure was the "out of plane" ultrasound-guided technique using simultaneous electrical nerve stimulation. The surgery was successfully conducted without any complications.

[New method for accurate ECG trigger of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery].

BACKGROUND: Retractions of the heart required for exposure and construction of distal anastomoses often decrease R-wave amplitude of ECG and interfere with intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) trigger during off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB). Missing R wave trigger results in asynchronous work of IABP and probably produces hemodynamic instability. We report our early experience with a new interface BPI 202 (Osypka Medical, Inc., USA) for sensing accurate ECG trigger for IABP during OPCAB procedure. CASES: Six high-risk patients undergoing multivessel OPCAB using BPI 202 are described. RESULTS: With the new interface BPI 202, simulated R wave signal could be processed from an external dual chamber pacemaker sensing surface R wave. The simulated R wave was successfully used for controlling IABP and secured a synchronous work between the heart and IABP during heart retraction maneuver. BPI 202, an interface for IABP appeared to facilitate the intraoperative management of our series of patients. CONCLUSIONS: We believe BPI 202 can produce a synchronous work of IABP during OPCAB procedures to high-risk patients and avoid dangerous hemodynamic instability.