[Consensus document on ultrasound training in Intensive Care Medicine. Care process, use of the technique and acquisition of professional skills]. / Documento de consenso para la formación en ecografía en Medicina Intensiva. Proceso asistencial, uso de la técnica y adquisición de competencias profesionales.

Ultrasound has become an essential tool in assisting critically ill patients. His knowledge, use and instruction requires a statement by scientific societies involved in its development and implementation. Our aim are to determine the use of the technique in intensive care medicine, clinical situations where its application is recommended, levels of knowledge, associated responsibility and learning process also implement the ultrasound technique as a common tool in all intensive care units, similar to the rest of european countries. The SEMICYUC's Working Group Cardiac Intensive Care and CPR establishes after literature review and scientific evidence, a consensus document which sets out the requirements for accreditation in ultrasound applied to the critically ill patient and how to acquire the necessary skills. Training and learning requires a structured process within the specialty. The SEMICYUC must agree to disclose this document, build relationships with other scientific societies and give legal cover through accreditation of the training units, training courses and different levels of training.

Inhaled nitric oxide through a noninvasive ventilation device to assess reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in selecting recipients for heart transplant.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is an independent risk factor for right ventricular failure and death after heart transplant. Nitric oxide (NO) is a powerful and selective vasodilator, indicated in this scenario, but its response is unpredictable. Thus, it should be assessed prior to the intervention. However, preoperative assessment has not been widespread due to its difficulties and risks. OBJECTIVE: We describe herein a pulmonary vasodilatory test with NO administered through a noninvasive ventilation (NIMV) device. We also assessed the effect of NO in patients with severe PHT owing to cardiac disease. Assessment of the utility of the test to select patients for heart transplant. METHODS: We enrolled 19 patients with severe PHT for a preoperative assessment for heart transplant. Thresholds used were as follows: systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP) > or =65 mm Hg, transpulmonary gradient (TPG) > or =15 mm Hg, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) > or =4.5 Wood units (WU). NO was administered through a modified noninvasive ventilation device. Cardiac output and pulmonary pressures were measured simultaneously by right heart catheterization. RESULTS: All patients agreed to be enrolled in the test. No difficulties, interruptions, or severe complications happened in any case. Basal and NO average measured values were SPAP (74.16 and 57.95 mm Hg), PVR (7.5 and 3.7 WU), and TPG (23.25 and 12.58 mm Hg). The differences were significant (P < .05) for all three tests. We consider acceptable for heart transplant a response that reduces PHT to a moderate grade. Using these criteria 14 patients were accepted and 11 underwent heart transplant. Two deaths in the postoperative period were both secondary to mediastinal bleeding and not related to right ventricular failure. CONCLUSIONS: A pulmonary vasodilatory test with NO administered through a NIMV device was feasible and useful to select suitable heart transplant recipients with severe pulmonary hypertension.

[Left atrial dissection and infective endocarditis]. / Disección auricular izquierda y endocarditis infecciosa.

A rare case of left atrial dissection as a consequence of infectious endocarditis is reported. We present a patient with infectious endocarditis with involvement of mitral and aortic valves; in whom the trans-esophageal echocardiography was able to visualise the left atrial dissection. This complication has been reported after surgical repair of the mitral valve, but never in infectious endocarditis.

[Pulmonary hypertension and early mortality after orthotopic heart transplantation]. / Hipertensión pulmonar y mortalidad precoz después del trasplante cardíaco ortotópico.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between hemodynamic parameters before heart transplantation and the mortality rate at the first week posttransplant. METHODS: 85 patients had an orthotopic heart transplant. Before the operation we measured: vascular pulmonary resistance, index of vascular pulmonary resistance, pulmonary arterial pressure systolic and median and transpulmonary gradient. Ten patients with values of vascular pulmonary resistance higher than four Wood units and/or pulmonary artery systolic pressure higher than 60 mmHg, had a test of pulmonary vascular reactivity, the result of that test did not contraindicate the transplant. We used the Student's t test and chi 2 with continuity correction and the Fisher's exact test for the analysis of the data. RESULTS: During the study period eight patients were dead (9.4%). The causes of death were: acute disfunction of the graft, 5 patients; multiorgan failure, 2 patients and septic shock, 1 patient. We compared the parameters of both groups of patients live and dead and could find a significant difference between the data with higher values in the death group: pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (p < 0.01); pulmonary arterial median pressure (p < 0.03) and transpulmonary gradient (p < 0.02). We also saw that the relative risk of mortality was 10.4 when the pulmonary artery systolic pressure was > or = 50 mmHg and 5.7 when the pulmonary vascular resistance was > or = 5 Wood units. CONCLUSIONS: It is important a good evaluation of the pulmonary hemodynamic before the heart transplantation for a better selection of the receptor. The severe pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary vascular resistance > or = 5 Wood units or pulmonary artery systolic pressure > or = 50 mmHg) was associated with a higher rate of early death.

[Cardiac osteogenic sarcoma with chondroblastic differentiation]. / Sarcoma osteogénico cardiaco con diferenciación condroblástica.

Cardiac tumors are a rare disease. We show here one patient with a heart osteogenic sarcoma with chondroblastic differentiation. The clinical status was initiated with a cadre of cardiac tamponade. Transesophageal echocardiography and thoracic scanner were used to diagnose the cardiac tumor. The definitive diagnosis was confirmed with biopsy. At the present moment, there are very few cases reported in the references on osteogenic sarcoma with chondroblastic differentiation. The methods of diagnosis, the treatment and the histopathology are discussed.

[Dynamic intracavitary echoes studied by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography]. / Ecos dinámicos intracavitarios estudiados con ecocardiografía transtorácica y transesofágica.

One hundred consecutive echocardiograms performed on adults using transthoracic and transesophageal (TEE) transducers were analyzed in order to determine the prevalence of spontaneous contrast (SC) and the factors associated with it. Indications for study included complex congenital cardiopathy, evaluation of valve lesions or prosthetic valves, dissecting aortic aneurysm, cardiac masses and evaluation of ventricular function. SC was observed only with TEE and appeared in 25% of cases, most frequently in left atrium. Factors associated with contrast included mitral valve disease and replacement, ventricular dysfunction, left atrial dilatation and atrial fibrillation. An important relationship existed between SC and presence of thrombi. Atrioventricular valvular regurgitation was not associated with SC. Results are compared with those of previous series.

Role of transesophageal echocardiography in the assessment of patients with blunt chest trauma: correlation of echocardiographic findings with the electrocardiogram and creatine kinase monoclonal antibody measurements.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of transesophogeal echocardiography (TEE) for detecting cardiac damage after blunt chest trauma (BCT). BACKGROUND: Multiple methods have been used to detect cardiac damage after a BCT, but none has been demonstrated to be sensitive, specific, and feasible enough. METHODS: This multicenter prospective trial was designed to evaluate the usefulness of TEE in the assessment of patients with BCT and to compare the TEE findings with those provided by the electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiac isoenzymes assay. One hundred seventeen consecutive patients with a significant BCT were enrolled. A TEE was performed in each patient. Serial ECGs and plasma profiles of creatine kinase (CK) and CK-monoclonal antibody (MB) were obtained. RESULTS: Sixty-six (56%) patients had pathologic findings in the TEE attributed to the BCT (group A). In the remaining 51 (44%) patients the TEE was normal (group B). An abnormal ECG was more frequent in group A (59% vs 24%; p < 0.001), and the serum CK-MB peak level was also higher in group A (174 +/- 30 U/L vs 93 +/- 21 U/L; p = 0.05). Relative to pathologic TEE findings, the sensitivity and specificity of an abnormal ECG were 59% and 73% and of high CK-MB with CK-MB/CK > 5% were 64% and 52%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that TEE can be routinely and safely performed for diagnosing cardiac injuries after a BCT and plays an important role in the evaluation and treatment of these patients. EGG and CK-MB assay are not good methods for detecting cardiac damage in this setting.