Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) for Primary Graft Dysfunction (PGD)

Primary graft dysfunction is the main cause of early mortality after heart transplantation (HT). Preventive strategies to avoid primary graft dysfunction (PGD) have been focused on better donor choice and maintenance, heart preservation methods in long-distance retrievals with prolonged ischemia time, and better myocardial protection during implantation, among others. Hemodynamic deterioration, caused by cardiogenic shock due to pump failure unresponsive to inotropes, has a catastrophic progression if not corrected in time. Severe PGD without response to inotropes and heart rhythm control in the absence of cardiac tamponade should be treated promptly with mechanical circulatory support. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) should be installed early, before the occurrence of multiorgan dysfunction or prior to cardiac arrest, as highlighted in the literature. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and its impact on the success to survival for patients with PGD

Management of late presentation congenital heart disease

In many parts of the world, mostly low- and middle-income countries, timely diagnosis and repair of congenital heart diseases (CHDs) is not feasible for a variety of reasons. In these regions, economic growth has enabled the development of cardiac units that manage patients with CHD presenting later than would be ideal, often after the window for early stabilisation - transposition of the great arteries, coarctation of the aorta - or for lower-risk surgery in infancy - left-to-right shunts or cyanotic conditions. As a result, patients may have suffered organ dysfunction, manifest signs of pulmonary vascular disease, or the sequelae of profound cyanosis and polycythaemia. Late presentation poses unique clinical and ethical challenges in decision making regarding operability or surgical candidacy, surgical strategy, and perioperative intensive care management

Adherence to the cardiac surgery checklist decreased mortality at a teaching hospital: A retrospective cohort study

Objective: To evaluate the impact of adherence to the cardiac surgical checklist on mortality at the teaching hospital. Methods: A retrospective cohort study after the implementation of the cardiac surgical safety checklist in a reference hospital in Latin America. All patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery and/or heart valve surgery from 2013 to 2019 were analyzed. After the implementation of the project InCor-Checklist “Five steps to safe cardiac surgery” in 2015, the correlation between adherence and completeness of this instrument with surgical mortality was assessed. The EuroSCORE II was used as a reference to assess the risk of expected mortality for patients. Cross-sectional questionnaires were during the implementation of the InCor-Checklist. To perform the correlation, Pearson's coefficient was calculated using R software. Results: Since 2013, data from 8139 patients have been analyzed. The average annual mortality was 5.98%. In 2015, the instrument was used in only 58% of patients; in contrast, it was used in 100% of patients in 2019. There was a decrease in surgical mortality from 8.22% to 3.13% for the same group of procedures. The results indicate that the greater the checklist use, the lower the surgical mortality (r = 88.9%). In addition, the greater the InCor-Checklist completeness, the lower the surgical mortality (r = 94.1%). Conclusion: In the formation of the surgical patient safety culture, the implementation and adherence to the InCor-Checklist “Five steps to safe cardiac surgery” was associated with decreased mortality after cardiac surgery

Evaluation of surgical treatment of congenital heart disease in patients aged above 16 years

FUNDAMENTO: O número crescente de crianças com cardiopatias congênitas em evolução demanda maior preparo dos profissionais e das instituições que as manuseiam. OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil dos pacientes com idade superior a 16 anos com cardiopatia congênita operados e analisar os fatores de risco preditivos de mortalidade hospitalar. MÉTODOS: Mil, quinhentos e vinte pacientes (idade média 27 ± 13 anos) foram operados entre janeiro de 1986 e dezembro de 2010. Foram realizadas análise descritiva do perfil epidemiológico da população estudada e análise dos fatores de risco para mortalidade hospitalar, considerando escore de complexidade, ano em que a cirurgia foi realizada, procedimento realizado pelo cirurgião pediátrico ou não e presença de reoperação. RESULTADOS: Ocorreu um crescimento expressivo no número de casos a partir do ano 2000. A média do escore de complexidade foi 5,4 e os defeitos septais corresponderam a 45% dos casos. A mortalidade geral foi 7,7% e o maior número de procedimentos (973 ou 61,9%) com maior complexidade foi realizado por cirurgiões pediátricos. Complexidade (OR 1,5), reoperação (OR 2,17) e cirurgião pediátrico (OR 0,28) foram fatores de risco independentes que influenciaram a mortalidade. A análise multivariada mostrou que o ano em que a cirurgia foi realizada (OR 1,03), a complexidade (OR 1,44) e o cirurgião pediátrico (OR 0,28) influenciaram no resultado. CONCLUSÃO: Observa-se um número crescente de pacientes com idade superior a 16 anos e que, apesar do grande número de casos simples, os mais complexos foram encaminhados para os cirurgiões pediátricos, que apresentaram menor mortalidade, em especial nos anos mais recentes. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2012; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0

ECMO: Improving our Results by Chasing the Rabbits

Abstract As Marcelo Giugale published in the Financial Times, Latin America, on the whole, has not excelled at innovation -doing the same things in a new and better way or at doing new things. It has been slow to acquire, adopt and adapt technologies by this time available in other place

Neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in developing Latin American countries

Objective: To review the principles of neonatal‐pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy, prognosis, and its establishment in limited resource‐limited countries in Latino America. Sources: The PubMed database was explored from 1985 up to the present, selecting from highly‐indexed and leading Latin American journals, and Extracorporeal Life Support Organization reports. Summary of the findings: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation provides “time” for pulmonary and cardiac rest and for recovery. It is used in the neonatal‐pediatric field as a rescue therapy for more than 1300 patients with respiratory failure and around 1000 patients with cardiac diseases per year. The best results in short‐ and long‐term survival are among patients with isolated respiratory diseases, currently established as a standard therapy in referral centers for high‐risk patients. The first neonatal/pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Program in Latin America was established in Chile in 2003, which was also the first program in Latin America to affiliate with the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. New extracorporeal membrane oxygenation programs have been developed in recent years in referral centers in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Perú, Costa Rica, and Chile, which are currently funding the Latin American Extracorporeal Life Support Organization chapter. Conclusions: The best results in short‐ and long‐term survival are in patients with isolated respiratory diseases. Today extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy is a standard therapy in some Latin American referral centers. It is hoped that these new extracorporeal membrane oxygenation centers will have a positive impact on the survival of newborns and children with respiratory or cardiac failure, and that they will be available for an increasing number of patients from this region in the near future