Humans ; Cardiac Catheters ; Pacemaker, Artificial ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac

Objective: To investigate the timing of pericardial drainage catheter removal and restart of the anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) suffered from perioperative pericardial tamponade during atrial fibrillation catheter ablation and uninterrupted dabigatran. Methods: A total of 20 patients with pericardial tamponade, who underwent AF catheter ablation with uninterrupted dabigatran in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2019 to August 2021, were included in this retrospective analysis. The clinical characteristics of enrolled patients, information of catheter ablation procedures, pericardial tamponade management, perioperative complications, the timing of pericardial drainage catheter removal and restart of anticoagulation were analyzed. Results: All patients underwent pericardiocentesis and pericardial effusion drainage was successful in all patients. The average drainage volume was (427.8±527.4) ml. Seven cases were treated with idarucizumab, of which 1 patient received surgical repair. The average timing of pericardial drainage catheter removal and restart of anticoagulation in 19 patients without surgical repair was (1.4±0.7) and (0.8±0.4) days, respectively. No new bleeding, embolism and death were reported during hospitalization and within 30 days following hospital discharge. Time of removal of pericardial drainage catheter, restart of anticoagulation and hospital stay were similar between patients treated with idarucizumab or not. Conclusion: It is safe and reasonable to remove pericardial drainage catheter and restart anticoagulation as soon as possible during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation with uninterrupted dabigatran independent of the idarucizumab use or not in case of confirmed hemostasis.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Dabigatran/therapeutic use* ; Cardiac Tamponade/complications* ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Drainage/adverse effects* ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters/adverse effects*

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Li's catheter in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantation. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. Patients with indications for CRT implantation who visited the Department of Cardiology, Peking University People's Hospital from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2022 were enrolled. Patients were divided into Li's catheter group (CRT implantation with Li's catheter) and control group (CRT implantation with the traditional method). The general clinical data of the patients were obtained through the electronic medical record system. Li's catheter is a new type of coronary sinus angiography balloon catheter independently developed by Dr. Li Xuebin (patent number: 201320413174.1). The primary outcome was the success rate of CRT device implantation, and the secondary outcomes included efficacy and safety parameters. Efficacy indicators included operation time, coronary sinus angiography time, left ventricular lead implantation time, X-ray exposure time, left ventricular lead threshold, and diaphragm stimulation. Safety outcomes included incidence of coronary sinus dissection, cardiac tamponade, and pericardial effusion. Results: A total of 170 patients were enrolled in this study, including 90 in Li's catheter group and 80 in control group. Age, male proportion of patients, proportion of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal insufficiency, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, proportion of left bundle branch block, and preoperative QRS wave width were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). In Li's catheter group, 34 cases (37.8%) implanted with CRT defibrillators, and 28 cases (35.0%) implanted with CRT defibrillators in control group, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.710). The success rate of CRT device implantation in Li's catheter group was 100% (90/90), which was significantly higher than that in control group (93.8%, 75/80, P=0.023).The operation time was 57.0 (52.0, 62.3) minutes, the time to complete coronary sinus angiography was 8.0 (6.0, 9.0) minutes, and the time of left ventricular electrode implantation was 8.0 (7.0, 9.0) minutes in Li's catheter group, and was 91.3 (86.3, 97.0), 18.0 (16.0, 20.0), 25.0 (22.0, 27.7) minutes respectively in control group, all significantly shorter in Li's catheter group (all P<0.05). The exposure time of X-ray was 15.0 (14.0, 17.0) minutes in Li's catheter group, which was also significantly shorter than that in control group (32.5 (29.0, 36.0) minutes, P<0.001). There was no coronary sinus dissection and cardiac tamponade in Li's catheter group, and 1 patient (1.1%) had diaphragmatic stimulation in Li's catheter group. In control group, 6 patients (6.7%) had coronary sinus dissection, and 1 patient (1.1%) developed pericardial effusion, and 3 patients (3.3%) had diaphragmatic stimulation. The incidence of coronary sinus dissection in Li's catheter group was significantly lower than that in control group (P=0.011). The postoperative left ventricular thresholds in Li's catheter group and control group were similar (1.80 (1.60, 2.38) V/0.5 ms vs. 1.80 (1.60, 2.40) V/0.5 ms, P=0.120). Conclusions: Use of Li's catheter is associated with higher success rate of CRT implantation, short time of coronary sinus angiography and left ventricular electrode implantation, reduction of intraoperative X-ray exposure, and lower incidence of coronary vein dissection in this patient cohort.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy/methods* ; Cardiac Tamponade/therapy* ; Catheters ; Heart Failure/therapy* ; Humans ; Male ; Pericardial Effusion ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; Treatment Outcome ; Ventricular Function, Left

Aortic Valve/surgery* ; Aortic Valve Stenosis/surgery* ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Catheters ; Humans

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an arrhythmogenic disease associated with an increased risk of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). To date, the standard therapy for the prevention of SCD in BrS is the use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) especially in patients who have experienced a prior cardiac arrest or syncopal events secondary to VF. However, ICDs do not prevent the occurrence of VF but react to defibrillate the VF episode, thereby preventing SCD. Often patients with recurrent VF have to be maintained on antiarrhythmic drugs that are effective but have remarkable adverse effects. An alternative therapy for BrS with recurrent VF is catheter ablation which emerged as an effective therapy in eliminating VF-triggering premature ventricular complexes in limited case series; however, there has been a remarkable progress in effectiveness of catheter ablation since epicardial substrate ablation was first applied in 2011 and such approach is now widely applicable.
Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; Brugada Syndrome ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Defibrillators, Implantable ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Ventricular Fibrillation ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

A rare case of an unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) in a 2-month-old male Maltese terrier weighing 1.0 kg with a heart murmur is presented. A right SVA and a ventricular septal defect (VSD) were diagnosed by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. The dog died due to a worsening of his condition. The necropsy revealed the sinus of Valsalva to have a diameter of 7 mm and a VSD hole was on the opposite surface. This report is the first to describe an unruptured SVA in the right coronary cusp of a small dog.
Aneurysm ; Animals ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Dogs ; Echocardiography ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Murmurs ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Sinus of Valsalva

PURPOSE: Long-term venous access is cumbersome in children because of their thin caliber veins, less cooperative nature, and easy compromise of venous integrity. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the indication, efficacy, and safety of chemoport in children who require chronic venous access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children who underwent chemoport insertion between January 2008 and December 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 159 children (169 chemoports) were included in the study. The most common indication for chemoport insertion was acute lymphoblastic leukemia (51.5%). The mean chemoport days were 832±666 days. Among the 169 chemoports, 55.0% were removed after treatment completion. The chemoport was not removed in 35.5% of the patients, as 28.4% of the patients were still under treatment and 7.1% died during the treatment. Sixteen patients (0.1 per 1,000 chemoport days) had a premature chemoport removal. The indications were port-related bloodstream infection (12 patients), port pocket infection (1 patient), exposed chemoport (1 patient), and blocked chemoport catheter (2 patients). Twenty-two patients (0.15 per 1,000 chemoport days) had complications of port-related bloodstream infection (0.09 per 1,000 chemoport days), making it the most common. Other complications include block, fracture, arrhythmias, avulsion, bleeding, decubitus-over-port, and port pocket infection. CONCLUSION: Owing to the safe, reliable, and low complication rate of chemoports, more children can be saved from deadly illnesses. Chemoport is the best option for children who require chronic venous access.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Catheters ; Child ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Observational Study ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Retrospective Studies ; Vascular Access Devices ; Veins

PURPOSE: The most common method of monitoring cardiac output (CO) is thermodilution using pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), but this method is associated with complications. Impedance cardiography (ICG) is a non-invasive CO monitoring technique. This study compared the accuracy and efficacy of ICG as a non-invasive cardiac function monitoring technique to those of thermodilution and arterial pressure contour. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients undergoing liver transplantation were included. Cardiac index (CI) was measured by thermodilution using PAC, arterial waveform analysis, and ICG simultaneously in each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis to assess the degree of agreement. RESULTS: The difference by thermodilution and ICG was 1.13 L/min/m², and the limits of agreement were −0.93 and 3.20 L/min/m². The difference by thermodilution and arterial pressure contour was 0.62 L/min/m², and the limits of agreement were −1.43 and 2.67 L/min/m². The difference by arterial pressure contour and ICG was 0.50 L/min/m², and the limits of agreement were −1.32 and 2.32 L/min/m². All three percentage errors exceeded the 30% limit of acceptance. Substantial agreement was observed between CI of thermodilution with PAC and ICG at preanhepatic and anhepatic phases, as well as between CI of thermodilution and arterial waveform analysis at preanhepatic phase. Others showed moderate agreement. CONCLUSION: Although neither method was clinically equivalent to thermodilution, ICG showed more substantial correlation with thermodilution method than with arterial waveform analysis. As a non-invasive cardiac function monitor, ICG would likely require further studies in other settings.
Arterial Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Cardiography, Impedance ; Catheters ; Electric Impedance ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; Methods ; Pulmonary Artery ; Thermodilution

BACKGROUND: Controlled hypotension (CH) provides a better surgical environment and reduces operative time. However, there are some risks related to organ hypoperfusion. The EV1000/FloTrac system can provide continuous cardiac output monitoring without the insertion of pulmonary arterial catheter. The present study investigated the efficacy of this device in double jaw surgery under CH.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent double jaw surgery between 2010 and 2015. Patients were administered conventional general anesthesia with desflurane; CH was performed with remifentanil infusion and monitored with an invasive radial arterial pressure monitor or the EV1000/FloTrac system. We allocated the patients into two groups, namely an A-line group and an EV1000 group, according to the monitoring methods used, and the study variables were compared.RESULTS: Eighty-five patients were reviewed. The A-line group reported a higher number of failed CH (P = 0.005). A significant correlation was found between preoperative hemoglobin and intraoperative packed red blood cell transfusion (r = 0.525; P < 0.001). In the EV1000 group, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was significantly lower 2 h after CH (P = 0.014), and the cardiac index significantly decreased 1 h after CH (P = 0.001) and 2 h after CH (P = 0.007). Moreover, venous oxygen saturation (ScVO2) decreased significantly at both 1 h (P = 0.002) and 2 h after CH (P = 0.029); however, these values were within normal limits.CONCLUSION: The EV1000 group reported a lower failure rate of CH than the A-line group. However, EV1000/FloTrac monitoring did not present with any specific advantage over the conventional arterial line monitoring when CH was performed with the same protocol and same mean blood pressure. Preoperative anemia treatment will be helpful to decrease intraoperative transfusion. Furthermore, ScVO2 monitoring did not present with sufficient benefits over the risk and cost.
Anemia ; Anesthesia, General ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Catheters ; Erythrocyte Transfusion ; Humans ; Hypotension, Controlled ; Medical Records ; Operative Time ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Osteotomy, Le Fort ; Oxygen ; Retrospective Studies ; Vascular Access Devices

PURPOSE: We aimed to examine associations between right bundle branch block (RBBB) following heart transplantation (HT) and graft rejection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated 51 patients who underwent endomyocardial biopsies, electrocardiogram, right-side cardiac catheterization, and echocardiography at 1 month and 1 year after HT. We classified patients into four groups according to the development of RBBB, based on electrocardiogram at 1 month and 1 year: 1) sustained RBBB, 2) disappeared RBBB, 3) newly developed RBBB, and 4) sustained non-RBBB. The RBBB was defined as an RSR' pattern in V1 with a QRS duration ≥100 ms on electrocardiogram. RESULTS: The newly developed RBBB group (n=13, 25.5%) had a higher rate of new onset graft rejection (from grade 0 to grade ≥1R, 30.8% vs. 10.0% vs. 21.4%, p=0.042) at 1 year, compared with sustained RBBB (n=10, 19.6%) and sustained non-RBBB group (n=28, 54.9%). In contrast, the incidence of resolved graft rejection (from grade ≥1R to grade 0) was higher in the sustained RBBB group than the newly developed RBBB and sustained non-RBBB groups (70.0% vs. 7.7% vs. 25.0%, p=0.042). Left atrial volume index was significantly higher in the newly developed RBBB group than the sustained RBBB and sustained non-RBBB groups (60.6±25.9 mL/m2 vs. 36.0±11.0 mL/m2 vs. 38.4±18.1 mL/m2, p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Close monitoring for new development of RBBB at 1 year after HT, which was associated with a higher incidence of new onset graft rejection, may be helpful to identify high risk patients for graft rejection.
Biopsy ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Graft Rejection ; Heart Transplantation ; Heart ; Humans ; Incidence ; Transplants