Herein, we report a case of lung transplantation in a patient with profound preoperative hypercapnia, focusing on the cardiopulmonary bypass strategy used for brain perfusion during the operation. We applied the pH-stat method for acid-base regulation, and thereby achieved the desired outcome without any neurologic deficit.
Brain ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Humans ; Hypercapnia ; Lung Transplantation ; Lung ; Methods ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Perfusion

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recently, minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques including robot-assisted operations have been widely applied in cardiac surgery. The thoracoscopic technique is a favorable MIS option for patients with atrial septal defects (ASDs). Accordingly, we report the mid-term results of thoracoscopic ASD closure without robotic assistance. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We included 66 patients who underwent thoracoscopic ASD closure between June 2006 and July 2014. Mean age was 27±9 years. The mean size of the ASD was 25.9±6.3 mm. Eleven patients (16.7%) had greater than mild tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The TR pressure gradient was 32.4±8.6 mmHg. RESULTS: Fifty-two (78.8%) patients underwent closure with a pericardial patch and 14 (21.2%) underwent direct suture closure. Concomitant procedures included tricuspid valve repair in 8 patients (12.1%), mitral valve repair in 4 patients (6.1%), and right isthmus block in 1 patient (1.5%). The mean length of the right thoracotomy incision was 4.5±0.9 cm. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 159±43 minutes, and the mean aortic cross clamp time was 79±29 minutes. The mean hospital stay lasted 6.1±2.6 days. There were no early deaths. There were 2 reoperations. One was due to ASD patch detachment and the other was due to residual mitral regurgitation after concomitant mitral valve repair. However, there have been no reoperations since July 2010. There were 2 pneumothoraxes requiring chest tube re-insertion. There was one wound dehiscence in an endoscopic port. The mean follow-up duration was 33±31 months. There were no deaths, residual shunts, or reoperations during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Thoracoscopic ASD closure without robotic assistance is feasible, suggesting that this method is a reliable MIS option for patients with ASDs.
Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Chest Tubes ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial* ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Methods ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Pneumothorax ; Sutures ; Thoracic Surgery ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted ; Thoracoscopes ; Thoracotomy ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND: The standard approach in treating cardiac myxoma is the median full sternotomy. With the evolution of surgical techniques, the right minithoracotomy approach has emerged as an alternative method. Since few studies have been published assessing the right minithoracotomy approach, we performed a retrospective study to compare the clinical outcomes of the right minithoracotomy approach with those of the sternotomy approach. METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2014, 203 patients underwent resection of a cardiac myxoma. Patients with preexisting cardiac problems were excluded from this study. 146 patients were enrolled in this study; 83 patients were treated using a median sternotomy and 63 patients were treated using a right minithoracotomy. RESULTS: No early mortalities were recorded in either group. Although the cardiopulmonary bypass time and aorta cross-clamp time were significantly shorter in the sternotomy group (p<0.001 and p=0.005), postoperative blood transfusions and arrhythmia events were significantly less common in the thoracotomy group (p=0.004 and p=0.025, respectively). No significant differences were found in the duration of the hospital stay, postoperative intubation time, the duration of the intensive care unit stay, and recurrence. CONCLUSION: The minimally invasive right minithoracotomy approach is a good alternative method for treating cardiac myxoma because it was found to be associated with a lower incidence of postoperative complications and a shorter postoperative recovery period.
Aorta ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Transfusion ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Length of Stay ; Methods ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Mortality ; Myxoma* ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sternotomy* ; Thoracotomy

Sonoclot analyzer has been widely used in many countries. But the reference intervals provided by the manufacturer were derived from only 45 participants, and there was no cut-off value for transfusion for Sonoclot analysis. This study aimed to establish reference intervals and transfusion criterion for Sonoclot analysis. Volunteers were recruited from healthy Chinese adults and patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Blood samples were withdrawn from forearm vein and measured for activated clotting time (ACT), clot rate (CR), platelet function (PF), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen concentration (FIB), and platelet count (PLT). The reference intervals were determined by the nonparametric method. Cut-off values were determined by the receiver operating characteristics curve. A total of 135 healthy volunteers and 281 patients were enrolled. The 95% reference intervals were 96-195 s, 22-51 signal U/min, >1.6 for ACT, CR, PF respectively. In the 281 patients, the results of APTT, FIB, PLT, ACT, CR, and PF ranged from 20.5-300.0 s, 0.28-4.11 g/L, (19.0-387.3)×109/L, 80-514 s, 2.9-74 signal U/min, and 0.1-5.1 respectively. The cut-off values for transfusion were >208, ≤14, and ≤1.3 for ACT, CR, PF respectively. The cut-off values of Sonoclot analysis were within the manufacturer's reference intervals, while they were outside the reference intervals established in this study. The results suggested that the manufacturer's reference intervals were not suitable for Chinese. The reference intervals and cut-off values established in this study will be helpful to Chinese patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Blood Coagulation ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; China ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; methods ; Platelet Count ; Point-of-Care Systems ; Reference Values

OBJECTIVETo assess the safety and efficacy of off-pump technique with normothemia to extend thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm replacement compared with traditional hypothermic circulatory arrest.

METHODSFrom January 2004 to December 2013, 128 consecutive patients underwent surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (type Crawford Ⅱ) in Fuwai Hospital. The mean age was (37±11) years. The patients included 74 cases (57.8%) with chronic Stanford A dissection, 34 cases (26.6%) with chronic Stanford B dissection, 20 cases (15.6%) with thoracoabdominal aortic true aneurysm. There were 71 patients who underwent hypothermic circulatory arrest surgery (cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) group) and 57 patients who underwent off-pump surgery with normothermia (off-pump group). The clinic data was compared between the 2 groups using paired t tests and χ(2) test. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used for postoperative survival stays.

RESULTSThe mean CPB time in CPB group was (251 ±87) minuets and the circulatory arrest time was (45±24) minuets. Spinal cord ischemia time in the two groups was (21±12) minuets and (18±10) minuets (t=5.68, P=0.51). The operation time, ventilator time, length of ICU stay and length of hospital stay of off-pump group were shorter than CPB group ((408±114) minuets vs.(630±156) minuets, t=-7.67, P=0.05; (18±13) hours vs. (113±89) hours, t=-3.86, P=0.00; (4±2) days vs.(10±9) days, t=-4.19, P=0.00; (15±7) days vs.(25±14) days, t=-4.47, P=0.00). The intraoperative blood loss in off-pump group and CPB group was (900±750) ml and (1 400±400) ml (t=-2.23, P=0.04). The mortality was 1.7% and 9.8% in the off-pump group and CPB groups (χ(2)=3.544, P=0.05). The cerebral complication rate in the normal temperature group was 1.7% vs. 22.6% in extracorporeal group (χ(2)=9.35, P<0.05). A total of 113 patients were followed up, with a follow-up rate of 88.2%. Duration of follow-up was (78±54) months. Five patients died during the follow-up period, including 2 who died of cerebral infarction and 3 paraplegia patients who died of infection. Eight patients had phase Ⅱ aortic arch replacement after a mean time of 6 months. The overall postoperative survival rate was 97%, 93% and 87% at 3 years, 5 years and 7 years, respectively.

CONCLUSIONOff-pump technique with normothemia was associated with a lower risk of a composite outcome of mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events during repair of extensive thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

Adult ; Aorta ; surgery ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; surgery ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation ; methods ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Heart Arrest, Induced ; methods ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Prolonged duration of cardiopulmonary bypass aggravates the degree of inflammation and coagulopathy. We investigated the influence of 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 on coagulation and inflammation compared with albumin when used for both cardiopulmonary bypass priming and perioperative fluid therapy in patients undergoing complex valvular heart surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty four patients were randomly allocated into albumin-HES, albumin-nonHES, and HES-HES groups. The cardiopulmonary bypass circuit was primed with 5% albumin in the albumin-HES and albumin-nonHES group, and with HES in the HES-HES group. As perioperative fluid, only plasmalyte was used in the albumin-nonHES group whereas HES was used up to 20 mL/kg in the albumin-HES and albumin-HES group. Serial assessments of coagulation profiles using the rotational thromboelastometry and inflammatory markers (tissue necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8) were performed. RESULTS: Patients' characteristics and the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (albumin-HES; 137+/-34 min, HES-HES; 136+/-47 min, albumin-nonHES; 132+/-39 min) were all similar among the groups. Postoperative coagulation profiles demonstrated sporadic increases in clot formation time and coagulation time, without any differences in the actual amount of perioperative bleeding and transfusion requirements among the groups. Also, inflammatory markers showed significant activation after cardiopulmonary bypass without any differences among the groups. CONCLUSION: Even in the presence of prolonged duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, HES seemed to yield similar influence on the ensuing coagulopathy and inflammatory response when used for priming and perioperative fluid therapy following complex valvular heart surgery compared with conventional fluid regimen including albumin and plasmalyte.
Aged ; Blood Coagulation/drug effects ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures/*methods ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass/methods ; Female ; Humans ; Hydroxyethyl Starch Derivatives/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features and individualized treatment strategies for infants with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA).

METHODData of 25 less than 1-year-old infants with ALCAPA who presented at Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute between 2006 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' cardiac function was evaluated with echocardiography during follow-up.

RESULTMost patients presented with symptoms of heart failure, such as tachypnea, diaphoresis, poor feeding, failure to thrive etc. Electrocardiogram showed abnormal q wave in 23 patients and ST-T segment change in 16 patients.Echocardiography showed dilated left ventricle in 25 patients, endocardial hyperplasia in 5 patients, dilated right coronary artery and extensive collateralization between the right and left coronary artery systems in 11 patients. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was (45.5±13.9)% (25%-77%). The left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) was (22.0±7.3)% (12%-38%). Twenty one patients underwent cardiovascular CT scan. Left coronary artery originated from left posterior sinus in 9 patients, from right posterior sinus in 1 patient, from lower main pulmonary artery in 5 patients, from the bifurcation of main pulmonary artery in 1 patient.Five patients showed ambiguous left coronary artery origination.Sixteen patients were misdiagnosed in other primary or secondary hospitals in 17 patients who were transferred to our tertiary hospital, only 1 case who underwent angiography was diagnosed correctly. Two patients were misdiagnosed in 8 patients first-presented in our hospital. Their diagnoses were corrected after reexamining with echocardiography and cardiovascular CT scan. The preoperative therapies included using inotropic agents, diuretics and vasodilators according to cardiac function. Two patients underwent left coronary artery orifice ligation. Twenty three patients underwent reimplantation of left coronary artery to reconstruct dual coronary system. Patients of NYHA IV with moderate mitral regurgitation (MR) and NYHA III with severe MR underwent mitral annuloplasty. If LVEF was less than 30% after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, blood pressure could not be maintained with medication, or lactates increased progressively, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was demanded. Two patients showed low cardiac output syndrome immediately after surgical procedures, died from refractory ventricular fibrillation even with ECMO.In survived 23 patients during the early stage after surgeries, duration of ventilation was 7-500 hours, 11 of them were supported with ventilator for less than 60 hours. The mean length of hospital stay was (23.4±13.9) d (8-65 d). The follow-up duration ranged from 1-91 months (median 28.5 months). One case was lost to follow up. The patient died from infection 3 months after discharge. The cardiac functions of the remaining 22 patients were improved. The size of left ventricle of 14 patients recovered to normal. LVEF increased to the normal level in 20 cases. No patient underwent redo procedure.

CONCLUSIONThe accurate diagnosis can be made based on history, electrocardiogram, echocardiography and other imaging diagnostic tools.Individualized treatment strategy is helpful for seriously sick infants. Aggressive ECMO support can increase surviving rate for patients with postoperative low cardiac output syndrome.

Bland White Garland Syndrome ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Coronary Vessel Anomalies ; surgery ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Humans ; Infant ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Perioperative Care ; methods ; Pulmonary Artery ; abnormalities ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUNDIt has found that ischemic postconditioning (IPO) might decrease pulmonary ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which is one of the main reasons of lung injury caused by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). It was found that aquaporins (AQPs) play a role in the maintenance of fluid homeostasis. But it is still unclear whether IPO influences the expression of aquaporin-1 (AQP1). This study was designed to investigate whether IPO can reduce CPB-related lung injury and affect the expression of AQP1 of lungs.

METHODSTwelve healthy dogs were divided into control group (C group) and ischemia postconditioning group (IPO group). CPB procedures were implemented. Ten minutes later, the left pulmonary artery was separated and blocked. Postconditioning consisted of two cycles of 5-minute pulmonary artery reperfusion/5-minute reocclusion starting at the beginning of reperfusion. The 2×4 cm tissues of both sides of pulmonary apex, superior, middle and inferior lobe were taken before CPB (T1), before occlusion and reopening of left pulmonary artery (T2, T3), and 2 hours after CPB (T4). Samples were used to evaluate lung injury degrees and to detect the expression of AQP1. At T1 and T4, blood was collected from femoral artery to calculate pulmonary function.

RESULTSAt T4, each pulmonary function showed significant deterioration compared with T1. Lung injury could be found at the onset of CPB. However, the expression of AQP1 decreased and wet to dry weight ratio (W/D) increased after T2. In the left lung of C group, the worst pulmonary function and structures were detected. The slightest changes were discovered in the right lung of C group. A close relationship between W/D and lung injury score was found. The lung injury score was negatively related with the expression of AQP1. It was found that the expression of AQP1 was negatively connected with W/D.

CONCLUSIONSIn dog CPB models, lung injury induced by CPB was related with down regulated expression of AQP1. AQP1 is believed to be involved in the mechanisms of lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury caused by CPB. IPO increases the expression of AQP1, provides a protective effect on lung suffering from CPB, and alleviates CPB-related lung injury.

Animals ; Aquaporin 1 ; metabolism ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Dogs ; Humans ; Ischemic Postconditioning ; methods ; Lung Injury ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo observe the protection effect of Ligustrazine Hydrochloride (LH) on coagulation reaction and inflammation reaction in single valve replacement patients with rheumatic heart disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

METHODSTotally 40 patients undergoing single valve replacement were recruited in the study and randomly assigned to the two groups, the treatment group and the control group, 20 in each group. In treatment group LH (3 mg/kg) was intravenously infused from the jugular vein. LH (3 mg/kg) was also added in the CPB priming. In the control group LH was replaced by equal amount of normal saline. Endothelial micro-particles (EMP) count was detected before CPB, 30 min after CPB, 1 h and 24 h after CPB finished. The coagulation reaction time (R), coagulation time (K), clotting formation velocity (alpha angle), maximum amplitude (MA), coagulation index (CI), platelet (PLT), hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-6, and IL-10 were detected before CPB, 1 h and 24 h after CPB finished.

RESULTSThere was no statistical difference in aorta arresting time, period of CPB, post-operative drainage volume, plasma transfusion volume, post-operative respirator assistant time, and hospitalization time between the two groups (P >0.05). Compared with pre-CPB in the same group, the count of EMP was much higher at 30 min after CPB and 1 h after CPB finished (P < 0.01). R and K, hs-CRP, IL-6, and IL-10 increased at 1 h and 24 h after CPB finished (P <0.01,P < 0.05). The alpha angle,.MA, CI, and PLT decreased 1 h after CPB finished (P <0.01). The a angle increased, while CI and PLT decreased 24 h after CPB finished (P <0.05). Compared with the control group in the same period, the count of EMP was lower in the treatment group 30 min after CPB and 1 h after CPB finished (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). R and K values obviously decreased in treatment group 1 hour after CPB finished (P <0. 05), while a angle, MA, CI, and PLT increased (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). hs-CRP and IL-6 decreased in the treatment group 1 h and 24 h after CPB finished (P <0.05), while IL-10 increased (P <0.05). The count of PLT increased 24 h after CPB finished in the treatment group (P <0. 05).

CONCLUSIONLH had certain protection effect on the vascular endothelium undergoing CPB, and lower excessive activation of coagulation reaction and inflammation reaction in patients undergoing CPB.

Blood Coagulation ; drug effects ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; methods ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; drug therapy

BACKGROUNDCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been shown to be associated with systemic inflammatory response leading to postoperative organ dysfunction. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms and developing protective strategies for the pathophysiological consequences of CPB have been hampered due to the absence of a satisfactory recovery animal model. The purpose of this study was to establish a novel, minimally invasive rat model of normothermic CPB model without blood priming.

METHODSTwenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 450-560 g were randomly divided into CPB group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). All rats were anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated. The carotid artery and jugular vein were cannulated. The blood was drained from the right atrium via the right jugular and further transferred by a miniaturized roller pump to a hollow fiber oxygenator and back to the rat via the left carotid artery. The volume of the priming solution, composed of 6% HES 130/0.4 and 125 IU heparin, was less than 12 ml. The surface of the hollow fiber oxygenator was 0.075 m(2). CPB was conducted for 60 minutes at a flow rat of 100-120 ml × kg (-1)× min(-1) in CPB group. Oxygen flow/perfusion flow was 0.8 to 1.0, and the mean arterial pressure remained 60-80 mmHg.

RESULTSAll CPB processes were successfully achieved. Blood gas analysis and hemodynamic parameters of each time point were in accordance with normal ranges. The vital signs of all rats were stable.

CONCLUSIONSThe establishment of CPB without blood priming in rats can be achieved successfully. The nontransthoracic model should facilitate the investigation of pathophysiological processes concerning CPB-related multiple organ dysfunction and possible protective interventions. This novel, recovery, and reproducible minimally invasive CPB model may open the field for various studies on the pathophysiological process of CPB and systemic ischemia-reperfusion injury in vivo.

Animals ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; methods ; Lung Injury ; surgery ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley