First results of using a bidirectional U-shaped sternal suture in patients who have suffered a deep sternal infection

Introduction. Sternomediastinitis in patients undergoing open heart operation remains a formidable complication. Treatment of a sternal infection is a complex and multi-component process. Closing of the sternal wound is one of the decisive steps in the treatment of sternomediastinitis. This is due to the fact that an insufficiently static state of the sternum in itself leads to a relapse of purulent-septic complications. At the same time, we have to work with non-native bone that has undergone inflammatory and destructive changes and multiple mechanical damage.The objective of the study was to evaluate the results of using the developed bidirectional U-shaped sternal suture for reosteosynthesis of the sternum in patients after postoperative mediastinitis.Methods and materials. The results of treatment of 16 patients with deep sternal infection in the early postoperative period were analyzed. All patients were divided into two groups according to the type of used sternal sutures. The first group consisted of 8 patients in whom a developed bidirectional U-shaped sternal suture was used for sternum reosteosynthesis. In the second group, in 8 patients, the sternal cusps were brought together using classic sternal figure-of-8 suture. A two-stage tactics of treatment was used both in the first and in the second groups of patients. Surgical debridement of the wound with removal of the primary sternal sutures was performed in the first stage. Subsequently, vacuum-assisted therapy was carried out using antiseptics. The second stage was the closure of the sternal wound after cleaning and decontamination of the wound.Results. Signs of sternal suture failure were not observed in the first group. Three patients underwent repeated plasty of the sternum due to the incompetence of the sternal sutures in the second group. One patient had relapse of wound infection.Conclusion. The developed bi-directional U-shaped sternal suture in patients after postoperative sternomediastinitis provides the prevention of inconsistency of sternum.

A large right atrial thrombus penetrating through a patent foramen ovale in a patient with Prothrombin G2120 Mutation

The Prothrombin mutation G2021 alone is considered a minor risk factor for thromboembolism, but thromboembolic events are more likely in the presence of additional risk factors. We report on a 44-year-old female with an atrial thrombus causing pulmonary embolism and transiting through a patent foramen ovale. The thrombus was extracted by open heart operation. The patient had a family history for thromboembolic events. Further diagnostic after surgery found the patient positive for the Prothrombin mutation G2021, but not for the Factor V Leiden mutation. After surgery, a permanent oral anticoagulation has been started.

Location Information Services of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading death cause in the world. Cardiac arrest is one of the most usual, and very quickly fatal, especially in out-of-hospital environments. Defibrillation, aside with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an effective means to restart blood circulation and heart operation, even though even these forms of treatment can help just in sadly few situations. Defibrillation was invented and first demonstrated already year 1899, but first in the 2000s portable defibrillators with good automatic functions started to penetrate daily environments of people, especially in urban settings. Nowadays the starting point is that every citizen with normal human functionality should be able to use automated defibrillators. The chapter discusses how modern information and communication technology, especially mobiles services, internet, and location services based on them, could help citizens in the first crucial step in implementing their safety competence in emergency situations by using automatic defibrillators if they could only find them.

Neurodevelopmental status and follow-up in preschool children with heart disease in London, UK

ObjectiveTo describe neurodevelopment and follow-up services in preschool children with heart disease (HD).DesignSecondary analysis of a prospectively collected multicentre dataset.SettingThree London tertiary cardiac centres.PatientsPreschool children<5 years of age: both inpatients and outpatients.MethodsWe analysed results of Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and parental report of follow-up services in a representative convenience sample evaluated between January 2014 and July 2015 within a previous study.ResultsOf 971 preschool children: 577 (59.4%) had ≥1 heart operation, 236 (24.3%) had a known diagnosis linked to developmental delay (DD) (‘known group’) and 130 (13.4%) had history of clinical event linked to DD. On MSEL assessment, 643 (66.2%) had normal development, 181 (18.6%) had borderline scores and 147 (15.1%) had scores indicative of DD. Of 971 children, 609 (62.7%) were not receiving follow-up linked to child development and were more likely to be under these services with a known group diagnosis, history of clinical event linked to DD and DD (defined by MSEL). Of 236 in known group, parents of 77 (32.6%) and of 48 children not in a known group but with DD 29 (60.4%), reported no child development related follow-up. DD defined by MSEL assessment was more likely with a known group and older age at assessment.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that a ‘structured neurodevelopmental follow-up pathway’ in preschool children with HD should be considered for development and evaluation as children get older, with particular focus on those at higher risk.

The Association Between Cardiac Biomarker NT-proBNP and 30-Day Readmission or Mortality After Pediatric Congenital Heart Surgery

Background: Very little is known about clinical and biomarker predictors of readmissions following pediatric congenital heart surgery. The cardiac biomarker N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) can help predict readmission in adult populations, but the estimated utility in predicting risk of readmission or mortality after pediatric congenital heart surgery has not previously been studied. Our objective was to evaluate the association between pre- and postoperative serum biomarker levels and 30-day readmission or mortality for pediatric patients undergoing congenital heart surgery. Methods: We measured pre- and postoperative NT-proBNP levels in two prospective cohorts of 522 pediatric patients <18 years of age who underwent at least one congenital heart operation from 2010 to 2014. Blood samples were collected before and after surgery. We evaluated the association between pre- and postoperative NT-proBNP with readmission or mortality within 30 days of discharge, using multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for covariates based on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Congenital Heart Surgery Mortality Risk Model. Results: The Johns Hopkins Children's Center cohort and the Translational Research Investigating Biomarker Endpoints in Acute Kidney Injury (TRIBE-AKI) cohort demonstrate event rates of 12.9% and 9.4%, respectively, for the composite end point. After adjustment for covariates in the STS congenital risk model, we did not find an association between elevated levels of NT-proBNP and increased risk of readmission or mortality following congenital heart surgery for either cohort. Conclusions: In our two cohorts, preoperative and postoperative values of NT-proBNP were not significantly associated with readmission or mortality following pediatric congenital heart surgery. These findings will inform future studies evaluating multimarker risk assessment models in the pediatric population.

‘Is Yagya or Agnihotra relevant in the today’s time?

Since past 25 years, I have been experiencing the positive takeaways of Gayatri Yagya, performed daily at my home. Hence, I decided to incorporate this process in our hospital routine. Initiated in 2004, it has been a journey of a good 15 years now that Yagya is an integral part of the early morning hospital hours. The relatives of the critically ill patients, especially those who are in the ICU and the ones who are lined up for various cardiac procedures and cardiac operations are encouraged to take part in the havan (Yagya or Agnihotra). The acceptance and the proactive response of the relatives have been very positive and encouraging. The satisfaction and calmness on their countenance says it all. Several of them have revealed at the time of discharge that this was one of the best things they have done in their lifetime. In addition to this, it is also observed that the requirement of antibiotics is minimum for the patients and for a heart operation like coronary bypass surgery, we do not require antibiotics higher than 2nd generation Cephalosporins and the infection rate is close to zero. With my combined years of overall experience, I can only attribute it to the antibacterial properties of Yagna fumes.

Impact of Regional Cerebral Perfusion on Outcomes Among Neonates Undergoing Norwood Operation

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of regional cerebral perfusion (RCP) during heart operation on outcomes in neonates undergoing Norwood operation. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial data set. The adjusted effect of RCP use on each outcome was studied using a penalized logistic regression model with bootstrap validation. Results: Of 549 patients included in the study, 252 patients (45.9%) received RCP during their heart operation. In univariate comparisons, the majority of the baseline characteristics and preoperative risk factors were similar in the RCP and No RCP group. The total cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and the total cross-clamp (CC) time were longer in the RCP group (RCP vs No RCP, median CPB time: 161 minutes vs 109 minutes; median CC time: 63 minutes vs 43 minutes). In adjusted models, the use of RCP was not associated with decreased mortality and/or need for heart transplant at hospital discharge (odds ratio [OR]: 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43-1.25) or prolonged mechanical ventilation (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.62-2.28) or prolonged hospital length of stay (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.73-2.30). We demonstrated that use of RCP was associated with longer CPB times, increased use of ultrafiltration, and higher probability of open chest after Norwood operation. Conclusions: This study did not demonstrate any impact of RCP on in-hospital mortality and/or heart transplantation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and prolonged hospital length of stay among neonates undergoing Norwood operation.