AIM To compare the outcomes of patients who underwent upper mini-sternotomy or right mini-thoracotomy and those who underwent full sternotomy and to report a technical improvement in venous drainage by means of double venous cannulation of the superior vena cava (SVC) in mini surgical procedures. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 217 patients who underwent aortic valve replac...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS  Difficult biliary cannulation and unintentional pancreatic duct cannulation are thought to be important contributors to pancreatitis occurring after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Our aim was to compare and evaluate the rates of success and complications of transpancreatic precut papillotomy (TPPP) and the double-guidewire technique (DGT), both with p...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare conventional versus steerable catheter guided coronary sinus (CS) cannulation in patients with advanced heart failure undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). BACKGROUND Steerable catheter guided coronary sinus cannulation could reduce fluoroscopy time and contrast medium use during CRT implantation. METHODS 176 consecutive patients...

BACKGROUND Transnasal cannulation of the natural ostium in patients with an intact uncinate process is complicated by the lack of direct visualization of the ostium. Accuracy of transnasal dilation of the maxillary ostium was evaluated for a malleable-tipped balloon device that was bent to specific angles for avoiding the fontanelle during cannulation. METHODS Transnasal cannulation and dila...

Purpose To determine the magnitude of ocular hypotony and the length of recovery time to 6 and 10 mm Hg IOP following anterior chamber (AC) cannulation. Methods Bilateral IOP was recorded 500 times per second via telemetry immediately before, during, and immediately after AC cannulation with a 27-G needle in 10 different sessions at least 2 weeks apart in four male rhesus macaques (nonhuman p...

Home hemodialysis was a modality of necessity in the early days of chronic renal replacement therapies. Patients had to be independent for all aspects of their care including self-cannulation of the hemodialysis needles. As the number of in-center staff provided hemodialysis centers has grown, the level of independence for hemodialysis patients has drastically decreased. Recent changes by the U...

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can provide temporary cardiopulmonary support for patients in hemodynamic extremis or refractory heart failure until more durable therapies-such as cardiac transplantation or a left ventricular assist device-can be safely implemented. Conventional ECMO cannulation strategies commonly employ the femoral artery and vein, constraining the pat...

BACKGROUND Historically, children have been undertreated for their pain, and they continue to undergo painful cutaneous procedures without analgesics. A new topical anesthetic, liposomal lidocaine 4% cream (Maxilene, RGR Pharma, Windsor, Ont.), has become available. It has pharmacologic properties that are superior to other topical anesthetics, including an onset of action of only 30 minutes. W...

BACKGROUND At present, many surgeons prefer axillary artery cannulation because it facilitates antegrade cerebral perfusion and may diminish the risk of cerebral embolization. However, axillary artery cannulation has not been established as a routine procedure because there is controversy about its clinical advantage. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined 111 patients diagnosed with acute type A ...

BACKGROUND The use of ultrasound (US) guidance for radial artery cannulation has been shown to improve first attempt success rate, reduce time to successful cannulation, and reduce complications. We sought to determine whether properly trained respiratory therapists (RTs) could utilize US guidance for the placement of radial artery catheters. Primary outcome measurements were successful cannula...