To reduce the possibility of cardiac tamponade, a rare but lethal complication of central venous catheters, the tip of the central venous catheter should be located above the cephalic limit of the pericardial reflection, not only above the superior vena cava-right atrium junction. This study was performed to measure the superior vena cava lengths above and below the pericardial reflection in ca...

OBJECTIVE Surgical treatment of anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the superior vena cava, associated with sinus venous atrial septal defect, is well established and correlates with low mortality and morbidity. In order to reduce the incidence of stenosis or occlusion of the right superior vena cava, especially when associated with the presence of left superior vena cava, the right atrial...

A patient with sinus node dysfunction and absent right superior vena cava underwent stable temporary and permanent endocardial pacing via a left sided superior vena cava. Active fixation of the electrode and epicardial pacing were not necessary.

Background A unipolar defibrillation system using a single right ventricular (RV) electrode and the active shell or "CAN" of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator itself situated in a left infraclavicular pocket has been shown to be as efficient in defibrillation as an epicardial lead system. The purpose of this study was to determine whether defibrillation efficacy can be improved further...

Abnormalities of the vascular system are always of extreme interest due to its importance in circulation. Normally the superior vena cava is a single vascular structure formed by the union of right and left brachiocephalic veins which are in turn formed by the union of corresponding internal jugular and subclavian veins, draining the head and neck as well as the superior extremity. However duri...

INTRODUCTION Lung cancer is now considered the most common cause of death among cancer patients. Although target biological regimens have emerged in recent years for non-small cell lung carcinoma, the survival and quality of life of patients with this condition still remain low. The five-year survival rate for all stages of lung cancer is 17% or less. CASE PRESENTATION We describe the case of...

Studies were performed on anesthetized saline-loaded dogs to delineate the afferent and efferent mechanisms involved in the antinatriuretic response to acute constriction of the thoracic vena cava. The kidneys of the animals were denervated prior to study, and renal perfusion pressure was controlled throughout the experiment. To differentiate between the potential afferent stimuli, increased he...