BACKGROUND Post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCCS) has an incidence of 2-6 % after routine adult cardiac surgery. 0.5-1.5 % are refractory to inotropic and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support. Advanced mechanical circulatory support (AMCS) can be used to salvage carefully selected number of such patients. High costs and major complication rates have lead to centralization and limited fund...

BACKGROUND Short-term mechanical circulatory support may be lifesaving in patients with right ventricular (RV) failure related to post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCCS), cardiac transplantation (CTx), and long-term therapy with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). This study evaluates our clinical experience using the CentriMag (Levitronix LLC, Waltham, Mass) system for temporary mechanic...

Introduction Nearly 50% of Americans who die from chronic illness die in acute hospital settings, underscoring the critical need to better address the complex needs of terminally ill patients and their families in the acute care setting.1 A number of efforts have been undertaken to improve care for hospitalized terminally ill individuals.2–4 One approach is a palliative care consult service (PC...

General concern about increasing reports of emergencies caused by or attributed to the exposure of human beings to various toxic agents has created demand for assessing the informational performance of a Brazilian network of 34 poison control centers (PCCs), located in different regions of the country and pertaining to the National Poison Information System (SINITOX). The primary purpose of the...