background: hypoalbuminemia may be caused by liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, burns, protein-losing entropathy, malnutrition, and metabolic stress. alterations in albumin in metabolic stress such as cardiac surgery have been previously investigated. we studied serum albumin concentration in children with congenital heart disease and also the association of hypoalbuminemia with mortality and m...

severe inflammation after cardiopulmonary bypass with the vasculitis of the acral extremity and vertebro-basilar arterial system leads to the locked-in syndrome and blue toe syndrome. in broad terms, systemic, idiopathic, and environmental factors provoke syndromes that present with digital discoloration or the blue toe syndrome. painful digital discoloration, accompanied by ulceration, suggest...

the optimal treatment method for right ventricular failure after valve surgery complicated by a low cardiac output has not been determined, although several case reports have been published on patients with ventricular failure and arrhythmia who were bridged to cardiac transplantation using biventricular or left ventricular assist devices. this case series illustrates successful circulatory sup...

major complications of heart transplantation include graft rejection, infection, graft arteriosclerosis, malignancy, and drug toxicity. among these complications, infections and thrombophilic disorders are of particular interest owing to their major contribution to morbidity and mortality among heart transplantation patients. thrombophilic disorders are caused by imbalance between hypercoagulat...

background: brain type natriuretic peptide (bnp) is a cardiac hormone that is secreted mainly by the ventricles in response to volume expansion and pressure load. it can predict post-operative complications after heart surgery in adults. we sought to investigate the prognostic value of bnp in children after heart surgery. methods: we measured the bnp serum levels in 96 children with congenital ...

background: extubation is associated with the risk of complications such as accumulated secretion above the endotracheal tube cuff, eventual atelectasia following a reduction in pulmonary volumes because of a lack of physiological positive end expiratory pressure, and intra-tracheal suction. in order to reduce these complications, and, based on basic physiological principles, a new practical ex...

background: postoperative cognitive dysfunction (pocd) has been an important complication of cardiac surgery over the years. neurocognitive dysfunction can affect quality of life and lead to social, functional, emotional, and financial problems in the patient’s life. to reduce pocd, we sought to identify the association between cognitive dysfunction and perioperative factors in patients undergo...

conclusions patients’ experiences after cardiac surgery indicated the need for the consideration of holistic care and supportive intervention programs after surgery to promote recovery and a better quality of life following cardiac surgery. results the data analysis revealed three main themes and 11 subthemes, categorized as conceptual and abstract, based on their nature: concern of going out t...

results of 153 patients, 96.8% received pc and 54.9% transfused ffp during or after surgery. most of the transfusions were done after operation in intensive care unit (icu). also, 20% and 17% of the patients underwent transfusion of more than 6 units of pc and ffp, respectively. the mean left ventricular ejection fraction of the patients was 42.5 ± 10.9%. a significant number of patients had an...

background: injured phrenic nerve secondary to cardiac surgeries is the most common cause of diaphragmatic paralysis (dp) in infants. the aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for dp caused by congenital heart defect corrective surgeries in pediatrics. methods: this cross-sectional study, conducted in a 2-year period (2006 – 2008), included 451 children with congenital heart disea...