BACKGROUND The left ventricular (LV) lead local electrogram (EGM) delay from the beginning of the QRS complex (QLV) is considered a strong predictor of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy. We have developed a method for fast epicardial QLV mapping during video-thoracoscopic surgery to guide LV lead placement. METHODS A three-port, video-thoracoscopic approach was used for LV free wa...

BACKGROUND Left ventricular ejection fraction remains the primary risk stratification tool used in the selection of patients for implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy. However, this solitary marker fails to identify a substantial portion of patients experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. In this study, we examined the incremental value of considering right ventricular ejection fraction fo...

[1] Toller W, Algotsson L, Guarracino F, Hormann C, Knotzer J, Lehmann A et al. Perioperative use of levosimendan: Best practice in operative settings. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2013;27:361–366. [2] Kivikko M, Antila S, Eha J, Lehtonen L, Pentikainen PJ. Pharmacodynamics and safety of a new calcium sensitizer, levosimendan, and its metabolites during an extended infusion in patients with sever...

The use of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) during cardiac surgery varies considerably depending on local policy, ranging from use in 5–10% of the patient population to routine application. However, as in other clinical fields, recent years have witnessed a progressive decline in PAC use. One of the reasons for this is probably the increasing use of transoesophageal echocardiograpy, even thoug...

BACKGROUND Pericardial decompression syndrome (PDS) is a rare and potentially fatal complication of pericardial drainage, either by needle pericardiocentesis or surgical pericardiostomy. It manifests with paradoxical hemodynamic deterioration and/or pulmonary edema, commonly associated with ventricular dysfunction. We sought to elucidate factors associated with mortality in PDS. METHODS MEDLI...

BACKGROUND The management of patients with acute massive pulmonary embolism (PE) who do not respond to fibrinolytic therapy remains unclear. We aimed to compare rescue surgical embolectomy and repeat thrombolysis in patients who did not respond to thrombolysis. METHODS We conducted a prospective single-center registry of PE patients who underwent thrombolytic therapy. Lack of response to thro...

Cardiac transplantation, a final option of treatment for refractory heart failure, has not been a standard procedure in Japan especially, mainly because of the shortage of donors. However, surgical methods to restore native heart function, such as surgical ventricular restoration (SVR), are often effective for these cases. The Dor procedure has been used for ischemic cardiomyopathy cases presen...

UNLABELLED This study was performed to determine the secretion pattern and prognostic value of A-type (ANP) and B-type (BNP) natriuretic peptide in patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. We measured ANP and BNP in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with (n = 28) or without (n = 32) ventricular dysfunction and in patients undergoing mitral (n = 21) or aortic (n ...

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is associated with poor prognosis and risk of acute heart failure after liver transplantation or interventional procedures. We aimed to assess the relationship between the severity of cardiac impairment and hepatic disease. Eighty patients and eighty controls underwent echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking measures. We assess the correlation betw...