AIMS Unloading-promoted reversal of heart failure (HF) allows long-term transplant-free outcome after ventricular assist device (VAD) removal. However, because few patients with chronic cardiomyopathy (CCM) were weaned from VADs (the majority only recently), the reliability of criteria used for weaning decisions to predict long-term post-weaning success is barely known. After 15 years of weanin...

BACKGROUND The outcome of the off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is highly dependent on surgical techniques. To overcome problems of intraoperative hemodynamic instability and avoid potential injury to coronary artery arising from occlusive technique, the authors have modified the strategy of performing distal anastomosis by using the authors' homemade intracoronary artery shunt. ...

The performance of the two types of vapor-injection (VI) cycles in a heat pump system is compared. The vaporinjection cycle using an internal heat exchanger (IHX) has a choice to select the branching point of the injection stream. The two VI cycles are different in terms of branching points of the injection stream. Different branching points of the injection stream influence the heating capacit...

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent gastrointestinal disorder. Proton pump inhibitors have profoundly revolutionized the treatment of GERD. However, several areas of unmet need persist despite marked improvements in the ther-apeutic management of GERD. These include the advanced grades of erosive esophagitis, nonerosive reflux disease, main-tenance treatment of erosive ...

In the absence of Na(+) and K(+) ions the Na,K-ATPase shows a pH-dependent ATP hydrolysis that can be inhibited by ouabain. At pH 7.2 this activity is 5% of the maximal under physiological conditions. It could be inferred that this activity is associated with H(+) transport in both directions across the membrane and facilitates an H-only mode of the sodium pump under such unphysiological condit...

In the first case, a post-operative patient was prescribed fentanyl 2 mcg/mL with bupivacaine 0.125% by epidural infusion for pain management. The infusion rate ordered was 10 mL/hour. Ketorolac 30 mg intravenously was also prescribed for this patient. A student nurse ‘piggybacked’ a 50 mL minibag containing ketoralac to the main IV line which did not have an infusion pump. She then mistakenly ...

Objective: Exposures to petrol vapours have been shown to affect functioning of different systems of the body. The effect on lung function is largely unexplored in Africa. We aimed at studying the effect of exposure to petrol vapours on pulmonary function among petrol pump workers. Method: A cross-sectional survey using modified Medical Research Council questionnaire was conducted and spirometr...

Conventional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and mechanical ventilation have both been identified as significant risk factors for post-lung transplant mortality when applied as a bridge to lung transplantation. We have previously described the successful use of the extracorporeal membrane ventilator Novalung as a bridge to lung transplantation in patients with severe hypercapnia and respira...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in one quarter to one third of patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Conventional CABG uses cardiopulmonary bypass, a process that is itself associated with a systemic vascular inflammatory response that contributes to postoperative morbidity. The avoidance of cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with a significant reduction in the inflammat...