Early induction of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is recommended in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA); however, currently no reliable methods exist to initiate cooling. We investigated the effect of high flow transnasal dry air on brain and body temperatures in adult porcine animals. Adult porcine animals (n = 23) under general anesthesia were subject to high flow of transnasal dry air. Mouth was kept open to create a unidirectional airflow, in through the nostrils and out through the mouth. Brain, internal jugular, and aortic temperatures were recorded. The effect of varying airflow rate and the air humidity (0% or 100%) on the temperature profiles were recorded. The degree of brain cooling was measured as the differential temperature from baseline. A 10-minute exposure of high flow dry air caused rapid cooling of brain and gradual cooling of the jugular and the aortic temperatures in all animals. The degree of brain cooling was flow dependent and significantly higher at higher airflow rates (0.8°C -0.3°C, 1.03°C -0.6°C, and 1.3°C -0.7°C for 20, 40, and 80 L, respectively, p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Air temperature had minimal effect on the brain cooling over 10 minutes with similar decrease in temperature at 4°C and 30°C. At a constant flow rate (40 LPM) and temperature, the degree of cooling over 10 minutes during dry air exposure was significantly higher compared to humid air (100% saturation) (1.22°C -0.35°C vs. 0.21°C -0.12°C, p < 0.001). High flow transnasal dry air causes flow dependent cooling of the brain and the core temperatures in intubated porcine animals. The mechanism of cooling appears to be evaporation of nasal mucus as cooling is mitigated by humidifying the air. This mechanism may be exploited to initiate TH in CA.
To assess the impact of multidisciplinary rounds (MDR) on 30-day readmissions and length of stay in hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure in a community teaching hospital. Patients with primary admission diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) were included. A before and after retrospective study was conducted once the intervention was implemented in 2014. The before and after study periods were each of 1-year duration and included 181 and 151 patients, respectively. Our multidisciplinary heart failure rounding team consisted of a staff cardiologist, case manager, pharmacist, social worker, and a nutritionist. The mean length of stay decreased from 5.7 days to 5 days, and 30-day readmissions decreased from 27.6% to 17.22% ( P -value .026) after implementation of the multidisciplinary rounding. We observed a significant decrease of readmissions in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) (from 33.61% to 14.01%; P -value .007) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (from 31.34% to 16.05%; P -value .028) patients. There was an increase in the percentage of patients hospitalized with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and, in particular, women patients with heart failure. Implementation of MDR program on CHF patients resulted in significant decrease in both readmission rate and length of stay in our hospital.
Introduction Epicardial ablation is becoming an important part of management in patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT). Posterior epicardial access via the Sosa or needle-in-needle (NIN) approach for epicardial VT ablation is considered to be the method of choice for most electrophysiologists. Anterior epicardial access as an alternative technique has recently been proposed, but there are limited data about its safety, efficacy, and the rate of immediate complications. In this study, we report our experience with anterior epicardial access between 2009 and 2016. Methods Between 2009 and June 2016, 100 consecutive patients underwent epicardial VT ablation using an anterior approach. The success rate, epicardial bleeding, and other complications related to the epicardial access in these patients were compared to the previously reported rate of complications in patients whom epicardial access was performed using the NIN or Sosa techniques. Results Anterior epicardial access was obtained successfully in 100% of patients in the first attempt. The success rate of the anterior approach was comparable with the reported success rate of the NIN technique (100% vs. 100%, P value not significant) but better than the Sosa technique (100% vs. 94%, P = 0.012). None of the patients in the anterior approach series suffered from significant pericardial bleeding (defined as greater than 80 mL of blood loss), RV puncture/damage, or need for an emergent cardiac surgery. Conclusion An anterior epicardial approach is feasible and appears to have an acceptable safety profile in comparison with other epicardial approaches.
Background Prior studies have shown an association between myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) and all‐cause mortality in patients following noncardiac surgery. However, the association between preoperative risk assessments, Revised Cardiac Risk Index and American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, and postoperative troponin elevations and long‐term mortality is unknown. Methods and Results A retrospective chart review identified 548 patients who had a troponin I level drawn within 14 days of noncardiac surgery that required an overnight hospital stay. Patients aged 40 to 80 years with at least 2 cardiovascular risk factors were included, while those with trauma, pulmonary embolism, and neurosurgery were excluded. Kaplan–Meier survival and odds ratio (OR) with sensitivity/specificity analysis were performed to assess the association between preoperative risk and postoperative troponin elevation and all‐cause mortality at 1 year. Overall, 69%/31% were classified as low‐risk/high‐risk per the Revised Cardiac Risk Index and 66%/34% per American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Comparing the low‐risk versus high‐risk groups, preoperative risk assessment was not associated with either postoperative troponin elevation or 1‐year mortality. MINS portended a 1‐year mortality of OR, 3.9 (95% CI, 2.44–6.33) in the total population. Patients classified as low risk preoperatively with MINS had the highest risk of 1‐year mortality (OR, 9.6; 95% CI, 4.27–24.38), with a low prevalence of statin use. Conclusions Current preoperative risk stratification tools do not prognosticate the risk of postoperative troponin elevation and all‐cause mortality at 1 year. Interestingly, patients classified as low risk preoperatively with MINS had a markedly higher 1‐year mortality risk compared with the general population, and most of them are not taking a statin. Our results suggest that evaluating preoperatively low‐risk patients for MINS presents an opportunity for prognostication, risk reclassification, and initiating therapies such as statins to mitigate long‐term risk.
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