AW: [HSF] Deairing the heart

Michael Firstenberg msfirst at gmail.com
Sun Mar 4 17:29:30 EST 2007


yes - we bare many crosses on behalf of our friends and colleagues.


michael


On Mar 4, 2007, at 5:04 PM, Ben Bidstrup wrote:

> But we wear it even in those circumstances.
>
>> Wait a minute - we are not the only ones to blame for CVA's.
>>
>> Though I have no claim to actual data - but how many times have  
>> you guys admitted a patient after a cath - and as a little bonus  
>> gotten a CVA/TIA or even a good ol' fashion dissection?  
>> Unfortunately, sometimes these "problems" are not often obvious  
>> for a couple of days after the procedures.......
>>
>>
>> -michael
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mar 4, 2007, at 4:10 PM, Ben Bidstrup wrote:
>>
>>> To get a handle on some of these devices and techniques, we must  
>>> look more widely.
>>>
>>>
>>> We cannot even guess at the incidence of neuropsych damage after  
>>> valve surgery. All but a few of the papers have been on CABG  
>>> patients. So we do like many other groups, extrapolate from the  
>>> many CABG studies done on this. How representative are these  
>>> patients of the real world?  Look at the paper mentioned recently  
>>> from van Dijk in JAMA.
>>> Does this include use or avoidance of cardiotomy suction? How is  
>>> venting handled? Suck like h..l to keep the heart empty and get  
>>> lots of air/blood interface or
>>> gently when there is blood pooled.
>>> What has happened to the incidence of stroke over time, perhaps  
>>> the crudest marker we can use? Whose data do we use?  That is a  
>>> question a brief search was not easily answered. A report from  
>>> the New York database on CABG reported a 1.4% incidence. In a  
>>> review from Johns Hopkins on AVR CABG patients (233) there was an  
>>> incidence of approx 14% across the groups with grafts. However no  
>>> longitudinal information. (Kobayashi Ann Thorac Surg  
>>> 2007;83:969-978) .
>>>
>>> So how do we tell the difference that CO2 displacement, TEE or  
>>> other maneuvers make? Does Embolex make a difference? TEA has  
>>> commented that we do all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons.
>>>
>>> Shann and a team reviewed the evidence for reduction of  
>>> neurological injury recent;y (Shann J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg  
>>> 2006;132:283-290). If we believe in evidence based medicine than  
>>> there are a few recommendations to be looked at. However, TEE for  
>>> assessment of de-airing was not included. Nor was CO2. Many of  
>>> the studies used applied only to CABG patients.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> But Roberto how are you certain it is TEE that made this  
>>>> difference? I have seen a similar argument made by protagonists  
>>>> of blood cardioplegia (that better preservation has all but  
>>>> eliminated post op VF). There have been numerous changes in  
>>>> cardiac surgery in the last decade so it would be difficult to  
>>>> ascribe an effect to any one change except if there is indirect  
>>>> or direct supporting evidence.
>>>>
>>>> Don't get me wrong though - I would not envisage surgery without  
>>>> TEE and use it myself to deair everyday, but like the axiom goes  
>>>> half of what we do at anytime is of no benefit and some even  
>>>> harmful - I do not know where TEE deairing lies and certainly  
>>>> evidence of its benefit is at best circumstantial. However on an  
>>>> individual level I take yours and Hal's perspective that we  
>>>> should strive to get all the air out by whatever means. As Hall  
>>>> said it is possible to conduct an operation in a way that you do  
>>>> not have air in the heart at the end and that is regardless of  
>>>> TEE. TEE is one factor but maybe there are many others.
>>>>
>>>> Ani
>>>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>>>   From: Dr. Roberto Battellini<mailto:battr at medizin.uni-leipzig.de>
>>>>   To: OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com<mailto:OpenHeart- 
>>>> L at lists.hsforum.com>
>>>>   Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 7:32 AM
>>>>   Subject: AW: AW: [HSF] Deairing the heart
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   Ani,
>>>>   I disagree.There is difference before and after TEE.
>>>>   Since we make all our valves under TEE, we have reduced  
>>>> significantly the
>>>>   number of patients we had to defibrillate soon after surgery.  
>>>> We let run the
>>>>   needle vent until there are no more bubbles. Of course, it is  
>>>> very
>>>>   sensitive.
>>>>   Roberto
>>>>
>>>>   -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
>>>>   Von: openheart-l-bounces at lists.hsforum.com<mailto:openheart-l- 
>>>> bounces at lists.hsforum.com>
>>>>   [mailto:openheart-l-bounces at lists.hsforum.com] Im Auftrag von  
>>>> Ani Anyanwu
>>>>   Gesendet: Freitag, 2. März 2007 14:10
>>>>   An: OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com<mailto:OpenHeart- 
>>>> L at lists.hsforum.com>
>>>>   Betreff: Re: AW: [HSF] Deairing the heart
>>>>
>>>>   But Hal I would question the relevance of subtle neurological  
>>>> changes that
>>>>   require a battery of sophisticated tests to demonstrate. A lot  
>>>> of these
>>>>   changes IMHO are integral to having artificial extracorporeal  
>>>> circulation
>>>>   and indeed MRI studies show changes in many patients with no  
>>>> neurological
>>>>   complications. Air and embolism are an integral part of CBP  
>>>> and in most
>>>>   cases are likely of no or of minimal consequence. Obviously  
>>>> though we must
>>>>   exclude gross air bubbles and our deairing approach, including  
>>>> CO2 and TEE
>>>>   is very similar to yours.
>>>>
>>>>   However, I think to a great degree air is an invention of TEE  
>>>> and most of
>>>>   what we see on TEE or strive to achieve with TEE is of little  
>>>> relevance
>>>>   above that which can be determined clinically as in Novick's  
>>>> practice or in
>>>>   the practice of the 1980s. Like you I vent the root up to 15  
>>>> mins after
>>>>   coming of bypass and I suspect in most patients this will be  
>>>> sufficient to
>>>>   deal with any rogue bubbles that failed deairing - regardless  
>>>> of the
>>>>   presence of TEE.
>>>>
>>>>   I am not sure there is any direct evidence that the incidence of
>>>>   neurological complication or neuropsychometric deficit has  
>>>> changed with the
>>>>   advent of TEE or that the incidence is different in centers  
>>>> that routinely
>>>>   use TEE and centers that don't. Those surgeons in life courses  
>>>> who don't
>>>>   seem to deair properly may not necessarily be harming their  
>>>> patients. In my
>>>>   previous center (Harefield with Yacoub) we generally ignored  
>>>> the snowstorms
>>>>   seen on TEE and apparently (I know I know) to no consequence.
>>>>
>>>>   Ani
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>>>     From:  
>>>> Hgrmd at aol.com<mailto:Hgrmd at aol.com<mailto:Hgrmd at aol.com<mailto:Hgrm 
>>>> d at aol.com>>
>>>>     To: OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com<mailto:OpenHeart- 
>>>> L at lists.hsforum.com<mailto:OpenHeart- 
>>>> L at lists.hsforum.com<mailto:OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com>>
>>>>     Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 7:33 AM
>>>>     Subject: Re: AW: [HSF] Deairing the heart
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>     Bill,
>>>>       I'm somewhat surprised that you don't use CO2, because it  
>>>> definitely
>>>>   does
>>>>     reduce or eliminate air emboli.  Your stroke rate is  
>>>> laudible.   However,
>>>>   I
>>>>     assume you are talking about fixed deficits only.  Air emboli
>>>> often
>>>>   present as
>>>>     a diffuse encephalopathy with no focal deficits. Unless you  
>>>> are  having a
>>>>     battery of neurologic exams done on your postop patients, I  
>>>> wouldn't
>>>>   place too
>>>>     much credence in the amount of brain damage you currently  
>>>> think is  being
>>>>     inflicted on your patients. As we all know in adult cardiac  
>>>> surgery,
>>>>   subtle
>>>>     permanent personality changes may be the only manifestation of
>>>>   perioperative
>>>>     neurologic injury. Those usually aren't factored into the  
>>>> postop  stroke
>>>>   rate.
>>>>     Perhaps your kids would do better in the 1st grade if you
>>>> considered
>>>>   adding this to
>>>>     your technique.  I know that you can't really  monitor its  
>>>> effect since I
>>>>     presume you don't have a TEE scope small enough to   
>>>> acommodate an infant.
>>>>   For
>>>>     your larger patients, I would definitely  consider using a  
>>>> pediatric
>>>>   scope.
>>>>     Hal
>>>> <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now  
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>>>>     email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at
>>>> http://www.aol.com<http://www.aol.com/<http://www.aol.com<http:// 
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Ben Bidstrup FRACS FRCSEd FEBCTS
>>> Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon
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>
>
> --
> Ben Bidstrup FRACS FRCSEd FEBCTS
> Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon
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