Background Although guidelines and protocols are available for central venous access, existing methods lack specificity and sensitivity, especially when placing peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). We evaluated the feasibility of catheter detection in the right atrial cavity using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) during PICC placement. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included consecutive patients who underwent PICC placement between January 2022 and March 2023. TTE was performed to detect the arrival of the catheter in the right atrial cavity. Catheter misplacement was defined as an aberrant catheter position on chest x-ray (CXR). The primary endpoint was predicting catheter misplacement based on catheter detection in the right atrial cavity. The secondary endpoint was optimizing catheter placement and examining catheter-associated complications. Results: Of the 110 patients identified, 10 were excluded because of poor echogenicity and vein access failure. The remaining 100 patients underwent PICC placement with TTE. The catheter was visualized in the right atrial cavity in 90 patients. CXR exams revealed catheter misplacement in seven cases. Eight patients with catheter misplacement underwent the same procedure in the other arm. In two patients, PICC placement failed due to anatomical reasons. Catheter misplacement was detected using TTE with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 97% confidence interval (CI; 91.31%–99.36%), 90% CI (55.50%–99.75%), 99%, and 75%, respectively. Conclusions: TTE is a reliable tool for detecting catheter misplacement and optimizing catheter tip positioning during PICC placement.
Background Coronary artery stenosis increases hospital mortality and leads to poor neurological recovery in cardiac arrest (CA) patients. However, electrocardiography (ECG) cannot fully predict the presence of coronary artery stenosis in CA patients. Hence, we aimed to determine whether regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA), as observed by two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), predicted patient survival outcomes with greater accuracy than did ST segment elevation (STE) on ECG in CA patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) after return of spontaneous circulation.
Methods This was a retrospective observational study of adult patients with CA of presumed cardiac etiology who underwent CAG at a single tertiary care hospital. We investigated whether RWMA observed on 2DE predicted patient outcomes more accurately than did STE observed on ECG. The primary outcome was incidence of hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes were Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Category scores measured 6 months after discharge and significant coronary artery stenosis on CAG.
Results Among the 145 patients, 36 (24.8%) experienced in-hospital death. In multivariable analysis of survival outcomes, only total arrest time (P=0.011) and STE (P=0.035) were significant. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), which were obtained by adjusting the total arrest time for survival outcomes, were significant only for STE (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17–0.94). The presence of RWMA was not a significant factor.
Conclusions While STE predicted survival outcomes in adult CA patients, RWMA did not. The decision to perform CAG after CA should include ECG under existing guidelines. The use of RWMA has limited benefits in treatment of this population.
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Just the Facts: Management of return of spontaneous circulation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Hashim Kareemi, Ariel Hendin, Christian Vaillancourt Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine.2023; 25(7): 580. CrossRef
Background The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and mortality and neurologic outcomes with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
Methods Patients with PCAS after OHCA admitted to the intensive care unit between January 2014 and December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively.
Results A total of 104 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 54.4 ± 15.3 years, and 75 of the patients were male (72.1%). Arrest with a cardiac origin was found in 55 (52.9%). LVEF < 45%, 45-55%, and > 55% was measured in 39 (37.5%), 18 (17.3%), and 47 (45.2%) of patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, severe LV dysfunction (LVEF < 45%) was significantly related to 7-day mortality (odds ratio 3.02, 95% Confidence Interval 1.01-9.0, p-value 0.047).
Conclusions In this study, moderate to severe LVEF within 48 hours after return of spontaneous circulation was significantly related to 7-day short-term mortality in patients with PCAS after OHCA. Clinicians should actively treat myocardial dysfunction, and further studies are needed.
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Post cardiac arrest left ventricular ejection fraction associated with survival to discharge Kanjit Leungsuwan, Kory R. Heier, Olivia Henderson, Karam Ayoub, Talal Alnabelsi, Emily Slade, Vedant A. Gupta Resuscitation Plus.2024; 19: 100737. CrossRef
The most feared complication of left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is the occurrence of systemic thromboembolic events, especially in the brain. Herein, we report a patient with severe sepsis who suffered recurrent devastating embolic stroke. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed apical ballooning of the left ventricle with a huge LVT, which had not been observed in chest computed tomography before the stroke. This case emphasizes the importance of serial cardiac evaluation in patients with stroke and severe medical illness.
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Spontaneous ventricular thrombosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease Stella Pak, Juan Linares, Yan Yatsynovich, David Cha, Dexter Nye, Diana Kaminski, Jillian Costello Cardiology in the Young.2018; 28(3): 351. CrossRef
Major Trauma induced Left Ventricular Thrombus after Acute Myocardial Infarction Dong Wook Lee, Ju Hee Ha, Jun Ho Kim, Ki Beom Park, Jae Joon Lee, Han Il Choi, Jin Hee Kim Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis.2016; 5(2): 163. CrossRef
Placement of a pulmonary artery catheter is associated with various complications, including catheter knotting.
Fluoroscopy can be used to visualize and confirm catheter knotting. Transesophageal echocardiography is readily available to detect knot formation in the operating room or intensive care unit. We present a case in which pulmonary artery catheter knotting was detected by transesophageal echocardiography. This method may be useful in the operating room or in the intensive care unit to identify the presence and location of catheter knotting.
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Knotting of Pulmonary Artery Catheter During Tricuspid Valve Surgery - A Case Report - Kyung Chen Lee, Wol Seon Jung, Yong Beom Kim, Ji Yeon Lee Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine.2012; 27(1): 45. CrossRef
The major limitation to heart transplantation is the shortage of donor organs. In order to increase the cardiac donor pool, it is important to maintain stable hemodynamics and closely monitor cardiac function in cadaveric organ donors or potent donors. Recently, management of a potential cardiac donor pool has focused on aggressive hemodynamic management protocols and dobutamine stress echocardiography.
In our case, management with low dose dobutamine, glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK), and hormone therapy reversed heart failure following brain death and the heart was successfully transplanted. We suggest that aggressive hemodynamic management with low-dose dobutamine, GIK, and hormone therapy can result in the recruitment of more cadaveric hearts in marginal conditions.
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Predisposing Hemodynamic Factors Associated with a Failed Apnea Test during Brain Death Determination Eun Young Kim, Ji Hyun Kim The Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine.2016; 31(3): 236. CrossRef