Guillermo Lema F

Tratamiento de la insuficiencia cardíaca avanzada mediante trasplante de corazón

Background: Heart transplantation currently provides the most effective treatment for advanced heart failure. However, medical therapy for this condition has also improved, heart donors are scarce and the cost of the procedure is high. Therefore the indications and management of these patients need reevaluation. Aim: To analyze the results of 24 patients submitted to heart transplantation for end-stage heart failure needing repeated hospitalizations and i.v. inotropes for compensation. Patients and methods: The group was comprised by 21 men and 3 women with a mean age of 36.8 years, mean left ventricular ejection fraction 19±4.5%, mean systolic pulmonary artery pressure 48±13 mmHg (24-70) and mean pulmonary vascular resistance 2.6 Wood Units (1-5). Fourteen patients (58%) had a previous median sternotomy. Immunosupression did not include induction therapy and steroids were discontinued early. Results: Operative mortality was 4% at 30 days. Actuarial survival at one year was 90% and at 5 years 72%. Freedom from rejection at one year was 76% and at 5 years 50%. Freedom from infection was 70% at one year and 56.5% at five years. All patients with more than 3 months of follow-up were in functional class I. Conclusions: These results justify the proposed modifications for transplantation protocols (Rev Med Chile 2001; 129: 9-17).

EXÁMENES PREOPERATORIOS DE RUTINA EN CIRUGÍA ELECTIVA: ¿CUÁL ES LA EVIDENCIA?

Routine preoperative testing in elective surgery: what is the evidence? Any patient, who is undergoing a surgical or invasive procedure, requiring anesthesia or sedation, needs a preoperative evaluation. This is essential in any type of surgical procedure. Most of the times, clinical evaluation is sufficient to establish perioperative as well as patient’s risk factors. Some of them may be modified during the period close to the intervention, without supplementary testing or consultation to others specialists. Currently, the tendency of specialists is request “routine preoperative testing” sometimes without a previous analysis of the clinical history and physical examination. It has been shown that a healthy young patient, undergoing elective surgery, does not need any test before surgery. Preoperative tests increases health costs and don’t significantly change perioperative patient’s morbidity and mortality. Tests such as chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, hematocrit/hemoglobin, coagulation test, platelet count, blood glucose and pregnancy tests have precise indications and should not routinely be requested to all the surgical population.

Aneurisma aórtico abdominal en pacientes mayores de 80 años: tratamiento quirúrgico convencional en 80 casos consecutivos

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) may be lethal unless appropriately and timely treated. Since age is a surgical risk, octogenarians are usually not considered as candidates for surgical intervention. Aim: To asses surgical complications and mortality in octogenarians treated for AAA. Subjects and Methods: Patients aged 80 years older, treated consecutively between 1984-2001 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Sixty one patients were male, and their age ranged from 80 to 95 years. All were treated with open surgery. The operation was elective in 58 and as an emergency in 22 patients (symptomatic or ruptured AAA). Aortic diameter was 6.8±1.4 cm in asymptomatic patients and 7.7±1.8 cm in emergency cases (p=0.024). Thirty days postoperative mortality was 5.1% in elective surgery compared to 40.6% in emergency operations (p <0.01). Five years survival rate was 44.7% in asymptomatic patients compared to 10.4% in the emergency cases (p <0.023). Conclusions: Elective surgery for asymptomatic AAA can be performed with low operative mortality in octogenarians. However, surgery in emergency cases has an 8 fold increase in risk. Accordingly, octogenarian patients should be considered for elective AAA repair in a selective basis (Rev Med Chile 2003; 131: 981-6). (Key Words: Aged, 80 and over; Aneurysm, dissecting; Surgical procedures, operative)

Hipertensión pulmonar y el paciente quirúrgico: estrategias de manejo actual

Pulmonary hypertension is a clinical condition with a low prevalence, but carries high morbidity and mortality. Important advances in the understanding of this disease and in its therapy have occurred. A particular scenario is pulmonary hypertension in patients undergoing non-cardiac as well as cardiac surgery. The aim of this review is to present information that may allow diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of this clinical condition in patients undergoing surgery.

PACIENTE ADULTO MAYOR Y CIRUGÍA NO CARDÍACA: ¿QUÉ DEBEMOS SABER?

elderly patient and non cardiac surgery: What should we know? The surgical procedures in elderly patients are and will be more common. They are characterized by greater morbidity and mortality than those in younger patients, so it is essential an appropriate preoperative evaluation, a diligent intraoperative monitoring and a proper management of the postoperative period. The old age has a number of physiological changes and an increased incidence of chronic diseases and together determine a decline in physiological reserve and functional capacity. In the preoperative evaluation is important a systematic assessment of comorbidities and drugs routinely prescribed, “fragility” of these patients due to the surgical procedure and the risk of developing postoperative cognitive deficit. Type of surgery, degree of urgency and patient conditions are the main factors to consider at time to choose type of anesthesia. Common complications include the development of postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive decline, where efforts should be directed at prevention rather than treatment, because it significantly increases perioperative morbidity.

Stents coronarios y cirugía no cardiaca: estrategias de manejo actual

The care of patients with coronary stents in the perioperative period of non-cardiac surgery requires anesthesiologists, surgeons and cardiologists. The management of dual antiplatelet therapy should be handled depending on type and urgency of the surgery, the risk of bleeding, type of coronary stent implanted, time from placement and the risk of stent thrombosis. For patients identified as high risk of stent thrombosis, surgery should be planned at hospitals with cardiac catheterization facilities. These patients require postoperative monitoring and antiplatelet therapy should be restarted immediately. Stent thrombosis should be recognized early and treated aggressively with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Uso de factor VII en el control de sangrados perioperatorios: Evidencias actuales

Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is a new haemostatic drug, originally used for the treatment of patients with hemophilia A and B. At the present time it is used for other bleeding conditions such as the perioperative period. When used prophylactically there is a reduction in the number of bleeding episodes but no changes in the need for blood transfusion or other blood products. The adverse effects are arterial or venous thromboembolic events that are mostly related to the severity of the underlying disease of the patient and the concurrent administration of other haemostatic agents, rather than the use of rFVIIa. Its use is recommended when there is a persistent bleeding after the reposition of blood products and when surgical causes of bleeding have been discarded. The cost of the medication should also be considered before its use.

Rotura de válvula tricúspide con insuficiencia masiva secundaria a traumatismo torácico cerrado: Caso clínico

Cardiac valve lesions after a blunt chest trauma are rare and lessthan 1% of cardiac lesions because of chest trauma affect the tricuspid valve. We report a 70year-old female that suffered a severe chest trauma in a car accident. During the repair of themultiple skeletal lesions, the patient had a severe hemodynamic decompensation. A myocardialtrauma with pericardial effusion and massive tricuspid insufficiency, due to anterior leafletprolapse, was diagnosed on echocardiography. After discharge the patient remained infunctional class II, with hepatomegaly, jugular ingurgitation and lower limb edema. A controlechocardiogram, perfomed six months after the accident, showed dilatation of right heartchambers and massive tricuspid insufficiency. The patient was operated, and a tricuspid valverepair was performed suturing the ruptured papillary muscle to the ventricular wall andperforming a triscuspid annuloplasty with a prosthetic ring. After 15 months of follow up, thepatient remains asymptomatic (Rev Med Chile 2008; 136: 1034-8).(

Endarterectomía carotídea bajo anestesia regional: experiencia inicial

Background: Endarterectomy is the treatment of choice for internal carotid artery critical stenosis. Some authors have proposed that the use of regional anesthesia has advantages over general anesthesia. Aim: To report our initial experience with carotid endarterectomy under regional anesthesia. Patients and methods: Between 1998 and 1999, patients with critical carotid artery stenosis, asymptomatic or with transient and recovered symptoms, were selected. A C2, C3, C4 root deep cervical block and superficial block was performed, using a mixture of lidocaine and bupivacaine. A carotid endarterectomy with patch and without routine shunt insertion, with standard and neurological monitoring, was performed. Results: During the study period, 94 carotid endarterectomies were done, 22 under regional anesthesia in 21 patients (12 male, age range 58-90 years old). Ninety five percent had hypertension, 52% smoked and 38% had renal dysfunction. One patient was converted to general anesthesia. Seventeen patients were discharged within 48 hours of the procedure and the rest, within 72 hours. There was no mortality or complications. Conclusions: Endarterectomy under regional anesthesia is less invasive, has excellent results and is well accepted by patients. (Rev Med Chile 2000; 128: 53-58)