Julian M. Barker

Prophylaxis Against Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery: Effective, But Not Routinely Used—A Survey of Cardiothoracic Units in the United Kingdom

OBJECTIVE To establish whether international recommendations on chemoprophylaxis against postoperative atrial fibrillation in cardiac surgery patients are implemented locally in cardiothoracic units in the United Kingdom; to determine which drugs are being used, how long they are given, and whether outcomes are monitored. DESIGN Survey of local cardiothoracic center guidelines. SETTING Postal and telephone survey. PARTICIPANTS Senior anesthesiologists and critical care staff in all 37 public cardiothoracic units in the United Kingdom. INTERVENTION None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Results were obtained from all contacted cardiothoracic units. Five units (14%) have local guidelines for chemoprophylaxis against atrial fibrillation in place. All use β-antagonists as their primary prophylactic drugs; only one unit uses amiodarone as a secondary prophylactic drug. Duration of prophylactic treatment varies, from 5 days to 6 weeks postoperatively. Thirty-two units (86%) have no local guidelines for chemoprophylaxis in place. CONCLUSION Chemoprophylaxis against postoperative atrial fibrillation in cardiac surgery patients remains underused, despite its effectiveness and recommendations for its routine use by several international organizations. Departmental guidelines help to ensure routine use, but this survey shows that so far only a minority of cardiothoracic units in the United Kingdom have implemented such guidelines. Awareness of the advantages of routine prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation should be improved and departmental prescribing policies encouraged.

Intra-abdominal hypertension complicating pancreatitis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in three patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

BACKGROUND Severe acute pancreatitis is associated with sever multiorgan failure from 15 to 50%, depending on the series. In some of these patients, conventional methods of ventilation and respiratory support will fail, demanding the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Abdominal compartment syndrome is potentially harmful in this cohort of patients. We describe the successful treatment of three patients with severe acute pancreatitis who underwent respiratory ECMO and where intra abdominal pressure was monitored regularly. METHODS Retrospective review of case notes. RESULTS Three patients with severe acute pancreatitis requiring ECMO suffered from increased intra abdominal pressure during their ICU stay. No surgical interventions were taken to relieve abdominal compartment syndrome. Survival to hospital discharge was 100%. CONCLUSIONS Monitoring intraabdominal pressure is a valuable adjunct to decision making while caring for these high-risk critically ill patients.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in severe respiratory failure resulting from burns and smoke inhalation injury

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is one of the most frequent forms of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) and can be used as rescue therapy in patients with severe respiratory failure resulting from burns and/or smoke inhalation injury. Experience and literature on this treatment option is still very limited, consequently results are varied. We report a retrospective analysis of our experience with veno-venous (VV) ECMO in burn patients. All five patients, three male and two female (age: 28-37 years) had flame type burns and smoke inhalation injury. Their Murray scores ranged between 3.25 and 3.75, and their revised Baux scores between 62 and 102. The mean pre-ECMO conventional ventilation time was 7.4days (3-13). The mean ECMO duration was 18days (8-35). Three patients were cannulated with dual lumen, two with separate cannulae. One oxygenator had to be changed due to technical issues and two patients needed two parallel oxygenators. Four patients had renal replacement therapy. All patients needed vasoconstrictor support, antibiotics and packed red blood cells (5-62 units). Three had steroid treatment. All five patients were successfully weaned from ECMO. One patient died later from multi-organ failure in the ICU, the other four patients survived. VV-ECMO is a useful rescue intervention in patients with burns related severe respiratory failure. Patients in our institution benefit from having both burns and ECMO centres with major expertise in the field under one roof. The results from this small cohort are encouraging, although more cases are needed to draw more robust conclusions.

The role of thoracic surgery in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation services

Background Recent evidence surrounding the use of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in treating acute respiratory failure has led to the expansion of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation services worldwide. The high rate of complications related to venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation often requires intervention by specialist thoracic surgeons. This study aimed to investigate the role of specialist thoracic surgeons within the multidisciplinary team managing these high-risk patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 90 patients who received venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation at our tertiary referral center between December 2011 and May 2015. Four patients who underwent lung transplantation were excluded. Results We found that 29.1% (25/86) of patients on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation had undergone a thoracic intervention. A total of 82 interventions were performed: 11 thoracotomies, 49 chest drains, 13 rigid bronchoscopies, 4 flexible bronchoscopies, 4 temporary endobronchial blockers, and 1 sternotomy. Of the 11 thoracotomies, 3 were reexplorations. Survival to discharge for patients who underwent thoracic surgical interventions was 72% (18/25). Conclusions Our experience has demonstrated that a large proportion of patients receiving venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation require a thoracic intervention, many of which are major intraoperative procedures. Patients on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have benefited from rapid on-site access to thoracic surgical services to manage these challenging life-threatening complications.

Postcardiotomy VA-ECMO for refractory cardiogenic shock

Postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCCS) is a rare but catastrophic syndrome that can occur following separation from cardiopulmonary bypass or at any time during the immediate postoperative course. The management of PCCS varies between clinicians, institutions and countries. The available evidence to guide this practice is limited. In their systematic review and meta-analysis, Khorsandi and colleagues report a synthesis of case-series pertinent to the use of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) for PCCS. Whilst we acknowledge the potential survival benefit for carefully selected patients for what is ordinarily a condition with high mortality, we wish to comment on several aspects of the study in the context of its application to clinical practice.

Chronic mould exposure as a risk factor for severe community acquired pneumonia in a patient requiring extra corporeal membrane oxygenation

A previously fit and well man developed acute respiratory failure due to environmental mould exposure from living in damp rental accommodation. Despite aggressive intensive care management he rapidly deteriorated and required respiratory and cardiac Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. We hypothesize that poor domiciliary conditions may make an underestimated contribution to community respiratory disease. These conditions may present as acute and severe illness with non-typical pathogens identified.