Reena K. Joshi

Successful use of levosimendan as a primary inotrope in pediatric cardiac surgery: An observational study in 110 patients.

Context: Levosimendan is a new generation inotrope with calcium sensitizing properties and proven benefits in adults. Aims: This study investigates the use of levosimendan as a first line inotrope in congenital heart surgery. Settings and Design: Prospective, observational study in a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: One hundred and ten patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery received levosimendan at a loading dose of 12 mcg/kg during rewarming on cardiopulmonary bypass followed by continuous infusion of 0.1 mcg/kg/min for 48 h. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded at the time of admission to Intensive Care Unit, and at 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h thereafter. Statistical Analysis: Categorical variables were compared using Chi-square test. Non-normally distributed quantitative variables were compared between groups using Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: At discharge from operating room (OR), 36 (32.7%) patients required levosimendan alone to maintain optimum cardiac output, 59 (53.6%) patients required the addition of low-dose adrenaline (<0.1 mcg/kg/min) and 15 (13.6%) patients required either increment in adrenaline to high-dose (≥0.1 mcg/kg/min) or starting another inotrope/vasoactive agent. Overall, there were five mortalities. Hypotension leading to discontinuation of levosimendan was not found in any patient. Arrhythmias were observed in three patients. Fifty-four patients were extubated in the OR. Conclusions: Levosimendan-based inotropic regime offers optimized cardiac output with a well-controlled heart rate and a low incidence of arrhythmias in patients undergoing all categories of congenital heart surgeries.

Contained Rupture of Mycotic Aneurysm of the Left Circumflex Coronary Artery in a Child

Coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is defined as dilatation of a coronary artery segment to a diameter of more than 1.5-fold normal size. Rupture of CAA is a catastrophic event and may result in sudden death or myocardial infarction. We report this unusual case of contained rupture of the left circumflex CAA.

Assessment of Risk Factors for a Sustainable "On-Table Extubation" Program in Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery: 5-Year Experience.

OBJECTIVE To delineate risk factors for failure of extubation in the operating room among pediatric cardiac surgery patients. DESIGN Prospective, observational study. SETTING Single center, tertiary care, teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS The study comprised 448 congenital cardiac surgery patients who were enrolled for intended extubation in the pediatric cardiac operating room over 5 years. INTERVENTIONS The airways of enrolled patients were extubated in the operating room if predetermined suitability criteria were met. If the criteria were not met, patients were transferred to the intensive care unit with an endotracheal tube in situ. Patients whose airways were extubated successfully were followed up to determine specifically whether reintubation or use of noninvasive ventilation was necessary post-procedure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The airways of 92% (412) patients were extubated in the operating room. Incidence of reintubation in the intensive care unit was 2.4%. There were 4 mortalities in the whole group. A 100% success rate for operating room extubation was achieved for patients in Risk Adjusted Congenital Heart Surgery category 1, and patients undergoing adult congenital cardiac disease surgery and redo sternotomy. The airways of 85% of patients with preoperative pulmonary hypertension were extubated in the operating room. Statistical analysis was applied to identify risk factors present in the group that made extubation in the operating room unachievable. CONCLUSIONS Extubation in the operating room was successful in a majority of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Multivariate analysis identified weight<5 kg, age<1 year, cardiopulmonary bypass time>120 minutes, and presence of significant noncardiac structural anomalies as significant factors affecting extubation in the operating room, with an adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 10 (2.7-37), 7.2 (2-22), 5.5 (1.7-17.7), and 3.3 (1.2-9.3), respectively. Pulmonary hypertension, redo sternotomy, higher Risk Adjusted Congenital Heart Surgery category, and aortic clamp time>60 minutes did not achieve significance in the multivariate analysis as risk factors for extubation in the operating room.

Critical decision of operability in congenital heart disease patient with severe pulmonary hypertension

Repair of congenital heart disease in the presence of high pulmonary pressure has always been a contentious issue. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is considered important for establishing operability in these patients. However, PVR estimation is not always accurate and cannot solely be relied upon to make critical decision of operability. Clinical examination, chest X-ray, and echocardiography are also important indicators of pulmonary vascular disease. Knowledge of pits and falls of each investigation is important for appropriate management in these patients. We present a case report of successfully operated, 6-year-old child with anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from aorta, deemed inoperable on the basis of PVR estimation.

An Unusual Cause of Persisting Hyperlactatemia in a Neonate Undergoing Open Heart Surgery

Being a reflection of the degree of global tissue anoxia, serum lactate levels therefore can be used as a marker of organ damage and eventual outcome. A statistically significant association was observed between serum lactate levels and subsequent mortality and morbidity in critically ill adults, children, and neonates. In cardiac critical care, hyperlactatemia is usually multifactorial in origin, resulting from a combination of etiologies. Many centers are using serial lactate levels in conjugation with other parameters of cellular oxygen delivery, consumption, or extraction to monitor prognosis after pediatric cardiac surgery. A single initial lactate level has a lesser predictive value for morbidity and mortality after pediatric cardiac surgery than its failure to fall within 48 hours of surgery. In case of persistently high lactate levels with no other evidence of cellular hypoperfusion, other possibilities must be considered. There has been an established association of lactic acidosis with thiamine deficiency, but this has not yet been reported in newborns undergoing congenital cardiac surgery. We present one such rare case.

Compression of undiagnosed aberrant right subclavian artery during transesophageal echocardiography probe insertion

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has become an important monitoring tool for the anesthesiologist during repair of intracardiac defects. Although the incidence of reported complications associated with its use is low, one should be careful during the insertion and use of TEE probe, as it may result in potential devastating problems. We present a case of undiagnosed aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) that got compressed by the TEE probe during its insertion. It was noticed because of the presence of the right radial artery catheter, else it would have passed unnoticed.

Giant Left Atrium in a 14 Month Old Child with Compression of Airways

Giant left atrium (GLA) is a rare entity in the pediatric population. GLA carries a significant mortality risk; once its existence is established, it needs to be evaluated with intention to treat. We report a 14-month-old boy with GLA presenting with symptoms of cough and stridor because of compressed airways. The child underwent successful surgical resection for the same.

Rare Outcome of LecompteâÂÂs Maneuver: SVC Compression due to Retro Aortic Innominate Vein

The impact of Lecompte’s maneuver on superior vena cava (SVC) has never been mentioned before. We think that in certain anatomical subsets, Lecompte’s maneuver can result in superior vena cava narrowing. We present a case report of patient with Tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve with retro-aortic innominate vein who developed SVC thrombosis after Lecompte’s maneuver.

Right atrial diverticulosis and early-onset arrhythmia: Rare cause of incessant neonatal arrhythmia

BackgroundAtrial flutter not responding to medications could be secondary to structural malformations of heart.Case characteristicsA 5-year-old child with resistant arrhythmia, with onset in neonatal period.OutcomeMultiple right atrial diverticuli were detected on CT angiography and cardiac catheterization. Patient reverted to sinus rhythm following surgical excision of diverticuli.MessageIn cases of intractable supraventricular tachycardia, structural anomalies of atrium should be suspected.

Parachute Tricuspid Valve: A Case Treated by Open Heart Surgery

Parachute valve is the malformation of an atrioventricular valve in which the tension apparatus springs from a single papillary muscle or group of muscles. Parachute tricuspid valve is a rare anomaly with no surgically repaired case to date. We describe a case of parachute deformity of the tricuspid valve leading to hemodynamically significant severe tricuspid stenosis. The present case was successfully repaired surgically along with atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure.