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In this article, the authors discuss the differential diagnostic methods used in clinical practice to identify types of wide QRS tachycardias (QRS duration >120 ms). A correct diagnosis is critical to management, as misdiagnosis and the administration of drugs usually utilised for supraventricular tachycardia can be harmful for patients with ventricular tachycardia.

The implantation of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice in patients requiring heart valve replacement surgery. Unlike mechanical heart valves, BHVs are less thrombogenic and exhibit superior hemodynamic properties. However, BHVs are prone to structural valve degeneration (SVD), an unavoidable condition limiting graft durability. Mechanisms underlying SVD are incompletely understood, and early concepts suggesting the purely degenerative nature of this process are now considered oversimplified...

BACKGROUND: The optimal cannulation strategy in surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection is critical to patient survival but remains controversial. Different cannulation strategies have their own advantages and drawbacks during cardiopulmonary bypass. Our centre used a combined femoral and axillary perfusion strategy for the surgical treatment of type A aortic dissection. The purpose of this study was to review and clarify the clinical outcome of femoral artery cannulation combined with axillary artery cannulation for the treatment of Stanford type A aortic dissection...

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a serious complication in surgical patients, and is associated with prolonged hospital stay and high mortality rates. The definitions of sepsis have been revisited recently. This article reviews how definitions have changed over the years, and provides an update on basic pathobiology and essential aspects of treatment. METHODS: PubMed was searched for reports published in English before October 2016, using the search terms 'surgical sepsis' AND 'surgical ICU'...

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides days to weeks of support for patients with respiratory, cardiac, or combined cardiopulmonary failure. Since ECMO was first reported in 1974, nearly 70,000 runs of ECMO have been implemented, and the use of ECMO in adults increased by more than 400% from 2006 to 2011 in the United States. A variety of factors, including the 2009 influenza A epidemic, results from recent clinical trials, and improvements in ECMO technology, have motivated this increased use in adults...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: An increasing number of patients are placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory or cardiac failure. Sound understanding of physiology and configuration of ECMO is essential for proper management. This review covers different monitoring parameters and tools for patients supported with different types of ECMO. RECENT FINDINGS: Emphasis is placed on monitoring saturations at different sites depending on type of ECMO support...

BACKGROUND: Candida prosthetic endocarditis (CPE) is an uncommon disease involving less than 1 % of infective endocarditis patients and associated with high recurrence rate. Immunosuppresion, intravenous drug abuse, cardiac surgery and indwelling foreign bodies are the major risk factors for CPE. There are very few reported cases of CPE where more than one surgery was performed and there has generally been limited follow up on these cases. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 35 year old woman who had mitral valve annuloplasty complicated by recurrent episodes of CPE leading to multiple mitral valve replacements (MVR)...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has evolved as a routine procedure to treat selected high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. The new J-Valve prosthesis is designed for antegrade transapical implantation, it is characterized by a porcine aortic prosthesis attaching to a self-expandable Nitinol stent. The key feature of the device are three U-shape anatomically oriented devices - "graspers" which could facilitate intuitive 'self-positioning' valve implantation. Hereby, we report a successful case of trans-apical TAVI in an elderly high-risk patient with severe aortic stenosis using J-Valve system...