Antithrombotic Therapy for Venous Thromboembolic Disease : The Seventh ACCP Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy

THE purpose of this review is to evaluate recent developments in our understanding of the inflammatory response to cardiac surgery. Scientific knowledge in this field is continually expanding, potentially significant advances are regularly reported, and this area constitutes a major interface of clinical and basic scientific research. The review is divided into four major sections. The first section describes the pathophysiology of the inflammatory response to cardiac surgery. Factors that influence the extent of the inflammatory response, including the immunomodulatory effects of drugs commonly administered perioperatively, are discussed in the second section. The third section examines the evidence that the inflammatory response contributes to adverse perioperative events, in particular organ dysfunction, while the final section evaluates potential therapeutic strategies to control this response. The review concludes with a summary of potential future research directions and key deficiencies in our knowledge regarding the inflammatory response to cardiac surgery.

The systemic inflammatory response to cardiac surgery: implications for the anesthesiologist.

Background— Thromboembolic disease secondary to complicated carotid atherosclerotic plaque is a major cause of cerebral ischemia. Clinical management relies on the detection of significant (>70%) carotid stenosis. A large proportion of patients suffer irreversible cerebral ischemia as a result of lesser degrees of stenosis. Diagnostic techniques that can identify nonstenotic high-risk plaque would therefore be beneficial. High-risk plaque is defined histologically if it contains hemorrhage/thrombus. Magnetic resonance direct thrombus imaging (MRDTI) is capable of detecting methemoglobin within intraplaque hemorrhage. We assessed this as a marker of complicated plaque and compared its accuracy with histological examination of surgical endarterectomy specimens. Methods and Results— Sixty-three patients underwent successful MRDTI and endarterectomy with histological examination. Of these, 44 were histologically defined as complicated (type VI plaque). MRDTI demonstrated 3 false-positive and 7 false-negative ...

Characterization of Complicated Carotid Plaque With Magnetic Resonance Direct Thrombus Imaging in Patients With Cerebral Ischemia

More than a century ago, Osler took numerous syndrome descriptions of cardiac valvular infection that were incomplete and confusing and categorized them into the cardiovascular infections known as infective endocarditis. Because he was both a clinician and a pathologist, he was able to provide a meaningful outline of this complex disease. Technical advances have allowed us to better subcategorize infective endocarditis on the basis of microbiological etiology. More recently, the syndromes of infective endocarditis and endarteritis have been expanded to include infections involving a variety of cardiovascular prostheses and devices that are used to replace or assist damaged or dysfunctional tissues (Table 1). Taken together, infections of these novel intracardiac, arterial, and venous devices are frequently seen in medical centers throughout the developed world. In response, the American Heart Association’s Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease wrote this review to assist and educate clinicians who care for an increasing number of patients with nonvalvular cardiovascular device–related infections. Because timely guidelines1,2 exist that address the prevention and management of intravascular catheter–related infections, these device-related infections are not discussed in the present Statement. 

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TABLE 1. Nonvalvular Cardiovascular Device–Related Infections 



This review is divided into two broad sections. The first section examines general principles for the evaluation and management of infection that apply to all nonvalvular cardiovascular devices. Despite the marked variability in composition, structure, function, and frequency of infection among the various types of nonvalvular cardiovascular devices reviewed in this article, there are several areas of commonality for infection of these devices. These include clinical manifestations, microbiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The second section addresses each device and describes unique clinical features of infection. Each device is placed into one of 3 categories—intracardiac, arterial, or venous—for discussion.

### Clinical Manifestations

The specific signs and symptoms associated with an infection of a …

http://www.endocardites-aquitaine.fr/fileadmin/documents/documents/2003BADDOUR.pdf

Nonvalvular Cardiovascular Device–Related Infections

Vena caval filters: a comprehensive review

Respiratory function after cardiac surgery.

LGM (Vena Tech) vena caval filter: experience at a single institution.

Preliminary Clinical Experience with the Gunther Temporary Inferior Vena Cava Filter

Objective: Casual observation of gluteal region fat thickness on computed tomography (CT) of the pelvis leads to the hypothesis that, in some individuals, intended intramuscular injections are not properly deposited in the gluteal muscle. We gathered and analyzed data to determine whether this hypothesis was true. Methods: CT scans of the pelvis were analyzed over an 18-day period in the fall of 2005. The thickness of gluteal region subcutaneous fat was measured in a standardized manner. Results: Measurement of gluteal region subcutaneous fat thickness was performed for 298 pelvic CT scans. There were 150 male subjects and 148 female subjects. The average gluteal fat thickness for female subjects was 33.2 mm, whereas the average for male subjects was 23.1 mm. Analysis revealed a significant difference in gluteal region fat thickness between male and female subjects. A 37-mm needle, allowing for 6-mm penetration of the gluteal muscle, would not have entered the gluteal muscle fibres in 81 of 148 female subjects (54.7%), in 21 of 150 male subjects (14%), and in 102 of the 298 total sample (34.2%). Analysis revealed a significant difference between male and female subjects with regard to gluteal muscle needle penetration. Conclusion and Recommendation: An overall predicted failure rate of 34% was identified for intended gluteal intramuscular injections when the standard technique was used. This is important information for care providers who inject medications in the gluteal region. In a significant number of patients, the medications will be injected subcutaneously and not into the gluteal musculature, possibly altering the pharmacokinetics of the administered medication. An alternative injection site should probably be chosen to increase the success rate of intramuscular deposition of medications and vaccines in unselected adults.

Brent Burbridge

Papers

Respiratory function after cardiac surgery.

LGM (Vena Tech) vena caval filter: experience at a single institution.

Preliminary Clinical Experience with the Gunther Temporary Inferior Vena Cava Filter

Computed tomographic measurement of gluteal subcutaneous fat thickness in reference to failure of gluteal intramuscular injections.

Incorporation of the Gunther temporary inferior vena cava filter into the caval wall.