Search

The experience of the use of noninvasive assisted circulation in patients with cardiac pathology is summarized. It has been demonstrated that rhythmic pneumo-compression of the lower extremities, abdominal compression, muscular electrical stimulation of the lower extremities and the abdomen have a pronounced effect on circulation compartments with low pressure. All the above pre-determines the role of these techniques in the management of cardiac failure and in intensive care.

Studies of the lesser circulation hemodynamics in 150 patients with dilatation cardiomyopathy and in 15 after heart transplantation revealed secondary postcapillary pulmonary hypertension of more than 60 mm Hg in cases with dilatation cardiomyopathy with systolic pressure in the pulmonary artery (SPPA) in 30% of patients, transpulmonary gradient (TPG) of more than 15 mm Hg and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) or more than 4 Wood's U in 15.3% of patients. Two stages of pulmonary hypertension in dilatation cardiomyopathy should be singled out: I with SPPA of 60 mm Hg, TPG of 15 mm Hg, and PVR of less than 4 Wood's U, and II with SPPA of more than 60 mm Hg, TPG of more than 15 mm Hg, and PVR of more than 4 Wood's U. Orthotopic transplantation of the heart is indicated for patients with Stage I pulmonary hypertension. For patients with Stage II condition prolonged inotropic and vasodilator therapy is necessary, and if it fails, heterotopic transplantation of the heart or transplantation of the heart and lungs should be resorted to. The basic characteristics of the lesser circulation reflecting the reversibility of pulmonary circulation disorders are SPPA, TPG, and PVR. Failure of prolonged inotropic vasodilator therapy may be indicative of irreversible injury to pulmonary vessels. Lesser circulation hemodynamics usually normalizes a month after heart transplantation. If TPG is less than 15 mm Hg and PVR less than 2 Wood's U, the incidence of reversible posttransplantation right-ventricular insufficiency depends on SPPA pretransplantation level. Mortality because of right-ventricular insufficiency was 8.33%. One-year survival after heart transplantation is related to preoperative TPG and PVR values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The authors propose a design of an axial shovel pump for extracorporeal circulation. They show how to introduce it into various cardiovascular segments and make a comparative assessment of its efficacy in relation to the type and severity of heart failure, surgical access, and treatment policy.

Intraoperative hemodynamics has been studied during orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) in 36 recipients, aged 14 to 56 years, with spontaneous contractions of the graft. It has been established that patients with HR greater than 110 beats per min were in most cases characterized by normal central venous pressure (CVP) and venous blood oxygenation parameters. In lower HR, CVP is considerably higher and the indexes characteristic of the adequacy of cardiac output to body oxygen requirements are deteriorated. Right after OHT there is a reverse dependence between HR and CVP, with the lowest CVP values corresponding to HR intervals 101-120 and 121-140 per min. It has been concluded that tachycardia in the intraoperative period ensures a more effective function of the transplanted heart.

The article discusses the results of surgical treatment of patients suffering from ischemic heart disease with extensive cicatricial affections of the myocardium and circulatory insufficiency. Thirteen patients of group I were treated by various reconstructive operations (resection of an aneurysm, formation of an aortocoronary shunt, septoplasty), 10 patients of group 2 underwent orthotopic heart transplantation. Perioperative and long-term (up to 3 years) mortality rates were, respectively, 7.6 and 8% in group I and, respectively, 30% and zero in group 2. The unfavorable prognosis of survival and medicamentous therapy in such patients, the lack of donors, and the acceptable results of reconstructive operations are evidence that they should be undertaken whenever possible. The main criteria of the selection of patients for a reconstructive operation are the values of regional contractility of the left ventricle, the severity of the dystrophic processes in the preserved segments, and the condition of the coronary arteries.

The first clinical experience of anesthesiological management during 6 orthotopic liver transplantations (5 primary operations and 1 retransplantation) in 2 males and 3 females, aged 20 to 52 years, is presented. The method of general anesthesia is described--the use of veno-venous bypass without systemic heparinization and rapid infusion system. Hemodynamic, temperature, metabolic and coagulologic homeostasis disturbances are analysed at different stages of orthotopic liver transplantation, especially upon reperfusion of the donor organ. The tactics of infusion-transfusion therapy, as well as correction of electrolyte disturbances and blood coagulation disorders are being discussed. Different intraoperative complications are characterized. It is concluded that anesthesiological management of liver transplantations is one of the most complex problems of modern anesthesiology which takes joint effort of a large team of specialists: surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusiologists, transfusiologists, and laboratory assistants specializing in different areas.

The work analyses infectious complications after 35 orthotopic transplantations of the heart. The infectious complications are divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 6 patients with local complications. Group 2 was made up of 8 patients who died from bacterial infectious complications (mediastinitis 3, sepsis 2), from miliary tuberculosis of the lungs 1, cytomegaloviral infection 1, and systemic candidiasis 1.

Three cases of chronic rejection occurring 7.5, 10, and 24 months after transplantation of the heart are analysed. The clinical features of chronic rejection in the late-term periods after transplantation of the heart are discussed. The problems of clinical diagnosis of chronic rejection, the role of endomyocardial biopsy and disorders of lipid metabolism are dealt with. Tactics of saving the patient are recommended. The authors substantiate the necessity for heart retransplantation and, in the absence of a donor's heart, for two-stage transplantation of the heart through an artificial heart or a biventricular approach by means of artificial heart ventricles.

Experiments were conducted on 26 mongrel dogs and 10 calves to evaluate the effect of uni- and biventricular bypass created by means of artificial heart ventricle on hemodynamics in acute cardiovascular insufficiency (ACVI) and heart arrest (HA). The use of unilateral right-ventricular (RVB) and left-ventricular bypass (LVB) was shown to be equivocal: in sufficient functional reserve of the left-ventricular myocardium the volume blood flow in the aorta was increased to a greater degree by RVB (to 2.1 +/- 0.3 l/min) than by LVB (to 2.0 +/- 0.5 l/min). Experiments during HA allowed the authors to evaluate selectively the bypasses in maintenance of the systemic blood flow. It was found that in univentricular bypass the other half of the heart had an effect on hemodynamics, which depended on the initial hemodynamic parameters of the divisions of circulation with high and low pressure, the filling of the heart cavities with blood, and the effect produced through the interventricular septum. The increase of the volume blood flow in the aorta in RVB to 0.6 +/- 0.1 l/min is linked to a great measure by the authors with the conducted artificial ventilation of the lungs. It was noted that the greatest difficulties in maintaining the systemic blood flow in ACVI were associated with the development of disproportion of the contractile function of the right and left parts of the heart. With consideration for this circumstance, the indications for univentricular bypass are determined. A clinical case with prolonged use of LVB (8 days) is discussed.

The article analyses the first clinical experience in orthotopic allotransplantation of the heart at the Scientific Research Institute of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, USSR Ministry of Health, in the period from October, 1986 to July, 1989 (26 transplantations of the heart and one two-stage transplantation of the heart with the use of "Poisk-10M" artificial heart for 3.5 days in the first stage). Eleven patients are alive. Follow-up periods: maximum over 2.5 years, minimum 3 months. Sixteen patients died in different periods (up to 12 months). Three-component therapy (cyclosporine A, methylprednisolone, azathioprine) was applied for immunosuppression. The authors analyse the problems of the selection of potential recipients (indications and contraindications) and donor, the optimum surgical techniques, complications of immunosuppressive therapy, and infectious complications. The first clinical experience in two-stage transplantation of the heart is analysed. The first experience in transplantation of the heart in patients allows the conclusion that the use of this method for the management of the terminal stage of congestive cardiac insufficiency is a reality.

The article discusses the results of applying for the first time Soviet-made "Modul" and "Yasen" artificial ventricles of the heart (AVH) in a left ventricular bypass regimen in patients with refractory cardiac insufficiency. Improvement of AVH design and rational tactics of attendant drug therapy allowed the period of the safe application of the AVH in the organism to be increased to more than 8 days.

The article deals with the first experience in the USSR in using the method of mitral valve prosthesis with complete or partial preservation of the subvalvular apparatus. The operation was performed in 10 patients with mitral insufficiency or combined mitral valvular disease of various etiology. The advantages of employing during operation by this method mechanical prostheses with an obturator element which changes its position are pointed out. Only one patient needed inotropic support in the postoperative period. There were neither complications nor fatal outcomes.

The authors developed an artificial liver apparatus that comprised 2 running classifiers of blood or one running classifier and mass exchanger. The functionally active link of the apparatus is a suspension of living isolated xenohepatocytes obtained from the liver of pigs weighing 18-20 kg by a combined enzymatic and mechanical procedure. More than 100 in vivo laboratory experiments and 30 operations were performed in 20 patients with acute and chronic hepatic failure. Three patients died, the remaining showed significantly better biochemical parameters of blood and full recovery or stable remission.