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Objectives: To study the effect of two protamine-dosing strategies on activated clotting time (ACT) and thromboelastography (TEG)., Background: Protamine dosage based on neutralizing heparin present in the combined estimated blood volumes (EBVs) of the patient and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) pump may result in excess protamine and contributes toward a coagulopathy that can be detected by ACT and TEG in pediatric patients., Methods: A total of 100 pediatric patients 1 month to ≤5 years of age undergoing CPB were included in this retrospective before/after design study. Combined-EBV group consisted of 50 consecutive patients whose protamine dose was calculated to neutralize heparin in the combined EBVs of the patient and the pump. Pt-EBV group consisted of the next 50 consecutive patients whose protamine dose was calculated to neutralize heparin in the patient's EBV., Results: Baseline and postprotamine ACTs were similar between groups. Postprotamine heparin assay (Hepcon) showed the absence of residual heparin in both groups. Postprotamine kaolin-heparinase TEG showed that R was prolonged by 7.5 min in the Combined-EBV group compared with the Pt-EBV group (mean R of 20.17 vs. 12.4 min, respectively, P < 0.001). Increasing doses of protamine were associated with a corresponding, but nonlinear increase in R. There was no significant difference in the changes for K, alpha, and MA between the groups., Conclusion: Automated protamine titration with a protamine dosage based on Pt-EBV can adequately neutralize heparin as assessed by ACT while minimizing prolonging clot initiation time as measured by TEG., (© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Modern technologic advances in medicine have allowed commonly used machines to perform safely with very low risk and a high degree of success. To detect or prevent potential malfunctions, professionals routinely perform pre-use checks for equipment such as anesthesia machines and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machines. These machine checklists are not only critical for a safe operation but also have large impacts on outcomes. For example, when malfunctions are encountered that could have potential negative ramifications or adverse outcomes, multi-approach strategies should be used to identify rectifiable causes and find solutions that are practical. This information can be used to promulgate safe practice guidelines. This case report identifies a machine-based contributing factor to precipitous hypoxia on initiation of bypass in one of our patients. After a detailed approach to identify preventable root causes, we made simple additions to our pre-bypass checklist and recommend these changes to other institutions.

Background: There are no established criteria to decide suitability for Fontan fenestration closure. Our institution has the following criteria: an unobstructed Fontan pathway with no significant decompressing venovenous collaterals, baseline Fontan pressure ≤15 mmHg, baseline cardiac index ≥2 L/min/m², and a decrease in cardiac index ≤20% with test occlusion of the fenestration. Objective: The objective of the study was to review midterm outcomes following device closure of Fontan fenestration using institutional criteria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent catheterization with prior fenestrated Fontan procedure between May 2005 and January 2015. Patients were classified as those who underwent successful closure (A), had closure deferred due to failure to meet criteria (B), or were not referred for closure (C). Results: There were 42 patients in Group A, 10 in Group B, and 150 in Group C. The mean Fontan pressure increased from 13.1 ± 2.1 to 14.5 ± 2.1mmHg in Group A and 14.6 ± 1.5 to 15.7 ± 2.2 mmHg in Group B (P = not significant). With test occlusion, cardiac index fell by 18.12% ± 15.68% in Group A and 33.75% ± 14.98% in Group B (P = 0.019). At a median of 46 month follow up, oxygen saturation increased significantly from 85.15% ± 6.29% at baseline to 94.6% ± 4.43% (P < 0.001) in Group A but with no statistically significant difference in the rates of plastic bronchitis, protein losing enteropathy, stroke, or heart transplantation between the three groups. Conclusions: Using institutional criteria, transcatheter device closure of Fontan fenestration was followed by significant increase in oxygen saturations and no statistically significant difference in morbidity or mortality between closure and nonclosure groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary We report a 3-year-old girl who presented with Scimitar syndrome and underwent hypothermic circulatory arrest for correction of anomalous pulmonary veins and an atrial septal defect. In this case the Bispectral Index (BIS) correlated significantly with the gradual onset of hypothermia and circulatory arrest. However, BIS remained low during the rewarming phase of cardiopulmonary bypass, in spite of adequate pump flows and stable haemodynamics. We postulate that this significant lag in BIS during the rewarming phase of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest may represent neuronal bewilderment or perhaps stunning, and differs from previous studies that show significant increase in BIS during rewarming from mild hypothermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]