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Biomedical subjects

W W Pinsky

Publications and source records attributed to W W Pinsky.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Exercise performance after repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery.

Eleven patients underwent exercise testing after operative repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. Five patients repaired after 2 years of age comprised a childhood surgery group, and six patients repaired before 2 years of age comprised an infant surgery group. All patients were exercised using either a treadmill or electronically braked bicycle with simultaneous thallium 201 scintigraphy. Oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, pulmonary functions, and electrocardiogram were all monitored continuously. Pulmonary reserve was normal in all patients. Based on heart rate reserve, respiratory exchange ratio, and oxygen-consumption response to work load, two patients in the infant surgery group stopped exercise before achieving maximum aerobic capacity. All remaining patients achieved their maximum aerobic capacity. There was no difference in work rate or oxygen consumption during exercise between the infant and childhood surgical group. Four patients (two in each surgical group) had an impaired chronotropic response to exercise. Three of these four patients demonstrated perfusion defects by thallium scintigraphy. Thallium scintigraphy was normal in all remaining patients. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were noted in seven of 11 patients having ventricular arrhythmias or ST segment depression. It is concluded from this study that exercise performance after repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is not affected by the age at which surgery is performed. Exercise is frequently associated with electrocardiographic evidence of abnormal myocardial perfusion despite frequently negative simultaneous 201Tl scintigraphy.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

Down's syndrome, complete atrioventricular canal, and pulmonary vascular obstructive disease.

We reviewed our experience over a 10-year period to determine whether children with Down's syndrome and complete atrioventricular canal develop pulmonary vascular obstructive disease earlier than children with normal chromosomes and this defect. Comparisons were made between Down's syndrome and normal chromosome children regarding (1) pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary vascular resistance at initial catheterization, (2) operability as related to elevation in pulmonary vascular resistance, and (3) age at diagnosis of fixed pulmonary vascular obstructive disease. The 45 patients with Down's syndrome catheterized under 1 year of age had a lower mean pulmonary blood flow (3.2 versus 5.7; p = 0.0001) and higher mean pulmonary vascular resistance (8.3 versus 4.6 Wood units.m2; p = 0.0003) than their 34 normal chromosome counterparts. When all ages were included, 38 of 81 (47%) of the children with Down's syndrome and 32 of 40 (80%) of the normal children were considered operable. Non-Down's syndrome patients who had operations had a higher pulmonary blood flow (5.8 versus 3.3; p = 0.004) and lower pulmonary vascular resistance (3.6 versus 6.0 Wood units.m2; p = 0.005) than Down's syndrome patients. Of the 34 patients who did not have operations because of pulmonary vascular obstructive disease, 31 had Down's syndrome. In 10 of 81 children with Down's syndrome, fixed pulmonary vascular obstructive disease was diagnosed before the age of 1 year, while this was found in none of 40 normal children. Our data demonstrate that Down's syndrome patients with complete atrioventricular canal have a greater degree of elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance in the first year of life and more rapid progression to fixed pulmonary vascular obstructive disease than children with normal chromosomes.

Adolescent↗

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the circulatory support of children after repair of congenital heart disease.

We have treated 39 infants and children with congenital heart disease with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during the past 5 years. Thirty-six were treated for low cardiac output or pulmonary vasoreactive crisis after repair of congenital heart defects. Twenty-two (61%) survived. Most patients were cannulated from the neck via the right internal jugular vein and the right common carotid artery. Six patients were cannulated from the chest, including three who had separate drainage of the left side of the heart with a left atrial cannula. Two of these patients survived and were the only survivors of the nine patients cannulated in the operating room because they could not be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass after open cardiac operations. We also reviewed 312 patients (the predictor study series) having open cardiac operations before the availability of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; 27 of these patients died. Data were collected at 1 and 8 hours postoperatively to determine if any parameters might predict early mortality. With these parameters used as criteria, patients who went on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were as sick as those who died before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was available. The most common complication was bleeding related to heparinization. The mean transfusion requirement in survivors was 1.50 +/- 1.13 ml/kg/hr, 5.63 +/- 7.0 ml/kg/hr in the nonsurvivors, and 7.46 +/- 8.29 ml/kg/hr in those cannulated in the operating room because they could not be weaned from bypass. Four children had intracranial hemorrhage, and two of them died. There was one late death. Nine of the 22 survivors are entirely normal. All survivors who do not have Down's syndrome are considered to have normal central nervous system function. We conclude that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can improve survival in patients with both pulmonary artery hypertension and low cardiac output after operations for congenital heart disease.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Intracardiac teratoma in a newborn.

Primary tumors of the heart are infrequent at all ages. We present a newborn with hypoxia and a heart murmur, in whom an echocardiogram revealed a large tumor filling the right ventricle and the pulmonary annulus. To maintain pulmonary blood flow, the patency of the ductus arteriosus was achieved by infusion of prostaglandin E1. Successful surgical resection was accomplished. The pathological examination was characteristic of a benign teratoma. The patient remains asymptomatic and has shown no evidence of recurrence of the tumor during a follow-up period of 34 months. This represents the eleventh case of intracardiac teratoma and only the fourth case to undergo successful surgical resection.

Echocardiography↗

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma in two children.

The clinical and pathological features of primary pulmonary artery sarcoma in two children are reported. The first patient presented with right ventricular outflow obstruction and underwent successful surgical resection of his tumor. The second patient developed cardiac arrest following a relatively short period of symptoms of right heart failure and could not be revived. The pathological diagnosis in both patients was hemangiopericytoma. To the best of our knowledge, primary pulmonary artery sarcoma in children has not been previously reported.

Adolescent↗

Improvement of left ventricular dysfunction after control of persistent tachycardia.

Five children are described who had persistent, chronic tachycardia and left ventricular dysfunction manifested by decreased left ventricular percent fractional shortening on echocardiogram (five patients) cardiomegaly on chest roentgenogram (three), ventricular or atrial hypertrophy on ECG (three), and symptoms of congestive heart failure (three). After antidysrhythmia therapy and control of the tachycardia, signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure resolved in two infants. Moreover, in each patient signs of cardiomegaly resolved on chest roentgenogram, hypertrophy resolved on ECG, and the fractional shortening improved to normal (mean 20.2% +/- 2.4% SEM before vs 36.2% +/- 2.4%, P = 0.02, after treatment). Evaluation in the child who has dilated cardiomyopathy should include assessment of heart rate and rhythm. Moreover, when persistent tachycardia is found in an asymptomatic child, evaluation of left ventricular function is indicated.

Adolescent↗

Sustained ventricular tachycardia after repair of tetralogy of Fallot: new electrophysiologic findings.

Ventricular arrhythmia originating from the outflow tract of the right ventricle is a presumed cause of late sudden death in patients after repair of tetralogy of Fallot. Exercise testing has been shown to enhance detection, and phenytoin has been shown to control ventricular arrhythmias in these patients. This study reports new findings in 3 patients who underwent electrophysiologic studies at postoperative cardiac catheterization; in each, sustained ventricular tachycardia was induced and found to originate from the inflow-septal area of the right ventricle. Using serial studies, the same sustained ventricular tachycardia was induced during therapeutic serum concentrations of phenytoin but not after propranolol. No patient had ventricular arrhythmia during a 24-hour electrocardiogram or during exercise. Although no patient had normal hemodynamic function, only 1 patient had right ventricular pressure greater than two-thirds systemic pressure. Each patient had undergone initial intracardiac repair at a relatively late age (3, 9, and 9 years).

Adolescent↗

Continuous enteral feedings. An important adjunct to the management of complex congenital heart disease.

Eleven infants with complex congenital heart lesions were given continuous enteral infusions after failure to gain weight adequately despite use of hypercaloric formulas and nutritional supplementation. Formulas used before institution of enteral feedings were continued. Dietary and caloric intake and weight measurements were obtained at weekly or monthly intervals. Both mean daily caloric intake and mean daily weight gain were greater after initiation of continuous enteral feedings. Rate of weight gain improved in all 11 children after institution of enteral feedings. Continuous enteral feeding increases weight gain in babies with complex congenital heart disease, allowing earlier and safer surgical intervention.

Body Weight↗

Diagnosis, management, and long-term results of patients with congenital complete atrioventricular block.

Sixty-five patients with congenital complete atrioventricular block have been studied. The median age at time of diagnosis was 7 months with 26 infants being diagnosed prior to 1 month of age. Anatomic heart disease was present in 25/65 (39%) infants, with ventricular inversion/L-transposition of great arteries complex occurring in 20/25 infants (80%). The site of block was above the bundle of His in 11 of 18 (61%) patients studied, in the bundle of His in three of 18 (17%), and below the bundle of His in two of 18 (11%). Permanent pacemakers were implanted in 17 (26%). Ten patients (15%) have died. The highest risk was in patients with anatomic heart disease and patients diagnosed early in life.

Adolescent↗

Myocardial protection from ischemic arrest: potassium and verapamil cardioplegia.

Prolonged normothermic myocardial ischemic arrest results in myocardial dysfunction. This study has investigated the technique of preserving myocardial function by a single bolus intracoronary infusion of combination potassium and verapamil at the onset of ischemic arrest. Sixty-one dogs underwent cardiopulmonary bypass with 60 min of ischemic arrest: 25 received no myocardial protection, 12 received a single intracoronary bolus of KCl, 12 received combination verapamil and KCl, and 12 received verapamil alone. Following the ischemic arrest, hearts protected by combination of potassium and verapamil demonstrated better survival evidenced by the ability of all 12 dogs to resume normal hemodynamic function. The hemodynamic function in the combination potassium and verapamil group also demonstrated better cardiac output, left ventricular dF/dt, and myocardial segment shortening than survivors in the other groups. Subsarcolemmal (SSL) and intermyofibrillar IMF) mitochondria were isolated from these hearts and function evaluated. NADH-linked oxygen consumption was impaired as was calcium transport in the SSL from unprotected ischemic hearts. Intermyofibrillar mitochondria were not different from control or sham. The hearts protected by verapamil and potassium demonstrated normal mitochondrial function.

Animals↗

Thallium-201 myocardial perfusion imaging in infants and children. Value in distinguishing anomalous left coronary artery from congestive cardiomyopathy.

In infants and children, anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (ALCA) from the pulmonary artery may be difficult to distinguish from congestive cardiomyopathy (CCM) of other causes. We performed thallium-201 myocardial perfusion imaging in seven children with ALCA and in nine with CCM to study the usefulness of this technique in distinguishing between these lesions. Localized abnormalities of thallium uptake were present in each of the seven patients with ALCA, including two asymptomatic 4-year-old children. Thallium distribution was normal in five patients with CCM, diffusely irregular in three, and was absent in the lateral and posterobasal portions of the left ventricle in one patient. We conclude that thallium-201 imaging is a sensitive noninvasive method of detecting ALCA. However, perfusion abnormalities are not limited to patients with coronary artery abnormalities, and may be present in patients with myocardial ischemia or infarction of other causes.

Child, Preschool↗