cardiothoracic

Carcinoid syndrome is most commonly caused by an overproduction of hormones from metastatic midgut tumors and is characterized by diarrhea, flushing, hypotension, and increased airway reactivity. Roughly half of these cases also have carcinoid...

Myxomas are the most common primary, benign cardiac tumors occurring. They typically occur in middle-aged adults with a higher incidence in women. Most commonly, myxomas are located in the left atrium (LA). Large myxomas...

A left ventricular (LV) pseudoaneurysm is an LV outpouching devoid of myocardium/endocardium contained by the pericardium and adhesions. As one can imagine, this pathology carries a high risk of rupture and mortality. LV pseudoaneurysms...

As a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, hemostasis, coagulopathy, and blood salvation are important considerations in the operations I'm involved with. Cell Saver is one technique our perfusion team routinely utilizes to facilitate blood conservation. Blood loss...

Aorta-esophageal fistula is an abnormal communication between the aorta and esophagus leading to life-threatening exsanguination via the GI tract. This can be caused by procedures (e.g., weeks following cardiac arrhythmia ablation), malignancy, foreign body,...

As a cardiothoracic (CT) intensive care unit (ICU) physician, knowing how to balance resuscitation with inotrope and vasopressor support is a large part of my job. For patients on post-operative days (POD) 0 or...

The left ventricle’s (LV) variously arranged muscle fibers twist and contract during systole, storing potential energy as blood is ejected (imagine wringing water out of a towel). This stored energy is released in diastole:...

Retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) is a neuroprotective technique originally described in the early 1990s to deliver cold, oxygenated blood via the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit to the cerebral vasculature by way of the superior...