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Extreme haemodilution occurring with cardiopulmonary bypass imposes a primary risk factor for blood transfusion in small adult cardiac surgical patients. Priming of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit with patients' own blood [retrograde autologous priming (RAP)] is a technique used to limit haemodilution and reduce transfusion requirements.
Refractory cardiogenic shock is characterized by severe hemodynamic instability with high mortality rate. In most critical patients extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is the only therapy available nowadays that gives a possibility to survive.On these bases we investigated the use of percutaneous veno-arterial ECMO as treatment for cardiogenic shock in our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and tried to define prognostic factors.
The propensity for aortic aneurysm and dissection bestows bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs), the most common congenital cardiac abnormality, a potentially lethal aspect and considerable clinical concern. In the present study, we attempted to better characterize BAV patients with acute type A aortic dissection (AAD).
