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Biomedical subjects

A Saxena

Publications and source records attributed to A Saxena.

386 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

Thrombolytic therapy in infants for femoral artery thrombosis following cardiac catheterisation.

Little information is available on the use of thromobolytic therapy in infants for femoral artery thrombosis after cardiac catheterisation. We report 12 cases (mean age: 4 months; range: 1-9 months) who received intravenous streptokinase (3000 U/kg bolus, 1000 U/kg/h) infusion. Five of them had undergone transarterial balloon dilatation procedures. Streptokinase was administered 48 h after catheterisation and continued for 4-20 h (mean 11.5 h). No detailed haematologic monitoring was done during therapy. Distal pulses were restored in all the patients. No complications were seen except a minor local ooze in two patients. We found that intravenous streptokinase is a safe and effective therapy for femoral artery thrombosis following cardiac catheterisation in infants.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

Right ventricle to pulmonary artery connections.

From March 1988 through June 1995, 80 patients underwent repair for right ventricle (RV) to pulmonary artery (PA) discontinuity. Of these, 30 patients received homograft conduits, while the remaining 50 underwent repair without the use of a homograft. Handmade pericardial valved vascutek conduits (n = 18), non-valved vascutek tubes (n = 13) and non-conduit procedures like the rev operation (n = 12) and extended pericardial gusset (n = 5) were mainly used. The indications for repair for RV-PA discontinuity included ventricular septal defect with pulmonary atresia (VSD PA) (n = 36), truncus arteriosus (n = 18), ventricular septal defect with pulmonary and major aorto-pulmonary collaterals (VSD PA MAPCA) with staged repair (n = 5), congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries with ventricular septal defect and pulmonic stenosis (CCTGA VSD PS) (n = 5) and double outlet left ventricle with ventricular septal defect and pulmonic stenosis (DOLV VSD PS) (n = 5). The choice of the procedure was governed by various factors, including type of cardiac defect, pulmonary artery pressure and morphology, previous operation, socio-economic constraints and availability of appropriate sized homografts. Non-circuit operations may prevent future reoperations in these patients.

Adolescent↗

Serial echocardiography in transplanted heart: an initial report of five cases.

Role of echocardiography including Doppler is established in selection of donor and in the care of patients after cardiac transplantation. Its value for recognition of transplant rejection is however still evolving. We present here, serial echocardiographic findings in five male patients, aged 22 to 46 years who underwent cardiac transplantation at our institution. There was no appreciable change on follow-up in the left ventricular dimensions, thickness of left ventricular posterior wall and interventricular septum and left ventricular systolic function. Transient pericardial effusion was noted in two patients. Trivial to mild mitral and tricuspid regurgitation was observed. The diastolic function of the left ventricle, as assessed by mitral valve inflow wave pattern, was normal in four patients. However in the fifth patient, there was evidence of diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle and this change was accompanied by rejection episode (IIIB changes) in the endomyocardial biopsy. With resolution of rejection in biopsy, the diastolic function by Doppler also returned to normal. We conclude that echocardiography has a definite role in the general care of patients after cardiac transplantation. Transient small pericardial effusion and mild atrioventricular valve regurgitation are common after the operation. Echocardiography may also be of use in recognition of rejection episode by demonstrating evidence of diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle. Currently, endomyocardial biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis of rejection.

Adult↗

Balloon dilatation of simple aortic coarctation in neonates and infants.

Twenty-one infants with isolated native coarctation of aorta (mean age 4.73 +/- 2.85 months, range 15 days-12 months) underwent balloon dilatation in the last seven years at our institute. Seven of them were less than three months and 14 were older than three months. The procedure was successful in relieving the coarctation (gradient < 20 mm Hg) in five of seven (71%) infants up to three months and 12 of 14 (86%) above three months. Peak systolic gradients decreased from 70.8 +/- 20.1 to 14.5 +/- 11 mm Hg in the younger infants and from 47.7 +/- 11.7 to 11.4 +/- 9.9 mm Hg in infants above three months. Post-dilatation angiogram showed the coarctation segment to be equal to the isthmus in both the groups, 0.96 +/- 0.14 and 0.96 +/- 0.12 respectively. One three months old infant died immediately after a successful dilatation possibly due to coronary embolism, and another neonate died a few days later of unrelated pre-existing septicemia. Left ventricular function improved in all the infants with depressed preprocedure ejection fraction. Restenosis defined as peak instantaneous echo-Doppler gradient above 20 mm Hg with a significant narrowing on two-dimensional echocardiography occurred in all the five infants up to three months over a period of 1 to 12 months. Follow-up information over a period of 4 to 24 months was available in 11 of 14 older infants of which three had restenosis. Gradients progressively increased in all the four infants (2 of either group) with an initial partially successful result. A small isthmus relative to the descending thoracic aorta at diaphragm is an important predictor of restenosis/inadequate result. This discrepancy was seen much more in smaller infants, post-dilatation coarctation index being 0.68 +/- 0.11 vs 0.81 +/- 0.16 (p = 0.07). Four of the infants underwent a repeat successful dilatation. Balloon dilatation is safe and effective in infants above three months of age. In infants up to three months the procedure is feasible and leads to improvement in left ventricular function, but restenosis occurs rapidly in all of them.

Aorta, Thoracic↗