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Biomedical subjects

G Noon

Publications and source records attributed to G Noon.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

End-stage cardiac failure in a morbidly obese patient treated by biliopancreatic diversion and cardiac transplantation.

A 57-year-old 132-kg female (BMI 48.6) with end-stage cardiac failure is presented. Because of a progressive cardiomyopathy, the patient required a heart transplant. However, before receiving the transplant, major weight loss was deemed to be mandatory. Supervised dieting had manifestly failed, and thus a highly effective weight-reducing operation, biliopancreatic diversion, was performed. This resulted in a weight loss of 50.4 kg in 9 months. She then underwent successful cardiac transplantation, and progressed well for several months. She then developed severe psychiatric depression, withheld her medications and developed a lethal acute rejection phenomenon.

Biliopancreatic Diversion↗

Relation of the contractile reserve of hibernating myocardium to myocardial structure in humans.

BACKGROUND: Although dobutamine echocardiography (DE) is widely used to assess myocardial viability in humans, little is known about the relation between contractile reserve and myocardial structure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 20 patients with coronary disease (64+/-13 years old, ejection fraction 28+/-7.5%) with DE (up to 40 micrograms . kg(-1). min(-1)), rest-redistribution (201)Tl single photon emission CT, and quantitative angiography before bypass surgery. During surgery, patients underwent transmural myocardial biopsies (n=37) guided by transesophageal echocardiography to determine the extent of interstitial fibrosis and intracellular and interstitial proteins by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Among the 37 segments biopsied, 16 recovered function as assessed 2 to 3 months later. Segments with postoperative functional recovery had more wall thickening at low-dose DE (28% versus 3%, P<0.001), higher thallium uptake (69% versus 48%, P=0.03), and less interstitial fibrosis (2% versus 28%, P<0.001). Quantitative angiographic parameters did not predict recovery of function. Segments with DE viability (contractile reserve and/or ischemia) had less fibrosis (2.7% versus 28%, P<0.001), less vimentin and fibronectin (both P<0.01), more glycogen (P=0.016), and higher thallium uptake (64% versus 35.5%, P<0.05) than those without viability. Viable segments by both DE and thallium had less fibrosis (1%) than those viable by 1 of the 2 techniques (9%) or not viable by both (28%, P=0.005). Thickening at low-dose DE correlated well with the extent of interstitial fibrosis (r=-0.83, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Contractile reserve during DE correlates inversely with the extent of interstitial fibrosis and the amount of fibronectin and vimentin and directly with rest-redistribution thallium uptake.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗

Bronchiolitis obliterans in recipients of single, double, and heart-lung transplantation.

Thirty-two recipients of single, double, or heart-lung transplantation followed-up for at least 3 months posttransplant were retrospectively reviewed to assess the frequency, predictors, and risk factors associated with the development of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). A clinical definition for the diagnosis of BO was made using the following criteria: persistent and progressive decline in FEF25-75, associated with normal results of cytologic and microbiologic studies for significant pathogens in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, with a normal chest radiograph. This was correlated with histologic diagnosis and patient outcome. Sixteen (50%) of the patients developed BO, and this was associated with a 56% mortality. All but 1 patient with histologic BO had a clinical diagnosis of BO made (often months) prior to diagnostic biopsy. No patients with normal histologic findings had a clinical diagnosis of BO. More than 3 episodes of histologically documented acute rejections in any 12-month period were eventually associated with a 100% incidence of BO. Cytomegalovirus occurred with greater frequency in patients with BO, and in most cases, preceded or occurred concomitantly with the diagnosis of acute rejection or BO.

Adolescent↗

Left and right pump output control in one-piece electromechanical total artificial heart.

Left master alternate (LMA) ejection control based on the left pump fill method was implemented for a one-piece electromechanical total artificial heart (TAH). The TAH consists of left and right pusher-plate-type blood pumps sandwiching a compact electromechanical actuator comprising a direct current (DC) brushless motor and a planetary roller screw. The motor rotation is controlled on the basis of the roller-screw position as detected by a Hall effect sensor and a commutation pulse counting method. Since the pusher-plate shaft and roller screw are decoupled during filling, both pumps fill passively with the right and left atrial pressure. To obtain response to the right atrial pressure change in the LMA mode, the left fill trigger level as detected by a Hall effect position sensor is adjusted to operate the pump at a higher rate and to drive the right pump at 85-90% of the full stroke level. The in vitro evaluation demonstrated that this method can respond to right atrial pressure changes provided that the right pump is operated at less than the full stroke level. When the preload is high and the right pump goes into full stroke operation, the left eject level can be decreased to run the pump at a higher rate and to transfer more blood from the right to the left. In the in vivo evaluation, which lasted 1 week in a 95 kg calf, the left and right atrial pressures were kept within physiological ranges.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

An accurate, nontraumatic ultrasonic method to monitor myocardial wall thickening in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Measurement of systolic wall thickening by sonomicrometry provides an accurate index of regional left ventricular function, but the trauma of crystal insertion limits its widespread clinical use. The first clinical application of a 10 MHz ultrasonic Doppler probe that can be either sutured or applied by suction to the epicardium and can measure wall thickening at any depth of the left ventricular wall is described. In 18 dogs, measurements obtained with the suction probe correlated well (r = 0.97) with those of a previously validated sutured probe. To assess clinical feasibility, the probe was applied to the epicardium of patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. Good quality wall thickening signals were obtained with no complications. Transmural left ventricular thickening fraction before bypass surgery was 34 +/- 3% (mean value +/- SE) at the mid-ventricular lateral wall, 33 +/- 4% at the anterior basal wall and 26 +/- 4% at the mid-ventricular posterior wall. Right ventricular thickening fraction averaged 25 +/- 3%. Endocardial thickening fraction tended to exceed epicardial thickening fraction, although the difference attained statistical significance (p less than 0.05) only at the anterior basal wall. On average, thickening fraction during the immediate postoperative period remained unchanged compared with the preoperative values, but a marked individual variability was observed, with 7 of 15 patients exhibiting a decrease and 8 an increase. Exteriorization of the wires attached to the sutured probe allowed continuous in situ monitoring of wall thickening in the postoperative period and subsequent removal of the probe. In six patients the crystal was left in place for 48 to 72 h after surgery and then removed without complications; good wall thickening signals were obtained for the entire period during which the probe was implanted. Thus, the Doppler probe is an accurate, atraumatic method for measuring right and left ventricular regional function. Transmural, endocardial and epicardial function can be mapped at various sites during surgery, and post-operatively one can monitor serial changes of regional function and assess the effects of cardioplegia and other therapeutic interventions. This technique should be useful for both investigative and clinical purposes.

Adult↗

On suicide.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Death↗

A unique, efficient, implantable, electromechanical, total artificial heart.

A completely implantable, one piece electromechanical total artificial heart (TAH) intended for permanent human use was developed. It consisted of left and right conically shaped pusher-plate blood pumps sandwiching a thin centerpiece with a compact, efficient electromechanical actuator. The actuator consisted of a direct current brushless motor; a planetary roller screw fit the space between the two conically shaped pusher-plates. The rotational motion of the motor was converted to the rectilinear motion of the rollerscrew to displace the left and right pusher-plates in the left master alternate mode. The diameter of the assembled TAH was 97 mm, with a central thickness of 82 mm. The overall weight was 620 g, with a displaced volume of 510 ml. The pump provided flows of 3-8 L/min with a preload of 1-15 mmHg against an afterload of 100 mmHg. The net efficiency ranged from 15% to 18%. This model showed good fit in the pericardial space of heart transplant recipients (body weight, 77 kg).

Cardiac Output↗