Search results for " artificial"

Hyperhomocysteinemia in hemodialysis patients: Is it a risk factor for cardiovascular disease?

2005

Targeting Moderate and Severe Male Stress Urinary Incontinence With Adjustable Male Slings and the Perineal Artificial Urinary Sphincter: Focus on Pe…

2017

Purpose: To analyze perioperative complications and postoperative explantation rates for selected readjustable male sling systems and the perineal single-cuff artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) in a large, contemporary, multi-institutional patient cohort. Methods: Two hundred eighty-two male patients who underwent implantation between 2010 and 2012 in 13 participating institutions were included in the study (n = 127 adjustable male sling [n = 95 Argus classic, n = 32 Argus T], n = 155 AUS). Perioperative characteristics and postoperative complications were analyzed. The explantation rates of the respective devices were assessed using the Fisher exact test and the Mann-Whitney U-test. A Kapl…

Need to evaluate the performance of real-time PCR assays for the quantitation of cytomegalovirus DNA load in lower respiratory tract specimens

2013

There is an increasing appreciation for the potential clinical value of the quantitation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in the lower respiratory tract in critically ill patients lacking canonical immunosuppression, in view of the possible pathogenic role of CMV in these patients [1]. No data have been published on the analytical performance of real-time PCR assays for this purpose. We present our data on the performance of the COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan CMV PCR Assay (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) for the quantitation of CMV DNA in tracheal aspirates (TA). This CMV PCR assay has been approved recently by the US Food and Drug Administration for use with plasma specimens [2]. We cho…

Therapy with non-invasive ventilation in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: effects on atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype.

2009

Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea are at increased risk of atherosclerotic morbidity and mortality. Abnormalities in lipid metabolism that occur in response to chronic intermittent hypoxia in patients with sleep-disordered breathing may increase the cardiovascular risk in an already susceptible population. Atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype and small, dense LDL have an independent predictive role for future cardio- and cerebro-vascular events in patients with the metabolic syndrome. Therefore, testing the hypothesis that therapy of obstructive sleep apnoea may reduce atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype might have significant clinical implications. We suggest that abolition of obstructive …

The impact of perioperative complications on favorable outcomes after artificial urinary sphincter implantation for post-prostatectomy incontinence

2020

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the effect of perioperative complications involving artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation on rates of explantation and continence as well as health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Materials and methods Inclusion criteria encompassed non-neurogenic, moderate-to-severe stress urinary incontinence (SUI) post radical prostatectomy and primary implantation of an AUS performed by a high-volume surgeon (>100 previous implantations). Reporting complications followed the validated Clavien-Dindo scale and Martin criteria. HRQOL was assessed by the validated IQOL score, continence by the validated ICIQ-SF score. Statistical analysis included Chi (2) test, M…

Jugular pacing lead extraction with laser sheath: a case report.

2010

Over the past 20 years, the number of patients with pacemakers (PM) or implantable cardioverter defibrillators has risen markedly; consequently, an increasing number of lead-removal procedures have become necessary. A 64-year-old woman presenting with an infected device pocket and positive bacterial cultures ( Staphylococcus aureus ) was admitted to our department for lead removal; in 1991, she underwent VVI PM implantation for atrioventricular II degree Mobitz 1 block, and a unipolar lead was introduced via the left jugular vein. The procedure was performed in our Electrophysiology Lab with a cardiac surgeon on standby, using an excimer laser system emitting the energy at the tip of a flex…

Role of cardiac dyssynchrony and resynchronization therapy in functional mitral regurgitation

2016

Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is a common complication of left ventricle (LV) dysfunction and remodelling. Recently, it has been recognized as an independent prognostic factor in both ischaemic and non-ischaemic LV dysfunctions. In this review article, we discuss the mechanisms through which cardiac dyssynchrony is involved in FMR pathophysiologic cascade and how cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) can have therapeutic effects on FMR by reverting specific dyssynchrony pathways. We analyse recent clinical trials focusing on CRT impact on FMR in 'real-world' patients, the limits and future perspectives that could eventually generate new predictors of CRT response in terms of FMR r…

Focus on right ventricular outflow tract septal pacing

2013

SummaryExperimental and clinical studies have shown that right ventricular apical pacing may result in long-term deleterious effects on account of its negative impact on left ventricular remodeling through desynchronization. This risk appears more pronounced in patients with even moderate left ventricular dysfunction and generally occurs after at least 1 year of pacing. As right ventricular apical pacing may be associated with the development of organic mitral insufficiency, other sites that allow for more physiological stimulation, such as right ventricular outflow tract septal pacing, have been developed, with good feasibility and reproducibility. However, the prospective randomized studi…

Percutaneous tracheostomy in COVID patients. Experience in our hospital center after one year of pandemic and review of the literature

2021

Background The pandemic caused by SARS-COV-2 has caused an increase in the need of tracheostomies in patients affected with respiratory distress syndrome. In this article we report our experience during a year of pandemic, we develop our surgical technique to perform percutaneous tracheostomy with the patient in apnea and we compare our results with those of other centers through a bibliographic review. Material and Methods A one-year retrospective clinical study was carried out on tracheotomies performed on patients admitted to the intensive care unit with severe SARS-CoV-2, with difficulty for ventilation or weaning. The technique performed was percutaneous, with fibroscopic control throu…

Additive effect of factors related to assisted conception on the reduction of maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A concentrations and…

2013

Objective To analyze whether assisted conceptions need adjustments in first-trimester Down syndrome screening and why modifications in screening markers occur. Design Eleven-year cohort retrospective analysis. Setting Maternal-fetal medicine unit. Patient(s) Two thousand eleven naturally conceived normal singleton pregnancies and 2,042 normal singleton pregnancies achieved with assisted conception: 350 by IUI and 1,692 with IVF (n = 328) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI; n=1,364), using nondonor (n = 1,086) or donated ova (n = 606), with fresh (n = 1,432) or frozen (n = 260) embryos. Intervention(s) Comparison of ultrasound and biochemical markers of first-trimester Down syndrome s…