Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is a commonly performed procedure in critically sick patients. It can be safely performed bedside by intensivists.This has resulted in decline in the use of surgical tracheostomy in intensive care unit (ICU) except in few selected cases. Most common indication of tracheostomy in ICU is need for prolonged ventilation. About 10% of patients requiring at least 3 days of mechanical ventilator support get tracheostomised during ICU stay. The ideal timing of PDT remains undecided at present. Contraindications and complications become fewer with increase in experience. Various methods of performing PDT have been discovered in last two decades. Preoperative work up, patient selection and post tracheostomy care form key components of a successful PDT. Bronchoscopy and ultrasound have been found to be useful procedural adjuncts, especially in presence of unfavorable anatomy. This article gives a brief overview about the use of PDT in ICU.

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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) refers to specific mechanical devices used to temporarily support the failing heart and/or lung. Technological advances as well as growing collective knowledge and experience have resulted in increased ECMO use and improved outcomes. Veno-arterial (VA) ECMO is used in selected patients with various etiologies of cardiogenic shock and entails either central or peripheral cannulation. Central cannulation is frequently used in postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock and is associated with improved venous drainage and reduced concern for upper body hypoxemia as compared to peripheral cannulation. These concerns inherent to peripheral VA ECMO may be addressed through so-called triple cannulation approaches. Veno-venous (VV) ECMO is increasingly employed in selected patients with respiratory failure refractory to more conventional measures. Newer dual lumen VV ECMO cannulas may facilitate extubation and mobilization. In summary, the pathology being addressed impacts the ECMO approach that is deployed, and each ECMO implementation has distinct virtues and drawbacks. Understanding these considerations is crucial to safe and effective ECMO use.

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Cardiac practice involves the application of a range of pharmacological therapies. An anesthesiologist needs to keep pace with the rampant drug developments in the field of cardiovascular medicine for appropriate management in both perioperative and intensive care set-up, to strengthen his/her role as a perioperative physician in practice. The article reviews the changing trends and the future perspectives in major classes of cardiovascular medicine.

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Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is the use of rapid deployment venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to support systemic circulation and vital organ perfusion in patients in refractory cardiac arrest not responding to conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Although prospective controlled studies are lacking, observational studies suggest improved outcomes compared with conventional CPR when ECPR is instituted within 30-60 min following cardiac arrest. Adult and pediatric patients with witnessed in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and good quality CPR, failure of at least 15 min of conventional resuscitation, and a potentially reversible cause for arrest are candidates. Percutaneous cannulation where feasible is rapid and can be performed by nonsurgeons (emergency physicians, intensivists, cardiologists, and interventional radiologists). Modern extracorporeal systems are easy to prime and manage and are technically easy to manage with proper training and experience. ECPR can be deployed in the emergency department for out-of-hospital arrest or in various inpatient units for in-hospital arrest. ECPR should be considered for patients with refractory cardiac arrest in hospitals with an existing extracorporeal life support program, able to provide rapid deployment of support, and with resources to provide postresuscitation evaluation and management.

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Goldenhar syndrome or oculo-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia was defined by Goldenhar in 1952 and redefined by Grolin et al. later. As the name denotes, children with this syndrome present with craniofacial and vertebral anomalies which increase the risk of airway compromise. Neonates and infants with this syndrome often have premature internal organs, low birth weight, and airway disorders. For this reason, safe anesthesia in such infants requires a complete knowledge regarding metabolism and side effects of the drugs. The association of cardiovascular abnormalities is not uncommon and possesses additional challenge for anesthetic management. The aim of this review is to draw attention to the various perioperative problems that can be faced in these infants when they undergo surgery or the correction of the underlying cardiac problem.

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The spectrum of congenital heart disease (CHD) seen in the adult varies widely. Malformations range from mild anomalies requiring no intervention to extremely complex pathologies characterized by the presence of multiple coexistent defects. Echocardiography represents the primary noninvasive imaging modality in the assessment of these lesions. The transesophageal approach expands the applications of echocardiography by allowing the acquisition of anatomic and functional information that may not be obtainable by transthoracic imaging.

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The difficult airway (DA) is a common problem encountered in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. However, the challenge is not only just establishment of airway but also maintaining a definitive airway for the safe conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass from initiation to weaning after surgical correction or palliation, de-airing of cardiac chambers. This review describes the management of the DA in a cardiac theater environment. The primary aims are recognition of DA both anatomical and physiological, necessary preparations for (and management of) difficult intubation and extubation. All patients undergoing cardiac surgery should initially be considered as having potentially DA as many of them have poor physiologic reserve. Making the cardiac surgical theater environment conducive to DA management is as essential as it is to deal with low cardiac output syndrome or acute heart failure. Tube obstruction and/or displacement should be suspected in case of a new onset ventilation problem, especially in the recovery unit. Cardiac anesthesiologists are often challenged with DA while inducing general endotracheal anesthesia. They ought to be familiar with the DA algorithms and possess skill for using the latest airway adjuncts.

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Diastolic dysfunction is common in cardiac disease and an important finding independent of systolic function as it contributes to the signs and symptoms of heart failure. Tissue Doppler mitral early diastolic velocity (Ea) combined with peak transmitral early diastolic velocity (E) to obtain E/Ea ratio provides an estimate of the left ventricular (LV) filling pressure. However, E/Ea has a significant gray zone and less reliable in patients with preserved ejection fraction (>50%). Two-dimensional echocardiographic speckle tracking measure myocardial strain and strain rate (Sr) avoiding the Doppler-associated angulation errors and tethering artifacts. Global myocardial peak diastolic strain (Ds) and diastolic Sr (DSr) at the time of E and isovolumic relaxation combined with E (E/Ds and E/10 DSr) have been recently proposed as novel indices to determine LV filling pressure. The present article elucidates the methodology of studying diastology with strain echocardiography along with the advantages and limitations of the novel technique in light of the available literature.

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Statins belong to a specific group of drugs that have been described for their ability to control hyperlipidemia as well as for other pleiotropic effects such as improving vascular endothelial function, inhibition of oxidative stress pathways, and anti-inflammatory actions. Accumulating clinical evidence strongly suggests that statins also have a beneficial effect on perioperative morbidity and mortality. Therefore, this review aims to present all recent and pooled data on statin treatment in the perioperative setting as well as to highlight considerations regarding their indications and therapeutic application.

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Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for repair of tracheal injury during transhiatal esophagectomy Tracheal injury is a rare but potentially fatal complication of esophagectomies requiring prompt recognition and treatment. We describe a case of tracheal injury recognized in the operative period of an open transhiatal esophagectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the mid to distal esophagus. When injury was discovered, attempts to improve oxygenation and ventilation by conventional methods were unsuccessful. Therefore, peripheral ECMO was used to support oxygenation during the tracheal defect repair. The use of ECMO for the repair of a tracheal injury during esophagectomy is very uncommon but, in our case, provided adequate oxygenation and ventilation while the surgeon repaired the injury and the patient was able to be promptly weaned from ECMO support and extubated not long after.

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We would like to present in this paper a patient with severe aortic valve stenosis referred to our department for surgical aortic valve replacement. In this patient, it was intraoperatively detected an unexpected heavily calcified porcelain ascending aorta. We present the treatment options in this situation, the difficulties affronted intraoperatively, the significance of the preoperative chest computed tomography scan and the use of the Perceval S aortic valve as ideal bioprosthesis implantation. This is a self-expanding, self-anchoring, and sutureless valve with a wide indication in all patients requiring aortic bioprosthesis.

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Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm accounts for only 1% of congenital cardiac anomalies. Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm can cause aortic insufficiency, coronary artery flow compromise, cardiac arrhythmia, or aneurysm rupture. Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) represents an adjunctive tool to demonstrate the ruptured sinus of Valsalva with better delineation. We present an adult patient with rupture of noncoronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm into the right atrium (RA). 3DTEE accurately delineated the site of rupture into the RA and showed the exact size and shape of the defect, which helped in the successful transcatheter closure of the defect with a duct occluder device.

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