6 – Microbiology Testing
6 Microbiology Testing A Ruth M Kappeler and Margaret I Gillham Introduction Infections in cardiothoracic intensive care units are common, either as the primary presenting illness as in the case…
5 – Bronchoscopy in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit
5 Bronchoscopy in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit Sumit Chatterji and Pasupathy Sivasothy Introduction In 1897 Gustav Killian, a German laryngologist, performed the first airway examination in a human, with…
3 – Echocardiography in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit
3 Echocardiography in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit Ghislaine Douflé and Andrew Roscoe Introduction Since its introduction into the intensive care environment in the early 1980s, echocardiography has been recognised…
4 – Coronary Angiography
4 Coronary Angiography Unni Krishnan and Stephen P Hoole Definition Coronary angiography uses radio-opaque contrast agent to delineate the anatomy of the coronary circulation. This may be performed either invasively…
2 – Electrocardiography
2 Electrocardiography David Begley Introduction Electrocardiography (ECG) has been the main heart investigation method for most of the twentieth century and still plays a pivotal role in diagnostics. ECGs can…
1 – History and Examination
1 History and Examination Lachlan Miles and Joseph E Arrowsmith The first rule of diagnosis, gentlemen! Eyes: first and most; hands: next and least; tongue: not at all! Sir Lancelot…
Coarctation and PDA closure
Coarctation of the aorta can most simply be characterized as a discrete stenosis of the upper descending thoracic aorta. Since in many cases coarctation occurs at or near the origin…
Pulmonary balloon angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a pulmonary vascular disease that results from fibrotic transformation of thromboemboli causing obstruction in the pulmonary vasculature. If left untreated, pulmonary artery pressure worsens,…
Pseudoaneurysm diagnosis and management
Introduction Cardiac pseudoaneurysms are an uncommon occurrence; however, they are associated with significant risk of complications. , A pseudoaneurysm is a contained rupture of the arterial vessel or myocardial wall….
Pulmonary valve interventions: Valvuloplasty and transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement
Pulmonary valvuloplasty Background Pulmonary valve stenosis (PS) is a common form of congenital heart disease that may present at any age, but often in infancy or early childhood in its…
