Perspective Interscalene block (classic anterior approach) is especially effective for surgery of the shoulder or upper arm because the roots of the brachial plexus are most easily blocked with this technique. Frequently the ulnar nerve and its more peripheral distribution…
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Regional anesthesia is a fast-growing field with application in a wide range of surgical procedures. Better technique with the help of ultrasound, better and safer local anesthetics, and better drug delivery systems for continuous anesthesia all helped in gaining the…
Clinicians practicing in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) are challenged with increasingly complex patients who often require hemodynamic support to improve end-organ perfusion and reduce mortality. The high mortality associated with cardiogenic shock has been the stimulus for technological…
Hemodynamics is derived hydrodynamics, the physics of the motion and action of water. The dimensions of hemodynamics include flow, pressure, static resistance, dynamic impedance, reflectance and compliance, branching effects, viscosity, fluid friction, turbulence, and other physical characteristics. The goals of…
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) accounts for 5% to 10% of admissions to cardiac intensive care units (CICUs). With the successes of modern reperfusion therapy to reduce mortality in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), of pharmacotherapy and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) to…
Various organ systems within the body are intimately connected to each other and communicate via organ crosstalk, the complex biologic communication and feedback between organ systems mediated by soluble and cellular messengers. In the normal state, this crosstalk helps to…
The range of care covered by cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) has expanded drastically since they were originally developed as coronary care units (CCUs) for the management of acute myocardial infarction (MI) in the early 1960s. In addition to the…
Infarction or ischemia of myocardial conduction tissue and/or autonomic imbalance that results in altered conduction through the heart can dramatically alter the presentation, management, and outcomes of patients presenting with an acute myocardial infarction (MI). Immediate recognition of conduction disturbances…
Early and effective reperfusion of acute myocardial infarction (MI) has resulted in a substantial decline in the incidence of mechanical complications, including free wall rupture, ventricular septal rupture, and papillary muscle rupture resulting in acute mitral regurgitation. However, mechanical complications…