Difficult Decisions in Cardiothoracic Critical Care Surgery

1. Introduction.- 2. Evaluating evidence.- 3. Quality and Value in the Cardiothoracic ICU.- 4. Fungal Infection in the ICU.- 5. Palliative Care in the ICU.- 6. Ethics: When to turn off the VAD.- 7. Care in the ICU.- 8. Defibrillation/pacing first for witnessed cardiac arrest in postop cardiac surgery.- 9. Early Re-Sternotomy in post-op cardiac surgery patients who suffer cardiac arrest.- 10. Epinephrine and Vasopressin use following cardiac arrest in post-op cardiac surgery.- 11. Role of early sternotomy after cardiac arrest in minimally invasive surgery patients.- 12. Intravascular Devices in the ICU.- 13. Central Venous Oxygen Saturation vs. Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation Monitoring in Patients After Cardiac Surgery.- 14. The utility of hemodynamic waveform analysis in the ICU.- 15. Pressors and Vasodilators in the CT ICU: Getting the mixture right.- 16. Pocket ECHO in the CT ICU: helpful or just another toy?.- 17. Prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation.- 18. Does aggressivetreatment of postoperative atrial fibrillation improve outcomes?.- 19. Role of noninvasive ventilation in the CT ICU.- 20. Daily Awakening of Ventilated Patients and Extubation after Cardio-thoracic Surgery.- 21. ECMO for Salvage of Influenza Patients.- 22. When on ECMO: Awaken, Extubate and Mobilize.- 23. ECMO as bridge to lung transplantation.- 24. Right Ventricular Failure.- 25. My LVAD patient is fully anticoagulated and vomiting blood.- 26. LVAD patient with dark urine and elevated LDH: Diagnose and Treat Thrombosis.- 27. Misadventures with IABP: troubleshooting and interventions.- 28. Liver dysfunction in VAD patients.- 29. Percutaneous assist devices as salvage from cardiogenic shock.- 30. Vasoplegia In the postoperative period after Cardiac Transplantation.- 31. Severe Hypertension after Cardiac Transplantation.- 32. Post-Transplant Right Ventricular Failure.- 33. Lung Inifiltrate in post-op Lung Transplant Patient: Pneumonia, Rejection or Edema?.- 34. Handling Secretions after

Dr. Vassyl A. Lonchyna is a cardiothoracic surgeon and a surgical intensivist in Chicago, Illinois (USA), affiliated with The University of Chicago. He received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine, his surgical training at Duke University and Loyola University and his surgical critical care training at Stroger Hospital in Chicago. He has been in practice for more than 30 years.

"The audience includes practitioners, mainly cardiac intensivists, surgical critical care intensivists, and medical intensivists taking care of cardiothoracic surgery patients. ... This excellent book covers important aspects of the care of complex cardiothoracic patients in the ICU that have yet to be addressed." (Jeffanne E Millien, Doody's Book Reviews, October 18, 2019)