Cardiac lipoma: A rare cause of right-to-left interatrial shunt with normal pulmonary artery pressure

Patent Foramen Ovale and Hypoxemia

Although the most common clinical manifestations of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) are cryptogenic stroke and migraine with aura, PFO is also associated with platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with hypoxemia out of proportion to the extent of pulmonary disease. This article will discuss these conditions and summarize the related literature.

The characteristics of invasive cardiac lipoma: case report and literature review

Invasive cardiac lipoma is a rare type of primary cardiac tumor that is composed of adipose tissue but infiltrating the adjacent structures. It is a benign tumor that can cause significant morbidity and mortality due to its size and location within the heart. We describe a giant invasive intracardiac lipoma across atrial wall extending to the ascending aorta and the superior vena cava. This review will provide an overview of invasive cardiac lipoma, including its clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management.

Invasive cardiac lipoma diagnosis based on echocardiography: Case report and literature review

Echocardiography is first-line examination of cardiac tumors. We report the case of a 25-year-old woman with a right atrial transmural invasive lipoma, and we review 58 published reports of primary cardiac invasive lipomas detected by echocardiography. We summarize the ultrasonographic characteristics and main sites of development, and examine the "invagination hypothesis". Echocardiography appears valuable for early detection, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative follow-up of invasive cardiac lipomas.

Diagnostic Bedside Ultrasonography for Acute Respiratory Failure and Severe Hypoxemia in the Medical Intensive Care Unit: Basics and Comprehensive Approaches

Bedside goal-directed ultrasound is a powerful tool for rapid differential diagnosis and monitoring of cardiopulmonary disease in the critically ill patient population. The bedside intensivist is in a unique position to integrate ultrasound findings with the overall clinical situation. Medically critically ill patients who require urgent bedside diagnostic assessment fall into 2 categories: (1) acute respiratory failure and (2) hemodynamic derangements. The first portion of this review outlines the diagnostic role of bedside ultrasound in the medically critically ill patient population for the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress, and severe hypoxemia. The second portion will focus on the diagnostic role of ultrasound for the evaluation and treatment of shock states, as well as describe protocolized approaches for evaluation of shock during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Different respiratory system pathologies that result in acute respiratory failure (such as increased interstitial fluid, alveolar consolidation, pleural effusion) cause characteristic ultrasonographic findings; diaphragmatic assessment may also add information. Intracardiac shunting can cause severe hypoxemia. Protocolized approaches for the evaluation of patients with acute respiratory failure or distress are discussed.

Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome: an unusual complication of partial liver resection

Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a rare syndrome of severe hypoxemia upon assuming an upright position. It is classically described as shunting from the right atrium to the left atrium usually via a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Alterations in the intrathoracic anatomy after liver resection and regeneration may trigger this condition in patients with clinically silent PFO -a previously unreported cause of POS.

Dual mechanism platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome from severe right coronary artery stenosis and a patent foramen ovale

Platypnea-orthodeoxia is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by hypoxemia induced during upright posture. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed to explain this clinical entity, usually involving posture-provoked intracardiac or transpulmonary shunting. In many cases, however, a single etiology may not be evident, and multiple factors are likely contributory. We herein describe an unusual and novel case of platypnea-orthodeoxia caused by the physiologic interaction between a severe proximal right coronary artery stenosis and a large patent foramen ovale. Percutaneous stenting of the right coronary artery and transcatheter closure of the patent foramen ovale during the same setting resulted in complete resolution of the patient's symptoms.

A very rare cardiac hibernoma in the right atrium: a case report

Cardiac lipomas are rare tumors often detected incidentally during routine examinations. They usually remain asymptomatic for a long time and cause arrhythmia, heart valve dysfunction, or embolization in the later stages. In this article, we report a case of a 64-year-old patient with a very rare cardiac hibernoma located in the right atrium. Transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography have been shown to be useful for differentiating between benign and malignant tumors in order to plan surgery. The treatment of choice for these tumors is resection. The tumor was excised with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Histology confirmed diagnosis of a benign cardiac hibernoma.