Michael Essandoh

• Doctor of Medicine
• The Ohio State University

Background: Etomidate has minimal cardiovascular depressant effects at the cost of endogenous cortisol production suppression, whereas propofol has vasodilatory and myocardial depressant properties, which may be poorly tolerated in the cardiac surgical population. To offset the undesirable effects of propofol, ketamine can be co-administered to har...

Virtual interviews play a crucial role in the ranking process. National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data shows a median number of 23.5 interviews per applicant. Considering this volume of interviews, graduate medical education programs must leverage the virtual pre-interview materials to impact applicants’ attitudes and perceptions of the inte...

Central venous catheter (CVC) placement is a challenging procedure with known iatrogenic risks. However, there are no residency program requirements to demonstrate baseline CVC procedural competency. Competency-based procedural education has been shown to decrease CVC-associated morbidity, but there has been limited literature about institution-wid...

Failure to provide one-lung ventilation can prohibit minimally invasive thoracic surgeries. Strategies for one-lung ventilation include double-lumen endotracheal tubes or endobronchial blockers, but rarely both. Inability to provide lung isolation after double-lumen endotracheal tube placement requires troubleshooting and sometimes the use of extra...

Background Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic associated with hypotension, respiratory depression, and injection-site pain. HSK3486 injectable emulsion (ciprofol) is a 2,6-disubstituted phenol derivative with fast onset and quick, stable recovery. Prior studies support HSK3486 as an effective, safe anesthetic with substantially less injection-si...

The Impella 5.5 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is typically placed in a hybrid operating room with fluoroscopic and echocardiographic guidance under general anesthesia. In this case report, we describe a patient with severe cardiopulmonary failure necessitating an Impella 5.5 as a bridge to heart/lung transplant. Here, we describe the succes...

Background and Objective Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is often the underlying cause of endothelium breakdown and damage in cardiac or transplantation operations, which can lead to disastrous post-operative consequences. Recent studies of cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38) have identified its critical role in IRI. Our objective is to provide...

Background: Higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers are associated with an increased risk of perioperative atrial fibrillation and myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS). Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory drug that might reduce the incidence of these complications. Methods: COP-AF was a randomised trial conducted at 45 sites in 11...

Background. The EZ-Blocker is the newest generation of bronchial blocker and offers a potential alternative to left-sided double lumen tubes for lung isolation and one-lung ventilation during thoracic surgery. Methods. Databases were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing left-sided double lumen tube to the EZ-Blocker for one-lung vent...

In this paper, we report on the benefits of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) relative to transesophageal echocardiography during left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedures, including the avoidance of general anesthesia, fewer risks for patients, and potential cost savings. Although once limited in its capabilities, intracardiac echocardio...

Intracardiac thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism (ICT/PE) is a rare but devastating complication during liver transplantation. Its pathophysiology remains poorly understood and successful treatment remains a challenge. This systematic review summarizes the available published clinical data regarding ICT/PE during liver transplantation. Databases w...

Background: Postoperative stroke is a devastating complication of surgery, given its association with severe long-term disability and mortality. Previous investigators have confirmed the association of stroke with postoperative mortality. However, limited data exist regarding the relationship between the timing of stroke and survival. Addressing t...

Endobronchial valves (EBVs) are a novel, minimally invasive bronchoscopic management technique for persistent air leaks that fail conservative therapy. Currently, 2 EBVs are available in the United States: the Spiration Valve System (Olympus, Redmond, WA) and the Zephyr Valve (Pulmonx, Redwood, CA). These valves are Food and Drug Administration-app...

This special article is the fifth in an annual series for the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. The authors would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief, Dr Kaplan, the Associate Editor-in-Chief, Dr Augoustides, and the editorial board for the opportunity to author this series, which summarizes the key research papers in the electrophys...

The Syncardia total artificial heart system is the only commercially approved durable device for treating biventricular heart failure patients awaiting heart transplantation. Conventionally, the Syncardia total artificial heart system is implanted based on the distance from the anterior aspect of the 10th thoracic vertebra to the sternum and the pa...

The remedē System (ZOLL Medical, Minnetonka, MN; Fig 1), which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October of 2017, is a transvenous device that stimulates the phrenic nerve for the treatment of central sleep apnea, which is often associated with heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Given the similarity in implantation procedure t...

The presence of a tracheal bronchus, which is often incidentally discovered, complicates endotracheal intubation and lung isolation during thoracic surgery. Prior reports of successful right-sided lung isolation in the presence of tracheal bronchus required utilization of a double lumen tube. Although right-sided lung isolation was required in our...

Critical care after cardiothoracic surgery is an inseparable component of any successful surgical program addressing intrathoracic pathologies, including heart failure treatment with mechanical circulatory support, and respiratory failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy [...]

Temporary epicardial pacing is frequently employed after cardiac surgery and can have a significant impact on a patient's hemodynamics, arrhythmias, and valvulopathies. Given that anesthesiologists are often intimately involved in the initial programming and subsequent management of epicardial pacing in the operating room and intensive care unit, i...

Background: Antithrombin (AT) activity is reduced during cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), which is associated with adverse outcomes. Preoperative AT supplementation, to achieve >58% and <100% AT activity, may potentially reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality in cardiac operations with CPB. This prospective, multicenter,...

The Aveir VR Leadless Pacemaker (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL) was recently approved by the FDA and joins the Micra (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) Transcatheter Pacing System in realm of nontransvenous cardiovascular implantable devices. The Aveir VR offers design improvements over its predecessor the Nanostim. There are recommendations for the p...

Background It is critical to identify patients at increased risk of right ventricular failure (RVF) before left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) is a hemodynamic parameter that is a specific measure of right ventricular function and may better identify LVAD recipients at risk for RVF. This sys...

Objectives Placement of percutaneous spinal cord stimulator (SCS) implant has become a therapeutic option for various chronic pain conditions; however, early surgical explant still occurs. Unfortunately, evidence regarding the incidence of early surgical explant, and patient-specific factors and comorbidities associated with such, is limited and mi...

This special article is the fourth in an annual series for the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. The authors thank the editor-in-chief, Dr. Kaplan, the associate editor-in-chief, Dr. Augoustides, and the editorial board for the opportunity to author this series, namely the research highlights of the year that pertain to electrophys...

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.jvca.2021.08.030. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.endend.2014.06.001. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal...

Background Graduate medical education (GME) orientation/onboarding is conventionally an in-person activity, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted virtual approaches to learner onboarding. However, online GME onboarding strategies have not been disseminated in the literature. Objective To determine the usefulness of an online curriculum for GME learne...

( Anesthesiology . 2021;134:72–87) The quadratus lumborum (QL) block has been reported to improve postoperative pain relief after cesarean delivery with spinal anesthesia when used with or without intrathecal morphine (ITM). Studies investigating the use of this block for postoperative cesarean pain have varied in design. This systematic review and...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a fast-growing procedure. Expanding to low-risk patients, it has surpassed surgical aortic valve implantation in frequency and has been associated with excellent outcomes. Stroke is a devastating complication after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Silent brain infarcts identified by diffusion-weigh...

Background: Graduate medical education (GME) orientation is traditionally an in-person endeavor. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted virtual approaches to trainee onboarding to reduce viral transmission; however, virtual orientation has not been well-described in GME. This study assesses the effectiveness of virtual orientation of GME trainees using...

Intraoperative hypotension (IOH) is a major concern to the anesthesiologist. Its appropriate identification and management includes an understanding of the physiology of blood pressure regulation, prudent blood pressure monitoring, and treatment. Even short durations of low mean arterial pressure (MAP) have been associated with adverse postoperativ...

Background Liver transplantation is associated with significant blood loss, often requiring massive blood product transfusion. Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a devastating cause of transfusion-related deaths. While reports have investigated the general incidence of TRALI, the incidence of TRALI specifically following transfusion d...

There is a recent shift in bradycardia pacing and defibrillation therapy to leadless pacemakers and extrathoracic cardioverter-defibrillator technology due to complications associated with transvenous devices. These innovations have implications for anesthesia care, as these novel devices have design and functionality features different from transv...

This article is the third in an annual series for the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. The authors thank the editor-in-chief, Dr. Kaplan, the associate editor-in-chief, Dr. Augoustides, and the editorial board for the opportunity to continue this series, namely the highlights of the year that pertain to electrophysiology in relati...

Background Liposomal bupivacaine is purported to extend analgesia of peripheral nerve blocks when administered perineurally. However, evidence of the clinical effectiveness of perineural liposomal bupivacaine is mixed. This meta-analysis seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of perineural liposomal bupivacaine in improving peripheral nerve block anal...

Background New or worsened mitral regurgitation (MR) is an uncommon yet serious complication after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). While there have been numerous reports of its occurrence, there is little consensus regarding its presentation and management. This systematic review summarizes the evidence in the current literature surroundi...

Objective To characterize the impact, on failure-to-rescue (FTR), of cerebrovascular accident as first occurring post-operative complication following thoracic endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (TEVAR). Design A retrospective cohort study using of National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Participants User File. Setting United State...

Despite advances in cardiac surgery and anesthesia, the rates of brain injury remain high in aortic arch surgery requiring circulatory arrest. The mechanisms of brain injury, including permanent and temporary neurologic dysfunction, are multifactorial, but intraoperative brain ischemia is likely a major contributor. Maintaining optimal cerebral per...

Background: Pulmonary artery obstruction is an uncommon but significant complication after lung transplantation. Although numerous reports have documented its occurrence, the hemodynamic parameters associated with its presentation and diagnostic considerations remain ill-defined. This systematic review summarizes evidence in the literature surroun...

Purpose of review: Concomitant valve disease is common in patients undergoing continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation. In this review, we characterize the epidemiology and management of aortic valve disease following CF-LVAD. Recent findings: Studies suggest that 20-40% of patients have mild or greater aortic insuff...

Background Continuous epidural infusion (CEI) is commonly used for labour analgesia, but concerns over potential motor block, second-stage labour complications, and ineffective analgesia in late labour have prompted examining intermittent epidural bolus (IEB) as an alternative. However, evidence comparing these modalities is conflicting. The meta-a...