Postoperative complications in cardiovascular surgery remain an important unresolved problem, in particular in patients with aortic aneurysm. The role of the altered microbiota in such patients is of great interest. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the development of postoperative complications in patients with aortic aneurysm is related with initial or acquired disorders of microbiota metabolism by monitoring the level of some aromatic microbial metabolites (AMMs) circulating in the blood before the surgery and in the early postoperative period. The study comprised patients with aortic aneurysm (n = 79), including patients without complications (n = 36) and patients with all types of complications (n = 43). The serum samples from the patients were collected before and 6 h after the end of the surgery. The most significant results were obtained for the sum of three sepsis-associated AMMs. This level was higher before the surgery in comparison with that of healthy volunteers (n = 48), p < 0.001, and it was also higher in the early postoperative period in patients with all types of complications compared to those without complications, p = 0.001; the area under the ROC curve, the cut-off value, and the odds ratio were 0.7; 2.9 µmol/L, and 5.5, respectively. Impaired microbiota metabolism is important in the development of complications after complex reconstructive aortic surgery, which is the basis for the search for a new prevention strategy.

Endotoxemia is a common cause of shock and poor outcomes in sepsis. This paper describes a case of recovery of a young patient from sepsis caused by pan-resistant bacterial flora after a car injury with aortic rupture. Multiple adsorption of lipopolysaccharide was used as part of complex therapy to treat endotoxemia. Material and methods. A17-year old patient K., diagnosed with a condition after polytrauma, accompanied by aortic rupture, complicated by multiple organ dysfunction and sepsis (SOFA score up to 14 points): coma I-II; paresis of the gastrointestinal tract; respiratory failure due to pneumonia; acute kidney injury with anuria; acute liver failure; thrombocytopenia. The sources of infection were: translocation of bacteria; sinusitis, meningoencephalitis. In bacterial blood cultures, the presence of both gram-positive and gram-negative multi-resistant flora was identified. The level of procalcitonin, depending on the activity of the infectious process, ranged from 35 to 336 ng/ml. Surgical interventions to drain and sanitize the focus of infection as well as repeated changes in antibiotic therapy were performed in order to control the infectious process. The level of endotoxemia was assessed by endotoxin activity assay (EAA from 0.7 to 1). 60 hours of polymyxin B (PMX) hemoperfusion (5 sessions) were performed in conjunction with continuous use of the Oxiris universal set. Results. In 100 days after hospitalization, the patient had no signs of infection, was conscious, breathing spontaneously, had partially restored motor and speech functions and was transferred to a rehabilitation center. After each PMX hemoperfusion [a 12-hour (h) session followed by a 12-h break before the next 12-h session], EAA value reduced or didn't increase above 0.7. After the first 12 hours of use, it was possible to withdraw vasopressors, oxygenation index significantly increased, signs of shock were no longer observed; after 2 sessions peristalsis was restored. According to the literature, repeated PMX hemoperfusion sessions have been used in the treatment of patients with septic shock associated with endotoxemia caused by translocation of the intestinal flora, and in patients with an infectious focus in the lungs or other organs, after transplantation of parenchymal organs and as a replacement for antibiotic therapy. The indications for the procedure were: an increase of EAA over 0.6; high SOFA values; the presence of gram-negative microorganisms. Conclusion.The heterogeneity of the course of sepsis requires a multidisciplinary, complex and targeted treatment. Patients with severe multiple organ dysfunction and severe endotoxemia represent the most unfavorable cohort of patients with sepsis and can be identified using a blood женной эндотоксемией представляют наиболее неблагоприятную когорту больных с сепсисом и могут быть идентифицированы с помощью теста на активность липополисахарида в крови. Тест на активность эндотоксина в крови также позволяет судить о природе бактериальной флоры, отслеживать наличие очага инфекции, аде...

Incentive spirometry is one of the most common methods used for respiratory rehabilitation in the early period after cardiac surgery. Inspiratory capacity values, obtained by a patient using spirometer, are not reliably trusted.Objectives. To compare volumetric parameters measured with incentive spirometer and results obtained with bedside ultrasound-based spirometer to assure the feasibility of the use of incentive spirometry to assess the inspiratory capacity and effectiveness of postoperative respiratory rehabilitation.Materials and methods. The study included 50 patients after elective cardiac surgery. Pulmonary rehabilitation involved the use of various respiratory therapy methods. Spirography was performed before and after each session. Both approaches were used simultaneously to obtain the spirometry maximum inspiratory capacity (SMIC) with a bedside ultrasonic spirography and maximum inspiratory capacity (MIC) index using an incentive spirometer. Patient’s discomfort and adverse events during the procedures were recorded.Results. The absolute values of the MIC measured before and after each session by the two methods were dissimilar, however, the average increment values (Δ) did not show statistically significant differences. The correlation analysis revealed a strong positive statistically significant relationship between Δ SMIC and Δ MIC (r = 0.74 before the session, r = 0.79 after the session, r = 0.77 across the whole data set, p<0.01), also consistent with the Bland-Altman analysis, evidencing that more than 95% of all values fell within ± 1.96 SD of the mean difference. The inspiratory spirometry method showed good diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity 87%, specificity 85%, area under the curve (AUC) 0.8 (95% CI: [0.76;0.83]), p<0.001). Refusals of procedure were more often documented with ultrasonic spirography.Conclusion. The increment in the inspiratory capacity index measured with incentive spirometer shows good agreement with ultrasonic spirography measurements. Therefore, incentive spirometry can be reliably used to assess the effectiveness of respiratory rehabilitation interventions in cardiac surgery patients during early postoperative period.