Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyPredicting risk of intensive care unit admission after resection for non-small cell lung cancer: a validation study.
A model for predicting the risk of emergency, unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission after lung resection for lung cancer has been reported. However, it has not been validated outside of the derivation cohort, and the aim of our study was to undertake external validation at our institution. We reviewed a series of consecutive patients who underwent major lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer over a 6-year period. ⋯ The mortality rate among these patients was 17%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.66 (95% CI 0.53-0.79). The Brunelli scoring system had moderate discriminating ability to predict the risk of ICU admission after lung resection in our institution.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyPerioperative serum troponin I levels are associated with higher risk for atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a frequent complication after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). We evaluate the association of AF occurrence and serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels in the early postoperative period after CABG. Between April 2009 and January 2010, 95 consecutive patients with sinus rhythm who underwent CABG were evaluated. ⋯ Using this value of cTnI, a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 87% for AF onset prediction were observed. The cTnI serum levels at the postoperative period after CABG were higher in patients who subsequently developed AF. The cut-off value of 0.901 ng/ml is useful for prediction and preventive therapeutic actions.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2012
Case ReportsDouble lumen bi-cava cannula for veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as bridge to lung transplantation in non-intubated patient.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used for refractory respiratory failure. Normally, ECMO is implanted in intubated patients as a last resort. We report the case of a non-intubated patient who benefited from veno-venous (VV) ECMO. ⋯ Weaning from ECMO was done in the operating theatre after transplantation. VV ECMO with DLC is safe and feasible in non-intubated patients. It avoids potential complications of MV, and allows respiratory assistance as bridge to transplantation.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2011
Case ReportsAortic valve regurgitation with aorto-right ventricular fistula following penetrating cardiac injury.
Aortic valve perforation due to a penetrating cardiac injury is extremely rare, especially with an associated shunt between the right ventricle and the aortic valve. We report here the case of an 18-year-old male, who after suffering a chest stab injury, was seen at another institution where he underwent an emergency left anterolateral thoracotomy and right ventricular suture. ⋯ Workup confirmed the presence of an acute aortic regurgitation due to perforation of the right coronary leaflet with an interventricular shunt. After implementing appropriate medical treatment, the valve was replaced with a mechanical prosthesis and the shunt was closed with an autologous pericardial patch.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2011
ReviewDoes a 'no-touch' technique result in better vein patency?
A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether harvesting the saphenous vein (SV) as a conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using a no-touch technique would result in better patency rates. This technique involves the harvest of the SV with a pedicle of peri-vascular tissue left intact and the avoidance of distension of the vein prior to anastomosis. ⋯ These findings were supported by the demonstrated improvements in the cellular integrity of the vessels and the reduction in the mechanisms leading to graft failure seen in the no-touch harvested SV grafts. These morphological and cellular analyses were carried by five small comparative studies, demonstrating improved endothelial integrity and reduced injury, decelerated atherosclerotic processes, intact adventitial collagen layers, increase in the total area of vasa vasorum, elevated endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and activity, and increased peri-vascular leptin levels and activity. We conclude that there are clear enhancements in vessel wall properties at a cellular level and angiographical evidence of superior graft patency when the no-touch SV harvesting technique is employed.