Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2010
Case ReportsBarotraumatic oesophageal perforation with bilateral tension pneumothorax.
Barotraumatic oesophageal perforation with bilateral tension pneumothorax is extremely rare and this is a first case reported in the literature. The possibility of the oesophageal perforation due to high-pressure gas flow should be kept in mind and the standard of diagnosis is oesophagography.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2009
ReviewWhich patient undergoing mitral valve surgery should also have the tricuspid repair?
A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'Which patient undergoing mitral valve surgery should also have the tricuspid repair?' Altogether 390 papers were found using the reported search, of which 17 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. ⋯ The presence of a trans-tricuspid pacemaker lead is another known factor for late TR development secondary to adhesions and fibrous retraction. TV repair is probably better than replacement in non-severe organic TV disease. Annuloplasty ring repair has better outcome compared with non-ring based repair techniques; the beneficial effect is also independent of the type of mitral valve surgery performed.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2009
Can chronic neuropathic pain following thoracic surgery be predicted during the postoperative period?
Chronic pain following thoracic surgery is common and associated with neuropathic symptoms, however, the proportion of patients with neuropathic pain in the immediate postoperative period is unknown. We aimed to determine the proportion of patients who have neuropathic symptoms and signs immediately after, and at three months following thoracic surgery. The study was designed as a prospective observational cohort study. ⋯ Eight percent of patients had positive LANSS scores in the immediate postoperative period; 22% of patients had positive S-LANSS scores three months following surgery. There was a significant association between positive scores in the acute and chronic periods (relative risk (RR) 3.5, [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-7.2]). Identifying pain of predominantly neuropathic origin in the postoperative period with a simple pain score can help identify those at risk of developing chronic pain with these features following thoracic surgery.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Dec 2009
Malignant pleural effusion in the presence of trapped lung. Five-year experience of PleurX tunnelled catheters.
Malignant pleural effusions in the presence of trapped lung remain notoriously difficult to treat. Various methods exist ranging from minimally invasive procedures including repeated needle thoracocentesis to the need for a formal surgical procedure such as placement of a pleuroperitoneal shunt and even thoracotomy and decortication. Controversy exists as to what is the optimum treatment for this condition. ⋯ No patient required catheter removal for resolution of discomfort. Our findings support the use of PleurX catheters for palliative patients with malignant pleural effusions in the presence of trapped lung. The catheters are not only easy to insert and discrete but they can be managed effectively by patients and community nurse practitioners and prevent repeated admissions to hospital in palliative patients with compromised life expectancy.