The Annals of thoracic surgery
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This study sought to determine patient characteristics, processes of care, and intermediate outcomes as predictors of reintubation after cardiac surgical procedures. ⋯ Patients who required reintubation were sicker and had worse respiratory function and more comorbidity. Prompt extubation did not contribute to reintubation. Patients identified as having a high risk for reintubation should be followed up closely, and interventions should be directed to treating the problems leading to reintubation.
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Because the right gastroepiploic artery graft (GEA), when routed antegastrically, is situated just behind the abdominal wall, we investigated the possibility of evaluating graft patency and flow characteristics using transabdominal color Doppler echocardiography. ⋯ The right GEA graft is an adequate coronary artery graft with a good short-term patency rate, and transcutaneous color Doppler echocardiography is a useful tool for evaluating its patency and flow characteristics. Selective angiography of the right GEA can be avoided in most cases and is indicated only when the graft cannot be detected using Doppler echocardiography.
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The dual-stage venous cannula is widely used but can obstruct the surgeon's view and interfere with operative procedures in the aortic root. We designed a new stainless steel sheath for a dual-stage venous cannula that enables the cannula to bend and maintain the appropriate angle for the surgical procedures. We suggest that operative procedures in the aortic root can be performed faster during safety cardiopulmonary bypass by use of a dual-stage venous cannula bent by application of this new sheath.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of various surgical modalities that have been evolving for the treatment of ventricular septal defect, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries. ⋯ In single-stage complete unifocalization, more patients had final correction. It reduces the number of operations and hospitalization and hence is more cost effective than multistaged procedures.
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A 75-year-old woman underwent excision of a middle lobe lung nodule that contained a separate, isolated focus of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma. A thyroid lobectomy for papillary cancer had been performed 47 years earlier. This interval is believed to be the longest time from initial diagnosis to identification of distant lung metastasis reported. The pertinent published reports are reviewed and methods of surveillance discussed.