The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Magnesium infusion dramatically decreases the incidence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common complications of cardiac surgery. Magnesium, like several other pharmacologic agents, has been used in the prophylaxis of postoperative AF with varying degrees of success. However, the dose and the timing of magnesium prophylaxis need to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of intermittent magnesium infusion on postoperative AF. ⋯ The use of magnesium in the preoperative and early postoperative periods is highly effective in reducing the incidence of AF after coronary artery bypass grafting.
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Traumatic chylothorax requires surgical intervention when conservative medical management fails to reduce chyle leakage. This usually entails thoracotomy or laparotomy. We report a case in which successful ligation of a torn thoracic duct was achieved using a video-assisted thoracoscopic technique.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Preoperative administration of steroids: influence on adhesion molecules and cytokines after cardiopulmonary bypass.
Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with tissue damage mediated by adhesion molecules and cytokines. Prebypass steroid administration may modulate the inflammatory response, resulting in improved postoperative recovery. ⋯ Preoperative administration of methylprednisolone blunted the increase of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and E-selectin levels after CPB but had no measurable effect on postoperative recovery.