The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Containing more than 6 million cumulative operative records and accounting for 90% to 95% of adult cardiac surgery performed in the United States, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database is an invaluable resource for performance assessment, quality improvement, and clinical research. This article reviews the seven major research efforts published in 2016 that utilized the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. Two studies evaluated national trends in clinical practice, three assessed the effect of several risk factors on postoperative morbidity and mortality, and two developed new models to evaluate quality of care. The findings of these studies have enhanced clinical practice and delineated areas for future quality improvement research.
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We sought to evaluate the clinical utility of chest tube management after pulmonary resection based on objective digital monitoring of pleural pressure and digital surveillance for air leaks. ⋯ Digital monitoring of peak air leakage and patterns of air leakage were useful for predicting prolonged air leak after pulmonary resection. Information on the disappearance of air leak could be derived from the change in the rate of air leakage and from the increase in fluctuation of pleural pressure.
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The potential survival benefit of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCABG) is controversial owing to the technical complexity of these operations. Our objective was to compare the outcome of patients undergoing OPCABG with BITA to the outcome of patients undergoing OPCABG with a single internal thoracic artery (SITA) and saphenous vein grafts or radial artery. ⋯ This large cohort study suggests that long-term outcomes for patients undergoing OPCABG are not better with BITA grafting.
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The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (cells/mm3), can reportedly predict postoperative complications and prognosis for various types of malignancy. However, the clinical significance and prognostic value of the PNI for both short- and long-term outcomes remains uncertain in patients with lung cancer. ⋯ The PNI could represent a useful biomarker to predict postoperative complications and survival in patients with completely resected NSCLC.
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A 49-year-old man with left phrenic nerve paralysis caused by mediastinal tumor resection 28 years earlier was found to have a nodule in the right upper lobe. The right phrenic nerve was severed during right upper lobectomy but was reconstructed along with bilateral plication of the diaphragm. ⋯ Three months postoperatively, chest fluoroscopic imaging showed recovery of movement of the right diaphragm. Nerve conduction studies showed improvement of function of the reconstructed right phrenic nerve.