The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Patient-Controlled Paravertebral Block for Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery: A Randomized Trial.
Paravertebral block (PVB) has been proven to be an efficient way to control postoperative pain in patients who have undergone a thoracotomy. This study explored whether the use of a patient-controlled PVB can provide benefits over intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for 3-port single-intercostal video-assisted thoracic surgery. ⋯ PVB, which resulted in lower cumulative dezocine doses and produced fewer side effects than PCA, can provide effective pain relief for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Sutureless Aortic Valve Replacement Versus Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.
Sutureless aortic valve replacement (SU-AVR) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are increasingly adopted methods to treat high-risk patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the clinical outcomes between these two recent methods to treat aortic valve disease. ⋯ Our meta-analysis of observational studies demonstrates that early mortality is lower after SU-AVR than after TAVI in selected patients. The rates of stroke and pacemaker implant are comparable between procedures; however, the incidence of paravalvular leak is higher after TAVI.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Cost-Effectiveness of Self-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valves in Intermediate-Risk Patients.
A recent clinical trial showed that self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was non-inferior to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). However, the cost-effectiveness of self-expandable TAVR in the intermediate-risk population remains unknown. ⋯ Self-expandable TAVR was found to be cost-effective; however, there was moderate uncertainty, reflecting the non-inferiority nature of the data.
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (STS CHSD) is the largest congenital and pediatric cardiac surgical clinical data registry in the world. The most recent biannual feedback report to participants includes analysis of data submitted from 125 hospitals, representing nearly all centers performing pediatric and congenital heart operations in the United States and Canada. In addition to serving as a platform for reporting of outcomes and for quality improvement, the database continues to be a primary data source for clinical research and for innovations related to quality measurement. ⋯ Additional ongoing projects involve the development of new or refined metrics for quality measurement and reporting of outcomes and center level performance. To meet the needs of investigators, the STS Research Center and Workforce on Research Development has created multiple pathways through which investigators may propose and, ultimately, perform outcomes research projects based on STS CHSD data. This article reviews published outcomes research and quality improvement projects from the past year and describes ongoing research related to quality measurement.
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Comparative Study
Robotic-Assisted Versus Thoracoscopic Lobectomy Outcomes From High-Volume Thoracic Surgeons.
Reports of surgical outcomes comparing proficient surgeons who perform either robotic-assisted or video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy are lacking. We evaluate the comparative effectiveness of robotic-assisted and video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomies by surgeons who performed 20 or more annual surgical procedures in a national database. ⋯ When surgical outcomes are limited to surgeons who perform 20 or more annual procedures, the robotic-assisted approach is associated with a lower conversion-to-open rate and lower 30-day complication rate when than video-assisted thoracoscopic surgeons, with a mean operative time difference of 25 minutes.