The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Multicenter Study
Estimating Mortality Risk for Adult Congenital Heart Surgery: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database.
Adjustment for case mix is critical to accurate outcomes analysis in congenital heart surgery. Established tools encompass all age groups and are not specific to the growing population of adults undergoing congenital heart operations. We derived an empirically based adult congenital heart surgery (ACHS) mortality score. ⋯ Risk estimation based on the aggregate of all age groups is suboptimal when analyzing outcomes specifically among adults. An empirically based ACHS mortality score can facilitate case-mix adjustment by providing accurate estimation of mortality risk for adults.
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Comparative Study
Multidisciplinary Treatment for Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Does Institution Type Matter?
Improved survival of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing resection at high-volume centers has been reported. However, the effect of institution is unclear in stage IIIA NSCLC, where a variety of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies are used. ⋯ Stage IIIA NSCLC patients undergoing resection at academic centers had lower 30-day mortality and increased overall survival compared with patients treated at community centers, possibly due to higher patient volume and an increased rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and intermediate-term outcomes of open repair of mycotic thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysms. Contemporary surgical and perioperative techniques were utilized. ⋯ Open repair of mycotic descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms remains the gold standard of therapy. Aggressive intraoperative debridement with in situ prosthetic reconstruction permits a high rate of success in this very high risk cohort of patients. Lifelong antibiotic suppression therapy may prevent late prosthetic graft infection.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Nadir Hematocrit on Bypass and Rates of Acute Kidney Injury: Does Sex Matter?
Reports have associated nadir hematocrit (Hct) on cardiopulmonary bypass with the occurrence of renal dysfunction. Recent literature has suggested that women, although more often exposed to lower nadir Hct, have a lower risk of postoperative renal dysfunction. We assessed whether this relationship held across a large multicenter registry. ⋯ Lower nadir Hct was associated with an increased risk of AKI, and the effect appears to be stronger among men than women. Understanding of the mechanism underlying this association remains uncertain, although these results suggest the need to limit exposure to lower nadir Hct, especially for male patients.