The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Multicenter Study
Association between preoperative statin use and acute kidney injury biomarkers in cardiac surgical procedures.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of cardiac operations for which there remains no specific therapy. Animal data and several observational studies suggest that statins prevent AKI, but the results are not conclusive, and many studies are retrospective in nature. ⋯ Statins may prevent kidney injury after cardiac operations, as evidenced by lower levels of kidney injury biomarkers.
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Left atrial intramural hematoma is a rare complication of percutaneous intervention. We report the case of a 69-year-old man with recurrent angina after CABG 19 years ago who was admitted for percutaneous intervention. ⋯ Transesophageal echocardiography showed a large expanding hematoma within the left atrial wall causing obstruction of the mitral valve and compressing the right atrium from across the septum. An emergency thoracotomy was performed and with transesophageal echocardiography guidance and left atrial intramural hematoma was drained successfully.
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Comparative Study
A propensity-matched comparison of pleurodesis or tunneled pleural catheter for heart failure patients with recurrent pleural effusion.
Patients with severe heart failure often have recurrent pleural effusions that produce dyspnea and shortness of breath. It is unclear whether chemical pleurodesis or the placement of a tunneled pleural catheter that can be used for intermittent pleural drainage produces superior palliation, a shorter hospital stay, and less morbidity. This investigation compares these two treatments. ⋯ This investigation found that a tunneled pleural catheter provided palliation of patients' pleural effusions and freedom from reintervention equal to that of talc pleurodesis using thoracoscopy while resulting in a shorter mean length of hospital stay. Lower rates of operative morbidity and readmission related to the pleural effusion were also seen in the tunneled catheter treatment group. This method of palliation of recurrent pleural effusion should be considered for symptomatic patients with advanced heart failure.
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China has the most patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the world and, annually, approximately 1 million Chinese become diabetic. We investigated both clinical and economic outcomes in a large Chinese cohort of diabetic patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). ⋯ CABG for patients with DM was significantly more expensive and was associated with worse long-term outcomes compared with non-DM patients. The rising incidence of DM, combined with the significant incremental costs represents significant clinical, economic, and social challenges for the Chinese healthcare system.
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Atherosclerotic disease of the ascending aorta during coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) increases the risk for postoperative stroke. The objective of this study was to examine the incidence of postoperative stroke in CABG utilizing the Heartstring (Maquet Cardiovascular, San Jose, CA) proximal anastomotic device. ⋯ Compared with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk for stroke, the Heartstring proximal anastomotic device can be safely used with all aortic grades. The most prominent benefit appears to be for patients with grade II disease and greater.