The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Stingray injuries to the heart are rare, and survivors of this injury are even rarer. To date, there are only three reported survivors of this mode of penetrating cardiac injury, all inflicted by the living animal itself. The following is a report of a stingray injury, inflicted by a human, causing coronary complications 17 years after the injury was sustained.
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Cold-induced urticaria (CIU) is a potentially life-threatening immunologic disorder characterized by swelling and edema of exposed tissue in response to a cold stimulus. We describe the successful management of a patient with a history of severe CIU who required coronary bypass and repair of an ascending aortic aneurysm using hypothermic circulatory arrest.
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Minimally invasive approaches to mitral valve repair have demonstrated equivalent technical outcomes and more rapid recovery when compared with traditional sternotomy. These techniques have been widely accepted for mitral insufficiency and stenosis. The utilization of minimally invasive techniques in the presence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction has been controversial. We hypothesized that minimally invasive mitral valve surgery could be safely performed in the presence of compromised myocardial function, thereby minimizing recovery time. ⋯ Minimally invasive, port-access, mitral valve surgery can be safely performed with minimal morbidity and mortality in the presence of cardiomyopathy. This approach may be considered in patients with isolated mitral valve pathology and LV dysfunction in an experienced center.
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In this article, we assessed the pooled sensitivity and specificity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in studies during the last 10 years that have solely used EBUS-TBNA as a minimally invasive technique, with or without computed tomography or positron-emission tomography screening. The meta-analysis included 1,066 patients from 9 studies who underwent EBUS-TBNA. ⋯ It has excellent sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. EBUS-TBNA is well tolerated and does not lead to complications in patients.