European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Assessment of changes in general health status using the short-form 36 questionnaire 1 year following coronary artery bypass grafting.
The problem addressed in the study was to gain a greater understanding of the health benefits of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The purpose of the study was to assess general health status, using the short-form (SF)-36 questionnaire, approximately 12 months following CABG, and to document any associations between pre-operative health status, level of social support, coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors, CAD symptom severity and post-operative health status. ⋯ The SF-36 instrument was shown to be a useful and sensitive tool to assess differences and changes in the general health status of patients before and following CABG. High levels of social support were associated with improved health status post-operatively. Lower pre-operative general health status, the presence of diabetes mellitus and cigarette smoking were associated with poorer post-operative general health status.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Iterative surgical resections for local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma.
To report our experience with repeated pulmonary resection in patients with local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma, to assess operative mortality and late outcome. ⋯ Long-term results justify complete work-up of patients with local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma. Treatment should be surgical, if there is no evidence of distant metastasis and the patients are in good health. Early detection of second lesions is possible with an aggressive follow-up conducted maximally at 4 months intervals for the first 2 years and 6 months intervals thereafter throughout life.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Factors affecting long-term survival after en-bloc resection of lung cancer invading the chest wall.
Several reports emphasize the importance of en-bloc resection as the optimal surgical treatment of lung cancer with chest wall invasion. We investigated possible factors which could affect long-term survival following radical resection of these tumors. ⋯ Histological differentiation and depth of chest wall involvement were the main factors affecting long-term survival in this series. The role of induction chemotherapy for tumors with poor prognosis should be investigated.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialInterleukin-1, interleukin-6 and myocardial enzyme response after coronary artery bypass grafting - a prospective randomized comparison of the conventional and three minimally invasive surgical techniques.
In order to evaluate the traumatic effects of median sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in conventional and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting, inflammatory response was studied in a prospective randomized trial in patients referred to single-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting. ⋯ The use of CPB is combined with higher levels of troponin-T and CK-MB as signs of myocardial damage. Surgical access was identified as a trigger of inflammatory response, as minithoracotomy is related to higher levels of IL-6. IL-1 increased in all procedures and this occurred independently of the surgical access or the use of CPB, which points out a potential relationship between inflammatory response and anesthesia. Neither CPB nor surgical access influenced the clinical outcome in the treatment of coronary artery single-vessel bypass grafting.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialPhosphorylcholine coating of extracorporeal circuits provides natural protection against blood activation by the material surface.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of a new coating, mimicking the outer cell membrane, in paediatric cardiac surgery. ⋯ Phosphorylcholine coating had a favourable effect on blood platelets, which is most obvious after studying the changes during cardiopulmonary bypass. A steady increase of TXB2 and betaTG was observed in the control group, whereas plateau formation was observed in the phosphorylcholine group. Clinically, this effect may contribute to reduced blood loss and less thromboembolic complications. Complement activation is lower in the coated group.