European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2012
Comparative Study Clinical TrialMortality and neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year of age comparing hybrid and Norwood procedures.
Neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) are at risk of high mortality and neurodevelopmental morbidity. As an alternative to Norwood-type stage I palliation, the hybrid procedure has been developed. It consists of bilateral pulmonary artery banding, catheter-based stenting of the arterial duct and balloon atrioseptostomy and delays open-heart surgery. Thus, it may be associated with a better outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the mortality and neurodevelopmental outcome in patients with HLHS and other univentricular heart (UVH) defects treated with hybrid or Norwood procedures. ⋯ Mortality at 1 year of age is comparable between patients undergoing hybrid and Norwood procedures. Early neurodevelopmental outcome is significantly impaired in patients with both HLHS and other UVH defects. Multicentre randomized studies are needed to determine the long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of children treated with the hybrid procedure.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2012
Transfusion of blood during cardiac surgery is associated with higher long-term mortality in low-risk patients.
Numerous reports have emphasized the need for reduction in transfusions of allogeneic red blood cells (RBC) due to increased morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, transfusion rates are still high in several cardiac surgery institutions. Reports on long-term survival after cardiac surgery and RBC transfusion are few. ⋯ Long-term follow-up of low-risk patients undergoing simple cardiac surgery demonstrates a more than 10% higher mortality when receiving perioperative RBC transfusion. Even transfusion of 1-2 units seems to carry a risk of that magnitude.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2012
Established markers of renal and hepatic failure are not appropriate to predict mortality in the acute stage before extracorporeal life support implantation.
End-organ function, especially of the kidney and liver, actual inflammation and acid-base balance affect the outcome in extracorporeal life support (ECLS) patients. However, the often unexpected necessity of ECLS implies that information on patients is scarce. Even established global scores are not always useful in the rapid decision process for ECLS. Therefore, we evaluated laboratory parameters for kidney or liver function and for inflammation and acid-base balance with regard to outcome. ⋯ Our data indicate that renal and hepatic insufficiency, increased inflammatory state and deranged acid-base balance as determined by pre-operative laboratory data are not associated with poor outcome of ECLS. Further, survival is not related to indications for ECLS. In a number of patients, ECLS allows for successful bridging to other treatment options.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2012
Surgical outcomes in patients with primary mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumours and elevated post-chemotherapy serum tumour markers.
Platinum-based chemotherapy followed by surgical resection of residual masses has become the standard treatment of patients with primary mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCTs). Persistent serum tumour marker (STM) elevation after chemotherapy usually indicates a poor prognosis. We retrospectively assessed surgical outcomes in patients with high STM levels after chemotherapy for primary mediastinal NSGCT. ⋯ In patients with primary mediastinal NSGCTs and elevated post-chemotherapy STMs, surgery is warranted when complete resection is deemed feasible. In specialized oncology centres, this aggressive approach can provide a cure in some patients.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2012
Case ReportsDavid procedure during a reoperation for ongoing chronic Q fever infection of an ascending aortic prosthesis.
Chronic Q fever infections, caused by Coxiella burnetii, are associated with cardiovascular complications, mainly endocarditis and vascular (graft) infections. We report a case of a patient with a C. burnetii infected thoracic aorta graft treated initially in a conservative way. ⋯ In the absence of practical guidelines, treatment is tailored to the individual patient. Furthermore, we want to emphasize the need to include chronic Q fever in the differential diagnosis in patients with culture negative aortitis, especially in the regions with Q fever epidemics in the recent past.