European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 2013
Right vertical infra-axillary mini-incision for repair of simple congenital heart defects: a matched-pair analysis.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the right vertical infra-axillary mini-incision (RVAI) used for the repair of simple congenital heart defects. ⋯ The RVAI surgical approach to simple congenital heart defects was a safe procedure and could be performed with excellent cosmetic and clinical outcomes. It provided a good alternative to the standard MSI for simple congenital heart defects.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 2013
Persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy for lung cancer: a cross-sectional study of prevalence, characteristics and interference with functioning.
Most studies of persistent post-surgical pain following thoracic surgery have focused on classic posterolateral thoracotomy in mixed surgical populations without systematic assessment of disease recurrence and other potential sources of pain. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in the prevalence of persistent post-surgical pain following lung cancer surgery and to quantitatively assess the characteristics of persistent post-surgical pain and associated sensory changes. ⋯ Persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy was prevalent in 19% (95% CI: 15-23%) of lung cancer patients for up to 10 years postoperatively. Future preventive strategies should focus on the role of intraoperative nerve damage, including the potentially protective role of anterior thoracotomy.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 2013
Efficacy of budesonide and interleukin-10 in an experimental rat model with isolated bilateral pulmonary contusion created by blunt thoracic trauma.
In our study, we aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory mediator effects of budesonide (BS), an inhaled corticosteroid and interleukin-10 (IL-10) on a pulmonary contusion in an experimental rat model in which an isolated bilateral pulmonary contusion was created by blunt thoracic trauma. ⋯ In this rat experiment model in which an isolated pulmonary contusion was created by blunt trauma, BS and IL-10 were observed to reduce contusion severity in the lung and minimize the inflammatory reaction.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 2013
Massive pulmonary embolism: surgical embolectomy versus thrombolytic therapy--should surgical indications be revisited?
The treatment of massive pulmonary embolism (PE) is a matter of debate. We present our institutional experience of patients suffering from massive PE with the aim of comparing the early results, the outcome and quality of life (QoL) between patients primarily assigned to either pulmonary surgical embolectomy (SE) or thrombolytic therapy (TL). A subgroup of patients (TS) with failed responses to TL requiring SE was separately analysed. ⋯ SE is an excellent treatment option in massive PE with comparable early mortality rates and significantly less bleeding complications than TL. Patients having surgery after inefficient thrombolysis have the worst early outcome. The RV/LV CT-scan ratio might serve as a predictor to differentiate patients, who could profit from direct surgical intervention than thrombolytic treatment attempts. Further studies are required to confirm these results.