Scandinavian cardiovascular journal : SCJ
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Scand. Cardiovasc. J. · Dec 2002
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyA comparison of spiral computed tomography and latex agglutination D-dimer assay in acute pulmonary embolism using pulmonary arteriography as gold standard.
To compare the diagnostic accuracy of contrast medium enhanced spiral computed tomography of the pulmonary arteries (s-CTPA) and a latex agglutination D-dimer assay in patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE) by using pulmonary arteriography (PA) and clinical follow-up as reference method. ⋯ s-CTPA has a higher sensitivity and specificity than latex agglutination D-dimer. A cut-off level of 0.25 mg/l can be used as screening method, but s-CTPA must be performed to exclude false positive cases.
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Scand. Cardiovasc. J. · Sep 2002
Comparative StudyIncrease of intracranial pressure after hypothermic circulatory arrest in a chronic porcine model.
An increase in intracranial pressure has been shown to threaten the outcome of patients with ischemic or traumatic brain injury. Its impact on the outcome of pigs undergoing hypothermic circulatory arrest has been evaluated in this study. ⋯ Intracranial pressure increases significantly after 75 min of experimental hypothermic circulatory arrest and such an increase is associated with a high risk of postoperative death and brain infarction.
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Scand. Cardiovasc. J. · Aug 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialUse of heparin-bonded circuits in cardiopulmonary bypass improves clinical outcome.
The use of heparin-coated surfaces in cardiopulmonary bypass has been shown to decrease the inflammatory response imposed by the contact between blood and artificial surfaces. One would expect this reaction to improve clinical outcome. However, this has been difficult to verify. This investigation is based on an aggregation of two randomized studies from our institution and highlights possible effects of heparin coating on a number of clinically oriented parameters. ⋯ Based on several indicators, the use of heparin coating in cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with improved clinical results.
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Scand. Cardiovasc. J. · Aug 2002
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialDelirium after coronary bypass surgery evaluated by the organic brain syndrome protocol.
The aim was to evaluate symptoms of delirium from a psychogeriatric perspective occurring postoperative to coronary bypass surgery. ⋯ Delirium is common after cardiac surgery in particular in older patients, but is often under-diagnosed. Hallucinations were common in both delirious and non-delirious patients.