The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2020
Development and validation of a procedure-specific assessment tool for hands-on surgical training in congenital heart surgery.
Hands-on surgical simulation has been sought to address training limitations within congenital heart surgery (CHS). However, there is a need for objective assessment methods to measure surgeons' performance to justify its global adoption. This study aimed to validate a procedure-specific assessment tool for the simulation of the arterial switch operation on 3D-printed models and to evaluate the consistency of scoring among evaluators with different levels of experience in CHS. ⋯ This study demonstrates the development and validation of an objective, procedure-specific assessment tool for the arterial switch operation with consistency among evaluators with different experience. There is now a platform for quantifying and accurately evaluating performance, which will be highly beneficial in training and developing the next generation of congenital heart surgeons.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2020
Early outcomes with durable left ventricular assist device replacement using the HeartMate 3.
The HeartMate 3 (HM3) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (Abbott, Inc, Chicago, Ill) is a fully magnetically levitated centrifugal implantable pump used to treat patients with chronic heart failure. The MOMENTUM (Multicenter Study of MagLev Technology in Patients Undergoing Mechanical Circulatory Support Therapy With HeartMate 3) trial demonstrated that patients treated with the HM3 experienced reduced need for reoperation for LVAD replacement compared with a control group receiving an axial flow design, Heartmate II (Abbott, Inc). However, there are few reports of using HM3 as the replacement pump in patients who already are supported by a durable LVAD and experience a device-related complication necessitating replacement. ⋯ LVAD replacement with HM3 can be performed safely and may be considered as the pump of choice in patients requiring LVAD replacement.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2020
Editorial CommentCommentary: For the pumps they are a-changin'.