The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2022
Fetal growth and gestational age improve outcome predictions in neonatal heart surgery.
Current risk adjustment models for congenital heart surgery do not fully incorporate multiple factors unique to neonates such as granular gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) z score data. This study sought to develop a Neonatal Risk Adjustment Model for congenital heart surgery to address these deficiencies. ⋯ This Neonatal Risk Adjustment Model incorporates more granular data on GA and adds the novel risk factor BW z score. These 2 factors refine mortality predictions compared with traditional risk models. It may be used to compare outcomes across centers for the neonatal population.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2022
Status of women in congenital heart surgery: Results from a national survey.
Gender disparity in cardiothoracic surgery, but not specifically in congenital heart surgery, has been a growing focus. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences related to gender for women in this field. ⋯ This survey highlights many areas (discouragement due to gender, sexual harassment, and gender disparities in pay and leadership opportunities) that women may perceive as barriers to a successful career in congenital heart surgery. There is an increasing call to action to mitigate these hurdles for women, both to enter and succeed. It is encouraging that the women surveyed would repeat their career choice and are actively mentoring other women to join this field.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2022
Applicant perception of virtual interviews in cardiothoracic surgery: A Thoracic Education Cooperative Group Study.
Cardiothoracic programs used virtual interviews exclusively this year. As programs consider using virtual interviews permanently, our goal was to evaluate the experience of applicants with virtual interviews. ⋯ Virtual interviews were perceived more favorably compared with last year, but half of applicants were still unable to evaluate a program fully. Fellow interactions were the most popular aspect of virtual interviews. As programs consider using virtual interviews permanently, more exposure to current trainees and a more robust social media/online presence will improve favorability.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2022
Atrial functional versus ventricular functional mitral regurgitation: Prognostic implications.
Atrial functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) occurs because of left atrial dilatation or atrial fibrillation in heart failure with preserved left ventricular (LV) function, contrary to ventricular FMR, which occurs because of LV dysfunction. Despite pathophysiological differences, current guidelines do not discriminate between these 2 entities. ⋯ There are important differences in baseline characteristics in terms of cardiac morphology and function among atrial FMR and ventricular FMR patients, which appear to affect in-hospital and midterm outcomes. Because of these discrepancies, early discrimination between these 2 etiologies of FMR might facilitate more tailored approaches to management.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2022
Statins for secondary prevention and major adverse events after coronary artery bypass grafting.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of statin use after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and long-term adverse events in a large population-based, nationwide cohort. ⋯ Ongoing statin use was associated with a markedly reduced incidence of adverse events and mortality after CABG. Initiating and maintaining statin medication is essential in CABG patients.