The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Aug 2003
Living-donor lobar lung transplantation for various lung diseases.
We report on our early experience in living-donor lobar lung transplantation for patients with various lung diseases including restrictive, obstructive, septic, and hypertensive lung diseases. ⋯ Living-donor lobar lung transplantation can be applied to restrictive, obstructive, septic, and hypertensive lung diseases. This type of procedure can be an alternative to conventional cadaveric lung transplantation for both pediatric and adult patients who would die soon otherwise.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Aug 2003
Minimally invasive mitral valve repair suggests earlier operations for mitral valve disease.
We began minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in August, 1996, to reduce hospital costs, to improve patient recovery, cosmetic appearance, and to decrease trauma, yet maintain the same quality of surgery. To validate this approach we reviewed our entire experience through May 2002. ⋯ This study documents the safety of minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery in 358 patients. It also documents a low incidence of homologous blood use, requirement for post-hospital rehabilitation, and general morbidity.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2003
Comparative StudyClinical outcomes and utility of cardiac catheterization prior to superior cavopulmonary anastomosis.
We sought to characterize the outcomes of routine catheterization prior to superior cavopulmonary anastomosis and to determine if some patients were unlikely to benefit from catheterization and thus might be evaluated preoperatively with noninvasive methods alone. ⋯ Interventions were frequent at catheterization prior to superior cavopulmonary anastomosis, but transient complications, transfusion, intensive care unit admission, and prolonged hospital length of stay were common. For patients in whom no issues indicating need for catheterization are identified by echocardiogram, routine catheterization rarely results in new information or intervention. These patients may be more safely evaluated preoperatively using exclusively noninvasive techniques.