The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2022
Resident education in congenital heart surgery does not compromise outcomes.
Most of all congenital cardiac surgical programs participate in public outcomes reporting. The primary end point is transparency. In this era, academic programs with surgical residents face the challenge of producing outstanding results while allowing residents to learn by doing. We sought to understand the effect of education on our surgical outcomes. ⋯ There was no difference in mortality, major morbidity, or length of stay when similar cases were compared that were operated on by attendings versus those by a resident. Effectively educating congenital heart surgeons without compromising an operation's quality requires thoughtful approach, including case selection and graded responsibility.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2022
Calpain inhibition decreases myocardial fibrosis in chronically ischemic hypercholesterolemic swine.
Calpain activation during ischemia is known to play critical roles in myocardial remodeling. We hypothesize that calpain inhibition (CI) may serve to reverse and/or prevent fibrosis in chronically ischemic myocardium. ⋯ Calpain inhibition may be a beneficial medical therapy to decrease collagen formation in patients with coronary artery disease and associated comorbidities.