Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2012
Comparative StudyLength of intensive care unit stay following cardiac surgery: is it impossible to find a universal prediction model?
Accurate models for prediction of a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay following cardiac surgery may be developed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Our aims were to develop a preoperative and intraoperative model to predict the length of the ICU stay and to compare our models with published risk models, including the EuroSCORE II. ⋯ A universal model for prediction of ICU stay may be difficult to develop, as the distribution of length of stay may depend on both medical factors and institutional policies governing ICU discharge.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2012
Comparative StudyDiagnostic accuracy of 16- versus 64-slice multidetector computed tomography angiography in the evaluation of coronary artery bypass grafts: a comparative study.
Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography, which is used for native coronary vessels and bypass graft (CABG) imaging is a non-invasive test. Here, we aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 16- and 64-slice MDCT for graft patency and stenosis. ⋯ This study showed that the 16-slice has a diagnostic accuracy comparable with the 64-slice system for graft patency and can still be used for this purpose if newer systems with improved performance are not available on-site. On the other hand, by the virtue of better image quality, the 64-slice MDCT demonstrates significant graft lesions with higher sensitivity.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2012
Case ReportsLarge monophasic synovial sarcoma of the mediastinum in a 15-year old boy.
We present the interesting case of a 15-year old boy with a monophasic synovial sarcoma (MSS) of the mediastinum, which was infiltrating the right heart chambers and the inferior vena cava (IVC). A radical excision was performed, with extensive reconstruction of the heart, under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Radical surgical excision is considered to be the treatment of choice for these lesions, as chemotherapy and radiotherapy have little effect. Unfortunately, the patient and his parents refused any further consultation with an oncologist and, although there was no recurrence at 12 months following the procedure, at 24 months we were informed of his death due to the tumour appearing on the left cardiac chambers with subsequent multi-organ failure.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Nov 2012
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography is useful in postoperative follow-up of asymptomatic non-small-cell lung cancer patients.
Postoperative follow-up and surveillance after curative resection for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are generally performed. However, there is no consensus on the best programme at this time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic capability of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in postoperative NSCLC patients without clinical and radiological evidence of recurrence, as a follow-up and surveillance programme. ⋯ FDG-PET/CT is a useful tool that has high capability to detect recurrences in asymptomatic NSCLC patients after a potentially curative operation. However, a large-scale multi-institutional randomized control trial may be needed to ascertain the benefit of surveillance with FDG-PET/CT.