Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2015
Preoperative platelet dysfunction predicts blood product transfusion in children undergoing cardiac surgery.
Excessive bleeding can be a problem during or after cardiac surgery. While cardiopulmonary bypass-associated platelet dysfunction is an important inducer of coagulopathy, preoperative platelet dysfunction can also contribute to this bleeding. We investigated the relationship between preoperative platelet dysfunction and transfusion of blood products given to children undergoing cardiac surgery. ⋯ In children who have undergone cardiac surgery, when age and cardiopulmonary bypass time are accounted for, a prolonged preoperative closure time is significantly associated with increased odds of red blood cells and fresh-frozen plasma transfusion in the operation theatre. This may have implications for planning and utilization of blood products.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2015
My aortic root simulator: if I can build it, you can build it.
Simulation has become an integral part of thoracic surgical training that has been proven to improve residents' skills. The purpose of the current study was to develop a low-fidelity and low-cost simulator for aortic root surgery that could provide training in multiple aortic valve and root procedures. ⋯ This is a simple and cost-effective aortic root simulator that can be built by the thoracic surgical resident to provide training in multiple aortic valve and aortic root procedures. Such low-fidelity portable simulators are beneficial to young trainees and may contribute to improvement of technical skills and procedural knowledge that ultimately leads to improved performance in the operative field.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyTreating the patients in the 'grey-zone' with aortic valve disease: a comparison among conventional surgery, sutureless valves and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
Although the use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has recently become an attractive strategy in extremely high-risk patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR), the most appropriate treatment option in patients with an intermediate- to high-risk profile with conventional surgery (sAVR), TAVR or novel options, such as sutureless valves, has been widely debated. ⋯ This preliminary study suggests that the use of TAVR in patients with an intermediate- to high-risk profile is associated with a higher rate of perioperative complications and decreased survival at the 24-month follow-up compared with the use of conventional surgery or sutureless valves.