Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Apr 2012
Management of early postoperative coronary artery bypass graft failure.
Perioperative graft failure following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may result in acute myocardial ischaemia. Whether acute percutaneous coronary intervention, emergency reoperation or conservative intensive care treatment should be used is currently unknown. Between 2003 and 2009, 39 of the 5598 patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery underwent early postoperative coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischaemia. ⋯ The number of failing bypass grafts were significantly higher in group 1 compared with group 2 (P = 0.0251). A trend toward lower post-procedural peak cardiac troponin T and creatinine phosphokinase serum levels in group 1 was observed (163.0 vs. 206.0 and 4.35 vs. 5.53, respectively) (P = 0.0662 and 0.1648). Early reintervention may limit the extent of myocardial cellular damage compared with conservative medical strategy in patients with myocardial ischaemia due to early graft failure.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Apr 2012
Case ReportsIt sometimes happens: late tracheal rupture after total thyroidectomy.
Thyroidectomy is a safe procedure often performed either for benign or malignant thyroid diseases. Complication rate is low and tracheal injury associated with thyroidectomy is rarely described. The trachea may be perforated or lacerated intraoperatively; nevertheless, damage is usually recognized and directly repaired with reduced patient morbidity. ⋯ The patient, without delay, underwent an exploration of the neck with a debridement of laceration. In view of the fact that a local infection was present, only a right pre-thyroid muscle flap was stitched on the defect. The patients recovered uneventfully.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Apr 2012
Combined elective percutaneous coronary intervention and transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
There is no established strategy of how and when to treat coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients referred for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Simultaneous, single-stage treatment of both pathologies is a possible solution. We report our initial results of simultaneously performed transapical TAVI and elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in high-risk patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. ⋯ Survival at 12, 24 and 36 months of the PCI and TAVI group 87.1 ± 5.5, 69.7 ± 10.3 and 69.7 ± 10.3%, respectively. The results showed that the single-stage approach with combined elective PCI and TAVI is feasible and safe. It has become our primary choice for treatment of high-risk patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and CAD.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Apr 2012
ReviewUse of gentamicin-collagen sponges in closure of sternal wounds in cardiothoracic surgery to reduce wound infections.
A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: Are antibiotic implants like gentamicin-collagen implants useful in preventing sternal wound infections (SWIs)? Altogether, more than 484 papers were found using the reported search; of these, 7 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. ⋯ Coagulase-negative staphylococci were predominantly isolated from infected wounds in all the trials except the one from USA, where infections were polymicrobial. Gentamicin resistance among common pathogens causing SWIs can vary from 15 to 80%. Gentamicin-collagen is unlikely to reduce SWIs in high-risk patients and polymicrobial infections.