General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jun 2008
Case ReportsIntraoperative contralateral pneumothorax during single-lung transplantation.
Contralateral intraoperative tension pneumothorax is a rare complication of thoracic surgical procedures. Here we present three cases of tension pneumothorax that developed during single-lung transplantation for emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the second report of contralateral intraoperative tension pneumothorax during single-lung transplantation. A high index of clinical suspicion is required for the detection of this potentially catastrophic complication.
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jun 2008
ReviewRole of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in the management of lung cancer.
Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a promising new modality first introduced during the early 1990s. The radial probe EBUS was initially developed seeking for high-resolution imaging of processes in the airway wall and outside the airways. The structure of special importance was lymph nodes, walls of the central airways, and the mediastinum. ⋯ To date, there are no reports of major complications related to EBUS-TBNA. EBUS-TBNA is a novel approach with a high diagnostic yield that is safe. The aim of this article was to review the current role of EBUS-TBNA for the management of lung cancer patients.
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jun 2008
Comparative StudyNear-infrared spectroscopy for noninvasive evaluation of chest wall ischemia immediately after left internal thoracic artery harvesting.
The conclusions remain controversial about whether the sternal blood flow is preserved or diminished after internal thoracic artery (ITA) harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), especially in diabetic patients. We investigated the blood supply of the chest wall noninvasively using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) immediately after CABG. ⋯ The technique of NIRS enables noninvasive, continuous monitoring of chest wall perfusion immediately after ITA harvesting. Our study using NIRS showed a decrease in blood flow and oxygen metabolism of the hemisternum after LITA harvest in diabetic CABG patients.