The Annals of thoracic surgery
-
Cardiac operations are occasionally required during pregnancy. Despite a low maternal mortality, fetal mortality remains high. ⋯ Recent experimental data suggest pulsatile perfusion may help preserve placental hemodynamic function. The successful use of pulsatile bypass to replace the aortic valve in a 25-year-old female at 14 weeks gestation, with both maternal and fetal survival, is presented.
-
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database Committee is committed to risk stratification and assessment as integral elements in the practice of cardiac operations. The National Cardiac Surgery Database was created to analyze data from subscribing institutions across the country. We analyzed the database for valve replacement procedures with and without coronary artery bypass grafting to determine trends in risk stratification. ⋯ Risk modeling is a valuable tool for predicting the probability of operative death in any individual patient. This large, multiinstitutional database is capable of determining modern operative risk and should provide standards for acceptable care. The study illustrates the importance of risk stratification for early death both for the patient and the surgeon.
-
Chronic pulmonary hypertension can lead to compensatory changes in the right ventricle. In this study, the adaptive mechanisms of the right ventricle in the setting of pulmonary hypertension were assessed at the molecular and functional level using a canine model of monocrotaline pyrrole-induced pulmonary hypertension. ⋯ These data suggest that alterations in right ventricular function in the setting of chronic pulmonary hypertension may partially be due to changes in myocardial adrenergic receptor signaling.