The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Multicenter Study
Association between preoperative statin use and acute kidney injury biomarkers in cardiac surgical procedures.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of cardiac operations for which there remains no specific therapy. Animal data and several observational studies suggest that statins prevent AKI, but the results are not conclusive, and many studies are retrospective in nature. ⋯ Statins may prevent kidney injury after cardiac operations, as evidenced by lower levels of kidney injury biomarkers.
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Case Reports
Rewarming a patient with accidental hypothermia and cardiac arrest using thoracic lavage.
The optimal treatment for severe accidental hypothermia is cardiopulmonary bypass because this offers the most rapid rate of rewarming. However, cardiopulmonary bypass therapy is not available in every hospital. In these circumstances, rewarming has to be achieved with other methods. We present a patient who was successfully rewarmed with thoracic lavage after he had been found with a core temperature of 21°C and asystole.
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Case Reports
Pulmonary patch repair of tracheobronchial necrosis with perforation secondary to caustic ingestion.
Corrosive aerodigestive injury complicated by tracheobronchial necrosis is a rare complication after caustic ingestion that carries a high risk of mortality and morbidity. If left untreated, tracheobronchial necrosis results in perforation, mediastinitis, and death. ⋯ Frequent endoscopic surveillance leads to early diagnosis and prompt operative management to prevent significant morbidity. We describe a pulmonary patch repair of a patient who had stage 3b necrosis of the esophagus and the stomach with tracheobronchial necrosis and perforation after caustic ingestion.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Serum brain natriuretic peptide and risk of acute kidney injury after cardiac operations in children.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) after pediatric cardiac operations is associated with poor outcomes and is difficult to predict. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate whether preoperative brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels predict postoperative AKI among children undergoing cardiac operations. ⋯ Preoperative BNP levels did not predict postoperative AKI in this cohort of children undergoing cardiac operations. Both preoperative and postoperative BNP levels are associated with postoperative outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration at Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00774137.