The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Multicenter Study
Estimating Mortality Risk for Adult Congenital Heart Surgery: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database.
Adjustment for case mix is critical to accurate outcomes analysis in congenital heart surgery. Established tools encompass all age groups and are not specific to the growing population of adults undergoing congenital heart operations. We derived an empirically based adult congenital heart surgery (ACHS) mortality score. ⋯ Risk estimation based on the aggregate of all age groups is suboptimal when analyzing outcomes specifically among adults. An empirically based ACHS mortality score can facilitate case-mix adjustment by providing accurate estimation of mortality risk for adults.
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There is growing concern over the effect of starting non-emergent cardiac surgery later in the day on clinical outcomes and resource utilization. Our objective was to determine the differences in patient outcomes for starting non-emergent cardiac surgery after 3 pm. ⋯ Starting non-emergent cardiac cases later in the day is associated with 2 times higher absolute and risk-adjusted mortality. These data should be carefully considered, not only by surgeons and patients but also in the context of the operating room system when scheduling non-emergent cardiac cases.
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Multicenter Study
Impact of Ultrafiltration on Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery: The Michigan Experience.
This study examines the relationship between the use and volume of conventional ultrafiltration (CUF) and the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) after isolated on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. ⋯ Patients exposed to CUF had a higher adjusted risk of AKI. Clinical teams should consider lower volumes of CUF among patients with low creatinine clearance to minimize the risk of AKI.
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Comparative Study
Multidisciplinary Treatment for Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Does Institution Type Matter?
Improved survival of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing resection at high-volume centers has been reported. However, the effect of institution is unclear in stage IIIA NSCLC, where a variety of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies are used. ⋯ Stage IIIA NSCLC patients undergoing resection at academic centers had lower 30-day mortality and increased overall survival compared with patients treated at community centers, possibly due to higher patient volume and an increased rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and intermediate-term outcomes of open repair of mycotic thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysms. Contemporary surgical and perioperative techniques were utilized. ⋯ Open repair of mycotic descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms remains the gold standard of therapy. Aggressive intraoperative debridement with in situ prosthetic reconstruction permits a high rate of success in this very high risk cohort of patients. Lifelong antibiotic suppression therapy may prevent late prosthetic graft infection.