The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Readmissions are a common problem in cardiac surgery. The goal of this study was to examine the frequency, timing, and associated risk factors for readmission after cardiac operations. ⋯ Nearly 1 of 5 patients who undergo cardiac operations require readmission, an outcome with significant health and economic implications. Management practices to avert in-hospital infections, reduce postoperative arrhythmias, and avoid volume overload offer important targets for quality improvement.
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Multicenter Study
Aortic valve replacement and concomitant procedures with the Perceval valve: results of European trials.
The Perceval (Sorin Group, Milan, Italy) is a self-anchoring sutureless aortic valve prosthesis. We report the short- to midterm results of combined aortic valve replacement (AVR) with concomitant procedures in elderly patients undergoing operation as part of 3 consecutive prospective multicenter European studies. ⋯ These trials confirm the safety and efficacy of the Perceval sutureless aortic valve, especially in elderly patients requiring AVR + concomitant procedures. In this patient group, sutureless valves may be advantageous compared to transcatheter valve implantations as concomitant procedures other than percutaneous coronary artery angioplasty are not always possible in the latter.
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Case Reports
Cost-effectiveness of initial diagnostic strategies for pulmonary nodules presenting to thoracic surgeons.
Patients presenting to thoracic surgeons with pulmonary nodules suggestive of lung cancer have varied diagnostic options including navigation bronchoscopy (NB), computed tomography-guided fine-needle aspiration (CT-FNA), (18)F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). We studied the relative cost-effective initial diagnostic strategy for a 1.5- to 2-cm nodule suggestive of cancer. ⋯ Both NB and CT-FNA diagnostic strategies are more cost-effective than either VATS biopsy or FDG-PET scan to diagnose lung cancer in moderate- to high-risk nodules and resulted in fewer nontherapeutic operations when FDG-PET specificity was less than 72%. An FDG-PET scan for diagnosis of lung cancer may not be cost-effective in regions of the country where specificity is low.
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Case Reports
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement for patients with aortic valve stenosis complicated with moyamoya disease.
Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare disease characterized by occlusive intracranial arteriopathy with formation of abnormal cerebrovascular collateral networks. Conventional cardiovascular surgical procedures using cardiopulmonary bypass for patients with MMD is challenging because low cerebral perfusion pressure and nonpulsatile (continuous) flow during cardiopulmonary bypass can cause severe cerebral ischemia. We successfully performed transcatheter aortic valve replacement in 3 women with severe aortic valve stenosis complicated with MMD. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement may be useful for patients with severe aortic valve stenosis complicated with severe cerebral ischemia, including MMD.
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Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used for patients with refractory cardiopulmonary failure. Arterial cannulation by means of femoral arteries is fraught with potential complications. We present a technique for subclavian artery cannulation to provide a safe and durable means of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.