The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Comparative Study
In-hospital shunt occlusion in infants undergoing a modified blalock-taussig shunt.
The clinical variables leading to postoperative thrombotic occlusion of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (mBTS) remain elusive. In this investigation, we assess several perioperative variables to determine associations with postoperative in-hospital shunt occlusion. ⋯ We found that a patient's anatomy (pulmonary atresia/ventricular septal defect with or without major aortopulmonary collateral arteries) and the size of the pulmonary artery being shunted had a significant impact in predicting postoperative in-hospital shunt occlusion. These results emphasize that technical skills and a low resistance to blood flow are necessary for successful shunt function. Although some perioperative coagulation values were significantly reduced in infants who were destined to experience shunt occlusion, they would be difficult to detect clinically.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Results of low-dose carperitide infusion in high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.
This study investigated the efficacy of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP, carperitide) for high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). ⋯ In the early postoperative period, carperitide has a cardiorenal protective effect that prevents postoperative MACCE and hemodialysis. Perioperative low-dose carperitide infusion may be useful in high-risk patients undergoing on-pump CABG.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Hospital-based, acute care use among patients within 30 days of discharge after coronary artery bypass surgery.
There is growing interest in how frequently patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery require hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge. Readmissions, however, may not capture all hospital-based, acute care needs after discharge. The purpose of this study is to describe the frequency of and diagnoses associated with emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge after CABG surgery and to compare outcomes across hospitals. ⋯ Patients discharged after CABG surgery frequently experienced ED visits and hospital readmissions within 30 days, often for similar diagnoses. Monitoring both hospital readmissions and ED visits after CABG surgery is important to our understanding of hospital-based, acute care needs after discharge.