The Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon
-
Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Apr 2002
Survival and quality of life after a long-term intensive care stay.
The growing number of high-risk patients in cardiac surgery unavoidably leads to more complications, and therefore to a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of our investigation was to elaborate on the fate of patents after long-term ICU treatment. ⋯ Long-term treatment of critically ill patients is admittedly burdened with high in-hospital and follow-up mortality. However, the excellent physical and psychological recovery of survivors unequivocally supports the employment of all technical and personnel resources within modern intensive care medicine.
-
Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Apr 2002
Mediastinitis and cardiac surgery--an updated risk factor analysis in 10,373 consecutive adult patients.
Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) remains a serious complication after cardiac surgery. New evolving techniques including the utilization of internal mammary arteries (IMA), beating heart procedures, and minimal invasive surgery (MIC) require an updated risk factor analysis to identify high risk patients in order to improve perioperative treatment. ⋯ As DSWI is related to sternotomy, a MIC approach should be considered for patients at high risk for DSWI. IMA takedown as a pedicled graft should be especially avoided in patients with diabetes since the risk for postoperative mediastinitis is unacceptably high in this patient group.
-
Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Apr 2002
Cerebral oxygen monitoring during neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.
This study was undertaken to investigate the physiological effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) on cerebral oxygen metabolism estimated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). ⋯ This study suggests that NIRS-measured hemoglobin oxygenation parameters may reflect functional changes in cerebral hemodynamics and brain tissue oxygenation, while CytOx values represent related effects on intracellular oxidative metabolism.