The Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon
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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Sep 2006
ReviewPrimary closure of median sternotomy: a survey of all German surgical heart centers and a review of the literature concerning sternal closure technique.
Sternal instability and mediastinitis are rare but serious complications following cardiac surgery with median sternotomy. ⋯ There is no uniform osteosynthetic method for primary sternal closure and there is substantial variation in the perception of risk factors for sternal instability and possible surgical consequences among the surgical heart centers in Germany.
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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Sep 2006
The effects of a neutrophil elastase inhibitor on the postoperative respiratory failure of acute aortic dissection.
Postoperative respiratory failure is often encountered in patients suffering from acute aortic dissection (AAD) and is believed to be influenced by release of neutrophil elastase after cardiopulmonary bypass. Sivelestat is a specific neutrophil elastase inhibitor, and this study aims to evaluate the effects of sivelestat on postoperative respiratory failure due to AAD. ⋯ Inhibiting the activity of the neutrophil elastase may attenuate the postoperative respiratory complications of patients with AAD.
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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Sep 2006
Case ReportsPosttraumatic pulmonary pseudocyst: a rare complication of blunt chest trauma.
Posttraumatic pulmonary pseudocyst is a rare cavitary lesion lacking an epithelial lining, which develops within the pulmonary parenchyma after blunt chest trauma. Such pseudocysts develop most commonly in children and young adults. The clinical course is usually benign with spontaneous resolution of the radiologic manifestations within 2 to 4 months after trauma. A young male injured in a motor vehicle accident, sustaining a posttraumatic pulmonary pseudocyst, is presented here.