European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2005
Prognostic factors in surgically resected N2 non-small cell lung cancer: the importance of patterns of mediastinal lymph nodes metastases.
Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with metastases to ipsilateral mediastinal lymph nodes (N2) are an heterogeneous group of patients as regard to prognosis and treatment. Indication and timing of surgery remain controversial. The present study investigates the prognostic factors, in order to identify homogenous subgroups of patients. ⋯ Clinical N2 status, number of lymph nodes levels involved and specific patterns of lymphatic spread identify homogenous subgroups of patients that can be proposed for different therapeutic strategies.
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Reduced training time combined with no rigorous assessment for technical skills makes it difficult for trainees to monitor their competence. We have developed an objective bench-top assessment of technical skills at a level commensurate with a junior registrar in cardiac surgery. ⋯ The use of bench-top tasks to differentiate between cardiac surgeons of differing technical abilities has been validated for the first time. Furthermore, it is unnecessary to perform post-hoc video rating to obtain objective data. These measures can provide formative feedback for surgeons-in-training and lead to the development of a competency-based technical skills curriculum.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2005
Comparative StudyThe sealing effect of fibrin glue against alveolar air leakage evaluated up to 48 h; comparison between different methods of application.
There is little experimental evidence to show how much positive airway pressure fibrin sealants can actually withstand, and in particular, how this effect changes over time. In the present study, we experimentally evaluated the sealing effect of fibrin glue against alveolar air leakage up to 48 h after application. ⋯ The results show that the sealing effect of fibrin glue is relatively unstable up to 12h after its application. Rubbing and spray method may help the fibrin seal to reach its full strength faster compared with the other two methods.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2005
Homograft reconstruction of the aortic root for endocarditis with periannular abscess: a 17-year study.
The study was conducted to evaluate the long-term results of homograft reconstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract with a cryopreserved aortic homograft in the presence of aortic root abscess associated with a biofilm bacterial infection. ⋯ Radical debridement of the infected aortic root and homograft ARR offer a low recurrent infection rate and an overall low valve-related morbidity and mortality for up to 17 years. The antibiotic permeable cryopreserved homograft has proven to be resistant to biofilm bacterial infection.