European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Apr 2010
Postoperative consumption of opioid analgesics following correction of pectus excavatum is influenced by pectus severity: a single-centre study of 236 patients undergoing minimally invasive correction of pectus excavatum.
Surgical correction of pectus excavatum (PE) is primarily performed to achieve cosmetic and psychological benefits for the patient. Minimally invasive repair of PE is often associated with severe postoperative pain. This study estimates the effect of the severity of PE on the postoperative consumption of opioid analgesics following this procedure to optimise pain management. ⋯ This study confirms that pectus severity has a significant impact on the consumption of opioid analgesics following minimally invasive repair of PE. We conclude that knowledge of pectus severity might be useful in the prediction of the expected morphine consumption in future patients, especially during the critical transition period from epidural analgesia to oral analgesia.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Apr 2010
A left atrial ablation with bipolar irrigated radio-frequency for atrial fibrillation during minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.
Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Mitral valve disease is often associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), also due to the ageing of the population. ⋯ We have operated on eight patients: six female with a mean age 68+/-8 years. Six patients suffered from permanent AF and other two from paroxysmal AF.