European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2014
The extracardiac conduit Fontan procedure in Australia and New Zealand: hypoplastic left heart syndrome predicts worse early and late outcomes.
To identify factors associated with hospital and long-term outcomes in a binational cohort of extracardiac conduit (ECC) Fontan recipients. ⋯ The extracardiac Fontan procedure provides excellent survival into the second decade of life, but half of patients will suffer a late adverse event by 14 years. Patients with HLHS are at higher risk of late adverse events than other morphological groups, but their survival is still excellent.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2014
High-emergency waiting list for lung transplantation: early results of a nation-based study.
The high mortality rate observed on the regular waiting list (RWL) before lung transplantation (LTx) prompted the French organ transplantation authorities to set up in 2007 a dedicated graft allocation strategy, the so-called 'high-emergency waiting list' (HEWL), for patients with an abrupt worsening of their respiratory function. This study reports on the early results of this new allocation system. ⋯ The new allocation system aimed at lowering mortality on the RWL, but also offered an access to LTx for new patients with end-stage respiratory failure. The HEWL increased the likelihood of mortality after LTx, but permitted acceptable mid-term survival rates. The high mortality associated with the use of ECMO should be interpreted cautiously.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2014
Bilateral internal thoracic artery use in patients with low ejection fraction: is there any additional long-term benefit?
The use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITA) has been associated with improved long-term outcomes following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of BITA use on long-term survival among patients with low ejection fraction (EF) undergoing CABG. ⋯ The use of a second internal thoracic artery (ITA) does not prolong late survival in patients with low EF undergoing CABG compared with a propensity-matched group of SITA graft patients.