European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Dec 2016
Preserved brain morphology after controlled automated reperfusion of the whole body following normothermic circulatory arrest time of up to 20 minutes.
Clinical outcomes following cardiac arrest (CA) and resuscitation remain a cause for concern. The use of Controlled Automated Reperfusion of the whoLe body (CARL) confers superior neurological outcome even after extended periods of CA. We aimed at investigating clinical outcome and brain morphology preservation when employing CARL following CA periods of 20 min. ⋯ In our experimental animal model of CA, CARL results in satisfactory survival at CA periods of 20 min despite detected enzyme and morphological changes. These changes did not translate to clinical neurological deficits.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Dec 2016
Review Meta AnalysisContinuous paravertebral block for post-cardiothoracic surgery analgesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
A continuous paravertebral block is used when pain relief is required beyond the duration of a single-injection paravertebral block. Surgical procedures requiring an incision into the pleural cavity are some of the most painful procedures postoperatively and, if not managed appropriately, can lead to chronic pain. The current gold standard for post-cardiothoracic surgery pain management is epidural analgesia, which has contraindications, a failure rate of up to 12% and risk of complications such as epidural abscess and spinal haematoma. ⋯ The continuous paravertebral block was associated with a significant improvement in incidence of nausea and vomiting (odds ratio = 0.29, 95% confidence interval = [0.16, 0.56]), hypotension (odds ratio = 0.16, 95% confidence interval = [0.06, 0.41]) and urinary retention (odds ratio = 0.22, 95% confidence interval = [0.09, 0.52]) compared with the epidural block. No statistically significant difference in pain relief was reported. The continuous paravertebral block has equivalent analgesic effects to epidural analgesia, wound infiltration and standard care, but is associated with a lower incidence of nausea and vomiting, hypotension and urinary retention than epidural analgesia.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Dec 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialEffectiveness of pericardial lavage with or without tranexamic acid in cardiac surgery patients receiving intravenous tranexamic acid: a randomized controlled trial.
Pericardial lavage with saline, with or without tranexamic acid (TA), is still not evidence-based within current clinical practice as a part of a blood conservation strategy in cardiac surgery patients receiving intravenous TA administration. The objective was to determine whether intravenous TA combined with pericardial lavage with saline, with or without TA, reduces blood loss by 25% after cardiac surgery measured in the first 12 h postoperatively. ⋯ Pericardial lavage, with or without TA, does not result in a statistically significant difference in the 12-h postoperative blood loss in cardiac surgery patients receiving intravenous TA administration. Pericardial lavage with saline, with or without TA, should not be a part of a blood conservation strategy.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Dec 2016
Initial experience in uniportal subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for major lung resections.
Uniportal subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic (SVATS) surgery for major lung resections is a new approach, but clinical evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine our experience with the use of the uniportal subxiphoid approach in video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) major lung resections and lymph node dissections. ⋯ Uniportal subxiphoid VATS lobectomy/segmentectomy is a feasible and safe procedure for early-stage lung cancer and benign disease.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Dec 2016
Left ventricular regression after balloon atrial septostomy in d-transposition of the great arteries.
Balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) is an effective palliative procedure in children with transposition of the great arteries and poor intercirculatory mixing. While the subpulmonary left ventricle (LV) is known to regress with time in these newborns due to the declining afterload, it has not been studied how it behaves following BAS and a consequent decrease in preload. The study was designed to examine the effects of BAS on the LV in infants with simple d-transposition of the great arteries by serial 2D echocardiographic monitoring. ⋯ BAS is associated with accelerated regression of the LV in infants with simple d-transposition of the great arteries in the first 2 weeks after the procedure. Regression of the LV is faster in children who underwent BAS after 3 weeks of age.