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 2019
Multicenter StudyQuality of life after coronary bypass: a multicentre study of routinely collected health data in the Netherlands†.
In this study, our aim was to explore how coronary artery bypass grafting affects quality of life, and how this varies with age, particularly with patients at risk of deterioration. ⋯ Most patients experience a relevant increase in physical and mental quality of life, but a proportion of patients aged ≥80 years undergo significant deterioration in mental health.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2019
Comparative StudyComparative study of the frozen elephant trunk and classical elephant trunk techniques to supplement total arch replacement for acute type A aortic dissection†.
In patients with acute type A aortic dissection, the use of the frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure with total arch replacement (TAR) has been indicated for emergency operations to obtain thrombosis of the distal false lumen (FL). However, data comparing the FET and the classical elephant trunk (CET) procedures, including the incidences of mortality, morbidity, spinal cord injury and aortic remodelling, have not yet been reported. The goal of this study was to compare the early outcomes of TAR with the FET and the CET procedures. ⋯ According to our initial experience, the FET compared to the CET procedure showed comparable early complications and an advantage concerning FL thrombosis and aortic remodelling at early follow-up examinations.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2019
Acquired von Willebrand factor deficiency is reduced in HeartMate 3 patients†.
The acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AvWS), which is associated with left ventricular assist device support, is caused by the loss of the von Willebrand factor (vWF) high molecular weight multimers (HMWMs). We investigated whether the implantation of the left ventricular assist device HeartMate 3 (HM 3) is superior to the HeartWare ventricular assist device (HVAD) in preserving the multimeric structure of vWF. ⋯ Patients with an implanted HM 3 had more intact HMWMs and a higher vWF activity during device support. This may reduce the manifestation of AvWS in HM 3 patients and could thus lead to a lower bleeding complication rate.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2019
Observational StudyDiscriminatory power of scoring systems for outcome prediction in patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation following cardiovascular surgery†.
Although extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) represents a rapidly evolving treatment option in patients with refractory heart or lung failure, survival remains poor and appropriate risk stratification challenging because established risk prediction models have not been validated for this specific population. ⋯ Risk assessment based on established risk models in patients with ECMO remains difficult. Only the SAPS II and the SAVE score were exclusively found to be suitable for short- and long-term outcome prediction in this specific vulnerable patient population.