European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jun 2011
The Papworth Bleeding Risk Score: a stratification scheme for identifying cardiac surgery patients at risk of excessive early postoperative bleeding.
We have developed a risk stratification score to identify cardiac surgical patients at higher risk of severe postoperative bleeding to aid a decision of whether to use a specific intervention preoperatively. ⋯ We have developed a simple risk stratification score that can separate, preoperatively, patients into risk groups with markedly different rates of severe postoperative bleeding.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jun 2011
Elective pectus bar removal following Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum: a single-institution experience.
Very few data are available on complications following elective bar removal after the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum. The objective of this study was to investigate the data from 343 consecutive patients. ⋯ Bar removal following the Nuss procedure is a quick and safe operation with very few complications. Occurrence of complications is not dependent on the experience of the surgeon.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jun 2011
The use of non-heart-beating lung donors category III can increase the donor pool.
The use of non-heart-beating (NHB) lung donors has been propagated as an alternative besides heart-beating (HB) lung donors to overcome organ shortage. We evaluated the effectiveness of NHB lung transplantation. ⋯ Lungs from nonheparinized category III NHB donors are well suited for transplantation and can safely increase the donor pool.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jun 2011
Microalbuminuria is associated with high adverse event rate following cardiac surgery.
To examine if preoperative microalbuminuria is associated with an increased risk of long-term adverse outcomes following elective cardiac surgery and if it provides additional prognostic information beyond the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE). ⋯ Preoperative microalbuminuria is associated with an increased risk of long-term adverse outcomes in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery, and it appears to provide prognostic information on mortality.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jun 2011
Assessment and follow-up of intercostal nerve damage after video-assisted thoracic surgery.
Chronic pain is a common complication after thoracic surgery. The most important factor appears to be intercostal nerve damage. The purpose of this prospective study was to objectively evaluate intercostal nerve damage associated with post-thoracotomy pain after three surgical procedures using current perception threshold testing. ⋯ This is the first study that objectively evaluated pain after video-assisted thoracic surgery. The results suggest that the Aβ and Aδ fibers play a significant role in the development of intercostal nerve damage. The current perception threshold values clearly demonstrated that video-assisted thoracic surgery is a less-invasive procedure resulting in less post-thoracotomy pain and, they have some possibilities to objectively evaluate the ongoing pain after surgery.