European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2004
On-line variable live-adjusted displays with internal and external risk-adjusted mortalities. A valuable method for benchmarking and early detection of unfavourable trends in cardiac surgery.
Benchmarking and early detection of unfavourable trends. ⋯ On-line VLADs based on a day-to-day updated database, displaying both internal and external standards, are a helpful visualisation tool for earlier detection of unfavourable trends. They enable the surgeon teams and clinical management to take countermeasures at an early stage.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialRelation between size of prosthesis and valve gradient: comparison of two aortic bioprosthesis.
The outcome of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) may be affected by the influence of prosthesis-patient mismatch on left ventricular mass regression. However, due to the discrepancies in labeled valve size, size of sizer and actual valve dimension, it is difficult to compare different valve types. In order to perform an objective comparison, this study was designed to compare the hemodynamics of the Edwards Lifescience pericardial (ELP) and the Medtronic Mosaic porcine (MM) bioprosthesis between patients receiving the same valve size and between patients with the same aortic annulus diameter. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the hemodynamic performance of the ELP and the MM bioprosthesis are comparable when the same aortic annulus diameter is taken as a reference. The significant variabilities between different valve types with regard to labeled valve size, valve-sizer size and actual valve size have to be taken into account, when hemodynamic comparisons are performed.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialS100 protein and its relation to cerebral microemboli in on-pump and off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
S100 protein has been used as a marker for cerebral injury. Studies have reported lower levels in off-pump coronary artery surgery (CABG) compared to on-pump surgery. However, most of these are flawed as S100 from extracerebral sources was included (e.g. blood from cardiotomy suckers). Microemboli (high-intensity transient signals or HITS) during CABG have been implicated as a cause of postoperative neurocognitive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to compare the number of HITS during on-pump and off-pump CABG, measure S100 accurately by excluding extracerebral sources, and assess whether any changes in S100 were related to HITS. ⋯ We have demonstrated a significantly higher number of cerebral microemboli in patients undergoing on-pump compared to off-pump CABG. By limiting contamination from extracerebral sources, we have shown S100 beta levels during on-pump CABG one and a half times greater than that in off-pump, although this did not reach statistical significance. In addition, we have shown no correlation between S100 beta and the total microemboli count, possibly because of the small numbers in this study.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2004
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialClopidogrel does not increase bleeding and allogenic blood transfusion in coronary artery surgery.
Platelet dysfunction is one of the major reasons of postoperative bleeding following coronary artery surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of clopidogrel; a specific and potent irreversible inhibitor of platelet aggregation; on bleeding and use of blood and blood products after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). ⋯ The results of this study suggest that preoperative use of clopidogrel is not associated with increased bleeding and need for surgical exploration as well as risk of blood and blood product transfusion after CABG.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2004
ReviewCompletion pneumonectomy in cancer patients: experience with 55 cases.
Analysis of a single institution experience with completion pneumonectomy. ⋯ These results suggest that completion pneumonectomy in the setting of lung malignancies can be done with an operative risk similar to the one reported for standard pneumonectomy. In contrast, in cancer patients, completion pneumonectomy for inflammatory disorders is a very high-risk procedure.