European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Assessment of changes in general health status using the short-form 36 questionnaire 1 year following coronary artery bypass grafting.
The problem addressed in the study was to gain a greater understanding of the health benefits of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The purpose of the study was to assess general health status, using the short-form (SF)-36 questionnaire, approximately 12 months following CABG, and to document any associations between pre-operative health status, level of social support, coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors, CAD symptom severity and post-operative health status. ⋯ The SF-36 instrument was shown to be a useful and sensitive tool to assess differences and changes in the general health status of patients before and following CABG. High levels of social support were associated with improved health status post-operatively. Lower pre-operative general health status, the presence of diabetes mellitus and cigarette smoking were associated with poorer post-operative general health status.
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Aneurysm formation of the pulmonary trunk is rare and there is controversy about optimal treatment for this disease. The aim of this article is to report four patients with pulmonary trunk aneurysm which were managed by surgical repair. ⋯ Surgical management should be considered for large aneurysm of the pulmonary trunk regardless of its etiology and underlying disease to prevent possible rupture with fatal result if the patient has an acceptably low operative risk.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Aortic arch repair using hypothermic circulatory arrest technique associated with pharmacological brain protection.
Hypothermic circulatory arrest is a standard procedure for the treatment of aortic arch. However, there is a time limit for this procedure. There is now an urgent need to develop prophylactic measures to extend the time limit. We have used a pharmacological mixture of thiopental, nicardipine and mannitol for all patients undergoing circulatory arrest since 1991 to extend the safe limit. The purpose of this study was to analyze the neurological complications demonstrated by these patients and to evaluate the brain-protective effects of our measure. ⋯ The findings of the present study suggest that our pharmacological brain protection appears to be effective for safely extending hypothermic circulatory arrest.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Iterative surgical resections for local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma.
To report our experience with repeated pulmonary resection in patients with local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma, to assess operative mortality and late outcome. ⋯ Long-term results justify complete work-up of patients with local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma. Treatment should be surgical, if there is no evidence of distant metastasis and the patients are in good health. Early detection of second lesions is possible with an aggressive follow-up conducted maximally at 4 months intervals for the first 2 years and 6 months intervals thereafter throughout life.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Nov 2000
Factors affecting long-term survival after en-bloc resection of lung cancer invading the chest wall.
Several reports emphasize the importance of en-bloc resection as the optimal surgical treatment of lung cancer with chest wall invasion. We investigated possible factors which could affect long-term survival following radical resection of these tumors. ⋯ Histological differentiation and depth of chest wall involvement were the main factors affecting long-term survival in this series. The role of induction chemotherapy for tumors with poor prognosis should be investigated.