Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Feb 2011
Review Meta AnalysisProtective effects of steroids in cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized double-blind trials.
Cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induce an acute inflammatory response contributing to postoperative morbidity. The use of steroids as anti-inflammatory agents in surgery using CPB has been tested in many trials and has been shown to have good anti-inflammatory effects but no clear clinical advantages for the lack of an adequately powered sample size. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of steroid treatment on mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. ⋯ A systematic review of RDB trials reveals that steroid prophylaxis may reduce morbidity after cardiac surgery and does not increase the risk of postoperative infections.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Feb 2011
Transfusion requirements in 811 patients during and after cardiac surgery: a prospective observational study.
To identify patients at risk for intra- and postoperative blood product transfusion in a mixed adult cardiac surgical patient population. ⋯ The identification of high-risk patients is necessary to optimize the perioperative management of bleeding complications. Because of the high variability in transfusion requirements, a specifically tailored patient intervention based on the individual's risk profile appears more likely to improve patient outcome compared with general interventions given to the entire patient group.