J Cardiovasc Surg
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Diabetic foot ulcers are a major health care problem. Complications of foot ulcers are a leading cause of hospitalization and amputation in diabetic patients. Diabetic ulcers result from neuropathy or ischemia. ⋯ Indeed, improvement in ulcer healing has been observed with primary healing rates of 65-85% in mixed series. Even when healed, diabetic foot should be regarded as a life-long condition and treated accordingly to prevent recurrence. Long-term efforts have reduced amputation 37-75% in different European countries over 10-15 years.
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All types of cardiac surgery involve considerable injury to the myocardium. However, little is known about the prognostic value of cardiac troponin (cTnI), which is a cardiac-specific biologic marker. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the prognostic value of cTnI concentrations measured 20 hours after the end of surgery in patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting (CABG). ⋯ Our study indicates that cTnI concentration 20 hours after the end of surgery is an independent predictor of in-hospital death after CABG. Furthermore, high concentrations of cTnI were associated with a cardiac cause of death and major clinical outcomes.
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Celiac artery aneurysms are rare but potentially fatal because of the risk of rupture. Atherosclerosis and fibrous dysplasia are the two most common etiologies. ⋯ We report three cases of post-stenotic celiac artery aneurysm with median arcuate ligament compression admitted to our hospital over the past two years. Although the incidence is rare with only 8 cases reported in the literature, a median arcuate ligament may have a role in the development of celiac artery aneurysms and its presence can influence the surgical strategy.