The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2018
Inhibition of microglial activation by minocycline reduced preoligodendrocyte injury in a neonatal rat brain slice model.
Periventricular leukomalacia is a common white-matter injury after neonatal cardiac surgery; however, its potential cellular mechanism remains uncertain. There is limited study regarding periventricular leukomalacia treatment. ⋯ The microglial activation may play a key role in preoligodendrocyte injury in the ex vivo neonatal rat brain slice perfusion and circulatory arrest model. Inhibition of microglial activation with minocycline may be an attractive target for white-matter protection during cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2018
Emergency department use is high after esophagectomy and feeding tube problems are the biggest culprit.
Esophagectomy is a complex operation with potential for prolonged recovery. We aimed to identify the incidence of and risk factors for any and frequent emergency department visits within 1 year of esophagectomy. ⋯ There is high emergency department use within 1 year postesophagectomy. Patients living farther away from our hospital had a lower rate of emergency department use. It is possible that they are utilizing emergency departments nearer to home; this needs further study. Feeding tube problems are the biggest culprits and are potentially modifiable.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2018
EditorialNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and American Association for Thoracic Surgery Workshop Report: Identifying collaborative clinical research priorities in lung transplantation.
This report summarizes the discussion and recommendations from the June 2017 NHLBI-AATS Workshop on Identifying Collaborative Clinical Research Priorities in Lung Transplantation.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2018
Long-term health-related quality of life and survival after cardiac surgery: A prospective study.
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important end point after cardiac surgery, particularly in patients of older age. However, prospective long-term studies describing the trajectory of HRQOL after cardiac surgery are still scarce. Therefore, the aim was to assess survival, functional status, and trajectory of HRQOL 10 years after cardiac surgery. ⋯ HRQOL and function improved from before to 10 years after cardiac surgery, also for older patients. These long-term results are of major importance when discussing the use of health care resources and patient-centered clinical decision-making.
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Although the importance of mentorship in training the next generation of cardiothoracic surgeons is widely recognized, the current state of mentorship remains undefined. ⋯ The majority of current cardiothoracic surgery trainees had mentorship; however, gaps remain: Many residents lacked career path guidance, assistance obtaining a job, and advice regarding life-work balance. The role of mentorship varied with program type, seniority, and gender, emphasizing the need to tailor mentorship to the individual and changing needs of the resident.