The heart surgery forum
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The heart surgery forum · Jan 2005
Case ReportsImpending paradoxical embolism across a patent foramen ovale: case report.
We describe a case of impending paradoxical embolism in a 43-year-old male patient with pulmonary embolism. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a thromboembolus straddling a patent foramen ovale. ⋯ A postoperative work-up for a hypercoagulable state revealed a protein-S deficiency and bilateral lower extremity deep vein thromboses. A Greenfield inferior vena cava filter was inserted, anticoagulation was performed, and warfarin treatment was continued after the patient was discharged home.
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The heart surgery forum · Jan 2005
Clinical TrialIncisional administration of local anesthetic provides satisfactory analgesia following port access heart surgery.
To evaluate the new method of postoperative pain relief following port access (PA) heart surgery. ⋯ The incisional administration of local anesthetic provides satisfactory pain control after PA heart surgery.
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The heart surgery forum · Jan 2005
ReviewMarkers for perioperative myocardial ischemia: what both interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons need to know.
All novel markers of myocardial ischemia (ischemia-modified albumin, choline, unbound free fatty acids) lack cardiac specificity. Therefore, for the specific detection of myocardial ischemia selective blood sampling from an inserted coronary sinus catheter is needed, which limits the applicability of these markers in most clinical routine settings. In addition, the superiority of these novel markers over the calculation of myocardial lactate production, the current criterion standard for the laboratory diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, has not been demonstrated so far, and even comparative data is frequently lacking. ⋯ Troponin release is lower in off-pump compared to on-pump bypass surgery. Despite the controversy over the significance of troponin elevations after clinically uncomplicated and successful procedures, it is tempting to postulate that less myocardial damage as detected by troponin release is beneficial for the patient. After elective percutaneous coronary interventions, only troponin increases >8-fold the upper reference limit were associated with increased mortality in long-term follow-up.
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The heart surgery forum · Jan 2005
Myocardial protection using HTK solution in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.
Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) is a safe and satisfactory approach used mainly in mitral valve surgery with excellent results in many centers. Cardioplegia administration can be still a problem, especially when an endoaortic clamp is used. We retrospectively analyzed our early results with histidine-triptophane-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution used for myocardial protection in MICS. ⋯ HTK solution is a cold crystalloid cardioplegia solution that has demonstrated its utility in MICS because it provides a safe long cardioplegic arrest time and it reduces the risk of inadequate coronary perfusion due to dislodgement of the endoaortic clamp.
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The heart surgery forum · Jan 2005
Comparative StudySternal wound complications in bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting: a comparison of the off-pump technique and conventional cardiopulmonary bypass.
Sternal wound complication is a major concern in bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting. The purpose of this study was to assess whether avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass has beneficial effects with fewer wound complications in patients receiving bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting. ⋯ The results suggest that the avoidance of CPB has no beneficial effect on the number of sternal wound complications in patients receiving bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting. However, further prospective, randomized studies on large patient groups are required to assess this finding.