Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jun 2009
Comparative StudyClinical characteristics and early mortality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting compared to percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ASCTS) and the Melbourne Interventional Group (MIG) Registries.
Controversy continues over the optimal revascularisation strategy for patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease. Clinical characteristics, risk profile, and mortality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are thought to differ but there are limited contemporary comparative data. ⋯ In contemporary clinical practice, CABG is preferred in patients with multi-vessel coronary and associated non-coronary vascular disease, while PCI is the dominant strategy for acute MI. Despite this, in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were similar. Predictors of early mortality after CABG differ to those of PCI.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jun 2009
Successful treatment of pulmonary mucormycosis in a renal transplant recipient with limited pulmonary reserve by combined medical and surgical therapy.
Mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection in renal transplant recipients which is associated with exceedingly high mortality when inadequately treated. Risk factors for this infection include diabetes, neutropaenia and immunosuppression. ⋯ The patient was successfully treated with lobectomy and liposomal amphotericin B with preservation of pulmonary and allograft functions. Early recognition of this infection is warranted before dissemination, which carries a poor prognosis.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jun 2009
Case ReportsIdiopathic chylothorax and chylopericardium resistant to conservative and surgical management.
Simultaneous idiopathic collection of chyle in the pericardial and pleural cavities is a rare phenomenon and to our knowledge it has been reported twice before [Torrington KG, Youkey JR. Simultaneous Idiopathic chylothorax and chylopericardium. ⋯ Tex Heart Inst J 2006;33(2):249-53]. We report two cases of idiopathic pericardial and pleural effusions presenting cardiac tamponade resistant to conservative and surgical management.