Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Feb 2012
Comparative StudyShort term outcomes after cardiac surgery in a Jehovah's Witness population: an institutional experience.
Minimising blood transfusion has a number of medical and logistical benefits, and is of particular importance for followers of the Jehovah's Witness faith. We examined the short term outcomes in this group of patients based on our institutional practice over the past decade. ⋯ Cardiac surgery can be performed safely in Jehovah's Witness patients with acceptable outcomes.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Feb 2012
Case ReportsInversion of the left atrial appendage: a complication of cardiac surgery.
An inverted left atrial appendage which fails to revert spontaneously is a rare complication of cardiac surgery. We present a case of an inverted left atrial appendage discovered intraoperatively on transoesophageal echocardiography. ⋯ Intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography plus an awareness of the possibility that a newly presenting left atrial mass post-bypass might be an inverted left atrial appendage, facilitates immediate correction. So doing removes any need for further investigation or further cardiac surgery and reduces the risk of a subsequent thromboembolic event if the diagnosis is not made until later.