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Journal and News Scan
As part of this study, patients 75 years and older with acute type A aortic dissection from 2011 to 2020 were reviewed. The surgical outcomes of noncommunicating acute type A dissection in this group were favorable, with no significant difference in maintaining physical function at discharge. The medical group had a significantly higher overall aortic event rate than the surgical group.
Because of advances in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), an increasing number of HCV-positive donors have become eligible to donate for heart transplant. This study aimed to conclude just how large that increase has been and the resulting outcomes. Researchers found that HCV-positive heart transplants have increased one-hundred-fold in recent years and recipients of those hearts have had acceptable outcomes similar to recipients of HCV-negative organs.
At UCSF, which has one of the longest running organ transplant programs in the United States, an all-women team led by Dr. Amy Fiedler performed a heart transplant for the first time recently. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, this may have also been the first all-women team in history to perform a heart transplant.
Sleeve lobectomy is preferred to pneumonectomy for centrally located lung tumors. To report on surgical outcomes of this procedure, The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons database was searched between 2007 and 2021. The conclusion was that sleeve lobectomies can be performed safely after neoadjuvant treatment, and VATS was shown to result in shorter stays and decreased morbidity.
This guideline on acute mechanical circulatory support covers medical and surgical treatment of cardiogenic and pulmonary shock, management of patients supported with temporary mechanical circulatory support devices, complications, special populations, as well as palliative care, social and ethical dilemmas. Because of the association between cardiogenic and pulmonary shock and morbidity, this guideline was critically needed.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons published its newly developed short-term risk calculator of operative and thirty day risk specific to isolated mitral valve repair for primary mitral regurgitation and degenerative mitral etiology.
The calculation is based on more than preoperative variables. It takes into account age, height, weight, sex, race, Hispanic, smoker, diabetes, chronic lung disease, beta blocker, adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitor (within 5 days), steroids, hypertension, home oxygen, cerebrovascular disease, dialysis, liver disease, IV drug abuse, alcohol (>1 drink/week), immunosuppression, hematocrit, WBC count, platelet count, creatinine (mg/dl), ejection fraction (%), cardiac reoperation, chronic heart failure, surgical priority, preoperative atrial fibrillation, tricuspid insufficiency, and predominant mitral lesion.
A retrospective analysis of early experience with a new approach to totally endoscopic aortic valve replacement in 266 patients showed satisfactory results, with acceptable morbidity and low mortality rates.
To understand the shift toward nonsurgical management of esophageal cancer, researchers set out to determine the long-term quality of life (QOL) after esophagectomy. This study found that, in esophagectomy patients surviving more than three years, QOL did not differ significantly from the normative population reference values.
Since the recent increase of TAVR to treat aortic valve disease, multidisciplinary heart teams consisting of surgeons, cardiologists, and other allied professionals have become a necessary component in a successful surgery. Both surgeons and cardiologists who have worked on a TAVR case with a multidisciplinary heart team praise the ability to tailor each patient’s treatment to their unique situation. This article also outlines each component of a successful heart team.
The rate of serious complications in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has decreased markedly in recent years, going from 5.5 percent in 2012 to 2 percent in 2019. However, the total number of adverse events remains around 500, with about 100 requiring conversion to sternotomy, because of increased use of the procedure. The article reviews various complications and concludes that interdisciplinary TAVI heart team should be prepared and aware of possible rescue strategies.