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Journal and News Scan
April 10, 2024
Submitted by: Jason Trevis
The authors of this paper explored early postoperative outcomes in all patients (n= 833) undergoing uniportal segmentectomy and lobectomy in their unit between 2017 and 2022. During this study period, the utilization of uniportal access operations increased. The authors concluded that early postoperative outcomes were similar between the segmentectomy and lobectomy groups.
April 3, 2024
Submitted by: EACTS Staff
Defining perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) after cardiac surgery presents challenges. A multidisciplinary group evaluated the evidence on mechanisms, diagnosis, and prognosis of PMI. The review found that postoperative troponin thresholds associated with increased mortality risk are markedly higher than those found in current PM definitions. Large increases in other biomarkers are also prognostically relevant, even if supporting evidence of ischemia is lacking. A new algorithm for PMI detection was proposed, and researchers recommended that PMI should be included in the primary composite outcome of trials of coronary interventions.
April 3, 2024
Submitted by: Jason Trevis
These updated guidelines give a comprehensive guide on the treatment of atheroscleritoc carotid and vertebral artery disease to prevent stroke and TIA.
April 3, 2024
Submitted by: Javeria Tariq
This article investigates long term survival of total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting comparatively in a male versus female population. The retrospective analysis revealed that, compared to vein dependent procedures, total arterial revascularization was closely associated with a reduced incidence of long-term all-cause mortality for both male (HR, 0.86; 95 percent CI, 0.81–0.91; P < 0.001) and female (HR, 0.82; 95 percent CI, 0.73–0.91; P < 0.001) cohorts.
April 3, 2024
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
The device manufacturer Abiomed has issued a recall, issued Class I by the FDA, for its left-sided heart pumps due to cases in which the pump catheter has perforated the left ventricle wall. In its letter, Abiomed advised clinicians to carefully position the pump catheter, use imaging to aid in positioning, and to use caution in high-risk patients. It also specified that the recall is a correction, not a total product removal.
March 27, 2024
Submitted by: EACTS Staff
This study used the German registry of acute aortic dissection type A (GERAADA) score to predict thirty-day mortality in an aortic center in the United States. Six-hundred-eighty-five patients who underwent surgery for acute type A aortic dissection were included. Thirty-day mortality was 12 percent. The GERAADA score had very good discrimination power (area under the receiver operating characteristic 0.762). The observed versus estimated mortality ratio was 0.543, indicating the model overestimated risk. The authors concluded the GERAADA score is a good tool to estimate thirty-day mortality, although it may overestimate the risk in experienced aortic centers.
March 27, 2024
Submitted by: Mateo Marin-Cuartas
The frequency of minimally invasive mitral valve (MV) surgery has increased over the last decade. Hence, the number of patients requiring MV reoperations post-minimally invasive MV surgery is increasing. This study analyzed the outcomes of patients undergoing MV reoperation after previous minimally invasive MV surgery during a twenty-year period in a high volume heart valve center. A total of 187 patients were included in the analysis (34 [18.2 percent] patients repeat MV repair; 153 [81.8 percent] MV replacement). Redo MV surgery was performed through median sternotomy in 169 (90.4 percent) patients. The median intensive care unit stay was 1 day (1-5 days). The thirty-day mortality was 6.4 percent, and actuarial survival at 5 and 12 years was 61.8 percent and 38.3 percent, respectively. Endocarditis and preoperative stroke were identified as predictors of late mortality.
March 27, 2024
Submitted by: Francesco Pollari
Overall, 4,365 patients were diagnosed and operated on for infective endocarditis (IE) from 2000 to 2021. Long-term survival was significantly higher among patients receiving a mechanical prosthesis than those receiving a biological prosthesis (hazard ratio [HR] 0.546, 95 percent CI: 0.322-0.926, p= 0.025). Mechanical prostheses were associated with significantly less recurrent endocarditis after AVR than biological prostheses (HR 0.268, 95 percent CI: 0.077-0.933, p= 0.039). The present analysis of the INFECT-REGISTRY shows increased survival and reduced recurrence of endocarditis after a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis implant for IE in middle-aged patients.
March 27, 2024
Submitted by: Javeria Tariq
This study aimed to evaluate the percentage of solitary fibrous pleural tumors presenting unfavorable clinical behavior to predict negative long-term outcomes. Although they are historically considered benign neoplasms, this retrospective review identified 25 percent of 74 patients displayed histological evidence of malignancy as per England criteria and the recurrence rate was 21 percent. The authors recommended the pathological differentiation of these tumors into pedunculated, well circumscribed, and sessile growth patterns. They also recommend that all nonpedunculated lesions should be classified as potentially aggressive.
March 19, 2024
Submitted by: Jo Chikwe
Many obstacles challenge cardiac surgery in low- and middle-income countries, despite unmet cardiac surgical needs. One challenge has been providing adequate follow up care to monitor anticoagulation, manage morbidity, and prevent mortality. This systematic review of 67 articles published between 2012 and 2022 describes outcomes after valvular cardiac surgery and focuses on strategies for prolonged follow up care in resource constrained settings.