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Journal and News Scan
January 2, 2018
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A dense but short and readable editorial arguing for the complexity of risk stratification of aortic pathology.
January 1, 2018
Submitted by: Tom C. Nguyen
Incredible story about how American Heart Association President Dr John Warner suffered a cardiac arrest after his presidential address and was subsequently saved by two bystanders. This story emphasizes the fortune of being in the right place at the right time, but more importantly, the public value of knowing CPR.
December 31, 2017
Submitted by: Edward Savage
The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was evaluated to assess tricupsid valve surgery. Isolated and concurrent tricuspid surgery outcomes are analyzed. The authors conclude that "surgical treatment of TR remains underused and is associated with high operative morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalizations, and considerable cost."
December 28, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Using a simulated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest scenario, the authors compared the time from an emergency call to resource deployment and arrival for drone-delivered automatic external defibrillator (AED) and ground vehicle-based emergency medical services (EMS). Mean time to dispatch was 3 sec for the drone and 3 min for EMS. Over a median flight distance of 3.2 km, mean time to arrival was 5:21 min for the drone vs 22:00 min for EMS.
December 27, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Sure, we all receive emergency calls that potentially could interrupt an operation. This surgeon, however, was taking a Spanish language proficiency test on his cell phone while performing varicose vein surgery on an awake patient. Common sense appears to have failed in this case.
December 26, 2017
Submitted by: Marco Nardini
The Task Force for the Management of Valvular Heart Disease of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) copublished the 2017 guidelines for the management of valvular disease in the European Heart Journal and in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. In this comprehensive paper, there are many new and strong classes of recommendations since the previous 2012 guidelines.
December 25, 2017
Submitted by: Tom C. Nguyen
This review article explores the association between postoperative mediastinal blood and atrial fibrillation.
December 23, 2017
Submitted by: Marco Nardini
Minimally invasive plication of the diaphragm is a life changing procedure for patients affeted by diaphragm paralysis. The three-port procedure was conceived in Middlesbrough and it is now spreading around UK and beyond.
December 22, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Bansal and colleagues describe survival after left ventricular assist device placement for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), based on Medicare claims associated with data in the United States Renal Data System registry. Prognosis for these patients was very poor compared to patients without ESRD, particularly in the short-term. The authors suggest this information could be helpful in informing shared decisions regarding treatment for advanced heart failure in patients with ESRD.
An invited commentary article from Thomas and colleagues accompanies the article.
December 22, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Patient Care
The Venezuelan singer known by the nickname “El Puma” is recovering after a double lung transplant for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
A Bangladeshi woman has received a new esophagus in Toronto, Canada, after her esophagus was severely damaged in an acid attack.
Dutch cyclist Lars Boom will miss the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, South Australia, as he undergoes surgery for cardiac arrhythmia. Lithuanian cyclist Ramūnas Navardauskas will make the tour, having recovered from his surgical arrhythmia correction.
Drugs and Devices
Three reports of detached docking buttons on the Nanostim leadless pacemaker lead Abbott to announce that it is maintaining the worldwide halt on device implantations while it investigates.
Research, Trials, and Funding
In a bit of festive fun, researchers at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, suggest testable—if improbable—hypotheses for some of the scientific oddities in popular Christmas stories, such as the Grinch’s rapidly growing heart.
In case you needed more reason to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, a study published in the European Respiratory Journal found an association between a person’s apple and tomato consumption and their lung health.
Mice with a genetic modification that models Marfan syndrome benefit from a bit of moderate exercise, say researchers from Spain.