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Journal and News Scan
August 3, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Grigor and colleagues investigated the relationship between self-reported patient experience and the incidence of adverse events or prolonged length of hospitalization after surgery. Patients with a prolonged length of stay rated their experience lower on more measures than patients with adverse events did. Notably, extended length of stay was associated with a lower rating of the comprehensiveness of information provided by surgeons.
August 2, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
This retrospective study of the association of BMI to long-term survival after resection of NSCLC identified BMI > 30kg/m2 as an independent predictor of survival. In a propensity score matched set, patients with BMI >30 had better survival than those with a BMI of 25 (p=0.003). The reason for this relationship remains to be elucidated.
August 2, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
This is an excellent summary of progress during the past year in all aspects of lung cancer, from prevention/detection through molecular therapies and future perspectives. Each section is written by a handful of international experts.
August 2, 2017
Submitted by: Ruben Osnabrugge
Frailty is an important factor in patients undergoing either Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement. However, it is hard to assess. Multiple scoring systems have been proposed which are either underperforming or are cumbersome to calculate.
In the current study, the authors introduced and tested the Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT), consisting of four items: lower-extremity weakness, cognitive impairment, anemia, and hypoalbumenia. The EFT outperformed other frailty assesment tools in approximatly 1000 elderly patients undergoing either TAVR or SAVR.
Dr. Mack notes in the accompanying editorial that several conclusions can be drawn:
1. Frailty can be assessd using an easy tool
2. Frailty is predictive of 1-year mortality after either TAVR or SAVR
3. EFT improves the power of the STS-PROM to predict 1 year mortality
4. EFT is also predictive for 30-day mortality and 1-year mortality and disability
This important study shows that frailty can classified easily. This facilitates comparitive studies, heart team discussions and clinical decision-making in patients undertoing an invasive treatment for aortic stenosis.
August 1, 2017
Submitted by: Benjamin Bidstrup
The authors present an extensive experience with the Frozen Elephant Trunk procedure for aortic pathology of varying types. They provide useful tips for each type. The results justify the techniques. The authors also provide some insight into when results may not be so good.
August 1, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Badhwar and colleagues analyzed the usage and outcomes of surgical ablation (SA) for atrial fibrillation reported in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. They found an incrementally increasing volume of SA procedures concomitant with cardiac operations like coronary artery bypass and valve repair/replacement over the 3-year period analyzed. Concomitant SA was associated with reduced risk of mortality and stroke but increased risk of renal failure and subsequent pacemaker implantation.
This research was presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, and a brief discussion from that meeting follows the article.
July 28, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Patient Care
The first total aortic replacement in Malaysia was performed for a patient with a thoracoabdominal aneurysm at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur.
A balloon dilation of his narrowing airway helps a premature baby breathe easier in Cape Town, South Africa.
Engineering principles and 3D printing help a surgical team reshape and stabilize the ribcage of a man with scoliosis in North Carolina, USA.
A man suffered a cardiac arrest at a water park in Israel, but quick action and an onsite automatic defibrillator saved his life.
Drugs and Devices
Randomization in the TANGO-2 trial of meropenem-vaborbactam for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections was halted early due to superior outcomes from the investigational treatment.
The European Medicines Agency recommended multiple anticancer agents for approval, including atezolizumab, an anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy for non–small cell lung cancer.
AstraZeneca’s MYSTIC trial has found that a combination of biologics did not improve progression-free survival with PD-L1-positive lung cancer over chemotherapy, though overall survival results are still pending.
AdvaMed sent a letter to the US FDA to protest changes to its definition of “intended use.”
Health Canada has licensed Medtronic Canada’s MR-conditional cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators.
Research, Trials, and Funding
Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship Award, awarded each year to a woman thoracic or cardiac surgeon for travel with the purpose of learning a new technology.
Researchers from Melbourne, Australia, published a study in the NEJM that questions whether new interventions to help premature infants breathe are better for their long-term lung function.
July 27, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Lacroix and colleagues evaluated pulmonary function, pain, and quality of life in patients who underwent robotic thoracic surgery, predominantly for non-small cell lung cancer. The authors observed no difference between preoperative and 7-month postoperative pulmonary function. Although the majority of patients reported some level of pain at the surgical site, pain was not neuropathic-like and only weakly interfered with daily activities.
July 26, 2017
Submitted by: Ruben Osnabrugge
This collaborative position paper recommendations are provided on the management of peri-operative myocardial infarction in patients undergoing CABG.
These recommendations are based on thorough literature review and are illustrated in a practical flowchart.
July 25, 2017
Submitted by: Ruben Osnabrugge
This review paper, written by the ESC working group on valvular heart disease, defines what consitutes a good Heart Valve Centre. All relevant topics including multidisciplenary heart teams, data collection and review, training and future directions are discussed from an organizational point of view.