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Journal and News Scan
February 21, 2021
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
An editorial that may herald the decrease in aspirinization and the rise of ticagrelor monotherapy in Percutaneous stenting of coronary arteries. There might be a peripheral relevance to the group of our patients undergoing urgent surgical revascularisation after failed PCI: the balance of protecting the angioplasty versus minimising peri and postoperative heamorrhage is yet to be achieved.
February 21, 2021
Submitted by: Jessica Luc
In this article, Thourani et al present the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Expert Consensus Statement on transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement in low- and intermediate-risk patients: A meta-analysis of randomized and propensity-matched studies. The authors conclude with the importance of a multidisciplinary heart team in taking into account each patient and their characteristics and weighing the risk and benefits of TAVR vs. SAVR.
February 21, 2021
Submitted by: Jessica Luc
In this article by Piarulli et al, they investigate the effect of a patient's incision for valve surgery on their psychological well-being. They demonstrate in a cohort of 87 patients, with 48 undergoing conventional full sternotomy and 39 undergoing a V-shape hemi-sternotomy approach (n = 39) to their valve surgery, that those with the minimally invasive approach had lower levels of reported depression and anxiety.
February 21, 2021
Submitted by: Jessica Luc
In this article, Kilcoyne et al discuss the current status of training cardiothoracic surgery trainees in structural heart disease and propose a new core curriculum for training surgeons in structural heart disease.
February 21, 2021
Submitted by: Jessica Luc
In this article, Han et al examined the characteristics of aspiring cardiothoracic surgeons recruited from a pool of students interested in matriculating from a North American training program. Importantly, they demonstrate that just over half belonged to an institution with a cardiothoracic surgery training program and that the majority of students were drawn to cardiothoraicc surgery for its high intensity operative environment. However, students were dissuaded from pursuing cardiothoracic surgery due to its potential for lack of work-life balance and challenging training / work environment, highlighting areas for improvement in our specialty's efforts to recruit the best and brightest into the field.
February 21, 2021
Submitted by: Jessica Luc
In this article by the COVEC Study Group, they conducted a EuroELSO international survey investigating the clinical outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on patients with COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). They demonstrate that the majority of patients requiring ECMO were veno-venous rather than veno-arterial cannulation, with time on ECMO ranging between less than two weeks to more than four weeks. The majority stated that the reason for discontinuation of ECMO were lack of patient recovery at just over 50%, with the majority stating that they felt patients with COVID-19 and ARDS benefitted from ECMO therapy.
February 12, 2021
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
This study analyzed factors associated with aortopulmonary amalgamation or Ross-Konno procedure in patients who underwent surgical repair for interrupted aortic arch/VSD.
February 12, 2021
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
This study evaluates the importance of of evaluating patient frailty prior to high-risk cardiothoracic operations.
February 5, 2021
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
This study analyzed 1039 adult patients from 2006 to 2017 to determine the rate of pleural complications after lung transplantation.
February 4, 2021
Submitted by: Emily Farkas
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) continues to be responsible for major cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the developing world. It constitutes a double tragedy because it disproportionately affects economically disadvantaged people and young people, thereby robbing them of the most productive years of life. Often, by the time it is diagnosed, RHD has resulted in substantial valvular damage. This cluster randomized clinical trial investigates if school-based echocardiographic screening in combination with secondary antibiotic prophylaxis in children with evidence of latent rheumatic heart disease may be an effective strategy to reduce the prevalence of definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease in endemic regions.