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Journal and News Scan
April 6, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
A strike by trainees in the UK is scheduled for April 11 through April 15 because of a pay dispute with the government and NHS. This ongoing conflict, which took junior doctors out of care settings in March as well, has caused a backup in appointments for patients. There has been no move by the government to settle pay disputes and a way forward remains up for discussion.
April 6, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
In the first analysis to validate observed clinical outcomes, two trials compared transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR). Valve dysfunction was found to be less common after five years in TAVR. Long-term performance is a critical consideration in patients who undergo TAVR, especially when they are younger and lower risk. These promising results were driven by lower rates of valve deterioration and prothesis-patient mismatch.
March 31, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
This retrospective cohort study aimed to document the detection of anastomotic leak after esophagectomy. It was concluded that early postoperative esophagrams often miss leaks, leading to greater clinical consequences than leaks that are detected upon the first esophagram. These findings suggest that the team must be aware of potential leaks even after a normal esophagram result and be wary of advancing postoperative steps before a leak is completely ruled out.
March 31, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
Since granular single-center data is lacking for the SynCardia total artificial heart, this study reported outcomes in 100 TAH recipients in a single high-volume center. The study found that 61 percent of patients underwent successful transplant while 39 percent died on TAH support. Overall, the study reaffirmed that the TAH is an effective bridge to transplantation in qualifying patients.
March 28, 2023
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
In a study meant to review outcomes in patients less than 5 kg supported by the Berlin Heart pulsatile ventricular assist device (VAD), it was found that the device is an affective bridge to transplant in small children. However, survival is less in patients with univentricular circulation in comparison to those with biventricular circulation.
March 24, 2023
Submitted by: Wei-Guo Ma
Based on survey results of 31,000 physicians, physician compensation declined by 2.4 percent in 2022. Neurosurgeons received the highest average salary, followed by thoracic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons. In addition, the gender pay gap has narrowed, but remains substantial with women physicians compensated 26 percent less than their colleagues who are men.
March 23, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
Dr. Irene Cybulsky is being compensated by Hamilton Health Sciences, where she was the first woman head of cardiac surgery in Canada from 2009 to 2016, for discrimination against her based on her gender. The case also stipulates that the hospital must consult with an external specialist to ensure bias is addressed and provide education on discrimination.
March 23, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
Lung transplantation in COVID-19 patients with end-stage lung disease has proven to improve quality of life and be a viable treatment option. This study confirmed that by comparing a group of COVID-associated transplant patients with a group of patients needing transplants for other reasons. Although they had longer hospital stays, the COVID-related cases had a similar one-year survival rate to the other cohort.
March 23, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
This study set out to analyze the shifting surgical approach and outcomes in esophagectomy using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Surgery Database. The authors found that over the past decade, the dominant approach has changed to be overwhelmingly minimally invasive. While there are still complications resulting from these methods, they have not raised operative mortality.
March 23, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
Thoracic oncology patients are a high-risk group for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The ESTS and AATS panel reviewed the evidence using the GRADE approach and made twenty-four recommendations for VTE prophylaxis, focusing on pharmacological and mechanical methods. The certainty surrounding the evidence for VTE prevention in thoracic surgery was generally low. Conditional recommendations were made concerning parenteral anticoagulation, extended prophylaxis and VTE screening. The need for further research on preoperative thromboprophylaxis and risk stratification in extended prophylaxis was identified.