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Cardiac

October 19, 2017
The authors review cybersecurity issues related to newer generations of pacemakers.  Telemetric capabilities providing patient data to health care workers can be co-opted, enabling malicious software to endanger patients.  Risks include intentional battery depletion and malicious reprogramming.
October 18, 2017
In this video, PEARS inventor and first patient, Tal Golesworthy, interviews the 100th PEARS patient.
October 18, 2017
This study evaluates 1028 octogenarians who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR, 306 TAVR and 722 SAVR) between 2002 and 2015 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US. The mean age of patients was 84.4 ± 3.4 years old, with overall STS-PROM score of 5.96 ± 3.87.
October 18, 2017
The authors report the non-intuitive finding that blood from female donors who had ever been pregnant was associated with increased mortality among male recipients (HR 1.13).   If validated by other studies, might this substantially complicate matching donated blood with appropriate recipients?  Clearly the underlying mechanism will be interesting to
October 18, 2017
The author decries what he sees as the corporatization of airline pilots, with their accompanying loss of autonomy and prestige.  He speculates on whether a similar future is ahead for physicians, but does not provide specific suggestions on how to avoid this from occurring. 
October 18, 2017
In this JAMA Forum article, Harvard's Ashish Jha discusses the pros and cons of public reporting of individual surgeon's outcomes. He uses the New York state cardiac surgery registry as an example and argues why, despite its problems, it is still the way forward. What are your thoughts!?
October 16, 2017
This article gives a brief overview of the evolution of cardiac programs and voluntary cardiac surgery activities in Vietnam.
October 13, 2017
This study examined risk estimates for complex major surgery by trainees in internal medicine and in general surgery using seven clinical scenarios.  Surgery residents expressed more confidence in their estimates, but were less likely to use published risk models.  Most trainees in both specialties significantly overestimated every type of risk, aver
October 13, 2017
The authors report on the design and use of a growth-accommodating device that may have a variety of pediatric applications, including valve annuloplasty. The device consists of a biodegradable core and a tubular braided sleeve (woven much like a 'finger trap' toy).
October 12, 2017
Rajamiyer Venkateswaran of the Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, UK, asks whether it is possible to predict when a patient undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery will need postoperative mechanical circulatory support. He also discusses his institution's approach to transfering a patient to mechanical circulatory support.

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