ALERT!
This site is not optimized for Internet Explorer 8 (or older).
Please upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use an alternate browser such as Chrome or Firefox.
Journal and News Scan
March 24, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
Several surgical associations have given a new statement in response to the new Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC) definitions for aortic valve clinical studies. They took issue with a few things, most notably, rehospitalization, bleeding, and myocardial infarction.
March 24, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
Doctors at Duke University Hospital have successfully transplanted a heart combined with a processed allogeneic thymus tissue. The recipient was a baby who of six months and has now just celebrated his first birthday. The infant now seems to be producing the immune cells needed to reduce or even eliminate the need for long-term treatment with antirejection drugs.
March 22, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
This is a joint position statement from EACTS, LACES, ASCVTS, AATS, and STS regarding the VARC-3 Definitions for Aortic Valve Clinical Research.
March 17, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
The link between blood transfusion and adverse outcome is well noted in cardiac surgery. However, the rising significance of each unit transfused, whether red blood cell (RBC) or non-RBC, is not fully known. This study looked at the relationship of patient outcomes with the type and number of blood product units transfused.
March 17, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
There is clinical equipoise surrounding the perioperative and long-term effects of autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) patients undergoing open versus minimally invasive thymectomy, particularly for nonthymomatous MG. This analysis utilizes multicenter, real-world clinical evidence to assess perioperative complications of open and minimally invasive thymectomy techniques in MG patients.
March 17, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
COVID-19 has changed many aspects of the world, and the United States continues to gather the largest number of COVID-related deaths. There is a paucity of data surrounding the effect of COVID-19 on adult cardiac surgery trends and outcomes on regional and national levels.
March 7, 2022
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
The Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium was queried for patients undergoing repair of conotruncal abnormalities and subsequent AVR 1982 - 2003. Of 106 patients undergoing AVR, the operative mortality was 12%, and was related to infant age at the time of surgery (OR = 55). Transplant-free survival at 25 years was 53%. Transplant-free survival at 20 years was inferior to that of patients undergoing AVR for non-conotruncal abnormalities (61% vs 82%). Valve type was not associated with outcomes.
March 4, 2022
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A paper that addresses a gap in knowledge and will guide future research: of particular interest, the penultimate paragraph on The Role of Interventions.
March 3, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
More than 40,000 children in the United States are undergoing congenital heart surgery annually. Yet, the relationship between hospital quality and costs remains unclear. This article explores this issue.
February 28, 2022
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
An interesting brief editorial on an experiment revisiting renal denervation as a panacea to cardiovascular disease