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Journal and News Scan
May 18, 2017
Submitted by: Joel Dunning
He weighed merely 470 grams at birth and was just the size of a palm. He was born prematurely after 28 weeks (5.5 months). His eyes hadn't opened, lungs weren't developed, skin resembled parchment paper, too fragile and delicate to touch, and he had heart complications.
After 15 days of birth, he underwent a heart surgery and has now become the tiniest miracle baby to have undergone a PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) corrective operation.
May 17, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
An assessment of regional lung resection outcomes relative to compliance with NCCN resection guidelines was performed. Negative margins 94%, 91% anatomic, 51% hilar nodes sampled, 26% 3 mediastinal nodal stations sampled. On average, 17% of resections met all criteria, although the trend was upward over time. Survival was better for pts who met all four criteria.
May 17, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Surgery for treatment of this aortopathy entailing aortic root replacement was assessed in this single institution retrospective study of 34 children. 90% had valve sparing surgery; there was no operative mortality. Reintervention is commonly needed, and frequent surveillance imaging is recommended.
One-Year Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease
May 17, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Using data from the CoreValve US Expanding Use Study, outcomes for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing TAVR were evaluated using an endpoint of all-cause mortality or major stoke at 1 year. Mortality at 1 year was 30%, and the stroke incidence was 2.1%. New permanent pacemaker need was 27%. The 1-year mortality appears increased compared to patients without ESRD.
May 17, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
UNOS data for over 14,500 isolated heart transplant patients were analyzed to assess the relationship between donor distance from the transplantation center and recipient mortality at 30 days and 1 year. Ischemic time correlated with donor distance. Mortality was reduced for donor distances over 25 miles, and the reduction was highest for distances greater than 500 miles.
May 14, 2017
Submitted by: J. Rafael Sadaba
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) has been considered a relative contraindication for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Nevertheless, favourable results have been reported from registries and observational reports. In this manuscript, the authors present some useful technical considerations and tips-and-tricks for use during TAVI procedures in BAV.
May 12, 2017
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A short and readable commentary on monoclonal antibodies and dyslipidaemias, particularly on FOURIER, SPIRE and ODYSSEY trials
May 11, 2017
Submitted by: Ruben Osnabrugge
With the 50th birthday of CABG, the New England Journal of Medicine published this nice article on the history and development of CABG.
May 11, 2017
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
I was moved by this editorial on global health matters in a daily British newspaper by an academic medical colleague, written in response to anticipated changes in the leadership of the World Health Organisation. It is perhaps time for us surgeons to augment our administrative participation in global healthcare.
May 8, 2017
Submitted by: Joel Dunning
Researchers conducted a study, published in Nature, to investigate whether this genetic diversity could be tracked clinically. Using blood samples from 96 of the 100 patients, they demonstrated that the patchwork of genetic faults present in non-small cell lung cancer, could be monitored using bits of DNA in the blood that have broken off from a tumour (circulating tumour DNA).
They then analysed blood taken from 24 patients after surgery, and accurately identified more than 90 per cent of those destined to relapse – up to a year before clinical imaging could confirm the disease’s return. This finding opens up numerous opportunities for new drug trials to try to prevent lung cancer relapse. Monitoring benefit from chemotherapy after surgery is not currently possible as there are often no clinical signs of disease.
see original article here https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaap/ncurrent/full/nature22364.html