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Journal and News Scan
July 20, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
To measure the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation for CABG patients, researchers used mortality within two years of discharge as the primary outcome. They found that use of cardiac rehabilitation is associated with a lower two-year mortality rate compared with non-CR users. In an article about the study, researchers also stated that “minority and underserved populations face many barriers to cardiac rehab, but improving referral, attendance, and adherence in these populations may be an effective strategy to mitigating longstanding disparities in cardiovascular outcomes.”
July 20, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
This study aimed to determine if socioeconomic status and region had any effect on post-transplant outcomes across different races and ethnicities. After another study found that transplant outcomes varied greatly based on multiple factors, researchers wanted to know if socioeconomic factors played into differences based on race. They found that socioeconomic position did not explain most of the difference in posttransplant outcomes among racial groups. These findings highlight the presence of a complex social reality that warrants further study to increase equity among transplant recipients.
July 20, 2023
Submitted by: EACTS Staff
This study aimed to determine whether inferior pulmonary ligament (IPL) division leads to pulmonary dysfunction in 213 upper lobectomy (UL) patients divided into two groups with division or preservation of the IPL. The authors found no difference in complication rate, dead space area, forced vital capacity, or forced expiratory volume in 1 s. However, after left UL, pulmonary function was significantly better in the IPL preservation group. IPL division during left UL caused pulmonary dysfunction and limited airflow due to bronchial kinking.
July 20, 2023
Submitted by: Jo Chikwe
This expert single-center series analyzes 1,429 ascending aorta and arch replacements performed between 1991 and 2020 with circulatory arrest at nadir temperatures of 14 to 20°C with retrograde cerebral perfusion, including 464 acute type A dissections. The authors report overall operative mortality of 8.9 percent and stroke rate of 8.4 percent. The incidence of stroke was less than 5 percent when retrograde perfusion lasted less than twenty minutes and 11.5 percent at sixty minutes, with a linear relationship. The authors recommend other adjuncts for cerebral protection if circulatory arrest is anticipated to be more than sixty minutes.
July 13, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
To help prevent premature death after a major cardiac event, researchers have developed a new device to monitor heart disease in the following weeks and months. The device is soft, flexible, and the size of a postage stamp, using sensors to provide functions beyond those of a traditional pacemaker. When the device is no longer needed, it dissolves inside the patient’s body. The device can be placed on different areas of the heart, allowing for customizable real-time tracking of heart functions.
This article includes summary and dialogue with head researchers, but the original study is available for open access viewing.
July 13, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
The Côte d’Ivoire Health Ministry has announced a local capacity building initiative to establish the country’s local congenital cardiac surgery capabilities and enable Côte d’Ivoire to become a model for other African countries to build similar programs. In order to develop the program and treat the one out of every hundred babies born with congenital heart disease, local medical staff will undergo advanced training from French and Israeli surgical teams, who will travel throughout the year to perform operations and provide training.
July 13, 2023
Submitted by: Jessica Bogensberger
Monitoring and reevaluating the current standard of practice for atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment remains a high priority for cardiac surgeons. This study aimed to determine the one-year outcomes of patients who underwent minimally invasive ablative procedures for AF using a registry that aids in this standard of monitoring. Researchers concluded that surgical ablation for AF is safe and provides significant improvement in short term follow-up.
July 11, 2023
Submitted by: Thomas Theologou
This article proposes a set of new techniques for mitral valve repair that employ a running suture rather than individual cords. They follow landmarks such as papillary muscle tips and free leaflet edge running and commissure so that there is little space left for guessing. These techniques could help to manage variability between surgeons and methodologies.
July 6, 2023
Submitted by: Cameron Lind
After two months, the first genetically modified pig heart transplant in a human failed, and the patient died after sudden onset of heart failure. This study aimed to determine what led to this outcome after an initially successful transplant. Detailed examination of the patient, postoperative course, and the transplant itself led to the observance of several factors that may have led to the transplant’s failure.
This article summarizes the study’s findings and pulls in perspectives from experts. For more details, read the original study, which is open access.
July 6, 2023
Submitted by: Jo Chikwe
In a single-center experience of 397 patients undergoing esophagectomy for adenocarcinoma (76 percent) or squamous cell carcinoma (22 percent)—of whom 60 percent were either pathologic stage one or two and 90 percent had neoadjuvant therapy—forty-two patients had fewer than fifteen lymph nodes resected and examined. Resecting at least fifteen lymph nodes was associated with a survival benefit in multivariate analysis. The authors conclude that a minimum nodal yield of fifteen should remain standard of care.