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Journal and News Scan
October 1, 2021
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A scholarly narrative on the utility of quantifying the performance of the right ventricle: the RV has been hitherto empirically assessed in many clinical setups.
September 30, 2021
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
Patient prosthesis mismatch is linked with significant long-term morbidity and mortality after aortic valve replacement, but the roles and conclusion of annular enlargement (AE) remain poorly defined. We hypothesized that increasing rates of AE may lead to improved outcomes for patients at risk for severe patient prosthesis mismatch.
September 27, 2021
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A small meta-analysis suggesting a bemefit of vascular ultrasound for access to the groin vessels in TAVI. The utility of ultrasonography may be extended in access for groin cannulation in aortovascular surgery and ECMO
September 24, 2021
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A comprehensive update on the evidence on the management of acute aortic syndromes, including IMH. Of particular interest is the robust recommendation to bypass non-dedicated aortic centers even to the expense of increased transit time in order to offer management in a Comprehensive Aortic Center (CAC). The femoral cannulation appears to come gradually out of favour. The cerebral perfusion for arch work is proposed to be either ante-or retrograde. Figure 3 is particularly germane to the technical aspects. Visceral malperfusion is again heralded as a poor-outcome situation.
September 24, 2021
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
With the prevalence of obesity and its known link with esophageal cancer, there is increasing need to understand how obesity affects treatment. We retrospectively evaluated all patients who underwent esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction between 2012 and 2016 using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database.
September 22, 2021
Submitted by: Emily Farkas
Pakistan has a prevalence of approximately 60,000 births with Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) each year. With a population of 200 million and only 17 paediatric cardiac surgeons in Pakistan, the current ratio is 0.08 surgeons/milllion. This review outlines the current status and defines the need for significantly more investment in human resources and infrastructure of paediatric cardiac surgery to meet the needs ofpopulation.
September 22, 2021
Submitted by: Emily Farkas
There is a lack of reliable data to measure the impact of cardiovascular surgical activities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and to compare with those of the other sub-regions. The Pan African Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery (PASCaTS) proposes development of an African cardiothoracic surgery database with pooled datasets similar to the practice in other continents. This would ideally serve as a working instrument to evaluate the burden of disease and to develop strategies for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and associated morbidities in these regions, ultimately with improved clincial outcomes.
September 14, 2021
Submitted by: Wei-Guo Ma
Based on data of 4203 patients with acute type A dissection in the UK National Adult Cardiac Surgical Audit, Benedetto and associates have identified the following risk factors for operative mortality: age (odds ratio, OR, 1.02), malperfusion (OR 1.79), left ventricular ejection fraction (moderate: OR 1.40; poor: OR 2.83), prior cardiac surgery (OR 2.29), preoperative mechanical ventilation (OR 2.76), preoperative resuscitation (OR 3.36), and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (OR 2.29).
September 13, 2021
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A brief but dense editorial included in a compedium on cardioplegia.
The last sentence summarises what many colleagues would think on the matter of single-shot plegia for root surgery.
September 12, 2021
Submitted by: Edward Savage
The Yale database of 1162 patients with ascending aortic aneurysms was queried. Analysis suggested root dilatation was more significant in predicting adverse events than mid -ascending aortic dilatation, with short stature as a serious risk factor. Hinge points at 5.0 and 5.25 cm respectively were identified. The authors suggest these paramenters should be considered as intervention criteria.