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Journal and News Scan
March 30, 2022
Submitted by: Emily Farkas
Every year, millions of people are dying and millions more are disabled due to treatable cardiovascular diseases. Surgical capacity is unevenly distributed around the world and disproportionally affects populations in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). COVID-19 increases barriers for access to cardiac surgical care, and high- level action is urgently needed to not only expand cardiac services around the world but also to ensure health systems are strengthened so that cardiac patients can be effectively managed during and after the pandemic. The primary aim of this systematic review is to provide perioperative strategies to help restore or preserve cardiovascular services in LMICs under threat from financial and personnel constraints imposed by the pandemic.
March 30, 2022
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
Interesting case-control study on variations of aortovascular compliance
March 29, 2022
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
This timely article addresses the interface between the Covid pandemic and patients with congenital heart diseases. It offers responses to a variety of questions related to: vaccinations, passive immunization, Covid testing, antivirals, immunomodulatory therapy, and transplant status.
March 25, 2022
Submitted by: Christopher Anderson
Cardiothoracic surgeon Igor Mokryk, MD, PhD, spent last week taking his family on a 370-mile journey from Kyiv, Ukraine, to the Polish border. While there they joined aound 2 million other war refugees in Poland. After this he drove back to war-torn Kyiv to continue at his post and treat patients at the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
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.