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Journal and News Scan
December 4, 2019
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
In this study, the authors report on the outcome of mitral valve repair, applying subannular repair for functional mitral valve regurgitation. Included are 108 patients who underwent annuloplasty with subannular repair (n=60) versus patients with annuloplasty only (n=48). Repositioning of the papillary muscle lead to excellent outcomes with less mitral valve regurgitation recurrence.
December 4, 2019
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
Higher case volumes (>10 annually) were associated with decreased mortality for surgical treatment of aortic dissection. This relationship was not evident for thoracic endovascular aortic repair.
December 4, 2019
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
Well-presented Canadian prospective study juxtaposing a combination of Wells scoring and dimers to the imaging gold standard.
It was particularly fascinating to read the referenced assertion that:
.....the prevalence of pulmonary embolism among patients who undergo diagnostic testing is substantially higher in Europe than in North America.. (Penultimate paragraph): We wonder what would be the robust causes of such disparity........
December 4, 2019
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
Cohort study from the UK, fuelling the escalating debate on blood management in perioperative cardiovascular care.
November 30, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
High-Throughput, Contact-Free Detection of Atrial Fibrillation From Video With Deep Learning
In this study, one-minute videos including multiple individuals were analyzed for their facial photoplethysmographic signals, permitting accurate detection of atrial fibrillation. It is an example of how biometric data may be collected with high throughput in the future.
November 26, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
A deep-learning computer aided detection (CAD) system was trained to recognize neoplasia using nearly 500,000 endoscopic images. In head-to-head testing against experienced gastroenterologists using additional images, the accuracy of CAD in diagnosing neoplasia was 88% vs 73% for the gastroenterologists.
November 25, 2019
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
The authors analyzed what is the best management for tricuspid valve disease in adults. This is a retrospective study with 1,735 patients who received tricuspid valve repair and 806 patients who underwent replacement. Replacement was associated with increased late mortality. Tricuspid valve repair did not result in a higher risk of reoperation. The authors concluded that tricuspid valve repair should be preferred whenever feasible.
November 25, 2019
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
Variations in, and elevation of, serum glucose within 24 hours of isolated CABG were associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular complications and mortality within 30 days.
November 22, 2019
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
Puzzling subgroup from the GALILEO trial, which appears in the same issue of the periodical as an article that discredits the use of rivaroxaban as thromboprevention strategy :
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1911425?query=recirc_curatedRelated_article,
And yet, in this particular subgroup, a subclinical benefit on leaflet mobility is being suggested! It would appear that the GALILEO will be discussed at length and in detail in the months and years to come.
November 20, 2019
Submitted by: Emily Farkas
A growing number of patients consult online resources for medical information, not only to learn about their own health issues and therapeutic options, but also to evaluate the background and reputation of their physicians. In 2015, the Workforce on Media Relations and Communications of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) created a Patient Information Task Force for the purpose of overhauling its patient information website into a comprehensive, multimedia, bilingual online education resource (ctsurgerypatients.org) for cardiothoracic surgical patients and their families. The website was also designed to be used as a reference tool to which STS member surgeons could refer their patients. The methodology and structure of the website are described, as well as an evaluation of its success using survey results both from patients utilizing the website and STS members.