European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment for airway stenosis necessitates personalized techniques based on the stenosis location and length, leading to favorable surgical outcomes. However, there is limited literature on functional outcomes following laryngotracheal surgery with an adequate number of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent laryngotracheal surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, from January 2017 to June 2021...

OBJECTIVES: Postoperative empyema is a severe, potentially lethal complication also present, but poorly studied in patients undergoing surgery for pleural mesothelioma. We aimed to analyse which perioperative characteristics might be associated with an increased risk for postoperative empyema. METHODS: From September 1999 to February 2023 a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients undergoing surgery for pleural mesothelioma at the University Hospital of Zurich was performed...

OBJECTIVES: Ascending aortic aneurysms pose a different risk to each patient. We aim to provide personalized risk stratification for such patients based on sex, age, body surface area, and aneurysm location (root vs ascending). METHODS: Root and ascending diameters, and adverse aortic events (dissection, rupture, death) of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm patients were analyzed. Aortic diameter was placed in context vis-a-vis the normal distribution in the general population with similar sex, age, and BSA, by conversion to z scores...

OBJECTIVES: There is no consensus in the literature on preoperative histological analysis for lung cancer. The objective of this study was to assess four diagnostic models used in different hospitals with differing practices regarding preoperative histological diagnosis and the consequences in terms of unnecessary surgery and futile major resection. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective observational study collected from four university hospitals in Spain over 3 years (January 2019 to December 2021)...

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we evaluated if modified Del Nido cardioplegia delivers comparable cardiac protection in comparison to Custodiol® in patients undergoing isolated minimally invasive mitral valve repair. METHODS: From 01/2018 to 10/2021 all patients undergoing non emergent isolated minimally invasive mitral valve repair were included in this study. The cardioplegia was chosen at the surgeons' discretion. The primary end-points of this study were peak postoperative cardiac enzyme levels...

OBJECTIVES: To assess if warfarin targeted to INR 1.8 (range 1.5-2.0) is safe for all patients with an On-X aortic mechanical valve. METHODS: This prospective, observational registry follows patients receiving warfarin targeted at an INR of 1.8 (range 1.5-2.0) plus daily aspirin (75-100 mg) after On-X aortic valve replacement. The primary end-point is a composite of thromboembolism, valve thrombosis, and major bleeding. Secondary end-points include the individual rates of thromboembolism, valve thrombosis, and major bleeding, as well as the composite in subgroups of home or clinic-monitored INR and risk categorization for thromboembolism...

OBJECTIVES: Myocardial recovery in children supported by a durable left ventricular assist device is a rare, but highly desirable outcome since it could potentially eliminate the need for cardiac transplantation and its lifelong need for immunosuppressant therapy and risk of complications. However, experience in this specific outcome is very limited. METHODS: All patients <19 y supported by a durable left ventricular assist device from the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support database were included...

OBJECTIVES: Repair of the bicuspid aortic valve has evolved in the past 25 years. The aim of this study was to review and analyze the long-term durability of isolated BAV repair with particular focus on commissural orientation (CO). METHODS: All patients who underwent bicuspid aortic valve repair for severe aortic regurgitation between 10/1998 and 12/2022 were included. The study group consists of all patients operated after 2009 ie, since CO modification...

OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives were to examine utilization of the Hybrid vs. the Norwood procedure for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) or variants and the impact on hospital mortality. The Hybrid procedure was first used at our institution in 2004. METHODS: Review of all subjects undergoing the Norwood or Hybrid procedure between 1/1/1984 and 12/31/2022. The study period was divided into 8 eras: era 1, 1984 to 1988; era 2, 1989 to 1993; era 3, 1994 to 1998; era 4, 1999 to 2003; era 5, 2004 to 2008; era 6, 2009 to 2014; era 7, 2015 to 2018; and era 8, 2019 to 2022...

When neither surgical valve replacement nor transcatheter aortic valve implantation is possible, performing an apico-aortic conduit remains a therapeutic option. This procedure has become rare and the rigid angled apical connectors usually used to facilitate ventricular anastomosis are no longer commercially available. We described the technique that we performed on a 60-year-old patient with readily available material.

We present a case of a 52-year old woman with cardiogenic shock (CS) with refractory right ventricular (RV) failure due to spontaneous dissection of the right coronary artery (RCA). She remained dependent on mechanical support for several weeks and both RV assist device (RVAD) implantation and bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis (BCPA) were explored as long-term support options. History of malignancy and possible RV functional recovery resulted in a decision in favour of BCPA and concomitant tricuspid valve (TV) annuloplasty...

OBJECTIVES: Patients after the Norwood procedure are prone to postoperative instability. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can help to overcome short-term organ failure. This retrospective single-center study examines ECMO weaning, hospital discharge and long-term-survival after ECMO-therapy between Norwood and bidirectional Glenn (BDG) palliation as well as risk factors for mortality. METHODS: In our institution over 450 Norwood procedures have been performed...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: Recurrence of tricuspid regurgitation after tricuspid annuloplasty can occur in cases where a dilated right ventricle exists and subsequent leaflet tethering follows. We previously reported a new technique of the right ventricular papillary muscle approximation for functional tricuspid regurgitation associated with leaflet tethering. The objective of this study is to elucidate the mid-term outcomes and evaluate the durability of right ventricular papillary muscle approximation...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: To validate or refute the hypothesis that non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) with ground-glass areas (GGA+) within the tumor on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) are associated with a more favorable prognosis than those without GGA (GGA-). METHODS: We analyzed data from a multicenter observational cohort study in Japan including 5,005 patients with completely resected pathological stage I NSCLC, who were excluded from the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) 0707 trial on oral adjuvant treatment during the enrollment period...

OBJECTIVES: As life expectancies continue to increase, a greater proportion of older patients will require lung transplants (LTs). However, there are no well-defined age cutoffs for which LT can be performed safely. At our high-volume LT center, we explored outcomes for LT recipients ≥70 years old versus <70 years old. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-center study of survival after LT among older recipients. Data were stratified by recipient age (≥70 years old versus <70 years old) and procedure type (single versus double lung transplant)...

INTRODUCTION: The indications for use, evidence base and experience with the novel noncovered open hybrid surgical stents for acute type A aortic dissection repair for concurrent stabilization of the "downstream" aorta remains limited. We review the evidence base and the development of these stents. METHODS: Data were collected from Pubmed/Medline literature search to develop and review the evidence base for safety and efficacy of non-covered surgical stents. Existing guidelines for use and developments were reviewed...

OBJECTIVES: Evaluating the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) is crucial for patients with lung cancer and interstitial lung disease. However, the clinical significance of assessing exercise oxygen desaturation (EOD) remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 186 consecutive patients with interstitial lung disease who underwent lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer. EOD was assessed using two-flight test (TFT), with TFT positivity defined as ≥ 5% SpO2 reduction...

OBJECTIVES: Performance of a technically sound Left Internal Thoracic Artery to Left Anterior Descending Artery (LITA-LAD) anastomosis during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is critically important. We investigated CABG outcomes according to whether a resident or attending surgeon performed the LITA-LAD anastomosis using prospectively collected data from the multicenter, randomized REGROUP (Randomized Endograft Vein Perspective) Trial. METHODS: This was a posthoc subanalysis of the REGROUP trial, which randomized veterans undergoing isolated on-pump CABG to endoscopic versus open vein harvest between 2014-2017...