Statin loading before coronary artery bypass grafting: a randomized trial.

Aims: Evidence suggests that a high-dose statin loading before a percutaneous coronary revascularization improves outcomes in patients receiving long-term statins. This study aimed to analyse the effects of such an additional statin therapy before surgical revascularization.

Methods And Results: This investigator-initiated, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial was conducted from November 2012 to April 2019 at 14 centres in Germany.

Effect of High-Dose Selenium on Postoperative Organ Dysfunction and Mortality in Cardiac Surgery Patients: The SUSTAIN CSX Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Selenium contributes to antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory pathways, which may improve outcomes in patients at high risk of organ dysfunctions after cardiac surgery.

Objective: To assess the ability of high-dose intravenous sodium selenite treatment to reduce postoperative organ dysfunction and mortality in cardiac surgery patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial took place at 23 sites in Germany and Canada from January 2015 to January 2021.

Combining Minimally Invasive Surgery With Ultra-Fast-Track Anesthesia in HeartMate 3 Patients: A Pilot Study.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery for left ventricular assist device implantation may have advantages over conventional sternotomy (CS). Additionally, ultra-fast-track anesthesia has been linked to better outcomes after cardiac surgery. This study summarizes our early experience of combining minimally invasive surgery with ultra-fast-track anesthesia (MIFTA) in patients receiving HeartMate 3 devices and compares the outcomes between MIFTA and CS.

High-dose supplementation of selenium in left ventricular assist device implant surgery: A double-blinded, randomized controlled pilot trial.

Background: Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress remain the main causes of complications in patients with heart failure receiving a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Selenoproteins are a cornerstone of antioxidant defense mechanisms for improving inflammatory conditions.

Methods: In a monocentric, double-blinded pilot trial patients scheduled for LVAD implantation were randomized to receive 300 mcg of selenium orally the evening before surgery, followed by a high-dose of intravenous selenium supplementation (3000 mcg after anesthesia induction, 1000 mcg upon intensive care unit [ICU] admission, and 1000 mcg daily in the ICU for a maximum of 14 days) or placebo.

Speckle tracking ultrasonography as a new tool to assess diaphragmatic function: a feasibility study.

A reliable method of measuring diaphragmatic function at the bedside is still lacking. Widely used two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonographic measurements, such as diaphragm excursion, diaphragm thickness, and fractional thickening (FT) have failed to show clear correlations with diaphragmatic function. A reason for this is that 2D ultrasonographic measurements, like FT, are merely able to measure the deformation of muscular diaphragmatic tissue in the transverse direction, while longitudinal measurements in the direction of contracting muscle fibres are not possible.