Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Scalp with Skull Invasion: A Rare and Aggressive Presentation.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is an undifferentiated high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma and is considered the most common primary soft tissue sarcoma in adults. MFH is known to arise in the trunk, extremities and retroperitoneum although it can arise anywhere in the body.MFH of the skin is uncommon and even less frequent is the involvement of the scalp, especially with skull invasion.

Use of Antibiotic-Impregnated Absorbable Beads and Tissue Coverage of Complex Wounds.

The treatment of complex wounds is commonplace for plastic surgeons. Standard management is debridement of infected and devitalized tissue and systemic antibiotic therapy. In cases where vital structures are exposed within the wound, coverage is obtained with the use of vascularized tissue using both muscle and fasciocutaneous flaps.

Long-term mortality of coronary artery bypass graft surgery and stenting with drug-eluting stents.

Background: Few studies have examined differences in long-term mortality between coronary artery bypass graft surgery and stenting with drug-eluting stents (DES) for multivessel disease without left main coronary artery stenosis. This study compares the risks of long-term mortality between these 2 procedures during a follow-up of up to 5 years.

Methods: Patients who underwent isolated bypass surgery (n=13,212) and stenting with DES (n=20,161) between October 2003 and December 2005 in New York State were followed for their vital status through 2008.

Risk score for predicting in-hospital/30-day mortality for patients undergoing valve and valve/coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Risk scores are simplified linear formulas for predicting mortality or other adverse outcomes at the bedside without personal digital assistants or calculators. Although risk scores are available for valve surgery, they do not predict short-term mortality (within 30 days of surgery) after hospital discharge.

Methods: New York's Cardiac Surgery Reporting System 2007 to 2009 data were matched to vital statistics data to identify valve surgery with and without concomitant coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery deaths occurring in the index admission or within 30 days after the procedure in any location.

The New York risk score for in-hospital and 30-day mortality for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Simplified risk scores for coronary artery bypass graft surgery are frequently in lieu of more complicated statistical models and are valuable for informed consent and choice of intervention. Previous risk scores have been based on in-hospital mortality, but a substantial number of patients die within 30 days of the procedure. These deaths should also be accounted for, so we have developed a risk score based on in-hospital and 30-day mortality.

Risk score for predicting long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: No simplified bedside risk scores have been created to predict long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Methods And Results: The New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System was used to identify 8597 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery in July through December 2000. The National Death Index was used to ascertain patients' vital statuses through December 31, 2007.

A comparison of long-term mortality for off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: The survival difference between off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery for follow-up longer than 5 years is not well-understood. The objective of this study is to examine the difference in 7-year mortality after these 2 procedures.

Methods And Results: The state of New York's Cardiac Surgery Reporting System was used to identify the 2640 off-pump and 5940 on-pump patients discharged from July through December 2000.

Long-term mortality of coronary artery bypass grafting and bare-metal stenting.

Background: There is little information on relative survival with follow-up longer than 5 years in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting. This study tested the hypothesis that CABG is associated with a lower risk of long-term (8-year) mortality than is stenting with bare-metal stents for multivessel coronary disease.

Methods: We identified 18,359 patients with multivessel disease who underwent isolated CABG and 13,377 patients who received bare-metal stenting in 1999 to 2000 in New York and followed their vital status through 2007 using the National Death Index (NDI).

Long-term myocardial recovery after mitral valve replacement in noncompaction cardiomyopathy.

Isolated noncompaction of the left ventricle is a congenital cardiomyopathy, which has been described recently, with literature limited to case reports and case series. Even though various complications have been reported with noncompaction cardiomyopathy, among them severe mitral regurgitation has been reported recently in a few cases. There is no great evidence in the literature about its management, apart from some cases of mitral valve repair and replacement in young patients.

Minimally invasive valve surgery with antegrade perfusion strategy is not associated with increased neurologic complications.

Background: A Society of Thoracic Surgeons' publication recently associated "minimally invasive" approaches with increased neurologic complications; this proposed association was questionable due to imprecise definitions. To critically reevaluate this issue, we reviewed a large minimally invasive valve experience with robust definitions.

Methods: From November 1995 to January 2007, 3,180 isolated, non-reoperative valve operations were performed; 1,452 (45.

30-day readmissions after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in New York State.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify reasons for and predictors of readmission.

Background: Short-term readmissions have been identified as an important cause of escalating health care costs, and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is 1 of the most expensive procedures.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 30-day readmissions for 33,936 New York State patients who underwent CABG surgery between January 1, 2005, and November 30, 2007.

Predictors of postoperative hematocrit and association of hematocrit with adverse outcomes for coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Objective: To determine predictors of low intensive care unit (ICU) admission hematocrit, and to determine if low hematocrit is associated with postoperative outcomes for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 8417 patients who underwent CABG surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass in New York in 2007. Patients with very low ICU admission hematocrit (≤ 21.

Reoperative valve surgery in the elderly: predictors of risk and long-term survival.

Background: Elderly patients requiring reoperative cardiac surgery for valve disease are considered high risk for immediate outcomes, but little is known about their long-term survival. It is often conjectured that medical therapy provides equivalent late survival in this population, which may dissuade both patient and surgeon from considering reoperation. We analyzed a cohort of such patients undergoing reoperative valve surgery to determine their long-term survival.

Retrograde arterial perfusion, not incision location, significantly increases the risk of stroke in reoperative mitral valve procedures.

Background: A recent report suggested that a thoracotomy approach for reoperative mitral valve (MV) procedures was associated with an equivalent mortality and an unacceptable risk of stroke. We assessed these outcomes in a single institution's experience.

Methods: From 1992 through 2007, 905 patients underwent reoperative MV procedures.

The relationship between perioperative temperature and adverse outcomes after off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Objective: The study objective was to determine predictors of hypothermia and hyperthermia, and the impact of hypothermia and hyperthermia on postoperative outcomes for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 2294 patients who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in New York in 2007. Patients were classified as moderately to severely hypothermic (< or = 34.

A decade of minimally invasive mitral repair: long-term outcomes.

Background: Short-term results with minimally invasive approaches for mitral valve repair in degenerative disease have been encouraging, with potential for diminishing blood loss and hospital length of stay. Little is known, however, about the long-term efficacy of this approach. This report analyzes a single institution's results over 12 years with minimally invasive mitral repair.

Aortic valve replacement for patients with severe aortic stenosis: risk factors and their impact on 30-month mortality.

Background: Few studies have reported population-based outcomes for aortic valve replacement patients.

Methods: Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis who underwent aortic valve replacement with or without concomitant coronary artery bypass graft surgery from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2005, were included in the study. Statistical models were developed to identify significant risk factors for mortality, to compare survival for patients with and without selected risk factors, and to compare survival to an age- and sex-matched group from US life tables.