The impact of socio-demographic factors on health-related quality of life after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objectives: To achieve a beneficial impact on long-term outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the goal of the present study was the early identification of patients at risk of impaired postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQoL), particularly evaluating the significance of socio-demographic variables.

Methods: In this prospective, single-centre cohort study of patients having an isolated CABG (January 2004-December 2014), preoperative socio-demographic (preSOC) and preoperative medical variables as well as 6-month follow-up data including the Nottingham Health Profile were analysed in 3,237 patients.

Results: All preSOC (gender, age, marriage and employment) and follow-up (chest pain, dyspnoea) variables proved to have significant influence on HRQoL (P < 0.

Single Atrium and Miscarriages.

 A single atrium is a very rare heart condition, in which the inter atrial septum is missing. These congenital heart defects usually are surgically corrected after birth.  We present a successful surgical repair of a single atrium (SA) in a 27-year-old woman, who has a complete missing of the atrial septum, without coexisting valvular pathology.

[Examination of the opportunity costs and turnover situation in patients with deep sternal infections].

Background: Each and every hospital of any kind is forced, due to increased cost pressure, to work as economically and as efficiently as possible. This even applies when the operational orientations of the hospitals institutions are different. In the present article an analysis of the repercussions of the treatment of postoperative complications in terms of entrepreneurial practice is given.

Surgical debridement, vacuum therapy and pectoralis plasty in poststernotomy mediastinitis.

In cardiac surgery poststernotomy mediastinitis continues to be a serious cause of morbidity and mortality. We report our experience with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy followed by reconstruction with M. pectoralis muscle flaps as treatment for deep sternal wound infections.