The Impact of l-Thyroxine Treatment of Donors and Recipients on Postoperative Outcomes After Heart Transplantation.

Objective: The effect of thyroid dysfunction on adverse outcomes has been studied in many different patient populations. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of thyroid hormone supplementation of donors and recipients on postoperative outcomes after orthotopic heart transplantation.

Design: Retrospective.

Higher Transaminase Levels in the Postoperative Period After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Are Associated With Worse Survival.

Objective: Preoperative liver function in heart failure patients is associated with extensive functional, structural, and hemodynamic abnormalities. The authors hypothesized that perioperative liver dysfunction is associated with worse 2-year survival after orthotopic heart transplantation.

Design: Retrospective study.

Chylothorax after pediatric cardiac surgery complicates short-term but not long-term outcomes-a propensity matched analysis.

Background: The occurrence of postoperative chylothorax in children with congenital heart disease is a rare and serious complication in cardiac intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of our study was to identify the perioperative characteristics, treatment options, resource utilization and long term complications of patients having chylothorax after a pediatric cardiac surgery.

Methods: Patients were retrospectively assessed for the presence of chylothorax between January 2002 and December 2012 in a tertiary national cardiac center.

Fluid Overload Is Associated With Higher Mortality and Morbidity in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: Fluid overload after pediatric cardiac surgery is common and has been shown to increase both mortality and morbidity. This study explores the risk factors of early postoperative fluid overload and its relationship with adverse outcomes.

Design: Secondary analysis of the prospectively collected data of children undergoing open-heart surgery between 2004 and 2008.

Impact of the insulin and glucose content of the postoperative fluid on the outcome after pediatric cardiac surgery.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the insulin and glucose content of the maintenance fluid in influencing the outcomes of pediatric patients undergoing heart surgery.

Methods: A total of 2063 consecutive pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery were screened between 2003 and 2008. A dextrose and an insulin propensity-matched group were constructed.

A comparison of the systems for the identification of postoperative acute kidney injury in pediatric cardiac patients.

Background: The pediatric-modified Risk, Injury, Failure and Loss, and End-Stage (pRIFLE) criteria and a different but conceptually similar system termed Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) were created to standardize the definition of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children. Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) currently recommends a combination of AKIN and pRIFLE in AKI. This study aimed to compare the three classifications for predicting AKI in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac operations.

Down syndrome and postoperative complications after paediatric cardiac surgery: a propensity-matched analysis.

Objectives: The incidence of congenital heart disease is ~50%, mostly related to endocardial cushion defects. The aim of our study was to investigate the postoperative complications that occur after paediatric cardiac surgery.

Methods: Our perioperative data were analysed in paediatric patients with Down syndrome undergoing cardiac surgery.

Postoperative differences between colonization and infection after pediatric cardiac surgery-a propensity matched analysis.

Background: The objective of this study was to identify the postoperative risk factors associated with the conversion of colonization to postoperative infection in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: Following approval from the Institutional Review Board, patient demographics, co-morbidities, surgery details, transfusion requirements, inotropic infusions, laboratory parameters and positive microbial results were recorded during the hospital stay, and the patients were divided into two groups: patients with clinical signs of infection and patients with only positive cultures but without infection during the postoperative period. Using propensity scores, 141 patients with infection were matched to 141 patients with positive microbial cultures but without signs of infection.