An unusual cause of acute abdominal pain after cardiac surgery: acute epiploic appendagitis.

Abdominal complications following cardiac surgery remain unusual, but are associated with high mortality. The most common abdominal surgical complications are mesenteric ischaemia, diverticulitis, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding and cholecystitis. We describe a case of a 73-year old woman with acute abdominal pain mimicking cholecystitis on day 10 after aortic valve replacement.

Preoperative carriage and postoperative same-species sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery.

Sternal wound infection (SWI) after cardiac surgery remains an important problem. Prediction of pathogens involved in such infection could guide antibiotics. From April 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008, retrospectively, we evaluated the diagnostic value of preoperative methicillin-sensible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S.

Prone positioning and acute respiratory distress syndrome after cardiac surgery: a feasibility study.

Objective: To determine the feasibility, safety, and efficacy on PaO(2)/F(I)O(2) ratio of prone positioning (PP) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after cardiac surgery.

Design: Retrospective review of information entered prospectively in the authors' database.

Setting: A private community nonteaching hospital.

Frailty after aortic valve replacement (AVR) in octogenarians.

In order to analyze the quality of life (QoL) or frailty after AVR for octogenarians, we studied 84 patients older than 80 years who underwent aortic valve replacement alone or in combination with coronary artery bypass, between April 1998 and December 2001. Follow-up was performed in May 2002 with a telephonic interview to evaluate the self-rated QoL, health, and three frailty markers: falls, activity of daily living (ADL) and mood disorder. In-hospital mortality was 16.

Outcome after valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis associated with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Because valve replacement for aortic stenosis (AS) remains a difficult surgical challenge in the presence of left ventricular dysfunction, the immediate and long-term outcomes, and evolution of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in this setting, were analyzed.

Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients with severe AS (valve area < or =1 cm2) and reduced LVEF (< or =40%) who underwent valve replacement surgery at the authors' institution between April 1998 and December 2003 and were studied retrospectively.

Results: Preoperative characteristics included: LVEF 33 +/- 6%, mean transaortic pressure gradient 46 +/- 13 mmHg, and aortic valve area 0.