Is the Risk of Wound Infection Related to Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Graft Potentiated by Age?

Background: Older age and the use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafting are both considered risk factors for surgical wound infection (SWI) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The 2014 European Guidelines recommend that bilateral ITA grafting should be considered in patients aged younger than 70 years. Our aim was to investigate interaction between age and the number of ITA grafts.

A difficult decision: what should we do when malignant tumours are diagnosed in patients supported by left ventricular assist devices?

Objectives: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used as a bridge to heart transplantation. During the preimplantation or pretransplantation screening, malignant tumours can be discovered. Owing to the lack of guidelines, the management is difficult.

National review of use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as respiratory support in thoracic surgery excluding lung transplantation.

Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory support is increasingly used in intensive care units (ICU), but rarely during thoracic surgical procedures outside the transplantation setting. ECMO can be an alternative to cardiopulmonary bypass for major trachea-bronchial surgery and single-lung procedures without in-field ventilation. Our aim was to evaluate the intraoperative use of ECMO as respiratory support in thoracic surgery: benefits, indications and complications.

[Interest of evaluation of teaching in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery].

The aim of this work is to reflect on different teaching methods can be used in a surgical teaching and its assessment methods. TWO sessions of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) have been proposed, the first before all education, the second after education in order to assess its impact on knowledge. Script Concordance Test (SCT) will replace the traditional interactive case report.