Delivering the news of an intraoperative death; literature-based guidance from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Wellness Committee.

Objectives: Fortunately, operating room deaths and unexpected deaths are infrequent occurrences. However, when they occur, the surgeon is called upon to deliver this news to family and loved ones. There is a paucity of literature on this topic and little guidance preparing cardiothoracic surgeons for this important but difficult situation.

Personal Relationships and Well-being for Cardiothoracic Surgeons.

This article summarizes relevant research on relational psychology and interpersonal neurobiology and how it applies to cardiothoracic surgeons, their partners and their children. It also provides a synopsis of data retrieved from a well-being survey of cardiothoracic surgeons in the AATS, as well as a separate survey of the well-being experiences of their significant others. Additionally, the article makes recommendations for improving the well-being of cardiothoracic surgeons, as well as their relationships with their partners and children.

Evaluation of ventricular-vascular coupling with critical care metrics: An in silico approach.

Mean arterial pressure and cardiac output provide insufficient guidance for the management of intraoperative hypotension (IOH). In silico models offer additional insights into acute changes in hemodynamic parameters that may be encountered during IOH. A computational model (CM) generated parameters quantifying ventricular-vascular coupling, and pressure-volume construct across levels of aortic compliance (C ).

Immunomodulatory contribution of mast cells to the regenerative biomaterial microenvironment.

Bioactive immunomodulatory biomaterials have shown promise for influencing the immune response to promote tissue repair and regeneration. Macrophages and T cells have been associated with this response; however, other immune cell types have been traditionally overlooked. In this study, we investigated the role of mast cells in the regulation of the immune response to decellularized biomaterial scaffolds using a subcutaneous implant model.