Analysis of Primary Graft Dysfunction (PGD) Risk Factors in Lung Transplantation (LuTx) Patients.

Background: Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a form of acute lung injury (ALI) that occurs within 72 h after lung transplantation (LuTx) and is the most common early complication of the procedure. PGD is diagnosed and graded based on the ratio of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen and chest X-ray results. PGD grade 3 increases recipient mortality and the chance of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD).

Evaluation of the effects of postoperative pleural empyema on survival rates of patients after pneumonectomy due to non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Postpneumonectomy empyema (PPE) is a severe and often fatal complication of pneumonectomy, but some benefits of PPE were reported in patients who underwent either lobe or an entire lung resection due to lung cancer.

Aim: To compare the survival outcomes of patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), who developed PPE after pneumonectomy with uneventful recoveries available in our center's database.

Material And Methods: Outcomes of 928 pneumonectomies performed due to NSCLC between 1995 and 2009 were evaluated.

Comparison of peripheral blood saturation with brain oxygenation in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.

Introduction: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive method of regional tissue oxygenation measurement. Intraoperative use of NIRS to monitor brain oxygenation (BO) during surgery might be beneficial to identify cerebral desaturations.

Aim: To compare peripheral blood saturation (SpO) with BO measurements and evaluate the utility of BO in thoracic surgery.

Arterial sleeve lobectomy for lung cancer invading chest wall.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a predominant subtype and treatment may include immunotherapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Tumors of bigger size infiltrating large bronchi and vessels require more invasive resection such as pneumonectomy.

Does postpneumonectomy empyema improve long-term survival for patients with lung cancer?

Postpneumonectomy empyema (PPE) is life-threatening morbidity that affects up to 10% of patients and carries a 9-13% mortality risk. Treatment can take a long time, and the prognosis is uncertain. Forty years ago, improved survival was reported among patients with lung cancer and pleural empyema compared to those with lung cancer and no empyema.

Blood cadmium levels as a marker for early lung cancer detection.

Background: We assessed whether blood cadmium levels were associated with incident lung cancer and could be used in the context of a screening program for early-stage lung cancer.

Material And Methods: We measured blood cadmium levels among 205 lung cancer patients and 205 matched controls. Cases and controls were matched for sex, age and smoking history (total pack-years, years since cessation for former smokers).

Lung Cancer Occurrence-Correlation with Serum Chromium Levels and Genotypes.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens is an important cause of lung cancer. One of these substances is chromium, which is found ubiquitously across the planet.

Influence of the selenium level on overall survival in lung cancer.

Background: Although the results of studies in populations with low selenium status indicate an inverse correlation between body selenium levels and the risk of the lung cancer, the effect of this microelement on survival has not been studied.

Materials And Methods: We performed a prospective study of 302 patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Szczecin, Poland. Selenium concentration in serum was measured at the time of diagnosis and before treatment.

Stem cell secretome attenuates acute rejection in rat lung allotransplant.

Objectives: Stem cells secrete significant amounts of bioactive factors in their secretome that can be immunosuppressive. We studied the effect of the secretome obtained from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC-sec) in combination with cyclosporine A following acute rejection of lung allografts in the rat.

Methods: Lung allotransplants were performed from male Brown Norway donor rats to recipient male Fisher 344 rats.

Evaluation of the metabolic response to open and minimally invasive resection of the oesophagus due to oesophageal cancer.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the metabolic response in the early postoperative period after radical resection of stage I and II oesophageal cancer applying a minimally invasive procedure and an open procedure involving classical laparotomy and thoracotomy.

Material And Methods: Serum concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and total serum protein (TP) and leukocyte count (WBC) in blood collected on the day of surgery prior to the procedure (day 0) and on days 1, 2 and 7 after the surgery were measured in two groups of patients undergoing oesophageal resection due to cancer: applying a minimally invasive procedure involving laparoscopy and videothoracoscopy (group A) and applying a classical procedure involving full opening of the chest and abdominal cavity (group B). The study involved a total of 24 patients divided into two groups of 12 patients each.

Bone marrow stem cells modified with human interleukin 10 attenuate acute rejection in rat lung allotransplantation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate new therapeutic options to attenuate acute rejection in a rat lung allograft model. Cell-based gene therapies have recently been reported as a novel curative option in acute and chronic diseases for which conventional treatments are not available. We studied the effect of human interleukin 10 (hIL-10) on expressing bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in combination with cyclosporine A (CsA) on acute rejection of lung allografts in the rat.

Hiatal hernia after esophagectomy - a report of two cases.

Postoperative hiatal hernia after esophagectomy occurs with a frequency of 0.4-6%, and the local conditions following esophagectomy promote its occurrence. In the material presented here, hiatal hernia in the form of displacement of the colon to the mediastinum was established in 0.

Single lung transplantation in a patient with retrospective positive cross-match.

Lung transplantation is a method useful in such non-malignant end-stage parenchymal and vascular diseases as: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, or primary pulmonary hypertension. The main aim of this procedure is to extend the patient's lifespan and quality of life. However, the availability of the operation is limited by organ access.

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a patient with severe acute respiratory failure - case report.

Acute respiratory failure resistant to conventional pulmonary therapy often requires intensive medical care. In rare cases, ventilator therapy proves insufficient, and only the option of employing veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO V-V) remains. The present article describes the case of a 23-year-old patient who experienced severe acute respiratory distress syndrome with associated multiple organ failure.

Surgeon's viewpoint on lung transplantation in cystic fibrosis patients - preliminary report.

Introduction: The surgeon's viewpoint on a patient with cystic fibrosis differs from that of a pediatrician or internist. The problems a cystic fibrosis specialist encounters are different from those faced by the surgeon who takes over the patient in a very advanced, often terminal stage of the disease. Hence, the main problem for the surgeon is the decision concerning the surgery (lung transplantation, pneumonectomy, lobectomy).

[Primary pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: a case report].

Primary pulmonary lymphoma accounts only 0,5% of all primary lung neoplasms. Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a low grade B-cell extranodal lymphoma. It is a quite infrequent entity, however it constitutes from 72% to 90% of all pulmonary lung lymphomas.

[Surgical treatment of malignant lung tumors in solid organ recipients].

Diagnostic difficulties, serious prognosis and often insufficient response to treatment are all common features of pulmonary complications in solid organ recipients. Some of these complications need invasive diagnostic procedures and surgical treatment or prolonged pharmacological treatment. Tuberculosis, Pneumocystis and fungal infections are examples of infectious complications.

Stricture caused by a plastic vascular clip used during an operation of minimally invasive esophagectomy.

This article describes the case of a 62-year-old female who had had minimally invasive esophagectomy (Ivor-Lewis) for squamous cell carcinoma of the distal third of the esophagus. The anastomotic stenosis was accompanied by solid food dysphagia and the presence of a foreign body in the esophagus. The foreign body was fixed to the esophageal wall and could not be removed endoscopically.

Vancomycin lung concentration in acute and hyperacute rejection models of lung transplantation in rats.

Objectives: This study assesses vancomycin concentrations in allogenic transplanted rat lung tissue in acute and hyperacute rejection models of the lung.

Methods: Left lung allotransplantation was performed from a male Brown Norway donor to a male Fisher F344 recipient in the case of an acute rejection model (the animals were sacrificed 5 days after transplantation) as well as a male Brown Norway donor to a male Wistar recipient in the case of hyperacute rejection (the animals were sacrificed 2 days after transplantation). Control rats were sham-operated and sacrificed on day 2 or 5, respectively, of the experimental model.