Comparison of minithoracotomy and conventional sternotomy approaches for valve surgery.

Objective: To compare patients undergoing valve surgery through a minithoracotomy approach with a matched group undergoing conventional valve surgery.

Design: Control study.

Setting: University hospital, single center.

Renal dysfunction after cardiac surgery with normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass: incidence, risk factors, and effect on clinical outcome.

Unlabelled: Renal dysfunction is a frequent and severe complication after conventional hypothermic cardiac surgery. Little is known about this complication when cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is performed under normothermic conditions (e.g.

Cardiac troponin I is an independent predictor of in-hospital death after adult cardiac surgery.

Background: Although myocardial injury during cardiac surgery is associated with impaired clinical outcome, little is known about the prognostic value of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a cardiac-specific biologic marker. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the prognostic value of cTnI concentrations measured 20 h after the end of surgery in adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting or conventional valve surgery.

Methods: Baseline and perioperative characteristics of 502 consecutive patients undergoing conventional heart surgery during a 1-yr period were collected.

Is there a place for preconditioning during cardiac operations in humans?

Background: Activation of the kinase cascade (protein kinase C (PKC), tyrosine kinase (TK), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a key feature of the transduction pathway, elicited by preconditioning signals and mediating their cardioprotective effects. We assessed whether such an activation occurred during cardiac operations and could thus represent a target for cardioprotective strategies.

Methods: A total of 20 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were studied.