Omega-3 polyunsaturated Fatty acids reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients with history of prior myocardial infarction undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

Introduction: The impact of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) is still part of a lively debate. The present study evaluates the impact of orally administered omega-3 ethyl ester concentrate (omega-3 PUFA) on postoperative onset of AF in patients with recent myocardial infarction (≤ 3 months) undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Patients and

Methods: The study included a total of 198 patients with recent (≤ 3 months) myocardial infarction.

Half-dose enoxaparin vs. full-dose enoxaparin for postoperative bridging therapy in patients after cardiac surgery: which dose regimen should be preferred?

Background: Patients who require oral anticoagulation (OAC) after cardiac surgery due to an increased risk for thromboembolic events should receive bridging therapy with heparin until the INR is in a therapeutic range. For this purpose, unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) can be used. Recently published studies have demonstrated the safety and efficiency of therapeutic dose LMWH as bridging anticoagulant in cardiac surgery.

Prevalence of parvovirus B19 and human bocavirus DNA in the heart of patients with no evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy or myocarditis.

Background: Although the DNA of parvovirus B19 (B19V) is frequently detected in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy or myocarditis, whether the parvovirus causes disease is questionable, since even in healthy individuals the virus persists in various tissues. The same question applies to human bocavirus (HBoV). We have determined the prevalence and quantity of B19V and HBoV DNA in heart tissue of patients who were not experiencing virus-related heart diseases and analyzed whether the seroprevalence corresponded to DNA prevalence in the heart.

Do vitamins C and E attenuate the effects of reactive oxygen species during pulmonary reperfusion and thereby prevent injury?

Background: We established an in vivo pig model of standardized lung ischemia to analyze pulmonary reperfusion injury. Enhanced chemiluminescence measurement (CM) allowed immediate quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent lipid peroxidation. In such model we analyzed efficacy of vitamins C and E to prevent reperfusion injury.