Outcomes of hypothalamic oxytocin neuron-driven cardioprotection after acute myocardial infarction.

Altered autonomic balance is a hallmark of numerous cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI). Although device-based vagal stimulation is cardioprotective during chronic disease, a non-invasive approach to selectively stimulate the cardiac parasympathetic system immediately after an infarction does not exist and is desperately needed. Cardiac vagal neurons (CVNs) in the brainstem receive powerful excitation from a population of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus that co-release oxytocin (OXT) and glutamate to excite CVNs.

Complications and Management of the Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

Endovascular treatment in thoracic aortic diseases has increased in use exponentially since Dake and colleagues first described the use of a home-made transluminal endovascular graft on 13 patients with descending thoracic aortic aneurysm at Stanford University in the early 1990s. Thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) was initially developed for therapy in patients deemed unfit for open surgery. Innovations in endograft engineering design and popularization of endovascular techniques have transformed TEVAR to the predominant treatment choice in elective thoracic aortic repair.

Hybrid Repair of Chronic Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection with Expanding Arch Aneurysm.

Purpose: The management of patients with chronic Stanford type B aortic dissection who develop complications requires intervention without clear guidelines. Chronic aortic dissection is difficult to treat and often leads to significant morbidity and mortality. We report a complex case of chronic Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD) with an expanding false lumen aneurysm and distal fenestrations that required a multi-stage hybrid repair.

Influence of Age on Cardiac Surgery Outcomes in United States Veterans.

Objective: Heart disease is still the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, and the rate of cardiovascular disease in veterans is even higher than in civilians. This study examines age-related outcomes for veterans undergoing cardiac surgeries at a single institution.

Methods: We included all veterans undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve surgery between 1997 to 2017 at a single Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center.

30-Day outcomes and predictors of complications after Puestow procedure.

Background: A lateral pancreaticojejunostomy, or a Puestow procedure, is used in chronic pancreatitis with ductal dilation and pain. The current literature on the Puestow is sparse. This study examines outcomes of Puestow procedures nationwide.

Double Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Valve Replacements for Failed Surgical Bioprosthetic Aortic and Tricuspid Valves.

Transcatheter technology has revolutionized the treatment of valvular disease in the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery. We present an interesting case of a patient with prior double valve replacements, which had degenerated after a decade, with symptoms of decompensated heart failure. The patient was successfully treated with double valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic and tricuspid valve replacement.

Inferior mesenteric artery replantation does not decrease the risk of ischemic colitis after open infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Background: Ischemic colitis after an open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair remains a serious complication with a nationally reported rate of 1% to 6% in elective cases and up to 60% after an aneurysmal rupture. To prevent this serious complication, inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) replantation is performed at the discretion of the surgeon based on his or her intraoperative findings, despite the lack of clear evidence to support this practice. The purpose of this study was to determine whether replantation of the IMA reduces the risk of ischemic colitis and improves the overall outcome of AAA repair.

Massive thoracic ganglioneuroma with significant mass effect on left hemithorax.

A 42-year-old, otherwise healthy, woman presented with persistent left-sided chest pain. A chest X-ray revealed a large opacity in the left hemithorax which prompted further investigation with an MRI. MRI revealed a large left apical mass occupying approximately two-thirds of the left hemithorax.

Giant Intracardiac Smooth-Muscle Cell Tumor Presenting as Superior Vena Cava Syndrome.

We report the case of a 53-year-old man presenting with a superior vena cava syndrome secondary to a giant intracardiac mass occupying the majority of the right-side cavities of the heart. A mass measuring 10.5 × 9.