No-touch saphenous vein grafts in coronary artery surgery (SWEDEGRAFT): Rationale and design of a multicenter, prospective, registry-based randomized clinical trial.

The SWEDEGRAFT study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03501303) tests the hypothesis that saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) harvested with the "no-touch" technique improves patency of coronary artery bypass grafts compared with the conventional open skeletonized technique. This article describes the rationale and design of the randomized trial and baseline characteristics of the population enrolled during the first 9 months of enrollment.

Validity of the Swedish Cardiac Surgery Registry.

Objectives: Our goal was to validate the Swedish Cardiac Surgery Registry by reviewing the reported cardiac operations to assess the completeness and quality of the registered data and the EuroSCORE II variables.

Methods: A total of 5837 cardiac operations were reported to the Swedish Cardiac Surgery Registry in Sweden during 2015. A randomly selected sample of 753 patient records (13%) was scrutinized by 3 surgeons at all 8 units in Sweden performing open cardiac surgery in adults.

Pulmonary artery dissection in a patient with undiagnosed pulmonary hypertension--A case report and review of literature.

Pulmonary artery dissection is rare and highly lethal and most reports in the literature are from autopsies. We describe a patient with undiagnosed primary pulmonary hypertension suffering from pulmonary artery dissection that subsequently underwent surgical repair and in addition review the current literature on this topic.

A structured blood conservation programme reduces transfusions and costs in cardiac surgery.

Objectives: Transfusions of blood products can be lifesaving, but they are also associated with considerable risks and adverse effects, including immune response and infections. In cardiac surgery, transfusions have also been associated with increased mortality. We prospectively studied the effects of a structured programme to reduce transfusions and transfusion-associated costs in cardiac surgery.

Sustained heparin effect contributes to reduced plasma thrombin generation capacity early after cardiac surgery.

Introduction: Thrombin is a key component in the coagulation cascade, and impaired thrombin generation has been linked to increased bleeding after surgical procedures. The aim was to evaluate postoperative thrombin generation capacity in plasma after cardiac surgery, and its potential associations to activity of individual coagulation factors and heparin.

Material And Methods: Forty-eight coronary artery bypass grafting patients were included in a prospective observational cohort study.

Plasma activity of individual coagulation factors, hemodilution and blood loss after cardiac surgery: a prospective observational study.

Background: Hemodilution and consumption of coagulation factors during cardiopulmonary bypass has been suggested to contribute to bleeding complications after cardiac surgery. The aim was to describe the activity of individual coagulation factors after CABG in relation to hemodilution and postoperative bleeding.

Materials And Methods: Plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and plasma activity of FII, FV, FVII, FVIII, FIX, FX, FXI and FXIII adjusted for hemodilution were analysed in 57 CABG patients before, and 2h and 24h after surgery.

Prophylactic fibrinogen infusion in cardiac surgery patients: effects on biomarkers of coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet function.

Objective: We have recently reported that prophylactic fibrinogen infusion reduces bleeding after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Because fibrinogen for the first time was administered to patients without hereditary fibrinogen deficiency or ongoing bleeding, a detailed analysis of the effects of fibrinogen concentrate on biomarkers of coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet function was performed.

Methods: Twenty CABG patients with preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels <3.

Prophylactic fibrinogen infusion reduces bleeding after coronary artery bypass surgery. A prospective randomised pilot study.

It has been suggested that preoperative fibrinogen plasma concentration is independently associated to postoperative blood loss after cardiac surgery. Theoretically, prophylactic infusion of fibrinogen concentrate may thus reduce postoperative bleeding, but this has not previously been investigated. Twenty elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients with preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels <3.

Plasma fibrinogen level, bleeding, and transfusion after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a prospective observational study.

Background: Early identification of patients with increased risk of excessive bleeding and transfusion after cardiac surgery offers the possibility to initiate countermeasures. Fibrinogen is a key protein in the coagulation cascade and thus a potential biomarker for bleeding. We investigated the relationship between preoperative fibrinogen plasma concentration and postoperative bleeding and transfusion after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Tumor necrosis factor gene polymorphism and cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits survival after cardiac transplantation. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) may be a key factor in the development of CAV. Two bi-allelic polymorphisms associated with high TNF-alpha production have been identified in the TNF gene locus, TNFA1/2, at position -308 and TNFB1/2 at +252.