Epidemiology of infective endocarditis before after change of international guidelines: a systematic review.

Introduction: All major international guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis (IE) have undergone major revisions, recommending antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) restriction to high-risk patients or foregoing AP completely. We performed a systematic review to investigate the effect of these guideline changes on the global incidence of IE.

Methods: Electronic database searches were performed using Ovid Medline, EMBASE and Web of Science.

Pleural effusion post coronary artery bypass surgery: associations and complications.

Background: One of the most frequent complications of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is pleural effusion. Limited previous studies have found post-CABG pleural effusion to be associated with increased length-of-stay and greater morbidity post-CABG. Despite this the associations of this common complication are poorly described.

Predictors of Pacemaker Insertion Post-Sutureless (Perceval) Aortic Valve Implantation.

Introduction: The use of rapid deployment sutureless aortic valve replacement (AVR) has become a viable alternative to conventional AVR especially in intermediate and high-risk patients. However, sutureless AVR has been associated with increased rates of permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation compared with conventionally implanted aortic valve prostheses. The aim of this study was to determine predictive factors for complete heart block requiring insertion of a PPM post-AVR with a Perceval S sutureless valve (LivaNova, London, UK).

Pseudocyst of the pancreas masquerading as spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

Pseudocyst of the pancreas extending into the thorax represents a rare but potentially catastrophic diagnosis. It can be difficult to both diagnose and manage, with only limited management suggestions within the literature. While pleural effusion is a common complication of pancreatitis, transthoracic extension of a pseudocyst is a rare phenomenon.

Midline depressed skull fracture presenting with quadriplegia: A rare phenomenon.

Background: Midline depressed skull fractures (MDSFs) deserve a special mention among skull fractures and should always be treated with caution. Here, an extremely unusual clinical presentation of a case of MDSF is highlighted along with its successful surgical management.

Case Description: A 26-year-old male presented with quadriplegia following assault on the head with sharp weapons.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in severe traumatic brain injury.

Background: Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a less-known complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study was done to assess the clinical features and outcome of patients who develop PSH following severe TBI.

Methods: A prospective observational study was done on patients, admitted in the intensive care unit, for treatment of severe TBI.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in pediatric traumatic brain injury: A case series of four patients.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a condition in which there is extreme autonomic dysregulation leading to multiple episodes of sympathetic hyperactivity. Its occurrence after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in pediatric population is a neglected scenario. In our series, all pediatric patients with moderate and severe head injuries were studied and those patients who developed PSH were monitored for the PSH episodes.

Prediction of postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: is CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score useful?

Aims And Objectives: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrhythmia after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The identification of patients at risk for POAF would be helpful to guide prophylactic therapy. Presently, there is no simple preoperative scoring system available to predict patients at higher risk of POAF.