Tabula viva chirurgic: a living surgical document.

Aim: The purpose of this article is to present the results of a private cardiac surgical practice. This information could also serve as a hermeneutical text for new wisdom.

Methods: A personal database of 1 750 consecutive patients who had had coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery was statistically analysed.

The effect of the metabolic syndrome on the risk and outcome of coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: The individual components of the metabolic syndrome are risk factors for coronary artery disease. The underlying pathophysiology of a low-grade inflammatory process postulates that the metabolic syndrome could compromise a procedure such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) done on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Methods: From a single institution, 370 patients with the metabolic syndrome (IDF and ATP III criteria) and 503 patients without the metabolic syndrome were identified.

Should I change to OPCAB?

Much is written about the benefits of off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). Is it applicable to all practices? Does that mean we all need to change to OPCAB? The surgical literature appears to have flaws with regard to providing answers. In striving for evidence-based medicine, one could integrate clinical data with external best evidence or do proper power calculations to determine study sizes.

Profile and outcome of patients referred for thoracic empyema in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Objective: To establish the profile and outcome of patients referred to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Pelonomi Hospital, Bloemfontein for management of thoracic empyema. This was considered important in view of the proposed restructuring of health services in the Free State.

Methods: Files of 77 consecutive patients referred to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Pelonomi Hospital were reviewed.