Predictors of long-term HRQOL following cardiac surgery: a 5-year follow-up study.

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the long-term change of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to identify predictors of HRQOL 5 years after cardiac surgery.

Methods: Consecutive adult patients, undergoing elective cardiac surgery were enrolled in the study. HRQOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire before and 5-years after cardiac surgery.

'Should I Stay, or Should I Go?' Psychological Distress Predicts Career Change Ideation among Intensive Care Staff in Lithuania and the UK Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on healthcare globally. Additional pressure created by coronavirus adversely affected the mental health and psychological well-being of healthcare workers, leading many to question their desire and willingness to continue working in healthcare. This study aimed to identify predictors for career change ideation among healthcare professionals in two countries; Lithuania and the United Kingdom amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Are We Meeting the Current Standards of Consent for Anesthesia? An International Survey of Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND International application of existing guidelines and recommendations on anesthesia-specific informed consent is limited by differences in healthcare and legal systems. Understanding national and regional variations is necessary to determine future guidelines. MATERIAL AND METHODS Anonymous paper surveys on their practices regarding anesthesia-specific patient informed consent were sent to anesthesiologists in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Evaluation of risk factors for adverse outcome in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-supported elderly postcardiotomy patients.

Background: Recently extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is becoming the commonly used mechanical assist device for the treatment of severe cardiogenic shock in postcardiotomy patients. Evaluation of risk factors of negative outcome would be beneficial in decision-making in the elderly patient population.

Methods: This was a retrospective single-centre analysis of elderly patients who underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment for refractory cardiogenic shock in a tertiary care centre.

Long-term quality of life and posttraumatic stress following elective cardiac surgery: preliminary findings of a 5-year follow-up study.

Background: Heart surgery is a major stressful event that can have a significant negative effect on patients' quality of life (QoL) and may cause long-term posttraumatic stress reactions. The aim of this pilot study was to estimate the longitudinal change and predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) dynamics and identify factors associated with PTS at 5-year follow-up (T2) after elective cardiac surgery and associations with pre-surgery (T1) QoL.

Materials And Methods: Single-centre prospective study was conducted after Regional Bioethics Committee approval.

Effectiveness of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy in management of acute hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Background: High-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT) therapy has been increasingly used in patients with acute hypoxemic (Type I) respiratory failure (RF). Meanwhile indications and clinical effectiveness of HFNOT in patients with hypercapnic (Type II) RF remain controversial. The aim of our study was to evaluate the outcomes of primary HFTNOT in patients with hypoxemic and hypercapnic RF.

Successful extracorporeal membrane oxygenation assisted revascularisation in a high-risk elderly patient refused surgical treatment.

Management of high-risk elderly patients requiring revascularisation remains a clinical challenge. We report a case of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) assisted complex percutaneous coronary intervention in a  high-risk octogenarian. An 83-year-old female with signs of worsening heart failure was admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary care facility.

Long-term quality of life in patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock.

Objective: The aim of our study was to explore long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) survivors.

Methods: Single-center prospective follow-up study. All patients in whom ECMO was initiated due to refractory cardiogenic shock between 2009 and 2014 were included in the study.

Anesthetic Management and Procedural Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Off-Pump Transapical Implantation of Artificial Chordae to Correct Mitral Regurgitation: Case Series of 76 Patients.

Background: Transapical implantation of artificial chordae using the NeoChord system (NeoChord Inc, Minneapolis, MN) is an emerging beating-heart technique for correction of mitral regurgitation (MR) through a minimally invasive left minithoracotomy. The purpose of the study was to describe the anesthetic management and procedural success of patients undergoing this procedure.

Methods: All patients (n = 76) who underwent mitral valve repair with the NeoChord system in our institution from December 2011 to December 2016 were included in this observational prospective study.

Severity of hyperoxia as a risk factor in patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery.

Background: Hyperoxia has long been perceived as a desirable or at least an inevitable part of cardiopulmonary bypass. Recent evidence suggest that it might have multiple detrimental effects on patient homeostasis. The aim of the study was to identify the determinants of supra-physiological values of partial oxygen pressure during on-pump cardiac surgery and to assess the impact of hyperoxia on clinical outcomes.

Impact of pre-operative health-related quality of life on outcomes after heart surgery.

Background: Long-term improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is one of the most important outcomes of cardiac surgery. The aim of this study is to define the impact of perioperative patient and procedural variables on HRQOL dynamics, a year after cardiac surgery.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing elective on-pump cardiac surgery were enrolled in this prospective observational cohort study.

Malnutrition assessed by phase angle determines outcomes in low-risk cardiac surgery patients.

Background & Aims: Phase angle (PA), which is obtained from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), is a non-invasive method for measuring altered electrical properties of biological tissues. It has been recognised as an objective prognostic marker of disease severity and frailty. The aim of this study is to determine whether PA is a marker of malnutrition and postoperative morbidity in low operative risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Successful application of thrombolysis and angioplasty in case of mechanical aortic valve and coronary graft thrombosis.

Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a rare and fatal complication requiring immediate treatment. Optimal management of the left-sided obstructive PVT is still controversial and depends on patient's status, estimated risk of surgery, thrombus location and size, and clinician's experience. We report a case of a 71-year-old woman, presenting with signs of cardiogenic shock.

Incidence and risk factors of early delirium after cardiac surgery.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to identify the incidence and risk factors of delirium after cardiac surgery implementing Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC).

Material And Methods: 87 patients, undergoing cardiac surgery at Vilnius University hospital, were prospectively monitored for postoperative delirium development, during intensive care unit stay.

Results: The incidence of postoperative delirium was 13.

Asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis and cognitive outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objective: Cognitive decline has a negative impact on early postoperative morbidity and affects subjective quality of life. The role of asymptomatic cerebrovascular disease in developing postoperative neurocognitive damage remains controversial. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis on postoperative cognitive decline.

Incidence and risk factors for early postoperative cognitive decline after coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND. The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence of early postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) and determine perioperative risk factors as well as the impact of asymptomatic cerebral vascular lesion on the development of neurocognitive complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS.

Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation in decompensated cardiomyopathy patients: bridge to transplantation or assist device.

Objectives: The crucial decision to progress from pharmacological treatment of acute decompensated heart failure to institution of assist device or transplantation begins with evaluation of the chances for a successful recovery. We tested whether the intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) could give us the necessary time for clinical decision-making and preserve adequate circulation until it is made.

Methods: We assessed 11 dilated cardiomyopathy patients of NYHA class IV, listed for heart transplantation or a ventricular assist device (VAD), who had conventional IABP placed.

Incidence and precipitating factors of delirium after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objective: To analyze large contemporary patient population, undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting at our institution, and identify the prevalence and precipitating factors of delirium development.

Design: Baseline demographics, operative data and postoperative outcomes of 1367 consecutive patients were recorded prospectively and analysed using multivariate logistic regression analysis, to determine independent predictors of postoperative delirium development.

Results: Delirium was detected in 42 (3.

[Preoperative risk factors and postoperative complications in coronary artery bypass grafting].

Background: Prediction of risk of postoperative complication is necessary for optimal use of available resources and makes possible to compare patient population and postoperative outcomes in different institutions. The goal of the study was to identify preoperative risk factors for morbidity following coronary artery bypass grafting.

Material And Methods: Data of 1829 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for coronary artery disease in Clinics of Santariskes of Vilnius University Hospital.

[Disorders of neurocognitive function after coronary artery bypass grafting].

Objective: Neurocognitive dysfunction still remains a frequent problem after heart surgery, complicating early recovery and strongly affecting postoperative quality of life. The aim of our study was to determine incidence of cognitive dysfunction after coronary artery bypass grafting for patients of low risk group and to find operative and postoperative factors associated with early cognitive impairment.

Material And Methods: Using exclusion criteria, which are known as risk factors for postoperative neurological complications we selected a group of 30 coronary artery bypass grafting patients.