Does the surgeon's experience have an impact on outcome after total arterial revascularization with composite T-grafts? A risk factor analysis.

Objectives: When composite T-grafting is performed, total arterial revascularization (TAR) can be accomplished with only two grafts. There is the belief that composite grafting poses a risk of graft failure due to its single inflow via the left internal thoracic artery (LITA). High surgical quality is essential for left internal thoracic artery preparation, T-grafting and length estimation.

Long-term follow-up of total arterial revascularization with left internal thoracic artery and radial artery T-grafts: survival, cardiac morbidity and quality of life.

Objectives: Coronary artery bypass grafting is the gold standard for the treatment of patients with multiple-vessel coronary artery disease. The long-term outcome can be improved using arterial grafts. We analysed the initial series of patients who underwent total arterial revascularization at our institute using left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and radial artery (RA) composite T-grafts and had a follow-up of >10 years.

Is Bentall Procedure Still the Gold Standard for Acute Aortic Dissection with Aortic Root Involvement?

Introduction: The "ideal" treatment of acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) with dissected and dilated root is controversial. We compared the outcome of classical Bentall procedure (biological and mechanical) with valve-sparing David procedure.

Methods: Between January 2002 and July 2011, 119 patients with AADA and aortic root involvement underwent surgery at our center.

Surgical experience in a patient with Loeys-Dietz syndrome type I.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome is a recently described genetic disorder with aortic and vascular involvement. Here, we present the medical history and surgical management of a patient with Loeys-Dietz syndrome type I caused by a mutation in M253I in the TGFBR1 gene who received complete aortic replacement and various peripheral vascular surgeries over the course of 25 years.

Symptom experiences in patients after heart transplantation.

Patients' perceptions of immunosuppression-related symptom experience impact on quality of life and medication adherence. Using The Modified Transplant Symptom Occurrence and Symptom Distress Scale capturing items on symptom occurrence and symptom distress, 261 heart transplant recipients reported on their symptom experiences. Symptoms occurring with the highest prevalence were tiredness, lack of energy, and nervousness.

Lasting reduction of heart transplant tachycardia with ivabradine is effective and well tolerated: results of 48-month study.

The safety and efficacy of ivabradine applied in heart transplant (HTx) recipients with permanent sinus tachycardia (PST) has been depicted in previous short-term follow-up studies. We sought to investigate the long-term impact of ivabradine in this patient population. From May to November 2006, 29 HTx recipients with PST, who exhibited either contraindications or intolerance of beta-blocker medication or insufficient heart rate (HR) reduction on beta-blocker treatment, first received oral ivabradine treatment (5 mg bid).

Caspase activation is associated with spontaneous recovery from acute liver failure.

Unlabelled: Acute liver failure (ALF) has various causes and is characterized by rapid hepatocyte dysfunction with development of encephalopathy in the absence of preexisting liver disease. Whereas most patients require liver transplantation to prevent the high mortality, some patients recover spontaneously and show complete liver regeneration. Because of the low incidence of ALF, however, the molecular mechanisms of liver dysfunction and regeneration are largely unknown.

Prognostic implications of lactate, bilirubin, and etiology in German patients with acute liver failure.

Background & Aims: Among the potentially helpful indicators of poor prognosis in acute liver failure (ALF) are etiology, encephalopathy grade, blood lactate, and King's College Criteria (KCC). The accuracy of these parameters in predicting transplantation or death shows significant variation in different countries.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 102 patients with ALF treated at our institution between 1996 and 2005.