Cardiac retransplantation: is it justified in times of critical donor organ shortage? Long-term single-center experience.

Objective: Survival after heart transplantation has improved significantly over the last decades. There are a growing number of patients that require cardiac retransplantation because of chronic allograft dysfunction. With regard to the critical shortage of cardiac allograft donors the decision to offer repeat heart transplantation must be carefully considered.

Heart-lung and lung transplantation in grown-up congenital heart disease: long-term single centre experience.

Objective: Because of considerable progress in paediatric cardiac surgery life expectancy of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) has improved significantly over the years. There are a growing number of adults with CHD presenting with progressive decline of cardiopulmonary function and Eisenmenger's syndrome. We analysed our experience with heart-lung and lung transplantation in this patient group.

Safety of the use of Tissucol Duo S in cardiovascular surgery: retrospective analysis of 2149 patients after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objective: Fibrin sealant is widely used in almost all fields of surgery and has proved to be an effective therapeutic tool in cardiothoracic surgery. Nevertheless, there have been concerns about early bypass graft occlusion associated with the use of fibrin glue. This analysis has been performed to assess the risks and benefits of Tissucol Duo S in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

Mycophenolate mofetil for secondary prevention of cardiac allograft vasculopathy: influence on inflammation and progression of intimal hyperplasia.

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains the single most important complication impairing long-term survival after heart transplantation (HTx). Intimal hyperplasia as a response to immunologic and non-immunologic injury is involved in the pathogenesis. Because improved immunosuppressive properties with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) have been shown within the first year, beneficial effects on intimal hyperplasia and systemic inflammation might be found late after HTx as well.