High-Sensitivity Troponin Release Profile After Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Postoperative serum troponin levels and perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) rates correlate with mortality and morbidity following cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to document the release profile of high sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) following different cardiac operations.

Methods: Patients undergoing one of five different isolated cardiac surgical procedures (eligible preoperative hsTnT <29ng/L, serum creatinine < 0.

Choice of valve prosthesis in a rare clinical condition: aortic stenosis due to alkaptonuria.

Alkaptonuria is a rare inherited disorder of tyrosine metabolism, which results in deposition of homogentisic acid in the connective tissues. The accumulation of homogentisic acid in connective tissue causes the syndrome known as ochronosis, which is typically manifested by skin pigmentation, degenerative arthropathy and discolouration of urine. Cardiovascular involvement is a much less common complication of alkaptonuria but poses a greater risk to the patient's health.

Skeletonized internal thoracic artery harvesting reduces chest wall dysesthesia after coronary bypass surgery.

Objective: A pain syndrome related to intercostal nerve injury during internal thoracic artery harvesting causes significant morbidity after coronary bypass surgery. We hypothesized that its incidence and severity might be reduced by using skeletonized internal thoracic artery harvesting rather than pedicled harvesting.

Methods: In a prospective double-blind clinical trial, 41 patients undergoing coronary bypass were randomized to receive either unilateral pedicled or skeletonized internal thoracic artery harvesting.

The split radial technique: an alternative to the Y-graft for total arterial myocardial revascularisation.

There is evidence that the use of Y-grafts attached to the left internal mammary artery - to - left anterior descending artery graft may compromise the patency of the distal limb of the left internal mammary artery. We describe a technique (split radial technique) that avoids the use of Y-grafts by constructing two aorto-coronary grafts from a single radial artery. The split radial technique requires the harvesting of the radial artery in its entirety from the brachial bifurcation to the radial styloid.