The role of glomerular filtration rate in AVF success: Should we intervene earlier?

Introduction: End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients require life-sustaining kidney replacement therapies, with the natural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) being the preferred vascular access due to its low infection risk, high patency, and fewer complications. Factors like vessel diameter, gender, diabetes, age, and surgical technique influence AVF maturation.

Method: Our study focused on short-term AVF creation success, specifically examining estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels using the CKD-EPI formula.

Comparison of Pericardial and Prosthetic Rings for Mitral Repair: Are Pericardial Rings Durable in the Mid- to Long-Term Follow Up?

Background: While prosthetic rings are commonly used for mitral valve repairs, autologous pericardium is an alternative ring material that can be used in these procedures. In this report, we aim to present a comparison of two types of rings used for mitral repair.

Methods: Between January 2005 and January 2009, 107 patients who underwent mitral valve repair surgery were analyzed.

A rare coexistence: Poland's syndrome and cardiac angiosarcoma.

Poland's syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that accompanies malignancies, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiac and genitourinary syndromes. There is no study that represents the association between cardiac angiosarcoma and Poland's syndrome. A 24-year-old female patient previously diagnosed with Poland's syndrome was admitted to our hospital complaining of dyspnea.

Ultrasonography-guided foam sclerotherapy in patients with small saphenous vein insufficiency.

Purpose: Chronic venous insufficiency is an important health problem; small saphenous vein (SSV) insufficiency is one of the leading causes and may affect up to 20% of adults. In addition to conventional treatment methods, endovenous treatment techniques have become popular in treatment of varicose veins. Herein, we report the outcomes of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) in patients with symptomatic SSV insufficiency.

Causes of Dyspnea after Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: Postoperative dyspnea is common after cardiac surgery, even in low-risk patients. Cardiac surgeons and anesthesiologists are familiar with patients suffering from dyspnea in the early postoperative period, but in some cases, conventional treatment strategies may be ineffective, and a consultation with a pulmonologist may be required. The aim of this study is to investigate the causes of dyspnea after cardiac surgery in this particular patient group.

Right Sided Aortic Arch Resembling Asthma.

Exertional dyspnoea and shortness of breath at rest are common complaints in asthmatic patients. However, symptoms sometimes do not resolve under optimal medical treatment. In such cases infrequent causes of dyspnoea may be the underlying basis.

Arterial Blood Gas Analysis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the impact of arterial blood gas (ABG) on morbidity and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients undergoing CABG surgery.

Material And Methods: The records for 75 COPD patients who underwent elective CABG surgery our institution clinic between November 2008 to 2011 and had a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ≤ 70% value in the pulmonary function tests (PFT) performed prior to the surgery were evaluated retrospectively. COPD patients were divided into two groups; Group 1; FEV ≥ 60% and Group 2; FEV ≤ 59%.

Recurrent Left Atrial Botyroid Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Primary heart tumors are extremely rare and their frequency ranges from approximately 0.01-0.3% in autopsy series.

Red blood cell distribution width is associated with early failure of arteriovenous fistula for haemodialysis access.

This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) for early failure of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for haemodialysis access. The hospital records of those patients who underwent primary AVF creation procedures for haemodialysis between December 2010 and September 2013 were included for retrospective analysis. Of 313 patients, 195 (62%) were male and 118 (38%) were female.

Computed tomography evaluation of different chest tube sites for residual pleural volumes after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background And Objectives: We investigated the efficacy of pleural drainage with the use of different chest tube methods in patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

Design And Setting: Prospective randomized study of 60 patients undergoing elective on-pump single CABG surgery.

Patients And Methods: The left internal mammary arterial grafts were harvested from all patients.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in Buerger's disease.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction may play a major role in both peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and Buerger's disease (BD). Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and increased ADMA levels impair vascular homeostasis. We aimed to determine the plasma levels of ADMA and evaluate the relationship of ADMA levels with smoking and clinical severity of the disease in patients with BD and to compare these results with those of patients with PAD and healthy individuals.

Simultaneous operation in a patient with coronary heart disease, abnormal orifice of coronary arteries, morgagni hernia, atrial septal defect, and pericardial and pleural agenesis.

A 68-year-old male patient with acute coronary syndrome was referred to our center. He also received a diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia after a clinical examination. The patient underwent a simultaneous aorta coronary bypass operation and repair of the congenital diaphragm hernia.

Increase in graft blood flow in the early postoperative period.

Flow has been suitably measured by transit-time flow measurement, but measurements in the early period after cardiopulmonary bypass do not reflect expected values because of several factors. We documented that flow measurements during immediate revision of bleeding increased 3 times for the left internal thoracic artery and 2 times for the saphenous vein graft over previous measurements made after cardiopulmonary bypass in a patient who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery.

Safety of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with bilateral total carotid occlusions.

The presence of bilateral carotid artery occlusions in patients that require coronary artery bypass surgery is rare. Here, we report the successful coronary revascularization of two patients with cardiopulmonary bypass under moderate hypothermia. Routine preoperative carotid artery duplex sonographies revealed bilateral total internal carotid occlusions.

Is the aortic valve pathology type different for early and late mortality in concomitant aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery?

We assessed the effects of aortic valve pathology type on the long-term outcomes of patients who underwent concomitant aortic valve replacement (AVR) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. We retrospectively reviewed 150 patients who underwent AVR-CABG at our institution between January 1997 and December 2006. We divided patients into aortic stenosis (AS), aortic regurgitation (AR), and mixed-type groups consisting of 98 (65.

An approach to cultural adaptation and validation: the Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire.

The objective of this study was to perform a cultural adaptation and define the validity of the Turkish version of the Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire (ICQ) in order to provide a practical instrument for the evaluation of the impact of intermittent claudication (IC) on patients' quality of life and response to therapy. A standard 'forward-backward' translation method was used to translate the questionnaire into Turkish. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency of the questionnaire reporting Cronbach's alpha coefficient, test-retest reliability that was assessed with the intraclass correlation between instrument scores over time and with the Spearman-Brown coefficient as a variant of split-half reliability.