Pharmacotherapy Evaluation and Utilization in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Patients in Kosovo during the Period 2016-2017.

Background: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is realised in patients with critical or advanced disease of coronary arteries. There are different pharmacotherapeutic approaches which are used as management, treatment and preventive therapy in cardiovascular disease or related comorbidities. Performing a successful surgery, pharmacotherapy, and increase of bypass patency rate remains a serious challenge.

Arctigenin improves vascular tone and decreases inflammation in human saphenous vein.

The goal of this study was to test the effects of bioactive phenylpropanoid dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan arctigenin (ATG) in vascular tone. Human bypass graft vessel, from a saphenous vein (SV), were set up in organ bath system and contracted with potassium chloride (KCl, 40mM). Two concentration-response curves of noradrenaline (NE) (10nM-100μM) separated with an incubation period of 30min without (Control) or with ATG (3-100μM) were established.

Iliopsoas hematoma due to muscular rupture following defibrillation.

We describe a 62 year old patient who presented with acute anterior ischemia and subsequently developed an iliopsoas hematoma. The patient was treated surgically due to rapid progression and femoral neuropathy, and the iliopsoas muscle rupture was diagnosed intraoperatively. The rupture was related to the external electrical defibrillation the patient had on admission.

Off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in acute coronary syndrome: a clinical analysis.

Background: Although off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery has many beneficial effects compared with on-pump surgery, switch to on-pump surgery has significantly higher risks of operative mortality. Benefits of OPCAB over on-pump surgery strategies concerning myocardial revascularization are still debatable. We have aimed to develop an "algorithm of off-pump surgical strategy" on preventing conversion to on-pump.

Sodium nitroprusside infusion prevents hypothyroidism in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting: a prospective randomized clinical trial.

Objective: The level of thyroid hormones is an important factor in determining the outcome of coronary artery bypass patients. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is a natural donor of nitric oxide which has been shown to interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. Whether clinical use of sodium nitroprusside has any effect on thyroid function has not yet been investigated.

"Acute pseudo-pericardial tamponade": the compression of the thoracal inferior vena cava--a case report.

We describe a case of 68-year-old woman which was admitted to our hospital for mitral valve replacement (MVR), in whom acute compression of the vena cava inferior developed after repair of lacerated atrio-caval junction with hemostatic tissue sealant, biologic glue (BioGlue, Cryolife, inc, Kennesaw, Ga). Removal of the BioGlue relieved the unexpected problem.

Mid-segment harvesting of right internal thoracic artery decreases sternal ischemia.

Objective: We aimed to preserve sternal vascularity better by harvesting only midsegment of the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) than using conventional bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) harvesting method, and we evaluated the sternal vascularity with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Methods: In this prospective clinical randomized investigation, 135 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) were divided into three groups: Full-RITA group who had a full length of both ITA as a graft for CABG (n=45); mid-RITA group - a midsegment of RITA and left internal thoracic artery (LITA) (n=45); and non-RITA group who had only LITA (n=45). Before and after surgery, all patients underwent a bone scan with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to evaluate the sternal vascular activity.

Off-pump coronary artery surgery in a patient with essential thrombocythaemia: two life-threatening complications in the same patient.

Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is a rare chronic myeloproliferative disease characterised by persistent thrombocytosis. Cerebral, myocardial and peripheral thrombosis are frequently seen complications, but bleeding and venous thrombosis are more rare. Here, a case of essential thrombocythaemia complicated by cerebral and myocardial thrombosis is presented.

Does sodium nitroprusside decrease the incidence of atrial fibrillation after myocardial revascularization?: a pilot study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) often occurs after coronary artery bypass grafting and can result in increased morbidity and mortality. In the present pilot study, our aim was to investigate whether sodium nitroprusside (SNP), as a nitric oxide donor, can reduce the frequency of post-coronary artery bypass grafting AF.

Methods And Results: To investigate the effectiveness of SNP in the prophylaxis of AF, we conducted a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study on 100 consecutive patients in whom we performed elective and initial CABG operations.

Report of the anatomic variation of the brachial artery in a patient undergoing transradial cardiac catheterization.

The arterial pattern of the upper limb is one of the systems that shows a large number of variations in the adult human body. Most of these variations occur in either the radial or ulnar artery; brachial artery variations are less common. In this case report we describe the anomaly in the formation of the brachial artery system.

[Alternative approaches in the end-stage heart failure].

Cardiac transplantation has emerged as the therapeutic procedure of choice for patients with end-stage heart disease but the availability of donor organs remains major limiting factor allowing only 1% of the candidates actually become transplant recipients. New therapeutic strategies are under intensive research for patients who do not meet patient selection criteria for transplantation or who suffer from donor organ shortage. Even though there are significant developments in the medical treatment of cardiac failure, the prognosis of this condition continues to be poor.