No association between pulmonary artery catheter use and postoperative complications in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a single-center pilot study.

Background: A pulmonary artery catheter is often used in cardiac surgery despite its uncertain effectiveness. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the associations between the use of a pulmonary artery catheter and clinical outcomes in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: Patients over 20 years of age who had undergone off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting between December 2018 and November 2021 were enrolled in this single-center retrospective pilot study.

Acute Kidney Injury and Mid-term Outcomes After Extra-Cardiac Fontan Conversion.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of postoperative acute kidney injury and unplanned re-admission rate due to heart failure at 2 years follow-up in patients who had extra-cardiac Fontan conversion. This was a retrospective single-center study of patients who underwent conversion from classic Fontan to extra-cardiac Fontan between January 2014 and December 2021. Acute kidney injury was defined using the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria.

Design and validation of looping assistance methods in robotic-assisted neonatal surgical suturing in a chest model.

Background: Neonate patients have a reduced thoracic cavity, making thoracoscopic procedures even more challenging than their adult counterparts.

Methods: We evaluated five control strategies for robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgical looping in simulations and experiments with a physical robotic system in a neonate surgical phantom. The strategies are composed of state-of-the-art constrained optimization and a novel looping force feedback term.