A rare care of Lomentospora prolificans sternal wound infection post aortic valve replacement-an approach to surgical management.

A 77-year-old woman underwent surgical aortic valve replacement via hemisternotomy. Her post-operative course was unremarkable. Owing to travel and contact restrictions during the COVID pandemic, she was unable to attend routine follow up.

Culture-negative polymicrobial chronic Q fever prosthetic valve infective endocarditis utilizing 16S ribosomal RNA polymerase chain reaction on explanted valvular tissue.

Coxiella burnetti is the causative organism of the zoonotic infection Q fever, of which endocarditis is one of the most common manifestations of the chronic form. Polymicrobial endocarditis with Q fever is extremely rare and is yet to be described among an Australasian cohort. SUMMARY: We present the case of a 32-year-old gardener with culture-negative chronic Q fever prosthetic valve endocarditis concomitant with another bacterial pathogen, leading to aortic root abscess formation, requiring a Bentall procedure, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and prolonged antimicrobial therapy, with a fatal outcome.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical outcomes of TAVI versus SAVR in the octogenarian population.

Background: Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) has shown safe, robust results in elderly populations, and up until recently, was the gold standard for management of severe aortic stenosis. The approach to severe aortic stenosis in high-risk populations, such as octogenarians, has been challenged with the development of transcatheter-based strategies. We sought to systematically analyse outcomes between surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI) in octogenarians.

Octogenarians and aortic valve surgery: surgical outcomes in the geriatric population.

Background: The era of percutaneous aortic valve intervention has challenged the continuing indication for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes of the elderly patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement via median sternotomy, in order to assess the impact of surgery on patient outcomes and discharge destination.

Methods: The study involves a retrospective observational analysis in a single centre, including all octogenarian patients who underwent aortic valve surgery between January of 2011 and July of 2016.

Safety and efficacy of aerobic exercise commenced early after cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Aerobic exercise is a critical component of cardiac rehabilitation following cardiac surgery. Aerobic exercise is traditionally commenced 2-6 weeks following hospital discharge and most commonly includes stationary cycling or treadmill walking. The initiation of aerobic exercise within this early postoperative period not only introduces the benefits associated with aerobic activity sooner, but also ameliorates the negative effects of immobilization associated with the early postoperative period.

Treatment of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis with Cardiac Extension following Incomplete Resection.

Aim. Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) with cardiac extension (CE) is a rare variant of benign uterine leiomyoma. Incomplete resection has a recurrence rate of over 30%.

A meta-analysis of endoscopic versus conventional open radial artery harvesting for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Objective: The radial artery has been demonstrated to provide superior long-term patency outcomes compared with saphenous veins for selected patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Recently, endoscopic radial artery harvesting has been popularized to improve cosmetic and perioperative outcomes. However, concerns have been raised regarding the effects on long-term survival and graft patency of this relatively novel technique.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on mid-term angiographic outcomes for radial artery versus saphenous vein in coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Currently, saphenous vein (SV) and radial artery (RA) are the most commonly used conduits in combination with the left internal mammary artery for conventional coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the existing evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the angiographic outcomes of these two conduits at mid-term follow-up.

Methods: Four relevant and updated RCTs with follow-up beyond 3 years were identified using five electronic databases.

Right ventricular loop indicating malposition of J-wire introducer for double lumen bicaval venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) cannula.

The key to safe placement of a bicaval double lumen cannula for Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV ECMO) is to visualise correct guide wire placement in the inferior vena cava (IVC), thus aiding subsequent correct advancement of the cannula. Transoesophageal (TOE) and transthoracic (TTE) echocardiography, as well as fluoroscopy, have been described as aiding imaging techniques. We report a case of guide wire malposition into the right ventricle, despite echocardiographic confirmation of guide wire position deep into the IVC.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery versus open thoracotomy for non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of propensity score-matched patients.

Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) with open thoracotomy for propensity score-matched patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Four relevant studies with propensity score-matched patients were identified from six electronic databases. Endpoints included perioperative mortality and morbidity, individual postoperative complications and duration of hospitalization.