Ferric carboxymaltose in reducing blood transfusions and infections after cardiac surgery.

Objective: Iron supplementation may reduce postoperative anemia, blood transfusions, and infections in patients undergoing surgery. We sought to assess efficacy and safety of prophylactic intravenous iron supplementation in patients without anemia undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: In this investigator-initiated industry-sponsored single-center randomized double-blind parallel group trial, we enrolled patients undergoing coronary bypass, aortic or mitral valve or ascending aortic surgery who fulfilled prespecified iron blood test safety criteria.

Long-term outcome after surgical correction of sinus venosus defect in a nationwide register-based cohort study.

Objectives: Long-term results after sinus venosus defect (SVD) closure are sparse and many studies lack a proper control cohort. This nationwide cohort evaluated the long-term outcome after SVD surgery.

Methods: The study enrolled every surgical SVD correction from the nationwide hospital discharge registry (FHDR) and surgical registries of two tertiary centers.

Healthcare-associated infective endocarditis: source of infection and burden of previous healthcare exposure.

Objective: Prevention of healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HAIE) is based on characterization of underlying factors. Our object was to describe the source of infection, microbiological etiology, and healthcare-related risk factors for HAIE.

Design: Retrospective population-based study.

Remote ischemic preconditioning and hypoxia-induced biomarkers in acute myocardial infarction: study on a porcine model.

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) mitigates acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We hypothesized that RIPC reduces the size and severity of AMI and explored molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon. In two series of experiments, piglets underwent 60 min of the circumflex coronary artery occlusion, resulting in AMI.

Elective Cardiac Procedure Patients Have Low Preoperative Cardiorespiratory Fitness.

Preoperative cardiorespiratory fitness may influence the recovery after cardiac procedure. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiorespiratory fitness of patients scheduled for elective cardiac procedures, using a six-minute walk test, and compare the results with a population-based sample of Finnish adults. Patients (n=234) awaiting percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary angiography, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement or mitral valve surgery performed the six-minute walk test.