Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting: multicenter European experience.

Objective: The invention of robotic systems has begun a new era of endoscopic cardiac surgery. Reports on totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting are limited, however, and data regarding feasibility, safety, and efficacy are needed to determine this technique's position in the therapeutic armamentarium. This study describes the largest multicenter experience in the literature with robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting specifically addressing procedural feasibility, safety, and efficacy.

Attenuation of reperfusion-induced systemic inflammation by preconditioning with nitric oxide in an in situ porcine model of normothermic lung ischemia.

Study Objectives: Inhalation of nitric oxide (NO) can ameliorate pulmonary ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of the lung in several experimental models, but toxic effects of NO were also reported. Here we investigate whether NO inhalation for a short period prior to surgery is sufficient to prevent symptoms of lung I/R injury, especially the inflammatory response.

Design: Using an in situ porcine lung model, normothermic left lung ischemia was maintained for 90 min, followed by a 5-h reperfusion period (group 1, n = 7).

Improving hemodynamics by atrial pacing during off-pump bypass surgery.

Background: To avoid hemodynamic deterioration during tilting of the heart in off-pump surgery, we perform atrial pacing. We describe hemodynamic evaluation of this simple maneuver.

Methods: Eleven consecutive patients (8 men, 3 women; age, 68.

[The influence of anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder on quality of life after thoracic organ transplantation].

Objectives: This study examines stress factors, resources of coping, psychopathological symptoms and their influence on health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients after heart or lung transplantation.

Methods: 82 Patients were examined with the questionnaires SF-36 (QoL), HADS-D (anxiety and depression), IES-R and PTSS-10 (post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) 32.3 (4-86) months after transplantation.

Combined atrial fibrillation and mitral valve surgery using microwave technology.

Atrial fibrillation is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality and is typically related to patients with mitral valve disease. Microwave ablation is a new option for surgical treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation. We present our experience with surgical treatment of mitral valve disease and microwave ablation in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation.