Objectives: Essential hyperhidrosis (EH) is defined as excessive functioning of the sudomotor sweat system. Definitive treatment of choice is video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathetic interruption. Success rates are high, but compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) remains a troublesome side effect. The aim of this study was to document patient satisfaction and side effects at least 6 months after thoracoscopic sympathicolysis.
Methods: Between 2001 and 2005, 246 patients underwent bilateral ablation of the sympathetic chain at the thoracic level T2, T3, and/or T4. Questionnaires using open questions and scoring systems were sent at least 6 months after procedure and were returned by 138 patients (56%).
Results: From the 138 patients (56 males/82 females), 39 suffered from cranial (±facial blushing), 34 from palmar, and 34 from axillary hyperhidrosis. Thirty-one patients were treated for a combination. No conversion to open surgery or deaths occurred. For the whole group, average quality of life was 4.5±2.5 before and 8.4±1.8 after surgery (P<.001). Ninety-one percent were very satisfied (score ≥7) and 80% showed an increased quality of life of ≥2. Compensatory sweating occurred in 76% of the patients, only 6% reported this as disabling. Comparing subgroups, a significant improvement in primary complaint score was found in 90%, 94%, and 91% for the T2, T3, and T4 patients, respectively. In the T4 group, the prevalence of CH was markedly lower (53%) and none of these patients were dissatisfied.
Conclusion: Thoracoscopic ablation of the sympathetic chain is an effective treatment for EH; CH occurs in the majority of patients, but only rarely impairs postoperative quality of life.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/lap.2011.0258 | DOI Listing |
N Z Med J
January 2025
Department of Medicine, HeartOtago, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Department of Cardiology, Dunedin Hospital, Southern District Health Board, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Aim: There are limited data on the prevalence of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) in Māori and known inequities in outcomes after aortic valve intervention. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CAVD in Māori.
Methods: Data from initial clinically indicated echocardiograms performed between 2010 to 2018 in patients aged ≥18 years were linked to nationally collected outcome data.
N Z Med J
January 2025
Professor, School of Social and Cultural Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Aim: Patient barriers to accessing hospice and palliative care (PC) have been well studied. Important, yet less investigated, is how cancer patients whose hospice referrals were not accepted are being cared for. This article aims to understand the referral process from PC providers' perspectives and the implications of the current palliative system for patients, families and health professionals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging
January 2025
Faculty of Health and Medicine, Wallace Wurth Building (C27), Cnr High St & Botany St, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia.
Aims: Although an association between the systemic circulation and transaortic flow rate (TFR) is frequently hypothesized in patients with aortic stenosis (AS), it has not been demonstrated previously. We sought to explore the relationship between blood pressure (BP), vascular afterload measures, clinical history of hypertension, TFR, and survival in patients with severe AS (aortic valve area ≤ 1 cm²).
Methods And Results: We studied 323 patients ≥ 65 years (110 prospective, 213 registry analysis) who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement over a 5-year period.
Med Sci (Basel)
January 2025
Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Background: CPAP has been shown to be particularly beneficial in the management of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema by reducing both preload and afterload, thus decreasing the work of breathing and improving oxygenation.
Methods: This study was a prospective observational study, conducted in the period from 2022 to 2024, assessing the effectiveness and safety of prehospital CPAP therapy use in patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, administered alongside standard care.
Results: In this study, 50 patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema were treated by physician-led emergency teams in the Canton of Sarajevo.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
January 2025
Institute of Experimental Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Germany.
Background: Clinical expressivity of the thrombophilic factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation is highly variable. Recently, we demonstrated an increased APC (activated protein C) response in asymptomatic FVL carriers compared with FVL carriers with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after in vivo coagulation activation. Here, we further explored this association using a recently developed ex vivo model based on patient-specific endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs).
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