Padding the seat of a wheelchair reduces ischial pressure and improves sitting comfort.

In this study, we aimed to examine whether a wheelchair cushion placed directly atop a sling seat or deflection of the sling seat compensated by a pad along with the placement of a wheelchair cushion changed sitting pressure. Additionally, we examined whether these additions changed sitting comfort. For twenty healthy adults who consented to participate, measurements were taken for three types of cushions, each with and without padding, under six conditions.

Minimally Invasive Multiple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Composite Graft Using in situ Right Gastroepiploic and Radial Arteries.

Minimally invasive surgery/coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS CABG) via left thoracotomy and multiple CABG is a reported alternative to the standard sternotomy approach. However, harvesting the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) under direct vision requires high surgical skill. We describe MICS CABG with the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and a composite graft using the in situ right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) and radial artery (RA) to achieve complete coronary revascularization.

Staged open surgery for bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation and coarctation of the aorta in a Jehovah's witness.

Background: Jehovah's Witnesses refuse allogeneic blood transfusions, which makes cardiovascular surgery challenging. Surgeons must minimize blood and fluid loss within one procedure.

Case Presentation: We herein describe a 17-year-old male Jehovah's Witness with bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation and coarctation of the aorta.

A clampless anastomosis technique using the aortic cannula mounted by a prosthetic graft for a severely calcified aorta in a patient with subclavian steal syndrome.

Patients with severely calcified aorta are at high risk of embolic stroke during surgery and it is not feasible to clamp the aorta, necessitating alternative surgical strategies. We present a clampless anastomosis technique using the aortic cannula mounted by a prosthetic graft for a severely calcified aorta in a patient with subclavian-vertebral artery steal syndrome.

Comparison of clinical outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention versus optimal medical therapy based on gray-zone fractional flow reserve in stable angina patients with intermediate coronary artery stenosis (COMFORTABLE prospective study): Study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Even in the current drug-eluting stent era, revascularization for coronary stenosis with fractional flow reserve (FFR) between 0.75 and 0.80, the so-called "gray zone," is a matter of debate.

Isolated post-challenge hyperglycemia in patients with normal fasting glucose concentration exaggerates neointimal hyperplasia after coronary stent implantation.

Postprandial hyperglycemia has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease as much as overt diabetes mellitus does. The aim of this study was to determine whether isolated post-challenge hyperglycemia during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is related to exaggerated neointimal proliferation after coronary stent implantation. Forty seven coronary lesions treated with stents in 40 patients who had normal fasting glucose levels (<110 mg/dl) were categorized into the following 2 groups according to the results of a 75-g OGTT: 29 lesions in 24 patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT group) and 18 lesions in 16 patients with abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT group).