Cardiothoracic Surgery News and Research

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Study shows universal health insurance may mitigate surgical disparities for African Americans

A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital utilized claims data from more than 630,000 patients living in the state of California and found no significant differences in post-operative complications or mortality between African American patients and White patients who were treated in a universally insured military health system.

9 Aug 2016

Diabetic patients experience long-term survival outcomes with TAR/CABG surgery

Diabetic patients who undergo heart bypass surgery are living longer and have much better long-term outcomes when cardiothoracic surgeons use arteries rather than veins for the bypasses, according to a new study published online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

14 Jul 2016

UPMC study gives better understanding of cardiac arrhythmia following lung transplantation

Cardiac arrhythmia is a common complication following lung transplantation, and one that has a significant negative impact on long-term patient survival, reports a team of UPMC researchers in the largest study of its kind to date.

27 May 2016

First-ever clinical trial of bioabsorbable cardiovascular device in children shows promise

Current cardiovascular valve or blood vessel implants are generally associated with a number of complications, have limited efficacy over time, and may necessitate repeated interventions over a patient's lifetime, especially when implanted in a young child.

18 May 2016

Researchers identify risk factors for unplanned readmissions following esophageal resection

Esophagectomy is a major surgical procedure associated with significant complications with up to 1 in 5 patients readmitted following hospital discharge. These unplanned readmissions are an important problem as they negatively impact patient care and, in the future, may have implications for reimbursement through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction program.

17 May 2016

RDAVR system improves survival of patients with severe aortic stenosis

When replacing a defective aortic valve with a new one, restoring function is the first priority. However, variables such as durability, length of surgery, duration of heart stoppage, size of the surgical incision, postoperative pain, and complications are other important considerations.

17 May 2016

Older adults experience greater survival rates after lung cancer surgery

Patients aged 65 years and older are living longer after lung cancer surgery, and with older people representing a rapidly growing proportion of patients diagnosed with lung cancer, this improved survival is especially significant, according to an article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

5 May 2016

New immune-suppressing therapy leads to longer survival for cross-species heart transplant

A new immune-suppressing therapy has led to the longest survival yet for a cross-species heart transplant, according to new research conducted in part by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

7 Apr 2016

Latest trends in robotic surgery: an interview with Dr. Patrick Ross, Chairman of Surgery for Main Line Health

When new technology becomes available, surgical or otherwise, there are those who adopt early, and those who hold on to previous familiar methods.

6 Apr 2016

Study evaluates long-term outcomes of TAVR with SAPIEN 3 in intermediate-risk patients

To account for baseline differences, TAVR patients were compared by a propensity score analysis with patients randomized to receive surgical intervention in a precursor study, PARTNER 2A. Propensity scoring analysis is a statistical technique used to reduce bias from potential confounding variables, which in this case was used to identify surgical patients from a previous study who would be comparable to TAVR patients in this study.

4 Apr 2016

New approach allows noninvasive identification of tumor mutations in lung cancer patients

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a way to significantly increase the sensitivity of a technique to identify and sequence DNA from cancer cells circulating in a person's blood.

29 Mar 2016

CHLA cardiologists perform rare fetal cardiac intervention procedure

Last August, when Children's Hospital Los Angeles cardiologists confirmed that the heart of a 27-week-old fetus suffered from a critical cardiac condition that prevented blood returning from the fetus's lungs from circulating back into the body, they told the parents that their child faced certain open-heart surgery after birth. Even worse, babies born with this very rare condition—hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with restrictive atrial septum—have a 50 percent neonatal mortality rate.

27 Feb 2016

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Life-threatening heart damage is an adverse side effect of the cancer drug doxorubicin, damage that also limits the use of newer chemotherapeutic agents such as trastuzumab and imatinib. The ability to protect the heart from these side effects would benefit patients, including cancer survivors who are at risk of developing heart damage years later, and it also could allow safer use of these drugs at higher doses.

26 Feb 2016

Terumo CV Group introduces new addition to CAPIOX Oxygenator portfolio

Terumo Cardiovascular Group introduces the newest addition to the CAPIOX Oxygenator portfolio – the CAPIOX FX Advance Oxygenator. The CAPIOX FX Advance replaces the current CAPIOX FX15 and FX25 line of oxygenators manufactured in Elkton, Maryland.

17 Feb 2016

New method could help scientists conduct in-depth research on malignant tumors in cancer patients

Scientists at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern have pioneered a new method for conducting in-depth research on malignant tumors in patients, in the process discovering new complexities underlying cancer biology and overturning a nearly century-old perception about cancer metabolism.

5 Feb 2016

Researchers use ASC secreted factors to create therapeutic factor concentrate for critical limb ischemia

"Critical limb ischemia" (CLI) describes an advanced stage of peripheral artery disease characterized by obstruction of the arteries and a markedly reduced blood flow to the extremities. CLI identifies patients at high-risk for major amputation. The estimated annual incidence of CLI ranges between 500 and 1000 new cases out of one million people per year, with the highest rates among the elderly, smokers, and those with diabetes. CLI is considered to be a critical public health issue. Attempts at revascularization are often unsuccessful.

22 Jan 2016

Using statins before and after heart surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, mortality risks

Using statins before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery and also can reduce the risk of death during and after surgery, according to a review article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

13 Jan 2016

Rutgers offers two-year fellowship program to enhance training of cancer surgeons

Aiming to enhance the training of cancer surgeons, a two-year fellowship program is now being offered by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The Fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology offers board-eligible surgeons an opportunity to subspecialize in the intricacies of cancer care both in the clinical and research arenas.

7 Jan 2016

Surgical lung resection can improve outcomes in high-risk patients with early stage disease

Surgical lung resection, in which part of a lung is removed, can be a safe and effective treatment option for high-risk patients with early stage lung cancer, according to an article posted online by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

11 Nov 2015

LDCT lung cancer screening does not lead to unnecessary treatment

Lung cancer screening programs that utilize standardized reporting and include cardiothoracic surgeons as part of a multidisciplinary team can successfully be adopted into clinical practice without an increase in surgical intervention for non-cancerous disease, according to an article in the October 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

1 Oct 2015