Corrective cardiac surgery in infants.

Palliative versus corrective surgery in new cardiac programs

Conclusions Although the surgery itself is apparently logistically and technically easier, mortality rates are high in palliative operations; in fact, the difference in results between palliative and reparative surgery is higher than that commonly reported for established programs in classification systems such as RACHS. Even early on in program development, the lowest risk option for any given...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy and valvular cardiomyopathy after corrective surgery.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to have clinical benefits in certain groups of patients with advanced heart failure (HF). However, patients with valvular cardiomyopathy are underrepresented in randomized clinical studies. The aim of this study was to assess the medium-term (i.e., at 6 months) effects of CRT in patients with HF exclusively due to valvular disease. The stud...

Cardiac surgery in neonates and infants.

Anesthesia Issues in Cardiac Surgery

The principle of anaesthesia for open-heart surgery is based on simplicity, safty and light­plane of anaesthesia. As a result of the special pathophysiology, grave general status, compli­cations threatening these patients during and after the operation and the abundance of medicines available nowadays, it is very important for the anaesthetist to be acquainted with the pathophysiological and ph...

Corrective osteotomies in spine surgery.

Spinal deformities can result in increasing thoracic kyphosis or loss of lumbar lordosis, leading to imbalance in the sagittal plane. Such deformities can be functionally and psychologically debilitating. The Smith-Petersen osteotomy can achieve approximately 10 degrees of correction in the sagittal plane at each spinal level at which it is performed. This osteotomy is beneficial for patients w...