On the basis of a voluntary registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS), data of all cardiac surgical procedures performed in 79 German cardiac surgical units during the year 2012 are presented. In 2012, a total of 98,792 cardiac surgical procedures (ICD and pacemaker procedures excluded) were submitted to the registry. More than 13.8% of the patients were ol...

BACKGROUND Early postoperative mobilization is essential for an enhanced recovery, but it can be hindered by orthostatic intolerance, characterized by signs of cerebral hypoperfusion, such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and ultimately syncope. Orthostatic intolerance is frequent after major surgical procedures, because of an attenuated cardiovascular response, but the cardiovascular response a...

As the world's growing population ages, diseases associated with elderly, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), have increased in prevalence. These patients require specialized anesthetic care when presenting for surgical procedures, they often additional cardiovascular comorbidities and are frequently anticoagulated. Innovative techniques promise to mitigate thromboembolic risks AF or even provide...

results utilizing autologous stem cell populations to treat craniofacial defects is a promising field of ongoing investigations. studies show that cartilage stem/progenitor cells (cspcs) are highly chondrogenic and can produce elastic reconstructive material with long-term tissue restoration. conclusions auricular reconstruction surgery is a challenging plastic procedure that requires great exp...

Introduction Advance directives (AD) and/or a health care surrogate decision maker (HCS) are potentially helpful for caregivers to respect the patients’ autonomy whenever their competence is affected. Patients planned for major cardiovascular surgical procedure requiring intensive care may consider AD/HCS as important or necessary because of the coming exposure to a potential life-threatening s...

BACKGROUND While demand for cardiovascular surgery is expected to increase gradually along with the rapid increase in cardiovascular diseases with respect to the aging population, the supply of thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons has been continuously decreasing over the past 10 years. Consequently, this study aims to achieve guidance in establishing health care policy by analyzing the supply ...