Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Research This is an OPML file. It can be used to export all the MedWorm RSS feeds on this topic into your personal RSS reader (usually you have to save this file to your own computer before clicking on an Import OPML command in your own feed reader to upload the file which will then import all the feeds) or it can be used by webmasters to integrate MedWorm feeds with their own website. This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory.

Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship
It is with honor and sorrow that the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education (TSFRE), in conjunction with Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS), announces the Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education and Women in Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research

Condensed Contents
(Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: Frontmatter Source Type: research

Table of Contents
(Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: Frontmatter Source Type: research

JTCVS Disclosure Statement
(Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: Reader Services Source Type: research

Information for Readers
(Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: Reader Services Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
We thank the authors for their comments and interest in our study showing improved long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using the radial artery (RA) in women. We agree with the many important advantages of RA grafting, which they so clearly outline. We also found their novel suggestion that age-dependent levels of androgens and estrogens may affect patency of RA conduits and, thus, survival in men and women to be intriguing. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Kamellia R. Dimitrova, Robert F. Tranbaugh Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
We thank Tavlasoglu and colleagues for their insightful comments in the February issue of the Journal. Our recently published article revealed that a small, hyperkinetic heart can be a risk factor for systolic anterior motion after mitral valve repair. Although the underlying mechanism of this finding has not been determined, Tavlasoglu and colleagues proposed that the mechanism may involve a morphologic aspect. We agree with this idea, because a small heart can be associated with closer proximity of mitral coaptation to the left ventricular outflow tract, which in an experimental study was demonstrated to contribute to th...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Susumu Manabe, Hitoshi Kasegawa Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

AATS/ACCF Heart Valve Summit 2013: Medical, Surgical, and Interventional Decision Making
September 26-28, 2013 Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research

AATS Focus on Thoracic Surgery: Esophageal Disease
November 15-16, 2013 Boston Marriott Copley Place (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research

AATS Awards Applications
Now Available at www.aats.org July 2013 Deadlines (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research

WTSA 39th Annual Meeting
June 26-29, 2013 The Coeur d’Alene (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: The Western Thoracic Surgical Association Source Type: research

Notices
The part I (written) examination was held on December 3. It is planned that this examination will be given at multiple sites throughout the United States using an electronic format. The closing date for registration is August 1 each year. Those wishing to be considered for examination must apply online at www.abts.org. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: The American Board of Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research

Requirements for Maintenance of Certification
Diplomates of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) who plan to participate in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process must hold an unrestricted medical license in the locale of their practice and privileges in a hospital accredited by the JCAHO (or other organization recognized by the ABTS). In addition, a valid ABTS certificate is an absolute requirement for entrance into the Maintenance of Certification process. If your certificate has expired, the only pathway for renewal of a certificate is to take and pass the Part I (written) and the Part II (oral) certifying examinations. The names of individuals who...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Tags: The American Board of Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research

Staged percutaneous coronary intervention and minimally invasive valve surgery: Results of a hybrid approach to concomitant coronary and valvular disease
We read with great interest the recent publication by Santana and colleagues, entitled “Staged Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery: Results of a Hybrid Approach to Concomitant Coronary and Valvular Disease.” A total of 65 patients who underwent staged percutaneous coronary intervention and minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) valve surgery were compared with 51 patients who underwent combined valve/coronary artery bypass grafting. The authors are to be congratulated for their excellent short-term results in the MICS group, particularly the lack of mortality. However, drawing co...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Faisal H. Cheema, Harold G. Roberts Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Adenosine-procaine cardioplegia and adenosine-lidocaine cardioplegia: Two sides of the same coin?
Jakobsen and colleagues are to be congratulated for pursuing alternatives to supranormal potassium cardioplegia in cardiac surgery. Since a 15-year moratorium was placed on Melrose’s hyperkalemic solution in the late 1950s, investigators in cardioprotection have attempted to find a method to achieve polarized arrest that reduces (1) Na+ and Ca2+ loading, (2) vasoconstriction, (3) endothelial dysfunction, (4) reperfusion arrhythmias, and (5) contractile stunning. In the 1990s, adenosine triphosphate–sensitive K+ channel openers provided initial hope for a method to induce polarized arrest; however, severe post-arrest a...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Jakob Vinten-Johansen, Geoffrey P. Dobson Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
We greatly appreciate the interest by Drs Vinten Johansen and Dobson in our article showing the efficacy and beneficial impact of adenosine instead of hyperkalemia in cold crystalloid cardioplegia. Their comments raise interesting and relevant questions regarding adenosine in cardioplegia as an arresting and cardioprotective agent, and the concomitant use of a local anesthetic. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Øyvind Jakobsen, Tor Steensrud Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Folding or plication technique in mitral valve repair: New or renamed?
It was with great interest that we read the article by Tsukui and colleagues on early outcome of the folding mitral valve repair technique without resection for mitral valve prolapse in 60 patients. This folding mitral valve repair technique—or FMVR, as the authors call it—is described as a non-resectional technique with inversion of the prolapsed segment into the left ventricle and ring annuloplasty, also applied for prolapse secondary to ruptured chordae. The authors apply a pilot stitch vertically to the edge of the prolapsed segment of the posterior leaflet, and additional interrupted sutures are placed toward the ...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Roland Hetzer, Eva Delmo Walter Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
I thank Drs Hetzer and Walter for their letter regarding our article in the January 2013 issue of the Journal. I am embarrassed to note that our article failed to reference McGoon's article, published in 1960, describing the technique for triangular plication of the prolapsing posterior leaflet caused by ruptured chordae tendineae. Also, I thank Hetzer and Walter for reminding us of previous works from Gerbode and colleagues and from their own institution. I have enjoyed these articles. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Hiroyuki Tsukui Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Is gender-specific survival in patients undergoing radial artery grafting influenced by hormone levels?
We read with great interest the article by Dimitrova and colleagues on improvement in the 15-year survival in women with radial artery (RA) grafting. We congratulate Dimitrova and coworkers on their well-designed analysis and the results in their publication. They concluded that women who received 2 arterial conduits, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with left internal thoracic artery and RA, had a significant survival benefit up to 15 years compared with women who received a saphenous vein (SV) as a second conduit for myocardial revascularization. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Andrea Ruzza, Lawrence S.C. Czer Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of aortic valve morphology
We noted with interest the findings of Malaisrie and colleagues, who reported in the August 2012 issue of the Journal that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) was superior to 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in determining the presence of a bicuspid aortic valve. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Jasmin Grewal, Leighton Kearney, Piyush Mohan Srivastava Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
We thank Grewal and colleagues for their interest in our article, “Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is more diagnostic than 2-dimensional echocardiography in determining the presence of bicuspid aortic valve.” In our study, we found that transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) correctly discriminated 62% of patients with bicuspid aortic valve, compared with 93% with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). Excluding nondiagnostic test results, the sensitivities for bicuspid aortic valve were 86% for TTE and 96% for CMRI. Our study population included patients with aortic stenosis, regurgitation, and normally functioni...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: S. Chris Malaisrie, Issam Mikati, Vera Rigolin, Patrick M. McCarthy Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Value of the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion as a follow-up parameter in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome
We read with great interest the recent article from Kasnar-Samprec and colleagues, “Unloading of Right Ventricle by Bidirectional Superior Cavopulmonary Anastomosis in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Patients Promotes Remodeling of Systemic Right Ventricle But Does Not Improve Tricuspid Regurgitation.” In our opinion, this is an interesting article describing effects of volume changes on remodeling of the systemic right ventricle (RV) in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Kasnar-Samprec and colleagues found reduced tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) relative to age-related reference v...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Martin Koestenberger, William Ravekes Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
We thank Koestenberger and Ravekes for their kind comments on our article. They emphasized the importance of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion as a marker of right ventricular (RV) function. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Andreas Kühn, Jelena Kasnar-Samprec, Manfred Vogt Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Transfusions and morbidity after surgery of congenital heart disease: Pure statistics or time for a paradigm shift?
We read with great interest the article by Redlin and colleagues and appreciate the continuous efforts of this group to establish blood-saving strategies in surgery for congenital heart disease. We think, however, that the relationship between transfusion and clinical outcome might be more complex than that outlined by Redlin and colleagues. (Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery)
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Andreas Koster, Armin Zittermann, Eugen Sandica Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research

Reply to the Editor
In their letter, Koster and coworkers refer to our recent articles on a comprehensive blood-sparing approach in pediatric cardiac surgery and the effects of this approach on blood transfusion incidence and on potential effects of blood transfusion on postoperative morbidity. They propose a pair of simple but plausible mechanisms to explain how morbidity may contribute to the need for blood transfusion, rather than vice versa. The first is based on the well-known vasodilatory effect of analgosedation. We fully agree that the resulting volume treatment could induce hemodilution to such an extent that it would contribute to t...
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - May 18, 2013 Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Matthias Redlin, Marian Kukucka, Wolfgang Boettcher, Helge Schoenfeld, Michael Huebler, Hermann Kuppe, Helmut Habazettl Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research