ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of delayed sternal closure (DSC) on sternal wound debridement after pediatric cardiac surgery. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 491 pediatric patients underwent DSC in Guangdong General Hospital between June 2009 and June 2014. There were 333 males and 158 females with age of 1 day to 153.37 (5.68±17.24) months. The rate of sternal wound debridement between the DSC patients and the non-DSC patients was compared. ResultsA total of 454 pediatric patients with DSC initiated in the operation room. And 37 patients with DSC initiated in intensive care unit after emergency sternotomy. A total of 392 patients with delayed sternal closure were discharged. Eight patients gave up treatment for family reasons and 91 patients died. Patients with DSC had higher incidence of sternal wound debridement than the patients with non-DSC did (χ2=6.693, P=0.010). ConclusionDSC is an effective treatment for children with severe cardiac surgery, while it causes higher incidence of sternal wound debridement.
Objective To compare three surgical treatments for mediastinal mass with myasthenia gravis. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 53 patients who underwent extended thymectomy between January 2010 and December 2017 in our hospital. There were 29 males and 24 females, aged 17-73 years. Patients were divided into three groups according to the surgical methods: a group A (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with the da Vinci robotic system, n=22), a group B (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, n=12) and a group C (median sternotomy, n=19). The gender distribution, age, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative extubation time, postoperative hospital stay, Osserman classification of myasthenia gravis, postoperative myasthenic remission rate, etc were compared in three groups. Results No perioperative death was observed in 53 patients. One patient in the group C suffered from postoperative myasthenic crisis and improved after active treatment. One patient with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was converted to median sternotomy due to the intraoperative injury of the left brachiocephalic vein. Compared with the group B and group C, the group A had shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss and drainage on the first postoperative day and fewer days of extubation. Postoperative hospital stay was less in the group A than that in the group C (P<0.05). The postoperative myasthenic remission rate was higher in the group A than that in the other two groups, but there was no statistical difference. Conclusion Because of the robot’s unique minimally invasive advantage, in this study, the outcome of patients with myasthenia gravis treated with Da Vinci robots and thymectomy is better than that of the remaining two groups in terms of perioperative outcomes and myasthenic remission rate. But long-term results and a large of number matching experiments are needed to confirm. However, it is undeniable that robotic surgery must be the future of the minimally invasive surgery.
ObjectiveTo analyze the safety and effectiveness of minimally invasive small incision through the right third intercostal and standard aortic valve replacement.MethodsThe clinical data of 123 patients with the first simple aortic valve replacement in our hospital from June 2013 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients receiving aortic valve replacement through the right third intercostal small incision were allocated to a minimally invasive group, and patients receiving aortic valve replacement through the median sternal incision were allocated to a common group. The clinical outcomes of the two groups were compared.ResultsThere were 40 patients in the minimally invasive group, including 11 (27.5%) females and 29 (72.5%) males, aged 54.60±9.98 years with the body mass index (BMI) of 23.16±2.48 kg/m2. There were 83 patients in the common group, including 27 (32.5%) females, 56 (67.5%) males, aged 58.77±9.71 years, with the BMI of 24.13±3.13 kg/m2. Compared with the common group, the aortic cross-clamping time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and operation time were longer (P<0.05), the ventilator support time was shorter (P<0.05), and the blood loss, postoperative 24 h chest drainage volume and total expense were less (P<0.05) in the minimally invasive group. The ICU stay, postoperative hospital stay, and total hospital stay were not statistically different between the two groups (P>0.05).ConclusionThe aortic valve replacement through the right third intercostal small incision is safe and effective, with less blood loss, 24 h chest drainage volume and invasiveness.
Objective To summarize the experience with median sternotomy ascending-descending thoracic aortic bypass grafting via median sternotomy for the treatment of complex coarctation of aorta (COA), and to present the intermediate to long-term follow-up outcomes. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with complex COA who underwent ascending-descending thoracic aortic bypass grafting through a median sternotomy in the First Hospital of Tsinghua University from August 2004 to May 2017. ResultsA total of 7 children were enrolled, including 4 males and 3 females, with an average age of (13.3±4.6) years and an average weight of (40.2±12.2) kg. Six (85.7%) patients had hypertension in the upper limbs. Among them four patients had coarctation associated with intracardiac anomalies, two with recurrent coarctation post-surgery, and one with both recurrent coarctation and intracardiac anomalies. All surgeries were performed under cardiopulmonary bypass, with no operative mortality or severe complications. The systolic pressure gradient between the upper and lower extremities decreased significantly from preoperative (51.4±13.5) mm Hg to postoperative (2.9±2.7) mm Hg (P<0.01). During a follow-up period of (14.9±5.9) years (ranging from 7 to 19 years), there were no late deaths or graft-related complications. Except for one patient who continued to have mild hypertension, the blood pressure of all other patients returned to normal. Conclusion The ascending-descending thoracic aortic bypass grafting via median sternotomy for complex COA is a safe and reliable procedure that effectively reduces upper limb blood pressure and the pressure difference between the upper and lower extremities. It has a low rate of complications and satisfactory intermediate to long-term outcomes.
ObjectiveTo examine the safety, efficacy and durability of totally endoscopic minimally invasive (TEMI) mitral valve repair in Barlow’s disease (BD). MethodsA retrospective study was performed on patients who underwent mitral valve repair for BD from January 2010 to June 2022 in the Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute. The patients were divided into a MS group and a TEMI group according to the surgery approaches. A comparison of the clinical data between the two groups was conducted. ResultsA total of 196 patients were enrolled, including 133 males and 63 females aged (43.8±14.9) years. There were 103 patients in the MS group and 93 patients in the TEMI group. No hospital death was observed. There was a higher percentage of artificial chordae implantation in the TEMI group compared to the MS group (P=0.020), but there was no statistical difference between the two groups in the other repair techniques (P>0.05). Although the total operation time between the two groups was not statistically different (P=0.265), the TEMI group had longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (P<0.001) and aortic clamp time (P<0.001), and shorter mechanical ventilation time (P=0.025) and postoperative hospitalization time (P<0.001). No statistical difference between the two groups in the adverse perioperative complications (P>0.05). The follow-up rate was 94.2% with a mean time of 0.2-12.4 (4.0±2.4) years. Two patients in the MS group died with non-cardiac reasons during the follow-up period. The 3-year, 5-year and 10-year survival rates of all patients were 99.2%, 99.2%, and 82.6%, respectively. Compared with the MS group, there was no statistical difference in the survival rate, recurrence rate of mitral regurgitation, reoperation rate of mitral valve or adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in the TEMI group (P＞0.05). ConclusionTEMI approach is a safe, feasible and effective approach for BD with a satisfying long-term efficacy.