Thoracic Key

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The history of percutaneous treatment of aortic valve disease began with the work of Danish researcher, H.R. Andersen, who in the late 1980s experimented in an…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Coronary artery reoperations are more complicated than primary operations. Patients undergoing reoperations have distinct, more dangerous pathologies; reoperations are technically more difficult to perform; and the…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Despite the increased prevalence of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to treat coronary disease, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) will continue to have a major role, particularly…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen At its height, the success of surgical coronary revascularization spurred improvement in catheter-based technology—first for imaging quality, and later for attempted therapy. In 1974, Andreas Gruentzig…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the single largest killer of Americans, accounting for almost half a million deaths per year. It imposes a particular burden on…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Acute myocardial infarction (MI) affects approximately 1.5 million individuals each year in the United States.1 Of these patients, 30% die before reaching the hospital and another…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Echocardiography plays an important role in cardiac surgery by defining myocardial structure, function, and intracardiac blood flow velocities. Preoperatively, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography with color and…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The term minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not well defined. According to one definition, avoidance of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is considered essential in…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for support during cardiac surgery is unique because blood exposed to foreign, nonendothelial cell surfaces is collected and continuously recirculated throughout the body….

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Mortality and morbidity in cardiac surgery have continued to decline despite increases in patient age, comorbid conditions, and procedure complexity. Much of this success can be…