“Atrial fibrillation, the most common sustained dysrhythmia, is a common postoperative complication. Previous studies have shown that the incidence, prevalence, and associated morbidity and mortality increase progressively with age.
Development of POAF and mortality is dependent upon a wide range of factors not limited to age and medical comorbidities. Although a patient may be at an increased risk for POAF this does not mean they are at an increased risk for mortality.”
“Thrombosis is the most feared complication of cardiovascular diseases and a main cause of death worldwide, making it a major health-care challenge. Platelets and the coagulation cascade are effectively targeted by antithrombotic approaches, which carry an inherent risk of
bleeding. Moreover, antithrombotics cannot completely prevent thrombotic events, implicating
a therapeutic gap due to a third, not yet adequately addressed mechanism, namely inflammation.”
“The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was defined in 1994 by the
American-European Consensus Conference (AECC). In 2011 (an initiative of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine endorsed by the American Thoracic Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine) developed the Berlin Defnition, focusing on feasibility, reliability, validity, and objective evaluation of its performance. Using the Berlin Definition, stages of mild, moderate, and severe ARDS were associated with increased mortality (27%; 95% CI, 24%-30%; 32%; 95% CI, 29%-34%; and 45%; 95% CI, 42%-48%, respectively; P.001) and increased median duration of mechanical ventilation in survivors (5 days; interquartile [IQR], 2-11; 7 days; IQR, 4-14; and 9 days; IQR, 5-17, respectively; P.001).”
“Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of long‐term disability. Severe narrowing (stenosis) of the carotid artery is an important cause of stroke. Surgical treatment (carotid endarterectomy) may reduce the risk of stroke, but carries a risk of operative complications. This is an update of a Cochrane Review, originally published in 1999, and most recently updated in 2017.” (Rerkasem)
“Although the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) provide guidelines on anticoagulation for patients with MHVs, limited guidance is provided for bridging anticoagulation 2,3 The guidelines are focused on preoperative bridging, with virtually no guidance on postoperative bridging.”
“Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a commonly performed procedure, either in an
intra-operative setting of a cardiac surgical procedure or a nonoperative setting, such as to evaluate for an intracardiac thrombi.”
Surgical Focus 