Blood transfusion in cardiac surgery is a risk factor for increased hospital length of stay in adult patients.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion has been proposed as a negative indicator of quality in cardiac surgery. Hospital length of stay (LOS) may be a surrogate of poor outcome in transfused patients. METHODS: Data from 502 patients included in Transfusion Requirements After Cardiac Surgery (TRACS) study were analyzed to assess the relationship between RBC transfusion and hospital LOS in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and enrolled in the TRACS study. RESULTS: According to the status of RBC transfusion, patients were categorized into the following three groups: 1) 199 patients (40%) who did not receive RBC, 2) 241 patients (48%) who received 3 RBC units or fewer (low transfusion requirement group), and 3) 62 patients (12%) who received more than 3 RBC units (high transfusion requirement group). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, the following factors were predictive of a prolonged hospital length of stay: age higher than 65 years, EuroSCORE, valvular surgery, combined procedure, LVEF lower than 40% and RBC transfusion of > 3 units. CONCLUSION: RBC transfusion is an independent risk factor for increased LOS in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. This finding highlights the adequacy of a restrictive transfusion therapy in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: http://NCT01021631.

Spontaneous Bacterial Pericarditis and Coronary Sinus Endocarditis Caused by Oxacillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.

This paper describes a case of a 44-year-old male patient previously healthy admitted with an unusual spontaneous acute bacterial pericarditis associated with coronary sinus mass. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed large loculated pericardial effusion with signs of diastolic restriction and an image suggesting vegetation in topography of the right atrium coronary sinus. Pericardial drainage, coronary sinus vegetation resection, and antibiotic therapy with Oxacillin were performed due to Oxacillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus identified on the pericardial effusion and blood culture. This is a rare condition and a unique combination of a spontaneous acute bacterial pericarditis with coronary sinus endocarditis without cardiac valve compromise.

Endomyocardial fibrosis as a cause of Budd-Chiari syndrome and fatal pulmonary embolism.

A 24-year-old-man had right-sided heart failure of 3 months' duration. A Doppler echocardiogram revealed atrium and right ventricular enlargement, obliteration of the right ventricular apex, and a mass with an echolucent center measuring 20x21 mm in the right ventricular outlet. He died of pulmonary embolism. At autopsy, a huge organized thrombus obliterating the right ventricular apex passing through the tricuspid valve to the right atrium and then extending to the inferior vena cava up to the suprahepatic veins was seen. Histologically, an intense fibrotic thickening of the endomyocardium extending into the myocardium was observed. Cardiac thrombosis associated with endomyocardial fibrosis should be added to the list of causes of Budd-Chiari syndrome.