Early tracheostomy after cardiac surgery improves intermediate- and long-term survival.

OBJECTIVE: Complicated post-cardiac surgery course, can lead to both prolonged ICU stay and ventilation, and may require a tracheostomy. This study represents the single-center experience with post-cardiac surgery tracheostomy. The aim of this study was to assess the timing of tracheostomy as a risk factor for early, intermediate, and late mortality. The study's second aim was to assess the incidence of both superficial and deep sternal wound infections. DESIGN: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data. SETTING: Tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: Patients were divided into 3 groups, according to the timing of tracheostomy; early (4-10 days); intermediate (11-20 days) and late (≥21 days). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: The primary outcomes were early, intermediate, and long-term mortality. The secondary outcome was the incidence of sternal wound infection. RESULTS: During the 17-year study period, 12,782 patients underwent cardiac surgery, of whom 407 (3.18%) required postoperative tracheostomy. 147 (36.1%) had early, 195 (47.9%) intermediate, and 65 (16%) had a late tracheostomy. Early, 30-day, and in-hospital mortality was similar for all groups. However, patients, who underwent early- and intermediate tracheostomy, demonstrated statistically significant lower mortality after 1- and 5-year (42.8%; 57.4%; 64.6%; and 55.8%; 68.7%; 75.4%, respectively; P < .001). Cox model demonstrated age [1.025 (1.014-1.036)] and timing of tracheostomy [0.315 (0.159-0.757)] had significant impacts on mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a relationship between the timing of tracheostomy after cardiac surgery and mortality: early tracheostomy (within 4-10 days of mechanical ventilation) is associated with better intermediate- and long-term survival.

Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding valve for severe aortic regurgitation in a patient with left ventricular assist device.

Aortic insufficiency following left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD) has been reported in up to 40% of patients and is associated with a worse prognosis. We describe the case of a successful transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding bioprosthesis for aortic insufficiency following destination LVAD implantation.

Thoracic epidural steroid injection for rib fracture pain.

Treatment for rib fracture pain can be broadly divided into pharmacologic approaches with oral and/or parenteral medication and interventional approaches utilizing neuraxial analgesia or peripheral nerve blocks to provide pain relief. Both approaches attempt to control nociceptive and neuropathic pain secondary to osseous injury and nerve insult, respectively. Success of treatment is ultimately measured by the ability of the selected modality to decrease pain, chest splinting, and to prevent sequelae of injury, such as pneumonia. Typically, opioids and NSAIDs are the drugs of first choice for acute pain because of ease of administration, immediate onset of action, and rapid titration to effect. In contrast, neuropathic pain medications have a slower onset of action and are more difficult to titrate to therapeutic effect. Interventional approaches include interpleural catheters, intercostal nerve blocks, paravertebral nerve blocks, and thoracic and lumbar epidural catheters. Each intervention has its own inherent advantages, disadvantages, and success rates. Rib fracture pain management practice is founded on the thoracic surgical and anesthesiology literature. Articles addressing rib fracture pain are relatively scarce in the pain medicine literature. As life expectancy increases, and as healthcare system modifications are implemented, pain medicine physicians may be consulted to treat increasing number of patients suffering rib fracture pain and may need to resort to novel therapeutic measures because of financial constraints imposed by those changes. Here we present the first published case series of thoracic epidural steroid injections used for management of rib fracture pain.

The influence of race and socioeconomic factors on patient acceptance of perioperative epidural analgesia.

BACKGROUND: Ethnic minorities and patients of lower socioeconomic status may be more averse to the acceptance of epidural analgesia than nonminority counterparts and those of higher socioeconomic status, despite evidence for substantial benefit to the patient. METHODS: A scripted telephone survey was developed from the 2000 United States Census by a panel of experts. Contact was attempted at least twice for all patients listed for surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania over a 4-mo period. RESULTS: Three thousand seven hundred thirty-nine patients were called and 1265 subjects were successfully contacted and 1193 consented, whereas 72 refused to participate. Seven hundred sixty-two subjects (64%) would accept an epidural if recommended by an anesthesiologist and 425 (36%) would refuse. If the epidural was recommended by both the anesthesiologist and surgeon acceptance increased to 932 (78.5%). The univariate predictor of refusal of perioperative epidural analgesia was African American race. Univariate predictors of acceptance include full- or part-time employment, total household income >$50,001/yr, college graduate, prior epidural treatment, and knowledge of what an epidural is. When the potential confounders of race, total household income, employment, and education were included in a multivariate logistic regression model, African American race predicted refusal (odds ratio [OR], 0.58; P < 0.006; confidence interval [CI], 0.41-0.81) and was the only factor that predicted refusal or acceptance of epidural analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptance of perioperative epidural analgesia is strongly affected by race and socioeconomic status. Anesthesiologists need to recognize this potential barrier when trying to maximize patient comfort and outcome.