Meta-Analysis of Bilateral Versus Single Internal Thoracic Artery Grafting in Patients ≥70 Years of Age.

The optimal choice of graft material in patients ≥70 years of age undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting remains unknown. A systematic review of literature was conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for original publications that compared bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting with single internal thoracic artery grafting in patients ≥70 years of age. Data were extracted by 2 independent investigators and meta-analyzed with the use of random effects. A total of 10 studies, including 11,185 patients, met the inclusion criteria. No differences in early mortality and morbidity, with the exemption of sternal wound complications which were more frequently observed in the BITA group (odds ratio 1.72, 95% 1.00 to 2.96 confidence interval [CI], p = 0.05; propensity score-matched population odds ratio 1.58, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.29, p = 0.02), were observed. Overall survival was superior in the overall patient population (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.86, p <0.001), after applying a blanking period of 3 months to the overall patient population (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.92, p = 0.005) as well as in the matched population (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.89, p = 0.002); in all cases, a benefit was readily seen within a few years after surgery. The difference in freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events failed to reach statistical significance (overall patient population HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.27 to 1.13, p = 0.10; matched population HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.16, p = 0.11). In conclusion, BITA grafting can be safely performed in patients ≥70 years of age as late clinical benefits are expected to manifest themselves readily within a few years after surgery.

Effect of Mannitol on Kidney Function After Kidney Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of mannitol usage during kidney donation and kidney transplantation is still unclear. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to research the difference in graft function between kidney grafts treated with and without mannitol. METHODS: A literature search was performed in 5 databases and included 8 eligible studies out of 3570 references, which were included up to July 12, 2021. Relevant outcomes for analysis were graft survival, rejection, acute renal failure, delayed graft function, renal failure, creatinine clearance, diuresis, and serum creatinine. RESULTS: Eight studies were identified, 1 study examining the effect of mannitol during kidney donation and 7 studies during kidney transplantation, of which 6 eligible for meta-analysis. A total of 1143 patients were included in these studies. The following outcome measures demonstrated significant differences in favor of mannitol usage compared with a control group: acute renal failure (risk ratio [RR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26-0.79; P < .01]) and delayed graft function (RR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.08-0.77; P = 0.02 and RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.51-0.94; P = 0.94). Differences in other outcome parameters were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that the use of mannitol during kidney transplantation leads to lower incidence of acute renal failure and delayed graft function. For all other outcomes, no significant difference was found. Further research should be conducted on the use of mannitol during donor nephrectomy because of the limited availability of studies. Finally, for interpretation of the outcomes, the quality of the evidence should be taken into consideration and we emphasize the need for more up-to-date research.

Technique of surgical aortic valve implantation using single interrupted annular sutures.

The introduction of the first surgical prosthetic heart valves in the early 1960s made effective treatment of aortic valve disease possible. The goal of surgical aortic valve replacement is to replace the diseased aortic valve with a properly functioning, sufficiently large prosthesis while avoiding intraoperative complications such as conduction disturbances, coronary artery occlusion, or paravalvular leaks. Although most commonly, non-everting pledgeted mattress sutures are used to implant the prosthesis during surgical aortic valve replacement , interrupted single sutures without pledgets can be a useful alternative, especially in patients with a small tissue annulus, because they theoretically maximize the orifice available for flow. This tutorial discusses the surgical technique of surgical aortic valve replacement using interrupted single annular sutures.