Epidural analgesia and abnormal coagulation in patients undergoing minimal invasive repair of pectus excavatum.

Background: Epidural analgesia (EA) is effective in patients undergoing minimal invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) but is associated with major complications such as epidural hematomas. It is recommended to assess coagulation status in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy prior to EA, although no consensus exists in patients without a history of bleeding tendency or anticoagulant therapy. Thus, the aim of this paper was to assess 1) the prevalence of abnormal routine coagulation parameters, i.e., international normalized ratio (INR) and platelet count, and 2) the safety of EA in patients undergoing MIRPE. Methods: In this retrospective study, we identified 1,973 patients undergoing MIRPE at our center between 2001 and 2019. Complications related to EA were registered for all patients. Information on coagulation parameters was present in 929 patients. Patients with spontaneously elevated INR ≥1.5 were referred for assessment of coagulation factor VII in order to assess the cause of the elevated INR. Results: Of 929 patients with coagulation information available, 18 patients had spontaneously elevated INR ≥1.5 (1.9%). In patients with INR ≥1.5, 12 patients underwent further assessment of factor VII, with all patients having a slightly reduced factor VII close to the lower reference range. The majority of the 1,973 patients undergoing MIRPE received EA (99.6%) with very low complication rates (0.2%) and no incidence of epidural hematomas. Conclusion: In patients undergoing MIRPE, coagulation screening prior to EA should not be mandatory as it revealed no clinically relevant consequences. EA is safe with very low complication rates.

Combining Correction of Pectus Excavatum and Open Heart Surgery in a Single-Stage Procedure.

The presence of pectus excavatum in patients undergoing open heart surgery is rare, and no consensus has been reached regarding the surgical approach. Thus, this paper describes a single-stage procedure for correction of pectus excavatum with the modified Nuss procedure ad modum Pilegaard in 4 patients undergoing open heart surgery. Three of 4 patients successfully underwent the single-stage procedure. At follow-up after bar removal, all patients had no complications related to the Nuss bar, and all had excellent cosmetic results.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance assessment of biventricular changes during vacuum bell correction of pectus excavatum.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of cardiac dysfunction in patients with pectus excavatum (PE) remains controversial. A growing number of studies report increased exercise tolerance following surgery. Nevertheless, many consider the correction of PE a cosmetic intervention, with post-operative changes ascribed to the concurrent growth of the young patient population. No studies have investigated non-invasively the immediate cardiac changes following relief of the deformity. The aim of this study was to assess cardiac function before and during temporary sternal elevation using the non-invasive vacuum bell (VB) device on young adults with PE. METHODS: Adult patients scheduled for surgical correction of PE underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) before and during the application of the VB. Steady-state free precession sequences were used for the evaluation of biventricular volume and function. Phase contrast sequences measured the aortic and pulmonary flow to calculate stroke index (SI). Scans were analyzed post hoc by the same investigator. A control group of healthy individuals was assessed in the same way. RESULTS: In total, 20 patients with PE (mean age 23±10 years) and 10 healthy individuals (mean age 25±6 years) underwent CMR before and during VB application. Before intervention, baseline cardiac volumes and function were similar between the groups, with patient-values in the low-to-normal range. Following VB application, PE patients revealed a 10% increase in biventricular SI. Furthermore, left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LV EDVI) improved by 8% and right ventricular ejection fraction (RV EF) increased by 7%. These findings were not mirrored in the healthy individuals. No correlations were found between improved cardiac parameters and the baseline Haller index (HI) of PE patients. CONCLUSIONS: Non-invasive, momentary correction of PE is associated with an immediate improvement in SI, RV EF and LV EDVI, not observed in controls. The findings suggest that sternal depression in PE patients affects cardiac function.

Pain and sensory disturbances following surgical repair of pectus carinatum.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics of persistent postoperative pain and sensory disturbances following surgical repair of pectus carinatum. METHODS: Using a prospective observational design, 28 patients were assessed before, 6 weeks and 6 months after a modified Ravitch operation for pectus carinatum. Postoperative pain was assessed using the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Sensory testing was conducted to detect brush-evoked allodynia and pinprick hyperalgesia. Additionally, generic and disease-specific quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey and the Nuss Questionnaire Modified for Adults before and after surgery. RESULTS: Six weeks after surgery, ten patients reported mild pain or discomfort. Six months after surgery, four patients reported only mild pain. Allodynia was detected in two patients 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery. Hyperalgesia was detected in eight patients 6 weeks after surgery, and in six patients 6 months after surgery. Generic quality of life was significantly improved over time. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed no significant pain problems, a tendency to reduced sensory disturbances and significant improvements in quality of life 6 months after surgical repair of pectus carinatum. Future studies should include a longer follow-up period to determine if these positive results are persistent. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: 1 (Prognosis Study).

Evaluating interest in narrative therapy for decision making about pectus excavatum treatment.

OBJECTIVES: The decision to proceed with surgical treatment for pectus excavatum (PE) is rarely clear-cut. Patients interested in treatment are referred for evaluation by numerous different specialists, but psychosocial counselling is currently not included in this process. Our objective was to assess whether PE patients would be interested in formal assistance with the decision-making process surrounding PE surgery using narrative therapy principles. METHODS: Ninety-seven untreated PE patients at 5 different institutions in 4 countries completed a questionnaire consisting of 13 questions, with 3 questions specifically evaluating interest in narrative therapy. RESULTS: Eighty-two percent of participants were interested in narrative therapy to assist with the decision-making process surrounding PE surgery. Individuals most interested in narrative therapy tend to be more interested in correction (P < 0.05) to improve the way they feel about their body (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of PE patients are interested in narrative therapy to aid the decision-making process about treatment. We propose that narrative therapy should be offered to PE patients during the treatment evaluation process to address the psychosocial difficulties associated with PE and the surgical decision-making process overall. Future studies should assess the effectiveness of this interdisciplinary model.

Successful resection of oesophageal adenocarcinoma 16 years after heart transplantation-a case report.

INTRODUCTION: With improving results of heart transplantation and subsequently increasing survival, long-term complications such as neoplastic malignancies are more often being discovered. PRESENTATION OF CASE: In this report, we present a unique case of successful oesophagus resection with gastric pull-up, on a heart-transplanted patient diagnosed with oesophageal adenocarcinoma. DISCUSSION: With the growing number of long-term surviving heart transplanted patients, the number of neoplasia in this patient-group will subsequently grow. Since physical condition and quality of life in long-term surviving heart transplanted patients is comparable to the general population, and since surgical treatment remains the mainstay of treatment for localised oesophageal carcinoma in non-heart transplanted patients, a larger subgroup of heart transplanted patients will most likely be considered for cancer surgery. CONCLUSION: Our case demonstrates the possibility of operating on the heart transplanted patient-group, and supports the option, that well-managed heart transplantation not should be a limiting factor, when deciding whether a patient is a candidate for surgical intervention or not.

A Novel Device for Accurate Chest Tube Insertion: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Optimal positioning of a large-bore chest tube is in the part of the pleural cavity that needs drainage. It is recommended that the chest tube be positioned apically in pneumothorax and basally for fluids. However, targeted chest tube positioning to a specific part of the pleural cavity can be a challenge. METHODS: A new medical device, the KatGuide, was developed for accurate guiding of a chest tube (28F) to an intended part of the pleural cavity. The primary end point of this randomized, controlled trial was optimal position of the chest tube. The optimal position in pneumothorax was apical (above the aortic arch), and the optimal position in hemothorax, hydrothorax, chylothorax, or empyema was basal (2 cm above the diaphragm or lower). The patients were randomized for the KatGuide method or the conventional forceps method, and rates of optimal position were compared. RESULTS: A total of 109 patients were enrolled (KatGuide: n = 49; conventional: n = 60). Chest tubes were optimally position in 41 (84%) in the KatGuide group vs 32 (53%) in the conventional group (p = 0.001). Experienced operators (>50 previous chest tube insertions) inserted 39 of the chest tubes, of which, 15 of 17 (88%) were optimally positioned in the KatGuide group vs 11 of 22 (50%) in the conventional group (p = 0.02). Two chest tubes (4%) were misplaced in the KatGuide group vs 11 (18%) in the conventional group (p = 0.04). No adverse device effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The KatGuide significantly improves the probability of optimal chest tube position and reduces the risk of misplacement compared with the conventional method. ClinicalTrial.gov Trial Registration Number: NCT01522885.

Nuss technique in pectus excavatum: a mono-institutional experience.

BACKGROUND: Pectus excavatum (PE) is the most common anomaly of the anterior chest wall. Prior PE was corrected by a modified Ravitch operation, but since Nuss published his minimal technique in 1998, most surgeons have preferred this technique. METHODS: Since 2001 the modified Nuss procedure has routinely been used for correction of more than 1,500 patients at Aarhus University Hospital. In the time period between January 1, 2011 and January 31, 2015, 675 patients have been corrected. The median age was 16 years (range, 11-58 years). All patients had preoperatively an epidural catheter and the operations were done in general anaesthesia. The postoperative pain treatment was planned for 4-5 weeks and the patients were routinely seen in the outpatient clinic 6 weeks after surgery and the bars removed after 3 years. RESULTS: Four hundred-and-fifty patients had one bar, 216 patients with two bars and nine patients with three bars inserted. The median length of the bar was 10 inch. The median duration of the operation was 29 minutes. The median postoperative stay was 3 days. No death, cardiac perforation or deep infection occurred and only 5% of the patients experienced a complication. CONCLUSIONS: The Nuss procedure should still be considered in the treatment of PE. To my opinion, it should be the choice for correction of PE. The short bar should be used to achieve the best stability of the system, to obtain a good cosmetic result, a reduced dysfunction motion of the chest wall and an increased cardiac performance.

Surgical correction of pectus carinatum improves perceived body image, mental health and self-esteem.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of surgical correction of pectus carinatum on health-related quality of life and self-esteem. METHODS: Between May 2012 and May 2013, a prospective observational single-center cohort study was conducted on consecutive patients undergoing surgical correction of pectus carinatum at our institution. Patients filled in questionnaires on health-related quality of life and self-esteem before and six months after surgery. RESULTS: Disease-specific health-related quality of life was improved by 33% (95% CI: 23; 44%) according to responses to the Nuss Questionnaire modified for Adults. The improvement for generic mental health-related quality of life was 7% (95% CI: 3; 12%) in responses to the Short Form-36 Questionnaire. The improvement in self-esteem was 9% (95% CI: 2; 17%) as assessed with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. A Single Step Questionnaire supported the improvements in health-related quality of life and self-esteem six months postsurgery. CONCLUSION: This study confirms positive effects of surgical correction of pectus carinatum on health-related quality of life and self-esteem. Patients were to a greater extent self-satisfied about chest appearance following surgery, indicating this to be a step in the right direction toward improved body image, mental health and self-esteem.

Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction caused by a displaced pectus bar 30 months following the Nuss procedure.

Complications following the Nuss procedure for the correction of pectus excavatum later than 30 days are rare. We report of a 40-year old man who developed dyspnoea and was diagnosed with a pulmonary stenosis more than 2 years after undergoing the Nuss procedure. This was discovered to be caused by a displaced pectus bar. Following removal of the pectus bars, the symptoms along with the right ventricular outflow tract obstruction disappeared.

Conditioned pain modulation and situational pain catastrophizing as preoperative predictors of pain following chest wall surgery: a prospective observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Variability in patients' postoperative pain experience and response to treatment challenges effective pain management. Variability in pain reflects individual differences in inhibitory pain modulation and psychological sensitivity, which in turn may be clinically relevant for the disposition to acquire pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of conditioned pain modulation and situational pain catastrophizing on postoperative pain and pain persistency. METHODS: Preoperatively, 42 healthy males undergoing funnel chest surgery completed the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck's Depression Inventory before undergoing a sequential conditioned pain modulation paradigm. Subsequently, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale was introduced and patients were instructed to reference the conditioning pain while answering. Ratings of movement-evoked pain and consumption of morphine equivalents were obtained during postoperative days 2-5. Pain was reevaluated at six months postoperatively. RESULTS: Patients reporting persistent pain at six months follow-up (n = 15) were not significantly different from pain-free patients (n = 16) concerning preoperative conditioned pain modulation response (Z = 1.0, P = 0.3) or level of catastrophizing (Z = 0.4, P = 1.0). In the acute postoperative phase, situational pain catastrophizing predicted movement-evoked pain, independently of anxiety and depression (ß = 1.0, P = 0.007) whereas conditioned pain modulation predicted morphine consumption (ß = -0.005, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative conditioned pain modulation and situational pain catastrophizing were not associated with the development of persistent postoperative pain following funnel chest repair. Secondary outcome analyses indicated that conditioned pain modulation predicted morphine consumption and situational pain catastrophizing predicted movement-evoked pain intensity in the acute postoperative phase. These findings may have important implications for developing strategies to treat or prevent acute postoperative pain in selected patients. Pain may be predicted and the malfunctioning pain inhibition mechanism as tested with CPM may be treated with suitable drugs augmenting descending inhibition.

Amiodarone is a cost-neutral way of preventing atrial fibrillation after surgery for lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to estimate the costs and health benefits of routinely administered postoperative amiodarone as a prophylactic agent in reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer. METHODS: This was a cost-effectiveness study, based on the randomized, controlled, double-blinded PASCART study, using avoidance of atrial fibrillation as the measure of benefit. Two hundred and fifty-four eligible, consecutively enrolled patients, undergoing surgery for lung cancer at the department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, were included and randomized to receive either 300 mg of amiodarone or placebo (5% aqueous dextrose solution), administered intravenously over 20 min immediately after surgery, followed by 600 mg of amiodarone/placebo orally twice per day (8 a.m. and 6 p.m.) for the first five postoperative days. RESULTS: In the amiodarone group there were 11 cases of atrial fibrillation, compared with 38 in the control group (P < 0.001). There were no differences in the length of hospital stay or resources used. The mean total costs per patient were equal and amounted to €7288 per patient (P = 0.23). There were no signs of adverse developments referable to amiodarone in this prophylactic regime. CONCLUSIONS: For patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer, routine use of postoperative prophylactic intravenous bolus and five subsequent days of oral amiodarone therapy reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation in a cost-neutral manner.

Thoracoscopic sympathectomy increases efferent cardiac vagal activity and baroreceptor sensitivity.

OBJECTIVES: Thoracoscopic sympathectomy at levels T2 or T2-T3 is a treatment for focal hyperhidrosis and facial blushing. These levels of the sympathetic trunk innervate the heart, and consequently, the procedure is reported to change the heart rate variability due to changes in efferent cardiac autonomic activity. Our objective was to investigate the effects of thoracoscopic sympathectomy on global autonomic control, including baroreceptor sensitivity. METHODS: Eight patients (6 F, median age 28 years [range 20-58 years]) were exposed to the tilt-table test and cardiopulmonary exercise test before, and 3 months after, thoracoscopic sympathectomy. Eight healthy age-, gender- and BMI-matched controls were used as controls and underwent the same tests once. During tilt-table testing electrocardiogram, blood pressure, impedance cardiography and respiration were measured continuously, and efferent cardiac autonomic balance was estimated. RESULTS: The heart rate measured during orthostatic stress test was lowered after thoracoscopic sympathectomy (between-group; P = 0.01) due to a change in autonomic tone, with increased vagal (high-frequency power n.u.; P = 0.001), and reduced sympathetic efferent cardiac activity (low-frequency power n.u.; P < 0.001). Baroreceptor sensitivity measured during rest was increased (26 ± 13 vs 44 ± 19 ms/mmHg; P = 0.01), and diastolic blood pressure reduced after surgery (P = 0.01). The increases in systolic blood pressure and the sympathetic marker CCV-LF in response to orthostatic stress were higher before sympathectomy, with almost no increases post-surgically (condition × group interaction; P = 0.01 and P = 0.001, respectively). We found no change in post-procedure exercise capacity, although patients had a lower peak VO2 and maximal cardiac index than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic sympathectomy changes the autonomic tone towards increased vagal activity; this is potentially cardioprotective. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show increased baroreceptor sensitivity after thoracoscopic sympathectomy.

Normalized cardiopulmonary exercise function in patients with pectus excavatum three years after operation.

BACKGROUND: During exercise cardiac function is often limited in patients with pectus excavatum. Therefore, we hypothesized that cardiopulmonary exercise function would improve after the Nuss procedure. METHODS: Seventy-five teenagers (49 patients, 26 controls) were investigated at rest and during bicycle exercise before surgery, and 1 year and 3 years postoperatively (after pectus-bar removal). Echocardiography and lung spirometry were performed at rest. Cardiac output, heart rate, and aerobic exercise capacity were measured using a photoacoustic gas-rebreathing technique during rest and exercise. RESULTS: Forty-four patients and 26 controls completed 3 years follow-up. Preoperatively, patients had lower maximum cardiac index, mean ± SD, 6.6 ± 1.2 l·min(-1)·m(-2) compared with controls 8.1 ± 1.0 l·min(-1)·m(-2) during exercise (p = 0.0001). One year and 3 years postoperatively, patients' maximum cardiac index had increased significantly and after 3 years there was no difference between patients and controls (8.1 ± 1.2 l·min(-1)·m(-2) and 8.3 ± 1.6 l·min(-1)·m(-2), respectively [p = 0.572]). The maximum oxygen consumption was unchanged. Left ventricular dimensions increased in patients over 3 years; however, no difference was seen between the 2 groups. Preoperatively, patients had lower forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration (FEV1; 86% ± 13%) as compared with controls (94% ± 10%), p = 0.009. Postoperatively, no difference was found in FEV1 between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Before operation, FEV1 and maximum cardiac index were lower in patients compared with healthy, age-matched controls. One year after, both parameters had increased, although only FEV1 had normalized. After 3 years and bar removal, cardiopulmonary function in patients during exercise had normalized.

Routine postoperative chest X-ray is unnecessary following the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum.

OBJECTIVES: Pneumothorax is the most common complication after the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum. The majority of pneumothoraces are small, and the patients have no symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the necessity for routine chest X-ray immediately after surgery. METHODS: Group I consists of 644 patients who were operated on with a Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum between 2001 and 2009 (85% male, median age 16 [range 7-48 years]) at Aarhus University Hospital. The standard procedure included chest X-ray immediately after surgery and before discharge. Group II consists of 294 patients (88% male, median age 16 [range 11-54 years]) who had a Nuss procedure in the period January 2011 to October 2012, where the standard procedure only included chest X-ray before discharge. RESULTS: In Group I, pneumothorax was found on the chest X-ray obtained immediately after surgery in 333 (52%) patients. Fifteen (4.5%) were treated with chest-tube drainage. Six of these patients had no symptoms, but a 2- to 3-cm pneumothorax, 2 had progression of the pneumothorax and 7 had respiratory symptoms. The median size of those drained was 3 (range 2-6 cm). At the normal 6-week control, no pneumothorax remained. Group II: Among the 294 patients, 1 (0.3%) had a chest tube. CONCLUSIONS: Only patients with respiratory symptoms after the Nuss procedure need a chest X-ray. A routine chest X-ray can be limited to the time of discharge where the position of the bar(s) is also checked.

Persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy for lung cancer: a cross-sectional study of prevalence, characteristics and interference with functioning.

OBJECTIVES: Most studies of persistent post-surgical pain following thoracic surgery have focused on classic posterolateral thoracotomy in mixed surgical populations without systematic assessment of disease recurrence and other potential sources of pain. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in the prevalence of persistent post-surgical pain following lung cancer surgery and to quantitatively assess the characteristics of persistent post-surgical pain and associated sensory changes. METHODS: In May 2010, a sample of 702 patients undergoing lung cancer surgery from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2009 was asked to complete a mail distributed questionnaire. The questionnaire included the Brief Pain Inventory and questions on pain-associated characteristics, symptoms and sensory changes. Patients were enrolled according to the following criteria: (1) no additional surgical procedures performed in the thoracic region 10 years prior to and up until the cross section; (2) no explorative surgery; (3) no resection of the thoracic wall and (4) no clinical or radiological signs of disease recurrence. Patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery were excluded. RESULTS: The response rate was 89%. The final study population consisted of 414 patients with a median age of 69 years and a median follow-up time of 45 months. The overall prevalence of persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy was estimated to 19% (95% CI: 15-23%). Clinically relevant pain defined as ≥4 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale was prevalent in 9% of the study participants (95% CI: 6-12%); pain with neuropathic characteristics was present in 36% (95% CI: 25-48%). A total of 62% of the participants with persistent post-surgical pain reported an increased or decreased sense of touch in the painful area. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy was prevalent in 19% (95% CI: 15-23%) of lung cancer patients for up to 10 years postoperatively. Future preventive strategies should focus on the role of intraoperative nerve damage, including the potentially protective role of anterior thoracotomy.