Thoracotomy in patients over age seventy years: ten-year experience.

Recent reports have demonstrated satisfactory long-term survival following pulmonary resection in the elderly. However, the high operative risk commonly cited in patients over 70 years of age has led some authors to conclude that advanced age is a contraindication to pulmonary resection. During 1969 to 1978, 218 thoracotomies were performed in patients over the age of 70 years. Operations performed include 175 pulmonary resections and 43 miscellaneous thoracic surgical procedures. Primary or metastatic cancer was the indication for 174 operations (pulmonary resection, 150 cases; exploration and biopsy, 16 cases; pleurectomy, eight cases). One hundred thirty-seven patients (63%) had a benign course, whereas 74 patients experienced a total of 83 complications. Minor complications of atrial fibrillation, air leaks persisting for 7 to 14 days, and successfully managed retention of secretions were seen in 34 patients (16%). Nonfatal major complications were predominantly cardiac and respiratory in nature and occurred in 40 patients (18%). The overall hospital mortality was 3% (seven patients). Lung-sparing procedures were utilized whenever possible among the 150 patients undergoing pulmonary resection for carcinoma (sleeve lobectomy, 13 cases; segmental resection, 52 cases; wedge resection, 12 cases). The hospital mortality of 4% among these 150 patients was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than the 17% mortality among 308 elderly patients compiled from five series reported by other centers between 1973 and 1978. Long-term follow-up was obtained in 129 of the 139 (93%) available patients surviving pulmonary resection for cancer. The overall 5 year survival rate is 27%, ranging from 13% for patients having pneumonectomy to 42% for those having segmental resection.

The thoracic surgical spectrum of acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome has presented a complex and, as yet, unsolvable spectrum of pulmonary disease characterized by bizarre infections, pneumothoraces, respiratory distress, and death. Thirty-eight patients underwent 49 surgical procedures during 42 months. Ages of the patients ranged from 24 to 56 years. Surgical procedures included tracheostomy, closure of air leaks, mediastinoscopy, lobectomy, open lung biopsy, and esophagogastrectomy. Hospital mortality was 10 of 38 (24%); the 1 year survival rate was 13 of 38 (34%). Pulmonary infections included Pneumocystis carinii, cytomegalovirus, Microbacterium avium, toxoplasmosis, candidiasis, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Open lung biopsy and surgical closure of air leaks can be accomplished safely with low morbidity. Tracheostomy and ventilatory support should be avoided at present in the majority of patients with this syndrome, as the mortality has been 100% when that stage of the disease is reached.

Sternal wound complications. Management and results.

Of 4,124 patients undergoing median sternotomy for cardiac operations, 1.8% had sternal wound complications. These included wound drainage, skin separation, unstable sternum, and sternal dehiscence with or without infection. Septicemia and mediastinal abscess were found in all 19 patients who died. Incision and drainage of skin and subcutaneous tissue with frequent changes of dressing or irrigation (Method A) is recommended for those patients with (I) serosanguineous drainage only or (2) a stable sternum and superficial infection without systemic reaction. Surgical débridement of the sternum and mediastinum with reclosure followed by mediastinal irrigation via drainage tubes with 0.5% povidone-iodine solution (Method B) is recommended for patients with (1) a draining, unstable sternum, (2) infection involving the retrosternal space, or (3) infection causing a systemic reaction unresponsive to Method A. None of the eight patients in the latter group with more serious infections died when managed by Method B, and only one had recurrent infection. In contrast, of 28 patients of the latter group not treated with Method B, 11 died of infection-related causes and 13 returned with recurrent infection.

Estimation of surgical risk in the elderly: a correlative review.

Age continues to be a risk factor for overall mortality in elective and emergency surgical procedures. Postoperative pneumonias, life-threatening cardiac complications, and malignancy-related complications account for most deaths. Heart disease, dementia, and diabetes confer an additional surgical risk for elderly patients. Careful preoperative assessment, however, can categorize elderly patients into groups that are at no additional risk. Factors other than age should be considered in estimating surgical risk in the elderly.

Transthoracic versus extrathoracic esophagectomy: mortality, morbidity, and long-term survival.

Extrathoracic esophagectomy for carcinoma is an acceptable substitute for transthoracic resection if it can be shown to have comparable or superior safety and no adverse effect on long-term survival. To test this hypothesis, we employed extrathoracic esophagectomy in 30 consecutive patients with carcinoma of the esophagus from January, 1978, to July, 1984. During this period, 65 comparable patients underwent transthoracic resection through a left thoracotomy for lower esophageal lesions or a right thoracotomy and laparotomy for upper thoracic lesions. Only patients with carcinoma limited to the gastric cardia were excluded from the study. Overall morbidity was higher in the extrathoracic than in the transthoracic group (13 of 30 or 43.3% versus 15 of 65 or 23.1%; p = 0.05), but the differences in hospital mortality (4 of 65 or 6.2% for the transthoracic group versus 4 of 30 or 13.3% for the extrathoracic group) and duration of hospital stay (17.4 +/- 11.7 days for the transthoracic group versus 20.5 +/- 13.4 days for the extrathoracic group) were not statistically significant. Considering all patients who either died or sustained a postoperative complication, we found significant differences favoring transthoracic resection in those subgroups of patients who were able to undergo primary reconstruction at the time of resection (12 of 57 or 21.1% versus 15 of 28 or 53.6%; p = 0.004), those with advanced Stage III lesions (11 of 47 or 23.4% versus 12 of 20 or 60%; p = 0.006), those with tumor of the lower esophagus (8 of 35 or 22.9% versus 6 of 10 or 60%; p = 0.04), and those with tumor that could be resected through a left thoracotomy (2 of 18 or 11.1% versus 17 of 30 or 56.7%; p = 0.002). Actuarial survival curves for all transthoracic and extrathoracic resections and separate analysis for Stage I and Stage III tumors revealed no statistically significant differences between these two techniques.

Hospital costs and resource characteristics for cardiothoracic surgical hospital deaths.

No major changes in the federal Medicare diagnostic-related group (DRG) prospective hospital payment system have been implemented by the United States Congress. We analyzed hospital resource consumption for 1,567 cardiothoracic surgical patients by outcome (ie, survivors versus nonsurvivors). The 76 patients who died had a much greater intensity of hospital resource utilization and represented a substantial financial risk under DRG pricing schemes compared with the 1,491 survivors. Only patients who died within 1 week of admission to the hospital generated a financial surplus under DRGs. A long hospital stay for nonsurvivors produced a substantial deficit (patients with a stay greater than 60 days generated a $154,433 loss per patient). The cardiothoracic patients admitted on an emergency basis who died tended to have a shorter length of stay and represented a lower financial risk under DRGs compared with patients admitted on a nonemergency basis who died. Among nonsurvivors, patients referred for cardiothoracic surgical procedures from other clinical services had lower resource utilization and financial risk under DRGs compared with nonreferrals. These data suggest significant inequities in the current DRG prospective payment system vis-à-vis cardiothoracic surgical patients who die. Variables predictive of greater hospital resource utilization by outcome included a longer hospital stay, nonemergency admission, and admission directly to the cardiothoracic surgical service. Methods to improve the equity of DRG payment vis-à-vis cardiothoracic surgical nonsurvivors should be implemented in the future.

Comparison of median sternotomy and thoracotomy for resection of pulmonary metastases in patients with adult soft-tissue sarcomas.

Thoracotomy and median sternotomy have both been advocated for resection of pulmonary metastases, and the advantages of each approach remain disputed. Patients with adult soft-tissue sarcomas undergoing resection of pulmonary metastases at the National Cancer Institute were studied retrospectively to assess the results of each surgical approach. Between 1981 and 1984, 65 patients underwent 78 sternotomies (7 lobectomies, 71 wedge resections); a mean of 9.5 nodules were resected per patient (range, 1 to 61). Resection of all nodules was accomplished in 60 of 71 explorations (84%) in patients with documented metastases. Benign lesions were found during 7 explorations (9%). Thirteen of 30 patients (43%) with unilateral metastases on linear tomography (LT), 45% (9 of 20) of patients with unilateral metastases on computed tomography (CT), and 38% (5 of 13) of patients with unilateral metastases on both CT and LT had bilateral metastases at sternotomy. Survival by type of incision was compared for 84 patients who underwent complete resection of their metastases (42 by sternotomy and 42 by thoracotomy); the minimum follow-up was two years. The groups did not differ significantly with respect to prognostic variables (tumor doubling time, disease-free interval, or number of nodules resected). There was no significant difference in actuarial survival between the two groups. The complication rate was 15% for the sternotomy group and 10% for the thoracotomy group (difference not significant). There were no operative deaths. Median sternotomy results in detection of unsuspected bilateral metastases and avoidance of a second operative procedure, but it does not increase operative morbidity or mortality or compromise overall patient survival.

Systematic approach to traumatic hemothorax.

We reviewed 395 patients with isolated hemo- or hemopneumothorax from penetrating injuries. All patients were treated with immediate insertion of a chest tube and drainage of various amounts of blood up to 1,500 ml. Forty-five patients (11 percent) were in hemorrhagic shock on admission to the hospital emergency room, and all were resuscitated with volume replacement. Twenty-one patients (5.3 percent) whose blood pressure decreased again were found on exploration to have lacerated internal mammary or intercostal arteries or major lung lacerations extending into the hilus. All other patients were treated aggressively with chest tubes, aspiration of residual blood and fibrinolytic enzymes until the lung was fully expanded. We conclude that the clinical course of patients with hemothorax after insertion of a chest tube should determine whether exploration is necessary or whether nonoperative treatment should continue.

[Significance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in thoracic surgery]. / Intérêt de la ressuscitation cardiopulmonaire en chirurgie thoracique.

45 patients admitted in the thoracic non-cardiac surgery service of the U.L.B. between 1966 and 1983 (17 yrs) were short- or longterm survivors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In november 1979 the traditional system was supplanted by a mobile unit with reduction of the interval between cardiopulmonary arrest and resuscitation to 1 minute. The obtained results are as follows: A mobile thoracic wall or intra-thoracic visceral lesions or displacement of thoracic content secondary to a recent thoracic intervention or serious injury do not constitute a contra-indication. Closed chest massage was mainly applied. Displacement of the heart secondary to chronic tuberculosis or pneumonectomy or serious thoracic injury are not formal contra-indications. Open cardiac massage was applied during surgical interventions or with hypovolemic shock secondary to massive intra-thoracic hemorrhage or cardiac tamponade. Pulmonary resuscitation with extra-corporeal circulation was only applied when mechanical ventilation did not suffice. All patients succumbed due to an associated lung involvement with destruction of the pulmonary parenchyma. The use of a mobile unit increased the number of successful resuscitations but did not change at all the duration of survival of the patients nor the number of neurological deficits. The survival time was only affected by 2 factors; the primary disease for which the patient was hospitalized and the presumed cause of arrest. All the other factors had no influence on the duration of survival; a. type of intervention; b. place of C.P. arrest and c. method of resuscitation.

The role of emergency thoracotomy in blunt trauma.

The benefits of emergency room thoracotomy (ET) in the treatment of blunt trauma are controversial. We retrospectively reviewed 38 consecutive cases in whom blunt trauma required thoracotomy as part of the resuscitative maneuver. There were no survivors in this setting regardless of age, sex, and time from injury to arrival. A review of the literature shows questionable salvage rates in such circumstances. Victims of blunt trauma presenting without signs of life are poor emergency thoracotomy candidates, and we suggest that in such patients this procedure be abandoned. Guidelines for emergency room thoracotomy are suggested: that ET should be used in penetrating chest trauma; that it is indicated for noncardiac injuries only if there is pupil reactivity, voluntary respiratory efforts, or purposeful movement, initially or during resuscitation; following ET, if spontaneous cardiac activity cannot be maintained and systemic blood pressure cannot be maintained at least at 70 mm Hg for 30 minutes, patients should be considered unsalvageable.

Surgical management of adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease

De junho de 1971 a junho de 1983, 97 pacientes (idade acima de 16 anos) portadores de cardiopatias congênitas cianóticas foram operados no Brompton Hospital (Londres). A tetralogia de Fallot esteve presente em 40 pacientes, a estenose pulmonar em 30, a dupla via de saída do ventrículo direito em 12, a transposiçäo dos grandes vasos em nove, a atresia tricúspide em três e a atresia pulmonar em três. A comunicaçäo interatrial, a comunicaçäo interventricular e a estenose pulmonar, foram as anomalias associadas mais freqüentemente encontradas. Trinta e um pacientes foram submetidos a cirurgia paliativa prévia. A mortalidade global foi de 12,4%, variando de acordo com a malformaçäo. A síndrome de baixo débito cardíaco contribuiu com 58,3% dos óbitos, particularmente no grupo de pacientes que tiveram um tempo de pinçamento aórtico acima de 60 minutos (p <0,001). O pinçamento aórtico e a temperatura de resfriamento do miocárdio foram fatores importantes na determinaçäo da mortalidade. Com um período médio de "seguimento" de cinco anos, o estudo da curva atuarial demonstrou proporçäo de sobreviventes de 93% e 73% para estenose pulmonar e tetralogia de Fallot, respectivamente. Este estudo demonstrou que a correçäo cirúrgica da cardiopatia congênita cianótica em pacientes adultos pode ser acompanhada de baixa mortalidade

Emprego de condutos de pericárdio bovino na conexäo ventrículo-arterial pulmonar: resultados tardios / Use of a valved conduit of bovine pericardium for ventricle to pulmonary artery connection: late results

A reconstruçao biventricular de uma série de cardiopatias congênitas requer a interposiçao de condutos valvados ventrículo-arteriais. Com o objetivo de analisar a evoluçao a longo prazo de um conduto de pericárdio bovino valvulado com bioprótese porcina sem suporte tratado com glutaraldeído, foram revistos os prontuários de 33 pacientes operados de novembro de 1985 a outubro de 1995. A idade variou de 15 dias a 18 anos (média 5,7 ñ 4,3 anos). A atresia pulmonar com comunicaçao interventricular (CIV) foi a lesao mais freqüente (l6 casos), seguida da sindrome da valva pulmonar ausente (5), truncus arteriosus (4), transposiçao das grandes artérias com CIV e estenose pulmonar (3) e outras (5). A mortalidade imediata foi de 18,2 por cento, diretamente relacionada à condiçao pré-operatória. Vinte e três (70 por cento) pacientes foram acompanhados por períodos que variaram de 3 meses a lO anos (média 4,8 ñ 3,0 anos). A complicaçao mais freqüentemente observada no seguimento tardio foi a estenose da anastomose distal do conduto, presente em 17,4 por cento (4/23) dos pacientes. Foram reoperados 3 (l3 por cento) pacientes, sendo que 2 deles por estenose distal (p=0,02) e l por endocardite tardia do conduto. A mortalidade tardia foi de 17,4 por cento (4/23), em l caso devido a estenose distal. A causa da estenose distal parece ser devida a retraçao tecidual na área de transiçao entre o pericárdio bovino e o tronco pulmonar. Em até lO anos de seguimento nao ocorreu calcificaçao significativa que prejudicasse a funçao tanto da valva quanto do conduto. Em conclusao, os condutos de pericárdio bovino apresentaram uma performance satisfatória como substitutos vasculares, nao tendo ocorrido calcificaçao significativa da valva porcina ou das paredes do conduto no seguimento tardio. A incidência de estenose na anastomose distal parece estar mais relacionada a um fenômeno de retraçao tecidual do que a problemas técnicos.

Mortalidad observada en las primera mil operaciones efectuadas bajo circulación extracorporea

Se presenta un informe preliminar sobre la mortalidad observada en los primeros 1000 casos de cirugía cardíaca bajo circulación extracorpórea efectuados en el Complejo Hospitalario Metropolitano de la Caja de Seguro Social, entre 1967 y 1987, y su distribución por año y por tipo de operación efectuada

Score de estratificación de riesgo en recuperación cardiovascular / Stratification risk score in the post-operative recovery of heart surgery

Para evaluar el pronóstico en relación con la mortalidad de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía con circulación extracorpórea se diseñó un puntaje compuesto por 21 ítems que incluyen variables pre, intra y posoperatorias. Los pacientes fueron evaluados con dicho puntaje al ingreso y a las 12 horas del posoperatorio inmediato. Se incluyeron 662 pacientes. Tras realizar el análisis estadístico se observó una diferencia significativa en la mortalidad de los pacientes con puntaje menor de 20 puntos y mayor o igual de 21 puntos. La mortalidad de pacientes con puntaje menor o igual a 20 puntos para cirugías programadas fue del 1,7 por ciento y con más de 20 puntos 36 por ciento (p< 0,00001). La mortalidad de pacientes con puntaje menor o igual a 20 puntos para cirugía de urgencia fue del 5,9 por ciento y de pacientes con puntaje superior a 20 puntos 45,5 por ciento (p< 0,01)

CONAREC III: Predictores independientes de bajo gasto cardíaco en el preoperatorio de cirugía de revascularización miocárdica / CONAREC III: Independent predictors of low cardiac output undergoing CABG surgery

El síndrome de bajo gasto cardíaco constituye una de las complicaciones más importantes de la cirugía coronaria. Se incluyeron prospectivamente 1293 pacientes a quienes se les efectuó cirugía de revascularización miocárdica. Se cuantificaron los predictores independientes de bajo gasto cardíaco mediante los odds ratios analizados con una ecuación de regresión logística. La incidencia de bajo gasto cardíaco fue de 17,1 por ciento y su mortalidad de 44,6 por ciento. Se asociaron al bajo gasto cardíaco el sexo femenino, la edad avanzada (ò 70 años), la angina inestable y una función ventricular con deterioro moderado o severo. El bajo gasto cardíaco en el posoperatorio presentó: 1) una incidencia del 17,1 por ciento y 2) una mortalidad del 44,6 por ciento

CONAREC III: evolución de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía coronaria: estudio multicéntrico / CONAREC III: evolution of patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Las variables que interactúan en el sector salud son de naturaleza disímil y compleja; esto exige desarrollar métodos que permitan hacer más racional su administración. Antes de desarrollar cualquier tipo de deducción se hace necesaria la descripción epidemiológica. Con esta última finalidad se analizó la evolución de 1293 pacientes sometidos a cirugía coronaria en 41 centros cardioquirúrgicos de la Argentina, entre octubre de 1992 y setiembre de 1993. A través de un análisis multivariado se identificaron los predictores independientes de muerte hospitalaria

Reemplazo bi-valvular cardíaco: resultados a largo plazo (15 años) / Cardicac bi-valve replacement: long follow up results (15 years)

En un período de 15 años (9/67 a 12/82) se realizaron reemplazos bi-valvulares en 61 pacientes. El presente estudio muestra resultados a largo plazo, de los pacientes que se controlan en la institución, quedando así reducido el número a 29 (45.5 por ciento), de los cuales 14 son portadores de válvulas de Björk*Shiley, 5 de Starr*Edwards, 1 de Lillehei*Custer y 9 tuvieron reemplazo valvular protésico combinado. El 93 por ciento de pacientes tuvieron reemplazo mitro aórtico y sólo 2 (7 por ciento) mitro*tricúspideo. Los cálculos actuariales de sobrevida a los 15 años es de 75.9 por ciento ñ 7.9 y cuando se compara la sobrevida de acuerdo a la clase funcional pre*operatoria, se aprecia que es mayor para los de clase II (91.7 por ciento ñ 8) que para los de clase III y IV (62.5 por ciento ñ 12) con p = 0.08. A los 15 años el 79 por ciento ñ 7.5 estuvo libre de tromboembolismo. En cuanto a la morbi mortalidad el 51.7 por ciento ñ 9.3 estuvieron libres a los 15 años. Solo un reducido número de pacientes murieron por falla valvular (10.3 por ciento) y estuvieron libres de insuficiencia valvular 93.1 por ciento ñ 4.7. Los sobrevivientes se beneficiaron funcionalmente, mejorando su clase funcional con respecto a la pre*operatoria (p < 0.001)