Effect of skeletonization of the internal thoracic artery for coronary revascularization on the incidence of sternal wound infection.

Use of the internal thoracic artery in coronary revascularization confers excellent benefit. We assessed the impact of skeletonization on the incidence of postoperative sternal wound infection in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. We also investigated whether there is an advantage in using this technique when harvesting both internal thoracic arteries in high-risk groups, such as diabetic patients. Skeletonization was associated with beneficial reduction in the odds ratio of sternal wound infection (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.26 to 0.64). This effect was more evident when analyzing diabetic patients undergoing bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting (odds ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.10 to 0.34).

The antiphospholipid syndrome and heart valve surgery.

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS) is a complex autoimmune disease often connected to systemic lupus erythematodes. Main features are thromboses, fetal loss and specific antibodies. The involved autoantibodies are directed against plasma proteins such as beta2glycoprotein1 (beta2GPI) or prothrombin which depend on negatively charged phospholipids. Direct antibodies against phospholipids are of no importance for APLS. Clotting tests such as activated partial thromboplastin time or diluted Russell's viper venom test (dRVVT) can show a prolonged time for coagulation despite a prothrombotic state in vivo but the investigator needs awareness about disturbing phospholipid sources and other influential factors. Enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay tests for antibodies against cardiolipin, beta2GPI and prothrombin are valuable solid phase tests with different specificity. Antiphospholipid, anticardiolipin or lupus anticoagulant are misnomers in connection with APLS. They are preserved as a reminiscence of the pioneering work on the way to the still not exactly revealed basics of APLS. Valve operations in APLS patients seem to be rare; a meta-analysis of 57 cases proves that the perioperative management is, at the moment, an empirical approach with high morbidity and mortality in these young patients.

Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy in children: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to use meta-analysis to compare laparoscopic and open appendectomy in a pediatric population. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Meta-analysis is a statistical tool that can be used to evaluate the literature in both qualitative and quantitative ways, accounting for variations in characteristics that can influence overall estimate of outcomes of interest. Meta-analysis of laparoscopic versus open appendectomy in a pediatric population has not previously been performed. METHODS: Comparative studies published between 1992 and 2004 of laparoscopic versus open appendectomy in children were included. Endpoints were postoperative pyrexia, ileus, wound infection, intra-abdominal abscess formation, operative time, and postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies including 6477 children (43% laparoscopic, 57% open) were included. Wound infection was significantly reduced with laparoscopic versus open appendectomy (1.5% versus 5%; odds ratio [OR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.75), as was ileus (1.3% versus 2.8%; OR = 0.5, 95% CI, 0.29-0.86). Intra-abdominal abscess formation was more common following laparoscopic surgery, although this was not statistically significant. Subgroup analysis of randomized trials did not reveal significant difference between the 2 techniques in any of the 4 complications. Operative time was not significantly longer in the laparoscopic group, and postoperative stay was significantly shorter (weighted mean difference, -0.48; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.31). Sensitivity analysis identified lowest heterogeneity when only randomized studies were considered, followed by prospective, recent, and finally large studies. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that laparoscopic appendectomy in children reduces complications. However, we also see the need for further high-quality randomized trials comparing the 2 techniques, matched not only for age and sex but also for obesity and severity of appendicitis.

Does Doppler echography have a diagnostic role in patency assessment of internal thoracic artery grafts?

The amount of literature published over the past decade comparing coronary angiography with transthoracic Doppler echocardiography assessment of internal thoracic artery graft patency after CABG is substantial. There has been no review of the available literature, and conflicting reports of diagnostic accuracy have prevented routine use of transthoracic Doppler in graft patency assessment. Thus, this article reviews the available literature on diagnostic accuracy of transthoracic Doppler echocardiography of coronary bypass grafts. Relevant studies were identified and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy was performed. Study quality was assessed. Quantitative data synthesis included calculation of sensitivity, specificity, summary receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, pooled analysis and meta-regression of accuracy against study quality, publication date, angina, probe frequency and diagnostic criteria. Twenty studies of 929 patients produced 26 results included for analysis. Grafts were not visualized in 93 (10%) patients. Pooled sensitivity (85%) and specificity (94%) and diagnostic odds ratio (100.7) were high. SROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.96. Heterogeneity of results was due to variations in diagnostic criteria and study size. Subgroup analysis showed best performance in patients with postoperative angina (p = 0.014). Study quality did not affect results. Diastolic fraction less than 0.5 (sensitivity 89%, specificity 94%) was shown to be the best criterion for prediction of stenosis. Performance was lower using peak diastolic to systolic velocity ratio less than 1 (sensitivity 85%, specificity 86%). Transthoracic Doppler echography is effective in first-line assessment of left internal thoracic artery graft patency. It shows high specificity, prevents invasive investigations and improves in patients with postoperative angina. TDE is best used in combination with other non-invasive tests due to its inability to visualize the graft. The potential for use in postoperative coronary bypass patients is high.

Does off-pump coronary artery bypass reduce the incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation? A question revisited.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common post-operative complication in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, with an increased incidence associated with advancing age. This study aims to determine whether off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) reduces the incidence of AF in a generalized population (mean age <70 years). A meta-analysis was performed including all randomised and propensity score matched non-randomised studies published between 2001 and 2003 reporting a comparison between the two techniques in a generalised patient group (average age <70 years). The primary outcome of interest was post-operative AF. Sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate consistency of the calculated treatment effect. Fourteen studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria, including a total of 16,505 subjects. The incidence of AF was 19% (1612/8265) in the off-pump group versus 24% (1976/8240) in the on-pump group. When considering only the 11 randomised studies (2207 subjects), we found a significant reduction in the incidence of post-operative AF in the off-pump group using a random-effect model (odds ratio (OR)=0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.45-0.82, and chi-square of heterogeneity=18.02, P=0.05). Sensitivity analysis highlighted one randomised study causing funnel plot asymmetry, exclusion of which resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of post-operative AF in the off-pump group (OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.57-0.90), with a non-significant heterogeneity of 3.91 (P=0.92). When only studies of high quality were considered (898 patients), no significant difference was seen between on and off-pump groups (OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.57-1.07, and heterogeneity=0.53, P=0.91). This may be due to small number of patients in this group. Our results suggest that although OPCAB surgery may reduce the incidence of post-operative AF in a generalised population (age <70 years) this finding is not clearly supported by high quality randomised trials. Although previous evidence suggests that the incidence of post-operative AF is reduced in an elderly population (>70 years) with off-pump surgery, our results show that the evidence is less clear in a younger population group. The question of whether off-pump surgery in this patient group results in a lower rate of post-operative AF remains to be answered by further high quality randomised research.