UNLABELLED The use of opioid analgesics to control pain after median sternotomy in cardiac surgical patients is worldwide accepted and established. However, opioids have a wide range of possible side effects, concerning prolonged extubation time, gastrointestinal tract dyskinesia and urinary tract disorders mostly retention. All these may lead to a prolonged ICU stay or overall hospitalization ...

BACKGROUND The standard approach in treating cardiac myxoma is the median full sternotomy. With the evolution of surgical techniques, the right minithoracotomy approach has emerged as an alternative method. Since few studies have been published assessing the right minithoracotomy approach, we performed a retrospective study to compare the clinical outcomes of the right minithoracotomy approach ...

To evaluate the effect of median sternotomy on the static compliance of the respiratory system (C(RS)) in humans, we used a new technique for pressure-volume (PV) curve tracing without sophisticated instrumentation. The accuracy and the reproducibility of the new technique were tested in a lung simulator, while its agreement with multiple-occlusion (MO) technique (the technique most often used ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate our institutional results of the aortic valve replacement through minimally invasive approaches compared with conventional sternotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS From August 1997 to July 2010, 838 patients underwent primary isolated aortic valve replacement. Of them, 73 patients underwent surgery through minimally invasive approaches (MIAS group) whe...

Retrosternal goitre presents in 2 - 19% of all thyroidectomies. Surgical removal is the treatment choice. We report a case an anterior retrosternal goitre, which was removed by combined cervical/sternotomy approach.

OBJECTIVE The endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass (endo-ACAB) procedure allows single-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), avoiding sternotomy or thoracotomy. We set out to define the effect of this surgical approach on postoperative recovery, blood loss, and return to work. METHODS We performed a case-control comparison of our first 29 endo-ACAB procedures for left anterio...

A substantial reduction in lung volumes occurs after sternotomy, but the mechanism or mechanisms are unclear. Measurements were made of lung volumes and of chest wall motion with four pairs of magnetometers (two pairs for anteroposterior rib cage, one for lateral rib cage, and one for anteroposterior abdominal dimensions) in 16 men before and one week and three months after coronary artery graf...

Objective To compare the results of aortic valve replacement with access by sternotomy or minimally invasive approach. Methods Retrospective analysis of medical records of 37 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement by sternotomy or minimally invasive approach, with emphasis on the comparison of time of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamping, volume of surgical bleeding, time of mecha...

BACKGROUND Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has remarkable effects on the healing of poststernotomy mediastinitis. Foam is presently the material of choice for NPWT in this indication. There is now increasing interest in using gauze, as this has proven successful in the treatment of peripheral wounds. It is important to determine the effects of NPWT using gauze on heart pumping function b...