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T Szerafin

Publications and source records attributed to T Szerafin.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Early and long-term results of treatment for infected deep sternotomy wounds].

A retrospective study and follow-up was undertaken to determine the optimal treatment of poststernotomy wound infections. Between January 1990 and April 2000 mediastinitis developed in 62 patients following 7458 heart operations (0.83%). Median age of 50 males and 12 females was 59.1 +/- 9.1 years (27-77). Mediastinal infections occurred within 14.2 +/- 10.9 days (3-90) following cardiac surgery. Most common symptoms and clinical findings were purulent wound drainage or dehiscence (50%), sternal instability (46.7%) and fever (35.5%). Most commonly isolated pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococci which alone or together with other Gram-positive bacteria caused nearly 70% of all infections. Following the exploration and radical debridement, the wounds in two patients were left to heal by open granulation, 26 patients were initially treated by closed mediastinal suction--or irrigation, and 43 patients were treated with muscle and/or omental flap transposition (34 primarily, 9 following the failure of other methods). Recurrence of infections occurred in 16 patients: 10 from the "closed treatment" group (38.5%) and 6 from the "soft tissue flap" group (14%). Nine patients died during the hospital stay. The mortality rate was 15.4% following the closed method (4/26) and 14.7% following the treatment with flap reconstructions (5/34). There were 6 late deaths, non-related to recurrent infection. Healed wounds were obtained in 96.2% of all patients. About one third of patients noted continuous or intermittent chest pain or discomfort in the closed and the soft tissue flap transposition group. 22.6% of patients claimed sternal instability and 9.7% shoulder weakness--each of them underwent muscle and/or omental flap closure. Abdominal hernias or bulges were present in 4 patients (12.9%) following the use of abdominal flap for wound reconstruction. These results suggest that early debridement and closed method would be successful when employed soon after cardiac surgery. When reexploration is delayed for any reason or obvious extensive involvement of bone or cartilage is present, the wound should be reopened, debrided and treated with muscle and/or omental flaps. Patients in whom closed method fails could probably treated with soft tissue flap transposition soon after the reoperation. Long-term results of closed mediastinal drainage or lavage and flap closure are favourable to open granulation technique regarding wound healing and elimination of infection.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Surgical treatment of sternal dehiscence after sternotomy using Ley prosthesis].

Median sternotomy is still the most commonly used approach in cardiac surgery. Closure of the sternal halves is usually performed with stainless wires. Usually this method proves efficient to achieve proper sternal stability without postoperative wound complications. On the other hand in a small number of patients this simple method is not efficient to resist the great spreading forces on the sternal halves leading to sternal instability and other serious complications. We describe successful application of a newly introduced device, the Ley-prosthesis, which may be a very useful treatment for postoperative sternal dehiscence even in complicated cases.

Bone Plates↗
PubMed2000

Five-year experience with a suture annuloplasty for mitral valve repair.

We present five years' experience with mitral plication annuloplasty, performed with a semicircular buttressed suture around the posterior leaflet in 130 patients (mean age 58 +/- 11 years) with primary mitral valve disease (n = 71) or functional mitral regurgitation (n = 59). In 65 cases the mitral valve itself was also repaired. Concomitant myocardial revascularization was performed in 40 cases and aortic valve replacement in 43. All but three patients were followed up (97.6%). Postoperative echocardiography showed acceptable mitral area (2.28 +/- 0.39 cm2) and good valve competence in all cases. Inhospital mortality was 3% and late mortality 4.8%. During the follow-up period (22.8 +/- 10.9 months) 8 patients (6.6%) required mitral valve replacement because of progression of native valve disease (n = 4), technical failure (2) or expansion of the annuloplasty suture (2). Mitral annuloplasty thus can be performed simply and with good results, using a strong, non-stretchable buttressed suture. This procedure can be an inexpensive alternative to ring implantation.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[Surgical treatment of mitral insufficiency using annuloplasty suture technic].

In 1991 a simple and cheap technique was introduced for mitral valve repair at our department. After repairing the mitral leaflets, where indicated a posterior leaflet annuloplasty was performed with a semicircular suture and the annulus fixed for the appropriate size by tying the stitch. Between July 1991 and December 1995 86 patients underwent the above procedure (average age 56.8 +/- 10.4 years). 45 patients had primary mitral valve disease (myxomatous degeneration, rheumatoid disease, endocarditis), the other 41 had functional mitral regurgitation secondary to severe aortic valve or coronary artery disease. Echocardiography showed severe mitral regurgitation in 77% of the patients. In 45 cases the mitral valve itself was also repaired (valvotomy, quadrangular resection, wedge resection, etc.) in 29 cases the aortic valve was replaced as well, while 24 patients required additional revascularisation of the myocardium. The 30 day mortality was 3.5%. One week after surgery echocardiography was performed at all patients and showed acceptable mitral valve area (2.28 +/- 0.39 cm2). In 28 cases mild mitral regurgitation was found, the other valves were competent. All but 3 patients were followed up (96.4%). There were 6 late deaths (3 cardiac, 2 non cardiac, 1 embolic, 7.2% late mortality). During the follow up period (31.7 +/- 11.2 months) 5 patients required mitral valve replacement for severe recurrent mitral regurgitation (6.0%). In two cases new chorda rupture caused the recurrence, in an other case the suture had torn out of the annulus due to inadequate surgical technique. In the last two cases the annulus had dilated with intact Prolene annuloplasty stitch present, 86.8% of the survivors were in NYHA class I. or II. Our results suggest that mitral valve repair in selected cases can be performed without using expensive annuloplasty rings. The suture used for annuloplasty should be strong, non absorbable and non stretchable. Since 1994, when we started using GoreTex suture instead of Prolene no more patients required reoperation for annuloplasty failure.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Mini-sternotomy for aortic valve surgery.

In the recent years more and more efforts have been made widely to introduce new techniques in the minimally invasive cardiac surgery. At our Department and the Linköping University Hospital, Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, from August 1996 to January 1997, aortic valve surgery was performed in 23 adult patients (9 female, 14 male), age 28-86 years (mean age 62.5 years). Twenty-two patients had aortic valve replacement, among these, in 3 cases concomitant aortic annulus dilatation was made and in one case reduction-plasty of the dilated ascending aorta. In another one case resection of a sub-aortic membrane was performed. The operations and postoperative period were free of complications in all patients. Following an average 36 hours intensive care all patients were discharged after an average of 11.2 day hospital stay. The authors introduce the new surgical technique and present its advantages and disadvantages. Mini-sternotomy has less detrimental structural and functional effects on the thorax. Moreover, due to its minimal surgical trauma, this less invasive technique reduces patient morbidity, hospital stay and cost of care. Since mini-sternotomy is a safe and advantageous technique, the authors recommend applying this new technique in most of aortic valve operations.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Nucleoside transport inhibition mediates lidoflazine-induced cardioprotection during intermittent aortic crossclamping.

The effects of pretreatment with the nucleoside transport inhibitor lidoflazine on repeated ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by normothermic intermittent aortic crossclamping were studied in canine hearts. Eighteen mongrel dogs were allocated to three groups: placebo (n = 6), lidoflazine (1 mg/kg) (n = 6), and lidoflazine (1 mg/kg) plus the adenosine receptor blocker aminophylline (7 mg/kg) (n = 6). Pretreatment was performed intravenously during 15 minutes before extracorporeal circulation. All hearts were subjected to four intervals of 15 minutes of global ischemia each followed by 10 minutes of reperfusion. After weaning from extracorporeal circulation, functional recovery was followed for 1 hour. In the lidoflazine group, myocardial adenosine content (0.25 +/- 0.06 mumol/gm dry weight) was 3.5 times higher than that in the control group (0.07 +/- 0.03 mumol/gm dry weight; p < 0.05) at the end of the last aortic crossclamping. The release of adenosine from the myocardium during each reperfusion period was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Myocardial extraction of lactate was normalized at every reperfusion interval in the lidoflazine group but not in the control group (p < 0.05). In the lidoflazine group functional recovery was significantly better than that in the control group. Positive rate of rise of pressure, negative rate of rise of pressure, and cardiac output recovered to, respectively, 150% +/- 19%, 82% +/- 8%, and 131% +/- 15% in the lidoflazine group versus, respectively, 37% +/- 9%, 23% +/- 7%, and 29% +/- 8% in the control group (p < 0.001) at 1 hour after extracorporeal circulation. When the adenosine receptor blocker aminophylline was administered in association with lidoflazine, protection dropped significantly: positive and negative rate of rise of pressure and cardiac output were, respectively, 58% +/- 8%, 46% +/- 9%, and 67% +/- 16% at 1 hour after extracorporeal circulation (p < 0.05 versus lidoflazine alone). These results suggest that the cardioprotective effects of lidoflazine are at least in part mediated by adenosine receptor stimulation via nucleoside transport inhibition-induced accumulation of endogenous adenosine in the myocardium.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1991

Granulated sugar treatment of severe mediastinitis after open-heart surgery.

Fifteen cases of mediastinitis developing after 1,164 open-heart operations (incidence 1.3%) were analyzed. Closed mediastinal irrigation was used as primary therapy in ten cases and led to complete healing in five. Granulated sugar treatment was given primarily to four patients and to five others after failure of closed mediastinal irrigation. The sugar treatment was successful in six patients with hospital stay averaging 91.6 +/- 8 days. The three other patients in this group died before discharge from hospital. During 22-month follow-up there was no recurrence of mediastinitis in the granulated sugar group, but reoperation was necessitated by sternal fistula in two of the patients with closed mediastinal irrigation. Granulated sugar treatment is effective in refractory, severe mediastinal infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Topical treatment using granulated sugar in advanced mediastinitis following open heart surgery].

The complications caused by infection were examined prospectively in the case of 1164 patients who had undergone open heart operation. Postoperative mediastinitis occurred in 15 cases (1.3%). Owing to mediastinal infection verified by bacteriological findings all patients had to undergo surgical intervention. Ten patients were treated by closed mediastinal irrigation. This method was effective in the case of five patients. Granulated sugar treatment was locally applied in five cases because of an infection, relapsing in spite of a closed treatment, and in four cases primarily, because of advanced mediastinitis and sternum osteomyelitis. With the mediastinal cavity being filled with granulated sugar twice a day, a rapid emptying of the wound and granulation tissue formation was observed in all patients. Redressing was easy and painless. Out of the 9 patients treated by granulated sugar three died before being discharged, but none of the deaths were due to wound complications. The rest of the patients were discharged cured averagely after 91.6 +/- 8.0 days. During the average 22 months' follow up period recurrence of sternal infection was not observed in the group treated by granulated sugar, while out of the 5 patients cured by closed mediastinal irrigation two had to undergo another operation after a few months because of the formation of sternal fistula. The authors consider the granulated sugar treatment to be an effective method in the treatment of obstinate and advanced mediastinal infections.

Administration, Topical↗