While primary arteriovenous fistula patency was shortened in chronic renal insufficiency patients with diabetes mellitus, presence of malignancy, and previous catheter insertion, patency was longer in patients with heparin used for hemodialysis and hemodialysis count per week (> or =3).

We believe that TTFM seems to be a crucial tool for deciding if a graft is well-functioning or not, and it allows for improvement of graft failure during operation. Our results suggest that detection of graft dysfunction intraoperatively by TTFM improves the surgical outcome.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of subxiphoid pericardiostomy in the treatment and diagnosis of pericardial effusions. Methods: 368 patients who underwent subxiphoid pericardiostomy and tube drainage for cardiac tamponade, moderate to severe pericardial effusion, or suspicious bacterial aetiology were retrospectively analysed. Biopsies of the pericardium and fluid samples for diagnostic tests were obtained from each patient. Results: The mean age of the patients was 38.4 years, and the male to female ratio was 220:148. The pericardial effusion was classified by echocardiography as severe in 53% of the patients, moderate in 43%, and mild in 4%. The incidence of cardiac tamponade was 25%. Myocardial injury requiring sternotomy occurred as an operative complication in 0.8% of the patients and recurrent effusion necessitating further surgical intervention developed in 10% of patients. Histopathological examination and the polymerase chain reaction of specimens of pericardium and fluid were helpful for establishing a diagnosis in 90% of patients with malignancy and 92% of patients with tuberculous pericarditis. The overall 30 day mortality rate was 0.8%. Patients were followed up for at least one year. Pericardial constriction requiring pericardiectomy developed in 3% of the patients. Conclusions: Pericardial effusions of various causes can be safely, effectively, and quickly managed with subxiphoid pericardiostomy in both adults and children.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate early clinical outcomes and echocardiographic measurements of the left ventricle in patients who underwent left ventricular aneurysm repair using two different techniques associated to myocardial revascularization.MethodsEighty-nine patients (74 males, 15 females; mean age 58±8.4 years; range: 41 to 80 years) underwent post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm repair and myocardial revascularization performed between 1996 and 2016. Ventricular reconstruction was performed using endoventricular circular patch plasty (Dor procedure) (n=48; group A) or linear repair technique (n=41; group B).ResultsMulti-vessel disease in 55 (61.7%) and isolated left anterior descending (LAD) disease in 34 (38.2%) patients were identified. Five (5.6%) patients underwent aneurysmectomy alone, while the remaining 84 (94.3%) patients had aneurysmectomy with bypass. The mean number of grafts per patient was 2.1±1.2 with the Dor procedure and 2.9±1.3 with the linear repair technique. In-hospital mortality occurred in 4.1% and 7.3% in group A and group B, respectively (P>0.05).ConclusionThe results of our study demonstrate that post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm repair can be performed with both techniques with acceptable surgical risk and with satisfactory hemodynamic improvement.

RA had a significantly greater prevalence of atherosclerosis than the same patients' ITA. There was a strong correlation between ITA atherosclerosis and age. The presence of calcification may lead surgeons to avoid an extra incision according to risk factors, although most of these are not predictive.