In recent years，West China Hospital of Sichuan University actively participated in medical assistance and rescue in Wenchuan，Yushu and Lushan earthquakes. However，professional roles of cardiovascular surgeons in medical assistance and rescue in earthquakes remain unclear because of the particularity of cardiovascular surgery, which often affects the assembly of medical assistance and rescue teams. Thus，we need to explore the necessity for cardiovascular surgeons to join medical rescue teams within 72 hours after earthquake. In this article，medical rescue work of cardiovascular surgeons within 72 hours after 2008 “5•12” Wenchuan earthquake and 2013 “4•20” Lushan earthquake is analyzed and compared to identify professional roles of cardiovascular surgeons in medical rescue within 72 hours after earthquake. It is necessary for cardiovascular surgeons to join medical rescue teams within 72 hours after earthquake.
Surgical treatment of atrial septal defect (ASD) mainly includes occlusion or repair under cardiopulmonary bypass. Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation includes transcatheter radiofrequency ablation or Maze surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass. There are many treatments for ASD patients combined with atrial fibrillation, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. We reported an ASD patient combined with atrial fibrillation treated by totally endoscopic "one-stop" radiofrequency ablation and simultaneous transthoracic ASD occlusion of atrial fibrillation, with good postoperative results.
Baoxing airborne medical team of West China Hospital participated in the medical rescue in 2013 “4?20”Lushan earthquake. The medical team excellently fulfilled their rescue task for 1 week in the earthquake-struck areas where there was power and communication failure and lack of water and food supply. We found some experiences and problems in airbornemedical team assembly and member selection, which may provide quotable experiences for future disaster assistance and rescue teams.
Although the incidence of gastrointestinal hemorrhage after cardiac surgery is low, the mortality rate is high. Early detection and diagnosis of gastrointestinal hemorrhage are difficult. The high risk phases including preoperation, intraoperation and postoperation. Preoperative high risk comorbidities include gastrointestinal ulcer, hypertension, coronary heart disease and chronic renal failure. Intraoperative high risk factors include decreased gastrointestinal blood perfusion due to cardiopulmonary bypass, inflammatory factors releasing, coagulation disorders, and thrombosis. Postoperative high risk factors include hypotension, low cardiac output, prolonged mechanical ventilation, etc. This article retrospectively summarized high-risk factors and pathogenesis of gastrointestinal hemorrhage after cardiac surgery, in order to improve prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Frailty is a syndrome characterized by vulnerability to stressors due to loss of physiological reserve. In recent years, many researches have confirmed that frailty is a risk factor for postoperative complications of cardiac surgery, such as readmission, adverse cardiovascular events, and death in elderly patients. This paper reviews the concept of frailty, the relationship between frailty and cardiac surgery, the frailty assessment and intervention strategy in perioperative period, aimed at providing decision making basis for the risk stratification and perioperative management of cardiac surgery in elderly patients.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) and breast cancer are common diseases with high incidence, which can be promoted and maintained by a wide range of regulatory factors (changes of hormone secretion, chronic inflammation, dysfunctions in autonomic nervous system, coagulation system and endothelia). There may be a consistent pathophysiological link between the increased incidence of breast cancer and AF, which is currently seldomly reported. The development process of these two diseases are complex, and the occurrence of breast cancer may increase the incidence of AF. In this paper, we reviewed the relationship between breast cancer and AF based on the latest reports.
Circular RNA (circRNA) is a non-coding RNA which exists widely in eukaryotic cells with a structure of covalently closed continuous loop. Its generation, characteristics and functions have received extensive attention, making it one of the hot spots in the field of non-coding RNA research. Many studies have found that circRNA plays an important role in the development of various diseases including cardiovascular disease, nervous system disease and cancer. Cardiovascular disease is a worldwide common disease with high incidence and poor prognosis. Its exact pathogenesis has not been found, which blocks the development of cardiovascular disease treatment. In this review, we summarize the loop-forming mechanisms, the functions and the progress of current researches of circRNA in cardiovascular diseases.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common complications after cardiac surgery. The existing treatment of postoperative AF mainly focuses on preoperative prevention, intraoperative protection and postoperative treatment for factors prone to AF before, during and after surgery, but the postoperative treatment in various areas and hospitals is different. This article combines the latest literature published in Europace about the practice guidance of cardioversion of AF and atrial flutter, and summarizes the treatment of electrical cardioversion, in order to provide clinical guidance for electrical cardioversion of AF after cardiac surgery.
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) have recently updated and published the 2024 ESC guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation. Based on the latest evidences, the guidelines have been updated in many aspects, such as diagnostic criteria for atrial fibrillation, AF-CARE treatment principles, comorbidities and risk factor management. In particular, there are significant changes in the recommendations for surgical management of atrial fibrillation in the guidelines. Therefore, this paper aims to interpret the content updates of the guidelines in AF-CARE treatment principles, diagnostic criteria and surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation, especially highlighting the updates and new suggestions about surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.