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Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter scheduled to undergo open heart surgery can receive ablation treatment of arrhythmogenic foci during the same intervention. Sinus rhythm is restored in the majority in the short term, but the long-term results are more uncertain. This study, which is part of the international CURE-AF trial, evaluates results after Cox-Maze IV surgery for atrial fibrillation in Norway at six-year follow-up., Material and Method: Nineteen patients were included in this prospective cohort study. Atrial fibrillation had persisted for 40 months in the group with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (n = 12) and 6 months in the group with persistent atrial fibrillation (n = 7). Surgery for atrial fibrillation was performed according to the Cox-Maze IV procedure in the CURE-AF protocol. Follow-up in the first 12 months was strictly according to the CURE-AF protocol, thereafter conducted by the primary health service., Results: Sinus rhythm was restored in 11 patients at the time of discharge and in 14 patients six months postoperatively. After 5-6 years of follow-up, all patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation had experienced recurrence. Two achieved sinus rhythm after electroconversion. Six of the seven in the group with persistent atrial fibrillation had sinus rhythm after 5-6 years., Interpretation: The results were good initially, with restoration of sinus rhythm in more than two thirds of the patients after 6-9 months. Five years later, a high recurrence rate was found in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation. Several recurrences had not been detected by the public health service or treatment had not been attempted.

Background: Different techniques have been used for treatment of victims with accidental hypothermia. We have used cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for rewarming hypothermic patients with circulatory failure or cardiac arrest. This report summarises our experiences with this patient group., Material and Methods: 23 patients, submersions (n = 15), avalanche (n = 1) and primary hypothermia (immersion/air cooling) (n = 7), were rewarmed using extracorporeal circulation with standard equipment for open-heart surgery., Results: On a clinical basis, two patient populations could be identified; one group for whom asphyxia was probably present prior to and during cooling, and another group for whom asphyxia was unlikely. In the first group, one of 13 patients survived compared to the latter group where six out of ten survived. A search for laboratory and other variables that with certainty could contribute to the prediction of prognosis was unsuccessful., Interpretation: Due to lack of safe prognostic predictors, all accidental hypothermic victims with circulatory failure should be rewarmed by cardiopulmonary bypass before further therapeutic decisions are made.

Post-operative wound infections are serious complications in cardiovascular surgery. In order to examine the routines for prophylactic antibiotics and frequency of wound infections, questionnaires were sent to heart and vascular surgery units in Norway. In heart surgery, the sternal wound infection rate registered during stay in hospital varied between 0-1.2%. Seven clinics used cephalothin prophylaxis and one cloxacillin and penicillin. One clinic added vancomycin in the case of valvular surgery. The duration of prophylaxis varied from six hours to four days. In vascular surgery, superficial wound infection rates of 1.5-4.0%, and deep infection rates of 0.8-2.0%, were reported. Seven clinics used cephalothin and three cefuroxime as prophylaxis. The duration of prophylaxis varied from one single dose to several days. In conclusion, the reported infection rates indicate that the antibiotic prophylaxis regimens used help to provide satisfactory protection against wound infections.

Extracorporeal circulation can be utilized successfully to rewarm accidental hypothermia victims. This paper describes a 51 year-old man who had been immersed in cold sea water for about 45 minutes. At the time of rescue his ECG was isoelectric. The core temperature was 27 degrees C. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed for 190 minutes before extracorporeal circulation was established. Without active surface rewarming the temperature had dropped to 24 degrees C. Biventricular heart failure became evident during rewarming. Sternotomy and pericardiotomy were carried out to exclude cardiac tamponade, which was not found. After two hours of reperfusion the patient could be weaned from bypass supported by high-dose vasopressor infusion. He was extubated the following day. He was discharged after 12 days without any signs of permanent damage to organs.