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Background: Practice guidelines reflect published literature. Because of the ever changing literature base, it is necessary to update and revise guideline recommendations from time to time. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons recommends review and possible update of previously published guidelines at least every three years. This summary is an update of the blood conservation guideline published in 2007., Methods: The search methods used in the current version differ compared to the previously published guideline. Literature searches were conducted using standardized MeSH terms from the National Library of Medicine PUBMED database list of search terms. The following terms comprised the standard baseline search terms for all topics and were connected with the logical 'OR' connector--Extracorporeal circulation (MeSH number E04.292), cardiovascular surgical procedures (MeSH number E04.100), and vascular diseases (MeSH number C14.907). Use of these broad search terms allowed specific topics to be added to the search with the logical 'AND' connector., Results: In this 2011 guideline update, areas of major revision include: 1) management of dual anti-platelet therapy before operation, 2) use of drugs that augment red blood cell volume or limit blood loss, 3) use of blood derivatives including fresh frozen plasma, Factor XIII, leukoreduced red blood cells, platelet plasmapheresis, recombinant Factor VII, antithrombin III, and Factor IX concentrates, 4) changes in management of blood salvage, 5) use of minimally invasive procedures to limit perioperative bleeding and blood transfusion, 6) recommendations for blood conservation related to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and cardiopulmonary perfusion, 7) use of topical hemostatic agents, and 8) new insights into the value of team interventions in blood management., Conclusions: Much has changed since the previously published 2007 STS blood management guidelines and this document contains new and revised recommendations., (Copyright © 2011 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used for many different conditions including respiratory distress, cardiogenic shock, and trauma. In these patient groups, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has been extensively studied. Recently, it has been used as a rescue measure in patients experiencing acute respiratory distress after thoracic surgery. The goal of our study was to examine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a rescue measure after thoracic surgery at a single center. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after thoracic surgery at the University of Kentucky from January 9, 2012 to January 9, 2017. Eight patients were identified. Results The average time on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was 9.125 days, and the average hospital stay was 65.125 days. Of the 8 patients placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, 3 survived to discharge. Of the 3 patients who survived to discharge, 1 died within 6 months and 2 have been followed up for less than 4 months. The average total charge per patient was calculated to be $1,053,551, and the average charge per day was $16,177. The contribution margin was $109,200 per case. Conclusions Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a tool that saves lives in many different patient populations but it does not appear to be as effective in patients experiencing acute respiratory distress syndrome after thoracic surgery. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in this group also uses a tremendous amount of hospital resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most general thoracic operations in the United States are performed by general surgeons. Results obtained by those identified as general surgeons are often compared with those identified as thoracic surgeons. Methods: We interrogated the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database over a 5-year period to compare outcomes in patients who underwent similar operations by surgeons identified as either thoracic surgeons or general surgeons. We employed propensity-score matching to minimize confounding when estimating the effect of surgeon identity on postoperative outcomes. Results: During the study period, thoracic surgeons performed 3,263 major pulmonary or esophageal operations, and general surgeons performed 15,057 similar operations. Compared with patients operated on by general surgeons, patients operated on by thoracic surgeons had significant excess multivariate comorbidities, including insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, concurrent pneumonia, congestive heart failure, previous cardiac surgery, dialysis-dependent renal failure, disseminated cancer, prior sepsis, and previous operation within 30 days. Likewise, patients in highest risk categories had operations performed by thoracic surgeons more commonly than by general surgeons. Unadjusted comparisons for mortality and serious morbidity showed significantly worse mortality and pulmonary complications in patients operated on by thoracic surgeons. However, with propensity matching according to surgeon type, thoracic surgeons had significantly fewer serious adverse outcomes compared with general surgeons, and this decreased morbidity occurred in a higher risk cohort. Conclusions: Our results show that patients operated on by thoracic surgeons have higher acuity compared with patients operated on by general surgeons. When patients are matched for comorbidities and serious preoperative risk factors, thoracic surgeons have improved outcomes, especially with regard to infectious complications and composite morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Massive intraoperative transfusion is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic operations. We examined whether this association carries over to patients who receive only 1 to 2 units of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) during their operation. Methods: We queried the American College of Surgeon''s National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database for patients undergoing noncardiac, nonvascular thoracic operations during a 5-year period. Patient 30-day morbidity (1 or more of 20 complications) and mortality were evaluated. We used propensity-score matching to minimize confounding when estimating the effect of transfusion on postoperative morbidity. Results: We analyzed 8728 nonvascular thoracic operations in patients from 173 hospitals. Of these, 7875 (90.2%) did not receive intraoperative transfusions. The 579 patients (6.6%) who received 1 to 2 units of intraoperative PRBCs had higher unadjusted rates of wound problems, pulmonary complications, sepsis/shock, composite morbidity, mortality, and length of stay than those who did not receive transfusions. These rates further increased with postoperative transfusion of more than 2 units of intraoperative PRBC. After propensity adjustment, transfusion of 1 or 2 units of PRBCs increased the multivariate risk of composite morbidity, pulmonary complications, systemic sepsis, wound complications, and the postoperative length of stay compared with those who did not receive transfusions. Conclusions: In patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic operations, there is a dose-dependent adverse effect of intraoperative blood transfusion on outcomes, with even seemingly small amounts of blood (1 or 2 units of PRBCs) increasing morbidity and resource utilization. Clinicians should be cautious with intraoperative transfusions of 1 or 2 units of PRBC for mildly hypovolemic or anemic patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: Historically, surgical management of empyema was performed predominantly via open thoracotomy; however, during the past decade the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) as an alternative has increased. This study retrospectively compared the outcomes and management of patients with empyema at the University of Kentucky Medical Center who had undergone VATS versus those receiving open thoracotomy to determine whether VATS decortication provided comparable results. Methods: Adult patients who had undergone open thoracotomy or VATS decortication for empyema between 2005 and 2009 at the University of Kentucky were identified by querying the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery database. Patients were sorted by procedure on an intent-to-treat basis. Comorbid conditions, preoperative course, operative outcomes, and postoperative outcomes were compared. Quantitative data were analyzed with either an impaired t test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Qualitative data were analyzed using the Fisher exact test Results: Fifty-three patients were identified, 18 of whom underwent VATS and 35 underwent open thoracotomy. Eight of the 18 VATS procedures (44.4%) were converted to open thoracotomy. Patients undergoing VATS had a significantly shorter median length of stay (11 vs 18 days, respectively; P = 0.044), chest tube duration (6 vs 12 days, respectively; P< 0.001), operative blood loss (55.6 vs 344 mL, respectively; P = 0.003), and fewer postoperative respiratory failures (0% vs 22.9%, respectively; P = 0.0451). The two groups did not differ significantly in overall morbidity, reoperation, mortality, or preoperative comorbidities. Conclusions: In adults, VATS offers results comparable to those of open thoracotomy, and lengths of stay, chest tube durations, and postoperative outcomes are superior. Although the conversion rate of VATS to open thoracotomy at our institution was high (38.1%) compared with studies at other institutions, the data still indicate that VATS is both a safe and reliable alternative to open thoracotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are different views on the effects of resident involvement on surgical outcomes. We hypothesized that resident participation in surgical care does not appreciably alter outcomes.Study Design: We analyzed an American College of Surgeons NSQIP subset of inpatients having procedures with high complexity, including 4 surgical specialties (general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and vascular surgery) with the highest mean work relative value units. We evaluated surgical outcomes in patients having procedures performed by the attending surgeon alone, or by the attending surgeon with assistance from at least one surgical resident (PGY1 to PGY≥6). Outcomes measures included operative mortality, composite morbidity, and failure to rescue (FTR). Propensity-score matching minimized the effects of nonrandom assignment of residents to procedures.Results: In 266,411 patients, unmatched comparisons showed significantly higher operative mortality and composite morbidity rates, but decreased FTR, in operations performed with resident involvement. After propensity-score matching, there were small but significant resident-related increases in composite morbidity, but significant improvement in FTR. Senior-level resident involvement translated into improved outcomes, especially in cardiothoracic surgery procedures where >63.6% of procedures had PGY≥6 resident involvement. Resident involvement attenuated the significant worsening of operative mortality and FTR associated with multiple serious complications in individual patients. Measures of resource use increased modestly with resident involvement.Conclusions: We found substantial improvement in FTR with resident involvement, both in unmatched and propensity-matched comparisons. Senior-level resident participation seemed to attenuate, and even improve, surgical outcomes, despite slightly increased resource use. These results provide some reassurance about teaching paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]