Editor's Note Despite significant challenges in their careers, cardiothoracic surgeons report a very high level of job satisfaction in a survey published online September 13 in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons reports. The 63-question survey was administered to more than 4,300 members of the Society…

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Editor's Note The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) on September 8 announced the launch of its new patient website that offers resources for individuals facing heart, lung, and esophageal surgery. The site allows patients and their families to research their conditions and gather information on treatment options and recovery.  …

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 18 approved an expanded indication for the Sapien XT and Sapien 3 transcatheter heart valves for patients with aortic stenosis. The new indication is for patients who are at intermediate risk for death or complications associated with open-heart surgery. Previously,…

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Editor's Note In children undergoing staged reconstructive surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, increasing cumulative exposure to volatile anesthetic agents beginning in infancy was associated with worse performance on IQ scores between ages 4 and 5, this study finds. This is the first study to link neurodevelopment outcomes with cardiac…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will select 98 hospitals in metropolitan areas to take part in a 5-year mandatory program to test a bundled-payment model for myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures, the July 25 Modern Healthcare reports. CMS will also expand…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 1 issued a safety alert that the agency had received reports of US patients infected with Mycobacterium chimaera after undergoing cardiothoracic surgery that involved the use of the Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler System by Sorin Group Deustchland GmbH. Efforts are underway…

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Editor's Note In this study, patient factors, hospital case volume, and practice patterns were found to be associated with in-hospital mortality after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Of 166, 443 AAA repairs performed at 1,207 hospitals, in-hospital mortality was 0.7% for endovascular AAA repair and 3.8% for open AAA…

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Editor's Note By 2035, cardiothoracic surgeons will be responsible for more than 850,000 surgical patients, a 61% increase from 2010, according to this study presented May 17 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in Baltimore. Cases per surgeon per year in 2010 averaged 135 for…

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Editor's Note A new long-acting cardioplegia solution resulted in better outcomes for pediatric cardiac surgery patients in this study, presented May 16 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in Baltimore. Researchers randomized 100 pediatric patients to the new Del Nido solution or the conventional St…

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Editor's Note The use of moderate sedation leads to better outcomes than general anesthesia for patients having transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), finds a study presented May 6 at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Of 10,997 patients included in the study, 1,737 received…

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