Early recognition and expedient appropriate management are essential in these potentially lethal injuries. Operative management can be achieved with acceptable mortality, and conservative treatment should be considered as a valuable alternative to the well-established surgical treatment.

Age, history of prior heart disease, lung resection, and the extent of pulmonary resection are the main risk factors for postoperative supraventricular arrhythmia in patients undergoing major thoracic operations.

No abstract

Prosthesis-patient mismatch leads to higher transprosthetic gradients and impaired left ventricular mass regression. A small-sized valve prosthesis does not necessarily result in prosthesis-patient mismatch, and may be perfectly adequate in patient with small body size.