In clinical doses, propofol strongly attenuates lipid peroxidation during CABG surgery.

Although our study stresses the benefits of oral T(3) administration on the hemodynamic and prognostic parameters in patients with impaired left ventricular function and undergoing CABG weakly, it may warrant further much larger scaled studies that can reach statistical significance.

In conclusion, the easy application, low cost, and significant blood-loss reduction effect of microfibrillar collagen powder renders this agent attractive for cardiac operations associated with high risk of bleeding.

Background-Atrial fibrillation (AF) often occurs after coronary artery bypass grafting and can result in increased morbidity and mortality. In the present pilot study, our aim was to investigate whether sodium nitroprusside (SNP), as a nitric oxide donor, can reduce the frequency of post-coronary artery bypass grafting AF. Methods and Results-To investigate the effectiveness of SNP in the prophylaxis of AF, we conducted a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study on 100 consecutive patients in whom we performed elective and initial CABG operations. A control group of 50 patients were treated with placebo (dextrose 5% in water), whereas the SNP group (nϭ50 patients) was treated with SNP (0.5 g · kg Ϫ1 · min Ϫ1 ) during the rewarming period. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were measured before surgery and 5 days postoperatively. All patients were monitored postoperatively with telemetry. Baseline characteristics were similar in both treatment groups. AF occurred in 12% of the SNP group and 27% of the control group. The occurrence of AF was significantly lower in the SNP group (Pϭ0.005). The duration of AF in the SNP group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (5.33Ϯ1.86 and 7.55Ϯ1.94 hours, respectively; Pϭ0.023). C-reactive protein levels were higher postoperatively in the control group than in the SNP group (PϽ0.05). Postoperative AF significantly prolonged postoperative hospital stay (PϽ0.05). Conclusions-The

Objective: Brucellosis is frequently seen in Mediterranean and Middle East countries, including Turkey. We report the medical and surgical management of 31 cases of native endocarditis. Material and Method: Thirty-one patients were admitted to our clinic with suspected Brucella Endocarditis. The diagnosis was established by either isolation of Brucella species, or the presence of antibodies. Following preoperative antibiotic therapy patients underwent valve replacement with excessive tissue debridment. Patients were followed up with Brucella titers, blood cultures, and echocardiography. Results: On admission all patients were febrile and mostly dyspneic (NYHA Class 3 or 4). The blood tests were normal except for elevated ESR, CRP and serological tests. The aortic valve was involved in 19 patients, mitral valve in 7 patients, and both valves in 5. After serological confirmation of BE, antibiotic therapy was maintained. Twenty-five of the patients received rifampicine, doxycycline, and cotrimaxozole; 2 of them received a combination of rifampicine, streptomycin, and doxycycline; and 4 of them received rifampicine, tetracycline, and cotrimaxozole. Tissue loss in most of the affected leaflets and vegetationswere presenting all patients. Valve replacements were performed with mechanical and biologic prostheses. All the patients were afebrile at discharge but received the antibiotics for 101, 2 ± 16, 9 days. The follow-up was 37, 1 ± 9, 2 months. Discussion: In our retrospective study, combination of adequate medical and surgical therapy resulted in declined morbidity and mortality rate. The valve replacement with aggressive debridement is the most important part of the treatment, which should be supported with efficient preoperative and long term postoperative medical treatment.

The combined use of atenolol and digitalis preoperatively was considered as an efficient treatment for lowering the incidence of AF following coronary artery bypass surgery.

We demonstrated that effective posterior drainage is important to prevent posterior pericardial effusion, and use of a thin drain placed retrocardially appears to be sufficient for these results.

Recombinant human erythropoietin induces erythropoiesis rapidly, even when it is used with a low single dose just 4 days before the operation. No adverse reactions were seen with this kind of recombinant human erythropoietin treatment.