Refractory cardiogenic shock requiring ECMO was most frequently observed after redo valvular surgery in the present study. The overall 6-month survival rate was 39% after ECMO support for post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock with acceptable health-related quality of life. Improved kidney and liver functions after 24 h of support were associated with favourable outcomes.

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This paper is the first describing a clinical application of CBCT performed during thoracic surgery. Associated with augmented reality, it offers a significant progress in VATS resection of subpalpable lung nodules. This preliminary experience highlights the potential of the proposed CBCT approach to improve the perception of targeted small tumours during VATS.

AIE complicated by paravalvular involvement remains a surgical challenge. Valve replacement (particularly using bioprosthesis) associated with ad hoc reconstruction seems to be a reliable option and showed very encouraging results in this context.

Bronchobiliary fistula is a rare pathology mainly caused by hepatic tumors, bile duct obstruction, or hepatic hydatid disease. A 70-year-old man developed a bronchobiliary fistula after biliary stenting. After failure of conservative treatment including endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage, he underwent a combined operation with a two-level approach. Both a thoracotomy and laparotomy were performed, allowing pulmonary resection, diaphragmatic repair, and bile duct reconstruction during the same operation. Postoperative follow-up at one year showed optimal healing of the fistula.

AVR is effective for all age groups to treat aortic stenosis. Elderly people should not be denied surgery only because of their old age as conventional AVR provides an excellent quality of life and restores life expectancy. Percutaneous valve implantation is to be considered, in cases of non-operable or high-risk patients. However, to date, open-heart surgery remains the treatment of choice for aortic stenosis for the majority of patients.

Intraoperative localization of small, low-density or deep lung nodules during Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) is a challenging task. Localization techniques used in current practice require an additional preoperative procedure that adds complexity to the intervention and might yield to clinical complications. Therefore, clinical practice may benefit from alternative, intraoperative localization methods. We propose a nonrigid registration approach for nodule localization. Our method is based on a biomechanical model of the lung, where the lung parenchyma is represented as a biphasic medium. Preliminary results are promising, with target registration errors reduced from 28.39 mm to 9.86 mm in median, and to 3.68 mm for the nodule in particular.

Anastomotic leakage frequently complicates esophagectomy and can trigger a rare life- threatening complication, a tracheoesophageal fistula. No guideline has yet addressed this complication. Plastic surgeons play a crucial role for salvage surgery. When a re-operation is chosen the possibilities of flap interposition depend on how the thoracotomy was initially performed. This study tried to identify key techniques in order help thoracic or general surgeons to preserve all the local flaps available for TEF if it occurs. These techniques improve flap conservation, helping plastic surgeons when a later transposition flap is required.