Background: To investigate the efficacy of primary and rescue endoluminal vacuum (EVAC) therapy in the treatment of esophageal perforations and leaks.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively gathered, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved database of EVAC therapy patients at our center from July 2013 to September 2016.

Results: In all, 13 patients were treated for esophageal perforations or leaks. Etiologies included iatrogenic injury (n = 8), anastomotic leak (n = 2), Boerhaave syndrome (n = 1), and bronchoesophageal fistula (n = 2). In total, 10 patients underwent primary treatment and three were treated with rescue therapy. Mean Perforation Severity Scores (PSSs) in the primary and rescue treatment groups were 7 and 10, respectively. Average defect size was 2.4 (range: 0.5–6) cm. The rescue group had a shorter mean time to defect closure (25 vs. 33 days). In all, 12 of 13 defects healed. One death occurred following the implementation of comfort care. One therapy-specific complication occurred. Hospital length of stay (LOS) was longer in the rescue group (72 vs. 53 days); however, the intensive care unit (ICU) duration was similar between groups. Totally, 10 patients (83%) resumed an oral diet after successful defect closure.

Conclusion: Utilized as either a primary or rescue therapy, EVAC therapy appears to be beneficial in the management of esophageal perforations or leaks.

Purpose: Our study aimed to assess whether the type of regional anesthesia influenced the incidence of chronic postthoracotomy pain syndrome (CPTPS).

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized study that included 300 patients undergoing lung cancer resection using thoracotomy. They were randomized into three groups: paravertebral nerve block (PVB), thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA), and intercostal nerve block (INB). General anesthesia was similar in the groups. A horizontal visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the intensity of the pain syndrome. It was assessed and recorded 7 days, 1 month, and 6 months after surgery.

Results: At 6 months after surgery, the incidence (p <0.05) of the CPTPS was higher in the INB group (40%) than in the TEA group (23%). The CPTPS frequency in the PVB group did not differ from the other groups (34%).

Conclusion: The use of the TEA in patients who underwent open lung cancer surgery contributed to a significant decline in the CPTPS frequency compared to patients who were administered INB. Using PVB did not decrease the CPTPS frequency.

Antithrombin III (ATIII) deficiency is a rare disorder in which thrombosis can be induced by stimuli that do not usually lead to thrombus formation, including minor injuries and surgery. Therefore, patients with ATIII deficiency undergoing cardiovascular surgery that involves heparinization require careful perioperative management. We experienced five patients with ATIII deficiency who underwent cardiovascular surgery and were managed with ATIII replacement. By administration of ATIII concentrate, preoperative ATIII activity was maintained at ≥120% and postoperative ATIII activity at ≥80%. All five patients were treated successfully without postoperative complications such as hemorrhage or thrombosis. In patients with ATIII deficiency undergoing cardiac surgery, it is important to perform ATIII replacement to achieve preoperative ATIII activity ≥120% and postoperative ATIII activity ≥80%, while the activated clotting time (ACT) is maintained at >400 seconds during cardiopulmonary bypass. In addition, long-term postoperative anticoagulant therapy is necessary in hereditary ATIII deficiency patients with a history of thrombosis.

Purpose: To determine to what extent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects mortality and morbidity rates in patients treated with off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).

Methods: A total of 321 patients treated with off-pump CABG were included in the present study. Of the 321 patients, 46 patients had COPD and they were designated as Group 1 and the remaining 275 patients did not have COPD and they were considered as Group 2. We compared the data obtained from the patients in both groups.

Results: While preoperative spirometry values and arterial blood gas oxygen saturation levels were significantly lower, the partial values of carbon dioxide were higher in Group 1. Likewise, extubation time, the amount of drainage and blood transfusion, inotropic support, prolonged intubation, pulmonary complications, the use of bronchodilators, and steroids were statistically higher in Group 1 when compared with Group 2. Overall, there was no marked difference between the two groups in terms of mortality incidence.

Conclusion: We found similar morbidity and mortality rates among the patients with COPD and without COPD when they were treated with off-pump CABG. Therefore, the present results indicate that the presence of COPD is not associated with in-hospital mortality or severe morbidity post-CABG by off-pump approach.

Background: Thymoma is known to cause autoimmune neuromuscular disease. However, anti-glutamate receptor antibody limbic encephalitis (LE) with thymoma is relatively rare.

Case Presentation: A 68-year-old woman was admitted with progressive memory impairment and personality change. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed high intensity in the bilateral limbic areas on T2-weighted fluid-attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Chest computed tomography revealed a mass in the anterior mediastinum. Surgical resection of the tumor, which was consistent with a type B3 thymoma, resulted in clinical improvement. After surgery, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was found to be positive for anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type glutamate receptor antibodies. These findings led to the diagnosis of paraneoplastic LE (PLE) associated with thymoma.

Conclusion: When a patient presents with neurologic symptoms of unknown origin, the possibility of LE accompanied by thymoma should be considered. Rapid treatment is desirable before the symptoms become irreversible.

Penetrating foreign bodies in the heart is rare and may lead to life-threatening complications. Early diagnosis and removal are crucial for these rare cases. We report a case of accidental penetrating sewing needle in the right ventricle. The needle was successfully removed without open heart surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), after accurate localization using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

Immunoglobulin G subclass 4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognized systemic inflammatory disease characterized by an elevated serum IgG4 level and an IgG4-positive lymphocyte infiltrate mainly in exocrine tissues. Previous reports documented IgG4-RD in several cardiovascular disorders. We present a case of type A aortic dissection associated with IgG4-RD. A 52-year-old man diagnosed with a type A aortic dissection was referred for surgical treatment. He underwent emergency hemiarch reconstruction with a prosthetic graft. His postoperative recovery was uncomplicated. Histopathologic examination of his aortic tissue showed marked adventitial thickening with fibrosis and an IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltrate. He was diagnosed with type A aortic dissection incidentally complicated by IgG4-RD. The relationship between IgG4-RD and the pathogenesis of aortic dissection remains unknown and requires further investigation.