Browsing by Subject "cardiac surgery"

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    Medicine and the Arts Week 1 - On heart transplants
    (2015-01-21) Brink, Johan
    In this video, Johan Brink, discusses how his perspective on heart transplantation is informed by his experience as a cardiac surgeon. He emphasises the centrality of the heart for being human: physically, as an organ which keeps our bodies alive and emotionally, as a symbol of our feelings of love. He also notes that that a heart transplant is a complex medical procedure that raises a number of ethical questions. This is the fourth video in Week 1 of the Medicine and the Arts Massive Open Online Course.
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    Medicine and the Arts Week 1 - The Heart of the Matter
    (2015-01-21) Reid, Steve; Brink, Johan
    In this video, Professor Steve Reid describes how the course will use the extraordinary medical intervention of the heart transplant as a means of understanding the interdisciplinarary nature of the medical humanities. He explains how the heart transplant will be presented from three different perspectives: Professor Johan Brink, a cardiac surgeon, will discuss the medical aspects of the heart transplant, such as the surgery itself and the risks and benefits of the procedure. Peter Andersen, a poet, will discuss the heart from a literary perspective, in terms of metaphor and symbolism. And Stan Henkeman, a heart transplant recipient, will share his personal story of hope and renewal. This is the third video in Week 1 of the Medicine and the Arts Massive Open Online Course.
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    Outcomes following neonatal cardiac surgery in a South African tertiary centre
    (2023) Du Toit, Derrik; Zühlke, Liesl; Brooks, Andre
    Background: Neonatal Cardiac Surgery has developed significantly since its advent, with improved outcomes, survival, and physiological repair. Limited programs offer neonatal cardiac surgery in emerging economies. We report our experience with neonates undergoing cardiac surgery in our cardiac surgery program. Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis on all neonates aged < 30 days undergoing congenital cardiac surgery from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2020, including outcomes up to 30-days post-surgery. Results: A total of 859 patients underwent cardiac surgery at our center, of these 81 (9.4%) were neonates. The proportion of neonates increased annually (8.7%, 9.6% and 10.2%). There were 49 (60%) males, and 32 (40%) had surgery in the second week of life. Fourteen (17%) were premature, four (5%) had a major chromosomal abnormality, five (6%) a major medical illness and eight (10%) a major non-cardiac structural anomaly. The RACHS categorization of surgery was predominantly RACHS 3; n = 28 (35%) and 4; n = 23 (29%). Hours in ICU were extensive; median 189 [IQR 114-286] as were hours of ventilation; median 95 [IQR 45-163]. Almost 60% (n=48) of procedures were complicated by sepsis, as defined in our database. The in-hospital mortality rate was 13% (n=13); the 30-day mortality rate was 19.8% (n=16). Conclusion: The proportion of neonates in our service increased over the period. Focused strategies to shorten prolonged ICU stay and decrease rates of bacterial sepsis in neonates are needed. A multi-disciplinary, collaborative heart-team approach is crucial for best outcomes.