(Press-News.org) The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has released late-breaking research scheduled for presentation at the 2024 Annual Meeting taking place January 27 - 29 in San Antonio. The conference, healthcare’s leading scientific and educational convening specializing in cardiothoracic surgery, has a rich history of showcasing clinical trials with a strong foundation of detailed methodology and trusted data collection governed by ethical clinical principles.
The event’s late-breaking trial sessions focus on studies anticipated to significantly influence advances in cardiothoracic patient care. In this fast-paced healthcare landscape, surgeons look for the latest evidence to identify new therapies or preventive measures and help inform the most effective treatment decisions.
Key late-breaking studies selected for presentation include:
Longitudinal Follow-up of Elderly Patients After Esophageal Cancer Resection in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database
The study defines characteristics associated with long-term survival following esophagectomy for cancer in the Medicare population, using the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database linked to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data. The analysis included 4,798 patients from 207 STS sites who underwent esophagectomy between 2012-2019. The researchers found that Medicare patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer exhibit identifiable predictors for long-term survival and readmission. The absence of pathologic T and N downstaging increases the risk for long-term mortality and readmission.
These findings suggest opportunities to enhance clinical practice and improve outcomes for Medicare patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer.
Cardiac Surgery after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Trends and Outcomes
The researchers set out to document trends and outcomes in cardiac surgery following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a topic gaining importance as reports of subsequent cardiac operations and early TAVR explantations increase. Using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, the study covers adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery after an initial TAVR from January 2012 to March 2023.
The findings underscore the escalating need for both aortic and non-aortic valve cardiac surgeries following TAVR. They note a substantial increase in the frequency of these surgeries, emphasizing the importance of understanding outcomes. The observed elevated risk in these cases, as indicated by mortality and stroke rates, calls for careful consideration, particularly given the expanding use of TAVR across a broader range of age and risk profiles. The study suggests the need for ongoing assessment and longitudinal evidence to inform decision-making in the evolving landscape of TAVR applications.
The STS 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: Key Takeaways and How Do They Differ from the ACC/AHA Atrial Fibrillation Clinical Practice Guidelines?
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons' 2023 clinical practice guidelines for the surgical management of atrial fibrillation (AF) incorporates the latest evidence for surgical ablation (SA) and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) across various clinical scenarios. It emphasizes the evolving role of surgical ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion in managing atrial fibrillation.
Compared to the 2017 clinical practice guidelines, this latest version emphasizes SA in first-time, non-emergent cardiac surgery and its long-term benefits, an extension of the recommendation to perform SA in all patients with AF undergoing first-time, non-emergent cardiac surgery. Further guidance is provided for patients with structural heart disease and AF who are considered for transcatheter valve repair or replacement.
The recommendations highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary team, comprehensive assessment, and long-term follow-up, with specific attention to diverse clinical scenarios. The Class I recommendation for LAAO and expanded use of SA signify the growing confidence in these interventions based on recent evidence.
Impact of Surgical Factors on Event-Free Survival in the Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 3 Trial of Perioperative Pembrolizumab For Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
New findings from the KEYNOTE-671 research study, focused on resectable early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), have unveiled a significant breakthrough in the treatment landscape.
The study, titled "Impact of Surgical-Related Data on Event-Free Survival in KEYNOTE-671," demonstrated that neoadjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy did not delay surgery. Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy with adjuvant pembrolizumab provided meaningful improvement in EFS compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone for resectable early-stage NSCLC regardless of clinical nodal status, baseline disease stage, or type of surgery.
Note to editors: Abstracts are available upon request.
# # #
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,700 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
Media Contact: Kathy Cummings, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, kcummings@sts.org
END
A new study presented at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ 2024 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, examines the ongoing controversy surrounding the choice between multi-arterial grafting (MAG) and single arterial grafting (SAG) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for multivessel coronary revascularization.
The research, spanning from 2008 to 2019 and involving over one million patients undergoing isolated CABG with more than two bypass grafts, found that multi-arterial grafting CABG ...
Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have been studying the strength and toughness of sand columns made of a mixture of sticky and non-sticky grains. They have uncovered the mechanism behind how the strength changes as grains are mixed in different ratios, and how a mixture can help keep the column more resilient to deformation. Non-sticky grains are also easily replaceable with other materials, enabling the design of stronger, tougher, functional matter.
Granular matter consists of vast numbers of small grains, like sand and powders. Such grains can be made to stick to each other, yielding strong materials ...
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) has received a $20 million land donation from the developers of Utah City, a new walkable mixed-use city center. This significant contribution from Woodbury Corporation and Flagship Companies, in partnership with the City of Vineyard, will pave the way for the establishment of the state-of-the-art Huntsman Cancer Institute campus in Utah County. Huntsman Cancer Institute is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, ...
Building on $180 million in joint energy-related research, EPB and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) marked 10 years of collaboration Friday with the announcement of the new Collaborative for Energy Resilience and Quantum Science (CERQS). The new joint research effort will focus on utilizing Chattanooga’s highly advanced and integrated energy and communications infrastructure to develop technologies and best practices for enhancing the resilience and security of the national power grid while accelerating the commercialization of quantum technologies.
U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), ...
Validating its status as a leader in power electronics for grid and aviation applications, the University of Tennessee has been awarded a grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to help modernize the nation’s power grid.
ARPA-E is distributing $42 million for 15 projects across 11 states to improve the reliability, resiliency, and flexibility of the domestic power grid through the development of next-generation semiconductor technologies.
Funded through ARPA-E’s Unlocking Lasting Transformative Resiliency Advances by Faster Actuation of power ...
Pregnant women exposed to specific classes of flame-retardant chemicals may face an increased risk of preterm birth, especially for baby girls, or higher birth weights, according to a Rutgers Health researcher.
Emily Barrett, professor and vice chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health and a member of the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, took part in a study that was published in Environmental Health Perspectives and funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health.
Manufacturers commonly use organophosphate esters (OPEs) ...
Recording the activity of large populations of single neurons in the brain over long periods of time is crucial to further our understanding of neural circuits, to enable novel medical device-based therapies and, in the future, for brain–computer interfaces requiring high-resolution electrophysiological information.
But today there is a tradeoff between how much high-resolution information an implanted device can measure and how long it can maintain recording or stimulation performances. Rigid, silicon ...
Our sensory systems are highly adaptable. A person who cannot see after turning off a light in the night slowly achieves superior power to see even small objects. Women often attain a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. How can the same sensory system that was underperforming can also exceed the expectation based on its prior performance?
Since nature has perfected its sensory systems over evolutionary time scales, an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis tapped into ...
The University of Ottawa is proud to announce it has received a $5 million donation from Patricia Saputo, a multi-generational family enterprise leader and advocate, to provide thought leadership and training through the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute at the Telfer School of Management.
The gift has created the endowed Patricia Saputo Distinguished Chair in Family Enterprise, which will support academic leadership for the institute and nurture long-term research projects aimed at developing best practices on critical topics for family enterprises.
“This generous gift makes ...
About 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, according to the World Health Organization. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, an incurable condition that causes brain function to deteriorate.
In addition to its physical effects, Alzheimer’s causes psychological, social and economic ramifications not only for the people living with the disease, but also for those who love and care for them. Because its symptoms worsen over time, it is important for both patients and their caregivers to prepare for the eventual need to ...
