Sudish Murthy

..In this study, we review the safety, efficacy, and durability of PleurX catheters (Denver Biomedical, Golden, CO) for managing complicated pleural effusions and describe a patient population who might benefit...

..There is no ideal procedure; surgical treatment must be individualized...

..A variety of surgical strategies aimed at reestablishment of pleural apposition and obliteration of pleural space are reviewed...

..Regardless of whether VATS or an open approach is utilized, thorough lymphadenectomy is important and may confer an additional survival benefit...

..The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with time-related survival after pulmonary metastasectomy for renal cell carcinoma and to confirm the safety of metastasectomy...

..For larger air leaks, especially in the presence of an incompletely expanded lung or residual ipsilateral pleural space, reintervention should be considered if there is no improvement by 1 to 2 weeks...

..Because improper airway healing continues as a source of morbidity after lung transplantation, we determined prevalence and risk factors for anastomotic complications and examined their impact on survival...

..Prevalence has surprisingly remained relatively constant over the last decade, despite improvement in overall transplant survival...

..Less well characterized are short- and long-term outcomes. Therefore, objectives were to identify risk factors for ventilatory dependency, assess its short- and long-term outcomes, and determine impact of tracheostomy...

..Therefore, this study characterizes cancer recurrence and its risks, assesses survival after recurrence, and contextualizes overall survival and its risks...

..Therefore, we sought to systematically understand the time-related impact of pretransplant GERD on graft function (spirometry), mortality, and acute rejection early after lung transplantation...

..SEMS placement is an effective strategy to palliate malignant aerodigestive fistulae. Complications are rare and symptoms are alleviated in most patients...

..This study focuses on postesophagectomy benign pleural and pericardial complications to determine their prevalence, temporal pattern, and treatment, and their association with induction chemoradiotherapy and influence on survival...

..Lung cancer may occur in the lung transplant population because many patients are former smokers. Not much is known about risk factors and outcomes in these patients...

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..We used the results of mediastinoscopy from a Stage III NSCLC cohort to assess the reliability of positron emission tomography (PET) scans at identifying involved mediastinal lymph nodes (MLN) when used during radiotherapy planning...

..To assess the impact of fractionation upon tumor control and toxicity in medically inoperable early stage lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy...

..Early diagnosis and correction can avoid pulmonary infarction and the need for lobar resection...

..This survival benefit is a brain treatment effect, not the result of selecting the best patients for aggressive therapy...

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..74). CONCLUSIONS: SEMSs are safe and effective in the management of airway complications in selected patients post-LTx. Weaning from mechanical ventilation and management of anastomotic dehiscence are the unique attributes of this device...

..Careful patient selection is of outmost importance for a good outcome after airway stenting. Insertion using FB adds to the ease of the procedure...

..Although often solitary, atrial fibrillation is associated with longer hospital stay and higher cost. It therefore requires prompt treatment and should stimulate investigation for other problems...

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..Objectives of this study were to determine prevalence and timing of perioperative AF, identify its risk factors, evaluate treatment strategies, assess return to sinus rhythm by hospital discharge, and investigate its impact on outcomes...

..We sought to ascertain the prevalence of dialysis after lung transplantation and to identify risk factors for its occurrence. We also assessed outcomes after institution of dialysis...

..This phase II study added gefitinib (G) to our previously tested CCRT regimen in an effort to improve these outcomes...

..The purpose of this study was to determine how much double lung transplantation improves lung function over single lung transplantation and to identify predictors of lung function after transplantation...

..Therefore, we determined the relation of donor lung size to 1) posttransplant survival and 2) pulmonary function as measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 second...

..Three patients are alive and well at 4, 15 and 21 months; 1 patient died at 34 months with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, in part attributable to medication non-compliance...

..Mature results are presented from a phase II trial of postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with poor-prognosis cancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction after primary surgical resection...

..Smoking cessation is presumed to be beneficial before resection of lung cancer. The effect of smoking cessation on outcome was investigated...

..We compared 1) survival after lung transplantation of recipients of donation after cardiac death (DCD) versus brain death donor organs in the United States and 2) recipient characteristics...

..In this study we assess: (1) patterns of transfusion, and (2) temporal interrelationships with histologic evidence of rejection...

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..Although tracheostomy may enhance patient comfort and simplify nursing care, selection algorithms need to be developed if survival is the goal of the intervention...

..We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical staging of depth of tumor invasion (cT), the relationship of cT to survival, the benefits of downstaging cT, and the role of cT in treatment decisions...

..Therefore, we objectively studied the physiologic effects of adding Dor fundoplication to Heller myotomy...

..We also evaluated short- and long-term outcomes of patients in whom venous thromboembolism developed compared with those of patients in whom it did not...

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..We sought to determine whether chemoradiotherapy after esophagectomy improves survival...

..Therefore, we determined (1) incidence and prevalence of, risk factors for, and survival after development of brain metastases following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, and (2) their association with adjuvant therapy...

..It adversely influences diagnostic test accuracy by inflating sensitivity and deflating specificity. We studied the impact of verification bias on the estimated accuracy of a test commonly used in suspected lung cancer...

..The study objective was to develop a treatment algorithm for cT2N0M0 esophageal cancer by determining (1) errors in clinical staging and (2) consequences of overtreatment and undertreatment of incorrectly clinically staged patients...

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..A split course of pre- and postoperative hyperfractionated radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy was used in an effort to limit perioperative mortality...

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..The objectives of this study were to assess current esophageal cancer staging and to determine whether refinements of classification and stage grouping are necessary...

..Surgical staging and resection of lung cancer may be done as 1 operation (combined) or 2 (staged). This study evaluates the safety and efficiency of these treatment strategies...

..Air leak is independently associated with longer hospital stay and other postoperative complications. Surgical technique is important and may be the only modifiable factor...

..We present a case of a catastrophic bronchopleural fistula that was successfully closed using an Alloderm patch (LifeCell Corp, Branchburg, NJ) in the acute setting...

..Because of its limited penetrance, this variant may present as a regional pain syndrome. Thoracoscopy can be used effectively to guide intercostal nerve sheath tumor resection...

..We sought to compare the outcome of patients with esophageal cancer who had either modified Collard or standard hand-sewn cervical esophagogastric anastomoses in reconstruction during esophagectomy...

..To address this issue, indications and outcomes of decortication after lung transplantation were examined at our institution...

..Few data support current guidelines for donor selection in lung transplantation. We determined degree of compliance with current donor guidelines, effect of these and variances on survival, and other donor factors predicting survival...

..We report two cases of patients with severe scoliosis that underwent successful bilateral lung transplant and highlight patient selection, complications and outcomes...

..CONCLUSION: The use of the Polyflex stent for the treatment of benign airway conditions is associated with a high complication rate. We have abandoned its use under such conditions in our practice...

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..At exactly what point this occurs remains undefined, but certainly by the tenth day of intubation, if extubation is not imminent, arrangements should be made for surgical tracheostomy by a team experienced with the chosen technique...

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..The occurrence of atrial fibrillation after esophageal resection should prompt not only the appropriate management of the arrhythmia but also a search for a more ominous underlying cause...

..Surgical resections in patients with such a history were more complicated but resulted in similar outcomes...

..Bypass surgery, however, is a reasonable option as an unplanned procedure when resection is precluded at the time of exploration because of unexpected adverse operative findings...