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Cardiac Surgery: Innovations, Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Cardiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 July 2025 | Viewed by 689

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Larissa University Hospital, Larissa, Greece
Interests: minimally invasive cardiac surgery; aortic surgery; CABG surgery; risk factor analysis in cardiac surgery

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Guest Editor
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, German Heart Centre, Munich, Germany
Interests: minimally invasive cardiac surgery; reconstructive valve surgery; minimally invasive CABG

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, persisting as a significant global health challenge. Heart surgery has undergone a tremendous evolution, encompassing some of the greatest accomplishments in the history of medicine, resulting in operative mortality being as low as 1%–3% in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. In everyday clinical practice, we have observed a shift from standard classic operations to a new era of minimally invasive surgery, including smaller incisions, off-pump, hybrid surgeries, and procedures supported by robotics, most of which are increasingly challenged by catheter-based endovascular techniques. The modern cardiac surgeon, apart from being a quick problem solver and efficient decision maker, has to overcome new challenges in the constantly transformative landscape of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiac patients are far more complicated than in the past, as they present more common issues, such as advanced age-related degenerative valve diseases, aortic dissections, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and cases requiring repeated surgeries. Undoubtedly, all the above-mentioned novel technologies and further technical advances, such as 3D printing, integration of artificial intelligence, and advanced real-time imaging, enabled heart surgeons to plan and perform patient-tailored operations with enhanced outcomes and improved quality of services and life.

We invite all physicians, surgeons and researchers with interest in cardiac surgery to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Cardiac Surgery: Innovations, Challenges and Opportunities”. We welcome all information regarding cutting-edge developments, including novel clinical research findings, presentations of new technologies, reviews of current and emerging therapeutic procedures, and educational case reports. Our aim is to provide the readers with an update on this ever-changing field, as well as to discuss related future challenges.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Minimally invasive cardiac surgery;
  • Redo cardiac surgery;
  • Complex aortic surgery;
  • Degeneration of bioprosthetic heart valves and management strategies;
  • Cardiac surgery after TAVI or endovascular aortic procedures;
  • Prosthetic endocarditis: management strategies;
  • Surgical treatment of heart failure and advances in mechanical circulatory support;
  • Innovations in cardiopulmonary bypass management and myocardial protection;
  • Perioperative treatment of cardiac surgery patients: challenges and innovations.

Dr. Kyriakos Spiliopoulos
Dr. Keti Vitanova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • minimally invasive cardiac surgery
  • redo cardiac surgery
  • transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)
  • advances in mechanical circulatory support
  • endo-carditis
  • aortic surgery

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

8 pages, 188 KiB  
Article
High-Sensitivity Troponin T as a Predictor of Prolonged Intensive Care Unit Stay and Worse Treatment Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Heart Valve Surgery
by Piotr Duchnowski, Witold Śmigielski and Piotr Kołsut
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(14), 4989; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14144989 - 15 Jul 2025
Viewed by 226
Abstract
Background: Prolonged stays in the postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) for patients undergoing heart valve surgery are mainly caused by the development of complications. In turn, with the extension of the ICU stay, there is a risk of developing further serious postoperative complications. [...] Read more.
Background: Prolonged stays in the postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) for patients undergoing heart valve surgery are mainly caused by the development of complications. In turn, with the extension of the ICU stay, there is a risk of developing further serious postoperative complications. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate selected biomarkers in terms of their predictive potential for a prolonged postoperative stay in the ICU. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on a group of patients undergoing heart valve surgery. The primary endpoint was prolonged postoperative intensive care unit stay beyond 3 days (above the median). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictors of the occurrence of the primary endpoint. Results: A total of 631 patients were included in the study. The median stay in the ICU was 3 days (2–5). A total of 265 patients required a prolonged stay in the ICU. In multivariate logistic regression analysis troponin T measured before surgery (p = 0.014), EuroSCORE II operative risk score (p = 0.004), troponin T measured the day after surgery (p = 0.005), preoperative RDW level (p = 0.005) and the presence of preoperative atrial fibrillation (p = 0.002) were independent predictors of the primary endpoint. Conclusions: Patients with elevated troponin T values determined both before the procedure and in the early postoperative period should be given special attention, because this group of patients is burdened with an increased risk of prolonged stay in the postoperative ward, the occurrence of serious postoperative complications and ultimately worse prognosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiac Surgery: Innovations, Challenges and Opportunities)
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