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Perioperative and Intensive Care Challenges in Cardiac Surgery

A Special Issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144) belonging to the section "Cardiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2027 | Viewed by 763

Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 50162 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: cardiothoracic anesthesiology; cardiopulmonary bypass; systematic inflamatory response; postoperative complication; postoperative delirium; cerebral autoregulation dysfunction; renal impairment after cardiac surgery; postoperative pulmonary dysfunction

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 50162 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: cardiac surgery; coronary artery bypass; cardioplegia; intraoperative angiography; coronary artery disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery have significantly improved perioperative survival and postoperative recovery. Nevertheless, patients undergoing major surgical procedures continue to experience a substantial burden of complications requiring intensive care management, prolonged hospitalization, and long-term rehabilitation. Increasing patient age, multimorbidity, and procedural complexity, together with the growing use of minimally invasive interventions and mechanical circulatory support technologies, continue to reshape perioperative and critical care practice worldwide.

At the same time, perioperative medicine faces several important challenges. Despite ongoing technological progress, postoperative complications such as hemodynamic instability, respiratory failure, delirium, bleeding, and organ dysfunction remain common and are associated with considerable morbidity and healthcare costs. There is growing recognition that successful perioperative care requires not only technical expertise but also timely clinical decision-making, multidisciplinary collaboration, individualized patient management, and implementation of evidence-based strategies across the entire perioperative pathway. These evolving concepts create new opportunities for both translational research and improvements in everyday clinical practice.

This Special Issue aims to present current advances and emerging perspectives in perioperative medicine, cardiac anesthesia, and intensive care related to cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgical patients. We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, clinical investigations, and evidence-based reviews addressing contemporary perioperative and critical care challenges, with particular attention to patient safety, organ protection, postoperative recovery, and multidisciplinary approaches to care.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

[Topic 1] Cardiac anesthesia and perioperative management

[Topic 2] Vasoplegic syndrome and right ventricular dysfunction

[Topic 3] Postoperative delirium and neurocognitive complications

Dr. Judita Andrejaitienė
Dr. Povilas Jakusǩa
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 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

  • cardiac surgery
  • cardiothoracic anesthesia
  • perioperative medicine
  • intensive care
  • cardiothoracic critical care
  • postoperative complications
  • hemodynamic monitoring
  • mechanical circulatory support
  • extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
  • postoperative delirium
  • respiratory failure
  • vasoplegic syndrome
  • right ventricular dysfunction
  • organ protection
  • enhanced recovery after surgery
  • perioperative monitoring
  • postoperative critical care
  • extracorporeal circulation
  • patient safety
  • multidisciplinary care

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

27 pages, 775 KB  
Review
Modifiable Perioperative Practices for the Prevention of Postoperative Complications After Cardiac Surgery: A Narrative Review
by Livia Gheța, Oana Pătru, Mirela Vîrtosu, Andrei Grigorescu, Laurențiu Brăescu, Gemil Alsarhan, Darius Buriman and Horea Feier
Medicina 2026, 62(8), 1469; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62081469 - 29 Jul 2026
Viewed by 494
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Despite substantial advances in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and perioperative care, postoperative complications remain a major source of morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and healthcare utilization following adult cardiac surgery (CS). Increasing evidence suggests that many of these complications are influenced [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Despite substantial advances in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and perioperative care, postoperative complications remain a major source of morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and healthcare utilization following adult cardiac surgery (CS). Increasing evidence suggests that many of these complications are influenced by modifiable perioperative factors that can be addressed through multidisciplinary care. Materials and Methods: A narrative review was conducted to synthesize current evidence regarding perioperative practices associated with the prevention of postoperative complications in adult CS. A comprehensive literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science identified studies published between January 2015 and April 2026, supplemented by landmark studies and relevant clinical guidelines. Results: The identified evidence was organized into four major domains: infection prevention practices, physiological optimization strategies, protocol adherence and patient safety measures, and organizational and human factors. The strongest evidence supports timely antimicrobial prophylaxis, standardized infection prevention bundles, perioperative glycemic control, maintenance of normothermia, and patient blood management as key interventions associated with improved postoperative outcomes. Surgical safety checklists, standardized perioperative pathways, and adherence to evidence-based protocols further contributed to improved patient safety and consistency of care. Emerging evidence also highlighted the importance of communication, teamwork, safety culture, workload management, and healthcare professionals’ knowledge in facilitating successful implementation of perioperative interventions. Conclusions: Prevention of postoperative complications following CS requires a multidisciplinary, systems-based approach integrating evidence-based clinical interventions with standardized perioperative protocols and effective organizational practices that facilitate consistent implementation of evidence-based perioperative care. Future research should focus on prospective evaluation of integrated perioperative strategies, development of practical risk-stratification models, and further investigation of organizational determinants influencing implementation and postoperative outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perioperative and Intensive Care Challenges in Cardiac Surgery)
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