According to a recent study, early fiberoptic bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy can improve patient outcomes. This study was published in the Journal of cardiothoracic surgery.

This prospective, randomized clinical trial enrolled 106 patients, who were scheduled for thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy due to esophageal cancer. The participants were assigned to either the control group (n=53) which consisted of traditional postoperative care or study group (n=53), which included traditional postoperative care with early bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage. The study outcomes were length of hospital stay, medical expenses, and postoperative complications.

At the end of the study, it was found that length of hospital stay was shorter and the medical expenses were lower during hospitalization in the study group when compared to the control group. Moreover, the incidences of overall complications in study group were also fewer than the control group.

From the above results, it can be concluded that early fiberoptic bronchoscopic sputum aspiration and lavage after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy may result in shorter length of hospital stay, lower medical expense, and fewer incidence of postoperative complications.

A recent study suggests that patients with atrial fibrillation after successful transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) showed significantly more satisfied Treatment Satisfaction and Convenience scores with edoxaban. The results of this study were published in The American Journal of Cardiology.

The ENVISAGE-TAVI AF trial was a prospective, randomized, open-label study that included patients who were randomized to receive either edoxaban (n=585) or VKA-treated (n=522). Pre and post-TAVR Treatment Satisfaction and Convenience were analyzed using the Perception of Anticoagulation Treatment Questionnaire (PACT-Q), that included assessment at baseline (PACT-Q1) and ≥1 post baseline assessment (PACT-Q2). Patients stratified by pre-TAVR anticoagulant (NOAC, VKA, or no NOAC/VKA) were included in subanalyses.

After TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement), edoxaban-treated patients showed significantly higher Treatment Satisfaction and Convenience scores compared with VKA-treated patients across all time points. Among edoxaban-treated patients, those who received VKAs pre-TAVR were reportedly more satisfied with treatment than those who received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) or NOACs/VKAs.

Based on the above results, it can be concluded that patients with atrial fibrillation who were administered edoxaban post-TAVR may show significantly higher Treatment Satisfaction and Convenience scores compared with those who received VKAs.

A recent study found that bariatric surgery presented an effective and durable strategy for high blood pressure in obese patients. The conclusions of this study were published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In this randomized clinical trial, 100 participants with grade 1 or 2 obesity with hypertension and using a minimum of two medications were enrolled. These individuals were randomly allocated to receive either Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in conjunction with medical therapy (MT) or MT alone.  The original primary outcome of the study was lessening at least 30% of the total antihypertensive medications, while still maintaining blood pressure levels at <140/90 mm Hg at 5 years.

At the end of 5 years, it was observed that BMI (body mass index) was 36.40 kg/m² and 28.01 kg/m² for MT and RYGB. RYGB showed a greater rate in the number of medication reduction when compared to MT. The mean number of antihypertensive medications was 2.97 and 0.80 for MT and RYGB, respectively. Hypertensive remission rates were 2.4% vs 46.9%.

Based on the above results, it can be concluded that the rate of resistant hypertension may be lower after RYGB, thus showing that bariatric surgery may offer an effective and durable strategy to control high blood pressure in patients suffering from obesity.