Research Publications
Our primary focus at The Baird Institute is to encourage and fund research to improve the surgical outcomes and quality of life for patients facing heart or lung surgery. The funds we raise go directly to research that improves the surgical procedures associated with heart and lung surgery. Improvements can include less intrusive procedures as well as techniques that improve survival rates.
Below you will find a list of publications that our surgeons and research fellows have been involved in writing.
Myocardial Posttranscriptional Landscape in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
Background: Pregnancy imposes significant cardiovascular adaptations, including progressive increases in plasma volume and cardiac output. For most women, this physiological adaptation resolves at the end of pregnancy, but some women develop pathological dilatation and ultimately heart failure late in pregnancy or in the postpartum period, manifesting as peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). Despite the mortality risk of this…
Aortic and Mitral Valve Endocarditis-Simply Left-Sided Endocarditis or Different Entities Requiring Individual Consideration?-Insights from the CAMPAIGN Database
Background: Aortic valve infective endocarditis (AV-IE) and mitral valve infective endocarditis (MV-IE) are often grouped together as one entity: left-sided endocarditis. However, there are significant differences between the valves in terms of anatomy, physiology, pressure, and calcification tendency. This study aimed to compare AV-IE and MV-IE in terms of patient characteristics, pathogen profiles, postoperative outcomes,…
A comparison of fixation and immunofluorescence protocols for successful reproducibility and improved signal in human left ventricle cardiac tissue
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) are crucial techniques for studying cardiac physiology and disease. The accuracy of these techniques is dependent on various aspects of sample preparation and processing. However, standardised protocols for sample preparation of tissues, particularly for fresh-frozen human left ventricle (LV) tissue, have yet to be established and could potentially lead to…
Impact of Complex Anatomy and Patient Risk Profile in Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery
Background: We aimed to assess the impact of complex mitral valve disease and patient risk profile on operative outcomes in the large cohort of the Mini-Mitral International Registry. Methods: Patients were assigned to categories of complex degenerative mitral valve regurgitation (DMR; bileaflet or anterior mitral leaflet prolapse/flail) and simple DMR (posterior mitral leaflet prolapse/flail). Subgroup analyses was…
Indocyanine Green (ICG): A Versatile Tool in Enhancing Precision in Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Intraoperative fluorescence imaging using indocyanine green (ICG) is an innovative and safe tool in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. It provides real-time imaging capabilities that can enhance surgical precision. We describe several clinical uses of ICG including intersegmental plane identification, thoracic duct injury localisation, anomalous systemic artery identification in pulmonary sequestration, phrenic nerve identification, and sentinel…
Pearls and Pitfalls of Epicardial Echocardiography for Implantation of Impella CP Devices in Ovine Models
The Impella CP is a percutaneously inserted temporary left ventricular assist device used in clinical practice and in translational research into cardiogenic shock, perioperative cardiac surgery, acute cardiac failure and mechanical circulatory support. Fluoroscopic guidance is usually used for insertion of an Impella, thus limiting insertion to within catheterization laboratories. Transthoracic, transoesophageal and intracardiac echocardiography…
Transatlantic analysis of patient profiles and mid-term survival after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting: a head-to-head comparison between the European DuraGraft Registry and the US STS Registry
Introduction: Although cardiovascular surgery societies in Europe and the USA constantly strive for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the available evidence on whether such efforts result in similar patient outcomes is limited. Therefore, in the present analysis, we sought to compare patient profiles and overall survival outcomes for…
Outcomes following heart valve surgery in patients with infective endocarditis and preoperative septic cerebral embolism: insights from the CAMPAIGN study group
Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the impact of preoperative septic cerebral embolism on early and late postoperative outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis undergoing valve surgery. Methods: Retrospective multicentric study based on the Clinical Multicentric Project for Analysis of Infective Endocarditis in Germany (CAMPAIGN) registry comprising patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve surgery between 1994…
