Publisher's Synopsis
The second Symposium on Cardio Thoracic Surgery held in Bad Oeynhausen, September 5-7, 1991 covered a very large spectrum with the newest approaches in each aspect of cardio vascular surgery. The first session was devoted to three main topics of congenital surgery: palliation or correction of complex lesions, total cavo pulmonary connection and arterial switch operation.;In the second session the still crucial and unsettled question of myocardial preservation was treated by two famous pioneers in that field with a presentation of trauma metabolism and the heart. Pulsatile and non pulsatile flow in extra corporeal circulation were compared by an expert of this subject. Reduction of blood use in open heart surgery was the following topic.;In session V the increasing role of Doppler echocardiography before and during cardiac surgery was emphasized in valve reconstruction, in the assessment of initial regurgitation, in aortic dissection and in congenital heart diseases. New trends in valve surgery were exposed. Session VII was dedicated to surgical treatment of malignant tachyarrhythmias and the use of implantable defibrillators. The final session was dedicated to the current state of heart/heart lung transplantation, followed by a short discussion on indications of congenital and valvular surgery, ventricular assist devices and quality of life after heart surgery.
