Journal and News Scan

In this article, the authors provide the first global quantification of women cardiac surgeons (WCS) and examine factors related to workforce diversity. The authors report that women constitute 8.0 percent (1,178/14,651) of the international cardiac surgical workforce, with a median of 0.00 WCS per million women (IQR: 0.00–0.09). North America (11.4 percent) and Europe (10.3 percent) have the highest regional representation, while East Asia (2.9 percent) and the Middle East (1.7 percent) have the lowest. High-income countries (9.9 percent) have double the proportion of WCS compared to low- and middle-income countries (4.8 percent), with a notable absence in low-income countries. Female representation correlates with Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (τ = 0.39), the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) (τ = 0.26), and health expenditure (τ = 0.26). 

This study investigates lung transplant outcomes across age groups, highlighting key survival trends and risk factors. Among the 33,644 recipients, older patients (aged 65–79 years) more frequently underwent single lung transplantation. Bilateral lung transplantation provided a significant survival advantage over single lung transplantation for recipients up to 74 years of age, but not for those aged 75–79, who showed poor long-term survival regardless of procedure type. A history of prior cardiac surgery was identified as a significant risk factor for decreased survival, with older patients more likely to receive single lung transplants if they had such a history. 

This research underscores the importance of tailored patient selection and surgical approaches for older lung transplant candidates. The findings offer valuable insights into optimizing outcomes and resource allocation for an increasingly older transplant population. 

This study examined the preoperative status and surgical outcomes of male versus female degenerative mitral valve regurgitation patients undergoing surgery. The authors reviewed the institutional database for all patients who underwent surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation between 2013 and 2021. Preoperative clinical and echocardiographic variables, surgical characteristics, and outcomes were compared. A total of 963 patients were included, 32.6 percent of whom were female. Results showed that women were older and more likely to have bileaflet prolapse, mitral annular calcification, and tricuspid regurgitation. Women also required mechanical circulatory support more frequently, had longer stays in the intensive care unit, were on mechanical ventilation for longer periods, and had longer overall hospitalization. Guidelines may need to be adjusted to address these disparities and improve postoperative recovery. 

This article addresses the evolving role of invasive mediastinal restaging in managing resectable stage II and III NSCLC in the era of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. It emphasizes that while invasive restaging is not routinely required for all patients after neoadjuvant therapy, it remains essential in cases with suspected disease progression—particularly to exclude new N3 status or differentiate between true disease progression and benign nodal immune flare. The authors underscore that surgical resection continues to be a critical component of curative-intent treatment, even for patients with persistent N2 disease, due to the lack of definitive evidence supporting radiation-based or systemic-only alternatives in such scenarios. 
 
This article is significant to the cardiothoracic surgery community as it highlights the need for multidisciplinary decision-making and ongoing research to refine treatment strategies. This article also provides practical insights into integrating novel therapeutic paradigms with surgical care to optimize outcomes in NSCLC.