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Journal and News Scan
October 30, 2025
Submitted by: Vincent Sier
An analysis of 10 trials involving more than 10,000 patients with non-acute heart disease compared outcomes for three treatment strategies: optimal medical therapy (OMT), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with OMT, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with OMT.
Using a network meta-analysis, scientists found that CABG with OMT was the most effective strategy for reducing long-term mortality, myocardial infarction, and the need for repeat procedures. For example, CABG+OMT had a lower hazard ratio (HR) vs OMT (0.84, 95 percent credible interval (CrI) 0.68−1.07) compared to PCI+OMT vs OMT (0.93, 95 percent CrI 0.79−1.16). The probability of CABG+OMT being the best treatment for mortality was 88.1 percent.
October 30, 2025
Submitted by: EACTS Staff
The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) has developed a unified Core Curriculum for cardiac surgical training to address variations in training standards across Europe. Created with contributions from 26 national programs, the curriculum outlines competencies across three stages of training—introductory, intermediate, and advanced. It emphasizes competency-based progression, minimum case requirements, standardized assessments, and robust quality assurance. While adoption is voluntary, the curriculum is designed to enhance training quality, safeguard patient care, and support surgeon mobility across European borders.
October 23, 2025
Submitted by: Jade Qu
This retrospective study analyzed 35,038 U.S. lung transplant recipients, of which 526 also received kidney transplants for renal replacement or chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3b-5. The findings demonstrates that sequential lung–kidney transplantation yielded superior long-term survival compared to simultaneous procedures, particularly in CKD patients. While simultaneous transplants were associated with reduced short-term mortality compared to lung-only transplantation. Overall, kidney transplantation decreased the mortality risk by 40 percent. These results indicate that sequential transplantation enables better postoperative risk management. The 2023 OPTN “safety-net” policy, which prioritizes kidneys for recent lung recipients, is supported by these findings as a means to improve survival in thoracic patients with renal dysfunction.
October 23, 2025
Submitted by: Vincent Sier
The authors conducted a randomized study involving 40 patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to compare techniques for preparing internal thoracic arteries. They found that skeletonized grafts showed endothelial disruption, reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase staining, and lower plasma nitric oxide levels when compared with pedicled grafts without endothoracic fascia. Endothelin-1 release and EDN1 mRNA expression were significantly higher in skeletonized arteries. The authors concluded that skeletonization impairs endothelial integrity and shifts the nitric oxide-endothelin balance, which may negatively affect graft performance.
October 23, 2025
Submitted by: Francesco Pollari
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being embedded into clinical research workflows, covering aspects from data processing and modeling to manuscript drafting. While the human role remains essential—particularly in hypothesis formulation, clinical interpretation and ethical oversight—it is becoming more supervisory, curatorial, or interpretive. In this context, the term “AI-assisted medical writing” may no longer be appropriate. A more accurate description would reflect the reality of human-assisted machine research, where the computational workload is largely executed by algorithms under human direction. Acknowledging this inversion is essential to ensure transparency, methodological integrity, and proper attribution in modern scientific communication.
October 23, 2025
Submitted by: Akshay Patel
The NeoCOAST-2 trial, published in Nature Medicine, evaluates the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant durvalumab-based combination regimens for resectable stage IIA–IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This phase II, open-label, multicenter study randomized patients to receive durvalumab either alone or in combination with novel immune modulators, including oleclumab (anti-CD73) or monalizumab (anti-NKG2A), alongside platinum-based chemotherapy prior to surgery. The results demonstrated higher major pathological response (MPR) and pathological complete response (pCR) rates with durvalumab combinations compared to durvalumab plus chemotherapy alone, without compromising surgical feasibility or safety. Most patients proceeded to complete resection, with acceptable perioperative complication rates and no new safety signals.
For CTSNet’s global cardiothoracic surgery audience, this study is particularly relevant as it demonstrates how immunomodulatory combinations can enhance tumor clearance preoperatively while maintaining operability and safety. These findings highlight the evolving role of surgery within multimodal immunotherapy protocols, shaping future standards for curative-intent management of resectable NSCLC.
October 23, 2025
Submitted by: Vincent Sier
This single-center matched study assessed the perioperative outcomes of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) therapy in cardiac surgery patients with heart failure. Among 33 SGLT2i users and 33 matched controls, baseline renal function was comparable. At 36 hours postoperatively, the SGLT2i group showed significantly higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (+11.8 mL/min, p=0.009). Additionally, trends toward improved urine output, diuretic efficacy, and lower albuminuria were observed, although these were not statistically significant. Diuretic requirements were numerically higher in the control group. These findings suggest potential nephroprotective benefits of perioperative SGLT2i use during cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation.
October 16, 2025
Submitted by: Vincent Sier
In this article, the author reflects on 60 years of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), outlining its origins, the role of early surgical-cardiology collaboration, and its place alongside advances in medical therapy. Despite improvements in guideline-directed treatment, patients with extensive coronary disease still rely on CABG. The central message is that CABG remains the most durable revascularization strategy and will continue to be needed until true disease modifying therapies emerge.
October 16, 2025
Submitted by: EACTS Staff
This review evaluates branched and fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair (B-/F-TEVAR) for aortic arch pathologies. Technical success rates are high (84-100 percent), with 30-day mortality ranging from 0–25 percent and stroke rates between 3–36 percent. Fenestrated repairs show lower mortality (2 percent in some studies) for lesser curvature pathologies, while branched repairs offer greater anatomical adaptability but have higher stroke rates. The authors conclude that B-/F-TEVAR is feasible for high-risk patients with complex aortic arch disease; however, stroke remains a significant concern, and reintervention rates indicate durability challenges.
October 16, 2025
Submitted by: Vincent Sier
The authors analyzed 2,748 adults undergoing aortic root replacement between 2004 and 2021. They report an overall stroke rate of 3.4 percent, which was highest in patients aged 80 years and older (9.7 percent). This group also experienced more renal failure requiring dialysis, prolonged ventilation, longer hospital stays, and the highest in-hospital mortality (13 percent). The 10-year survival was 78 percent overall but declined to 63 percent in ages 70–79 and 4 percent for those aged 80 years and older. Reoperation was required in 4 percent of cases, most often among patients aged 30–49. The authors conclude that outcomes worsen significantly with advanced age.