Objective To explore the causes of conversion to thoracotomy in patients with minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in a surgical team, and to obtain a deeper understanding of the timing of conversion in MIE. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent MIE between September 9, 2011 and February 12, 2022 by a single surgical team in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The main influencing factors and perioperative mortality of patients who converted to thoracotomy in this group were analyzed. Results In the cohort of 791 consecutive patients with MIE, there were 520 males and 271 females, including 29 patients of multiple esophageal cancer, 156 patients of upper thoracic cancer, 524 patients of middle thoracic cancer, and 82 patients of lower thoracic cancer. And 46 patients were converted to thoracotomy for different causes. The main causes for thoracotomy were advanced stage tumor (26 patients), anesthesia-related factors (5 patients), extensive thoracic adhesions (6 patients), and accidental injury of important structures (8 patients). There was a statistical difference in the distribution of tumor locations between patients who converted to thoracotomy and the MIE patients (P<0.05). The proportion of multiple and upper thoracic cancer in patients who converted to thoracotomy was higher than that in the MIE patients, while the proportion of lower thoracic cancer was lower than that in the MIE patients. The perioperative mortality of the thoracotomy patients was not significantly different from that of the MIE patients (P=1.000). Conclusion In MIE, advanced-stage tumor, anesthesia-related factors, extensive thoracic adhesions, and accidental injury of important structures are the main causes of conversion to thoracotomy. The rate varies at different tumor locations. Intraoperative conversion to thoracotomy does not affect the perioperative mortality of MIE.
Objective To investigate the 30-day mortality risk factors in elderly patients (≥70 years) with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and to construct a nomogram for predicting mortality risk. Methods A retrospective analysis of elderly HFrEF patients undergoing isolated CABG at Tianjin Chest Hospital from 2010 to 2024. Simple random sampling in R was used to divide the dataset into training and validation sets in a 7 : 3 ratio. The training set was further divided into survivors and non-survivors. Univariate logistic regression was performed to identify differences between groups, followed by multivariate logistic stepwise regression to select independent risk factors for death and to establish a death-risk nomogram, which underwent internal validation. The predictive value of the nomogram was assessed by plotting receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision-curve analyses for both the training and validation sets. ResultsA total of 656 patients were included. The training set consisted of 458 patients (survivors 418, deaths 40); the validation set consisted of 198 patients (survivors 180, deaths 18). In the training cohort, univariate analysis showed significant differences between survivors and deaths for creatinine (Cr) level, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), maximum Cr, intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use, assisted ventilation, reintubation, hyperlactatemia, low cardiac output syndrome, and renal failure (P<0.05). After multivariable logistic regression with stepwise selection, five independent risk factors were identified: intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use (OR=3.391, 95%CI 1.065–11.044, P=0.038), reintubation (OR=15.991, 95%CI 4.269–67.394, P<0.001), hyperlactatemia (OR=8.171, 95%CI 2.057–46.089, P=0.007), creatinine (Cr) (OR=4.330, 95%CI 0.997–6.022, P=0.024), and BNP (OR=1.603, 95%CI 1.000–2.000, P=0.010). Accordingly, a nomogram predicting mortality risk was constructed. The ROC and calibration analyses indicated good predictive value: training set AUC 0.898 (95%CI 0.831–0.966); validation set AUC 0.912 (95%CI 0.805–1.000). Calibration and decision-curve analyses showed good agreement and clinical utility. Conclusion The nomogram incorporating IABP use, reintubation, hyperlactatemia, creatinine, and BNP provides good predictive value for 30-day mortality after CABG in elderly patients with HFrEF and demonstrates potential clinical utility.