Publicaties

Since the early 1980's, with the clinical advent of in vitro fertilization resulting in so-called "test tube babies," a wide array of ethical considerations and concerns regarding artificial womb technology (AWT) have been described. Recent breakthroughs in the development of extracorporeal neonatal life support by means of AWT have reinitiated ethical interest about this topic with a sense of urgency. Most of the recent ethical literature on ...

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of sildenafil as a prenatal therapy in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic bilateral T3 sympathectomy for primary focal palmar hyperhidrosis in children has excellent short-term outcomes. However, data in the literature, on the long-term outcomes of the operation are scarce. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective institutional review of all children and adolescents undergoing T3 bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy for primary focal palmar hyperhidrosis between June 2013 and October 2020. We ...

Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor with a vasodilatory and anti-remodeling effect, has been investigated concerning various conditions during pregnancy. Per indication, we herein review the rationale and the most relevant experimental and clinical studies, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, when available. Indications for using sildenafil during the second and third trimester of pregnancy include maternal pulmonary ...

BACKGROUND: Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH) causes significant mortality and morbidity in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Since pulmonary vascular abnormalities in CDH develop early during foetal development, we hypothesized that prenatal maternal administration of treprostinil, through its anti-remodelling effect, would improve the PH-phenotype in the nitrofen rat model of CDH. METHODS: In a dose-finding study in ...

Despite advances in clinical care and modest improvement in mortality rates for extreme prematurity, morbidity remains a significant challenge. The ideal environment to support prematurity would be fluidic and rely on natural fetal circulation to mimic the natural fetal amniotic environment, yet such an environment has been unsuccessful in long-term support until recently. Our group has succeeded in developing such a support system to foster ...

BACKGROUND: There is a steady decline in the general surgery workforce in rural areas of the United States. In response, some surgery residency programs have developed rural tracks to encourage rural practice and adequately prepare trainees for this setting. OBJECTIVE: To compare the practice type and location of graduates from general surgery residency programs with and without a dedicated rural track between 2011-2020. METHODS: General surgery ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety of Partial-Amniotic-Insufflation-of-heated-humidified-CO2 (hPACI) during fetoscopic spina bifida repair (fSB-repair). METHOD: A simulated fSB-repair through an exteriorized uterus under hPACI was performed in 100-day fetal lambs (term = 145 days) under a laboratory anesthesia protocol (n = 5; group 1) which is known to induce maternal-fetal acidosis and hypercapnia. Since these may not occur clinically, we applied ...