David John Mccormack

The University of Waikato · Division of Health

Karcher C, Jurisevic C, Southwood T, et al. The Australasian ANZSCTS/ANZICS guidelines on cardiothoracic advanced life support (CALS-ANZ). Crit Care Resusc 2022; 24: 218-23. https://doi.org/10.51893/2022.3.SA3 The authors have identified the following deviation from the submitted manuscript in the recently published ANZSCTS/ANZICS guidelines on car...

Every year, more than 15 000 patients undergo cardiac surgery in Australia and NewZealand. 1 The overall incidence of cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery is between 0.7% and5.2%. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Most cardiac arrests occur within 24 hours of surgery, with up to 50% occurring in the first 3 hours following intensive care unit (ICU)admission. 2, 7 Comp...

Aims: Lung cancer is the largest cause of cancer death in New Zealand, accounting for (18.3%) of cancer-related deaths1,2. There is limited literature on how patients with lung cancer clinically present in New Zealand. The aim of this cohort study was to identify the rate of incidentally diagnosed lung cancer in the Midland region, the common sympt...

Objectives Type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is hypothesised as a progression of aneurysmal dilation, but 60% of patients in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (iRAD) registry had a maximum aortic diameter (MAD)<55 mm. We aim to demonstrate that size ratios and aortic wall stress, assessed using a simplified markers, are unique to...

Introduction Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machines have oxygenators with integrated filters and unique biocompatible coatings to combat systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and mitigate coagulopathy. Contemporary oxygenators have undergone comparative studies; however, our study aimed to identify the most appropriate oxygenator for our re...

Primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma (PPMM) is a rare malignancy arising from the serous mesothelial lining of the pericardium. These neoplasms are aggressive, pose diagnostic difficulties, and have a poor prognosis. The median survival is less than six months. Presenting symptoms are non-specific and include fatigue, dyspnea, and low-grade f...

Background Primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma (PPMM) is a rare malignancy arising from the serous mesothelial lining of the pericardium. These neoplasms are aggressive in nature, pose diagnostic difficulties, have a poor prognosis, and have a median survival of fewer than six months. Case presentation The first case involves a 75-year-old...

Background: Simulation training is a useful adjunct to surgical training and education (SET) in Cardiothoracic Surgery yet training opportunities outside the Royal Australasian College of Surgery or industry-sponsored workshops are rare due to high cost and limited training faculty, time, assessment tools or structured curricula. We describe our e...

Poster presentation by Dr. Navneet Singh at the Tongariro New Zealand Cardiac Surgery Conference 2021 in Nelson, New Zealand.

Background: The updated Australian System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (AusSCORE II) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Score are well-established tools in cardiac surgery for estimating operative mortality risk. No validation analysis of both risk models has been undertaken for a contemporary New Zealand population undergoing isol...

Background Inflammatory markers, such as neutrophils and lymphocytes, for risk stratification of postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease may provide benefit for patient selection for cardiac surgery. This study aimed to investigate the association between preoperative neutrophil to leucocyte ratio (NLR) after c...

Abstract accepted for Poster Presentation by Dr. Navneet Singh at the Tongariro New Zealand Cardiac Surgery Meeting 2020 in Nelson, New Zealand (presentation was not delivered due to meeting cancellation following the COVID-19 outbreak).

Background: We aimed to study prospectively the nature and effect of sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery over five years of follow-up. Methods: Patients undergoing CABG surgery (n=145) were assessed longitudinally (baseline, and 1- year, 5-years post-surgery) using the 'STOP-BAN...

Poster presentation by Navneet Singh at the ANZSCTS ASM 2019 in Hobart, Australia. This work was supervised by the WISER New Zealand group.

A 71‐year‐old woman presented with dysphagia and acute shortness of breath. Surgical history included a prior thoracotomy overseas for a bronchogenic mesothelial cyst 19 years before. Computed tomography demonstrated a mass within the posterior mediastinum measuring 69 × 70 × 74 mm. A median sternotomy was performed, and after removal of the cyst,...

Video S1. Computed tomography coronal slices of bronchogenic cyst with nasogastric tube in situ due to dysphagia.

Primary care practice pointer for chest pain after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Poster presentation by Navneet Singh at the New Zealand Tongariro Cardiac Surgery Meeting 2019 held in Napier, New Zealand.

Poster presentation by Navneet Singh at the New Zealand Tongariro Cardiac Surgery Meeting 2019 held in Napier, New Zealand.

Poster presentation by Navneet Singh at the New Zealand Tongariro Cardiac Surgery Meeting 2019 held in Napier, New Zealand.

Oral case presentation by Navneet Singh at the Waikato Aortic Forum 2018 in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Poster presentation by Navneet Singh at ANZSCTS ASM 2018 in Noosa, Australia.

Oral presentation by Navneet Singh at ANZSCTS ASM 2018 in Noosa, Australia.

Poster presentation by Navneet Singh at ANZSCTS ASM 2018 in Noosa, Australia.

Background: Enhanced recovery programs within cardiothoracic surgery are a well described benefit to patient postoperative outcomes. We describe our Australasian unit's experience of a day zero discharge enhanced recovery unit from the intensive care department. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on a prospectively maintained database...

Background: The updated European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE II) is a well-established cardiac surgery risk scoring tool for estimating operative mortality. This risk stratification system was derived from a predominantly European patient cohort. No validation analysis of this risk model has been undertaken for the New...

Published abstract in NZMJ.

A best evidence topic was constructed according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether the configuration of bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITAs) influences survival, patency or repeat revascularization in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Five hundred and seventy-one papers were found using the repor...

Coarctation of the aorta can require multiple redo surgeries. It is extremely pertinent to plan for this and ensure that each operation is performed with future repair in mind. We present a rare case and the subsequent management of competitive flow in coarctation of the aorta requiring a fourth operation for repair.

Oral presentation by Navneet Singh at WCC Biannual Research Seminar in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Empyema thoracis is a common benign pathology of the pleural space causing severe morbidity and mortality rates of 10–20%. Often it develops from a parapneumonic effusion over a period of 2–6 weeks. Most patients that develop an empyema are frail with significant co-morbidity, immunocompromise or have had recent thoracic instrumentation. Initial pr...

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: is there a difference in cardiothoracic surgery outcomes in terms of morbidity or mortality of patients operated on by a sleep-deprived surgeon compared with those operated by a non-sleep-deprived surgeon? Reported search criteria yi...

Standard mediastinoscopy (SM) is a safe and established procedure for biopsy of masses and lymph nodes in the mediastinum. Technological advancements have led to video assisted mediastinoscopy (VAM). We evaluated the literature relating to the two techniques to determine if there is a clinical advantage to VAM over SM. Studies directly comparing VA...

Aim: Surgical trainees commencing higher training now are younger and less experienced than their early 21st century counterparts. Our aim was to establish a national introductory course for all cardiothoracic surgery registrars appointed to start training in 2012. Methods: The course was designed using the Kern model of curricular development and...

Aortic valve reoperation after homograft root implantation is high risk and may be technically challenging. Dense calcification of the annulus may prevent suture placement and often necessitates impromptu high-risk redo root replacement. Although transcutaneous aortic valve implantation is an attractive option in such scenarios, in the context of e...

Acute limb ischemia due to type B aortic dissection is rare and continues to be a management challenge. A case series is presented here with the aim of assessing the outcomes of treatment with a femorofemoral crossover graft with or without thoracic stent graft insertion. This is a combined retrospective and prospective review of nine cases of acut...

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol, asking 'does surgery improve prognosis in patients with small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC)?' One hundred and thirteen papers were identified, of which the nine papers best able to answer the question were selected and the details of each tabulated. The prohibitive attitude of clini...

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether muscle-sparing thoracotomy (MST), as opposed to posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT), results in better recovery. A total of 108 papers were found using the reported searches of which eight represented the best evidence to answer the clinical questi...

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether cardiopulmonary bypass can be used safely with satisfactory maternal and foetal outcomes in pregnant patients undergoing cardiac surgery. A total of 679 papers were found using the reported searches of which 14 represented the best evidence to a...

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether smoking cessation prior to cardiac surgery would result in a greater freedom from postoperative complications. A total of 564 papers were found using the reported searches, of which five represented the best evidence to answer the clinical quest...

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is an established treatment for complex coronary artery disease. There is a widely held belief that cognitive decline presents post-operatively. A consensus statement of core neuropsychological tests was published in 1995 with the intention of guiding investigation into this issue. We conducted a meta-ana...

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol in order to identify the mode of anticoagulation that has the best safety profile for both the mother and the foetus in pregnant patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valves. A total of 281 papers were identified using the reported search, of which eight represented the best e...

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'Which stages of thymoma benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy post thymectomy?' Altogether more than 150 papers were found using the reported search, of which only eight represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The...