Noteworthy Literature Published in 2018 for Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologists

The year 2018 was marked by high-quality, impactful articles spanning the basic, translational, and clinical spectrum in the field of cardiothoracic anesthesia. In this article, we present several hand-picked articles from the past year that we feel were the most significant in shaping our specialty. Large multicenter, randomized controlled trials presenting clinical outcome data dominated the publishing arena: is a restrictive red blood cell transfusion strategy superior to a liberal red blood cell transfusion strategy during cardiopulmonary bypass? Does a low mean arterial blood pressure strategy during cardiopulmonary bypass increase stroke incidence? Does the obesity paradox apply to cardiac surgery? Advancing technology continues to revolutionize our field: can the MitraClip be used to effectively treat secondary mitral regurgitation? Can stem cells improve cardiac function in patients with left ventricular assist devices? These studies allow us to shape our practice in an evidence-based manner, so that we may evolve as a specialty and deliver the best care to our patients.