Noteworthy Cardiac Surgical Literature 2018: Value-Based Bundled Payments, Opioid Crisis and Cardiac Surgery, Percutaneous Suction Thrombectomy for Intracardiac/Caval Thrombus and Vegetations, and Minimally Invasive Left Ventricular Assist Device Placement

There has been tremendous evolution in the care of cardiac surgical patients in 2018. In this article, 4 topics of considerable impact on cardiac surgical care in the current landscape are reviewed based on recent publications. The first topic reviews the recent paradigm shift to value-based payments and the potential role of bundled payments on health care and physician reimbursement. The second topic highlights the impact of the opioid crisis on cardiac surgery. The third topic demonstrates the increasing utilization and expanding role of novel percutaneous suction thrombectomy technique in the extraction of caval and right-sided intracardiac thrombi and vegetations with veno-venous bypass. The final topic reviews the current trend of minimally invasive left ventricular assist device placement. Each of these topics addresses the contemporary issues in cardiac surgery with the reasoning for evolution in our current practices in 2018.