Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33686408›Full record

ArticleInteractive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery2021

Blood metal levels after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum.

Michele Torre, Luca Genova Gaia, Maria Grazia Calevo, Michela Wong, Maria Raso, Sebastiano Barco, Francesca Di Gaudio, Giuliana Cangemi

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. [Adverse effects of metal exposure in pectus excavatum surgery].Anales del sistema sanitario de Navarra · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michele TorrePediatric Thoracic and Airway Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5197-4380
Luca Genova GaiaDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
Maria Grazia CalevoEpidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
Michela WongDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
Maria RasoChromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Department PROMISE, University Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Sebastiano BarcoChromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Central Laboratory of Analyses, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
Francesca Di GaudioChromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Quality Control and Chemical Risk (CQRC), Department PROMISE, University Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giuliana CangemiChromatography and Mass Spectrometry Section, Central Laboratory of Analyses, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
Istituto Giannina Gaslini · ITUniversity of Palermo · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesMinimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is the most popular surgical approach for paediatric patients with pectus excavatum. A substernal stainless still bar is inserted and left in place for 3 years and then removed. Our goal was to investigate blood metal levels after MIRPE and to correlate them with surgical details, such as the numbers of bars and stabilizers and the length of time the bar was in place.

methodsBlood levels of iron, chromium, manganese, molybdenum and nickel were analysed in 130 teenagers (108 boys and 22 girls) who had MIRPE using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A total of 62 patients were operated on using MIRPE (study group) and 68 patients were evaluated at implant time (control group). Differences between the numbers of bars implanted and the presence or absence of stabilizers were also considered.

resultsSignificant increases in the levels of abnormal chromium were found in patients in the study group compared with the controls (P = 0.02). When we compared the group of patients with 2 or more bars with the group with 1 bar, the percentage of patients with a value above the threshold increased by 29 (P = 0.05). A significant increase in chromium levels was observed in patients with stabilizers (P = 0.03). Above-threshold levels of molybdenum were found in 5.1% of patients in the control group, but the number was not statistically significant (P = 0.09).

conclusionsWe demonstrated that stainless steel devices used in MIRPE can elevate blood metal levels in paediatric patients. Moreover, we demonstrated that the use of metal stabilizers is associated with higher metal levels, probably due to increased dispersion.

Indexed as

Funnel ChestPlastic Surgery ProceduresThoracoplastyAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleMinimally Invasive Surgical ProceduresProstheses and ImplantsRetrospective StudiesMetallic barMetallosisMetal releaseMetal toxicityMIRPEPectus excavatum

Identifiers

PMID33686408
PMCPMC8691534
OpenAlexW3134942955

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.