Design and Realization of Remote Infusion Monitoring System / 中国医疗器械杂志

In order to reduce the working intensity of medical staff in inspecting patients during traditional infusion, a remote monitoring system for intravenous infusion is designed for solving the problem of delay in handling treatment during infusion process and to reduce the incidence of medical accidents. The system uses Visual Basic.NET language to develop the upper computer platform for infusion monitoring. It uses the Arduino control board and infrared photoelectric sensor to form a monitoring device to detect relevant information. At the same time, it uses Zigbee wireless sensing technology to transmit data and upload it to the software platform. The results show that the system can receive data from multiple monitoring terminal devices in the upper computer platform application interface at the same time. It can display the data in the nurse station in a graphical way, and perform alarm warning and information storage during the infusion process. The infusion monitoring system can observe the monitoring situation in real time, reduce the workload of medical staff, and further improve the operating efficiency and safety of the hospital.

Comparison of quality of life and long-term outcomes following mitral valve replacement through robotically assisted versus median sternotomy approach / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the mid- and long-term outcomes of patients receiving mitral valve replacement through robotically assisted and conventional median sternotomy approach.@*METHODS@#The data of 47 patients who underwent da Vinci robotic mitral valve replacement in our hospital between January, 2007 and December, 2015 were collected retrospectively (robotic group). From a total of 286 patients undergoing mitral valve replacement through the median thoracotomy approach between March, 2002 and June, 2014, 47 patients were selected as the median sternotomy group for matching with the robotic group at a 1:1 ratio. The perioperative data and follow-up data of the patients were collected, and the quality of life (QOL) of the patients at 30 days and 6 months was evaluated using the Quality of Life Short Form Survey (SF-12). The time of returning to work postoperatively and the patients' satisfaction with the surgical incision were compared between the two groups.@*RESULTS@#All the patients in both groups completed mitral valve replacement successfully, and no death occurred during the operation. In the robotic group, only one patient experienced postoperative complication (pleural effusion); in median sternotomy group, one patient received a secondary thoracotomy for management of bleeding resulting from excessive postoperative drainage, and one patient died of septic shock after the operation. The volume of postoperative drainage, postoperative monitoring time, ventilation time, and postoperative hospital stay were significantly smaller or shorter in the robotic group than in the thoracotomy group (@*CONCLUSIONS@#Robotically assisted mitral valve replacement is safe and reliable. Compared with the median sternotomy approach, the robotic approach is less invasive and promotes faster postoperative recovery of the patients, who have better satisfaction with the quality of life and wound recovery.

Correlation between characteristic parameters of photoplethysmography and severity of coronary artery lesions / 中华老年心脑血管病杂志

Objective To study the correlation between characteristic parameters of photoplethysmography( PPG)and severity of coronary artery lesions.Methods Two hundred and twenty-six CHD patients who underwent CAG in our hospital from August 2018to November 2018were divided into single-vessel lesion group(n=55),double-vessel lesion group(n=74)and multi-vessel lesion group(n=97)according to their CAG.Their stiffness index(SI),crest time(CT),normalized crest time(NCT)and crest time ratio(CTR)were recorded by PPG and analyzed by correlation analysis.Results The SI was significantly different in single-vessel lesion group,double-vessel lesion group and multi-vessel lesion group(6.479±0.819m/s,6.692±1.051m/s and 6.943±1.096m/s,P=0.024).No significant difference was detected in CT,NCT and CTR among single-vessel lesion group,double-vessel lesion group and multi-vessel lesion group(P＞0.05).The SI was positively correlated with the severity of coronary artery lesions(r=0.162,P=0.015).Conclusion The SI is correlated with the severity of coronary artery lesions,which is of a certain value in predicting the severity of coronary artery lesions.

Robotic mitral valve replacement: A single center, medium-long term follow-up of 43 cases / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To summarize the surgical experience gained from robotic mitral valve replacement (MVR), and demonstrate the long-term clinical follow-up results. Methods From Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2015, more than 700 patients underwent various types of robotic cardiac surgery in the Department the authors served in, and of them 43 patients underwent robotic MVR with da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, USA). Among the 43 patients, the average age was 47±11 years (ranged 19-65 years), and sex ratio (female to male) was 0.8:1. Six patients were with heart function of NYHA class Ⅰ, 30 patients were of NYHA class Ⅱ and 7 patients were of NYHA class Ⅲ. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were 54%-78% (64.0%±7.1%), and 20 patients had atrial fibrillation on admission, and 35 patients were with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). Atrial septal defect (0.7cm in size) co-existed in 1 case and 1 patient had mild aortic regurgitation. Mechanical or bioprosthetic mitral valve was replaced via left atriotomy by using da Vinci robotic surgical system after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) set-up. Radiopaque titan clips was employed by Cor-Knot knot-tying device (LSI Solutions, Inc, Victor, NY) to anchor the prosthetic valve. Trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed before and after surgery. The operative data were collected and patients were followed up at outpatient clinic regularly up to 6 years. Results All cases were performed successfully with the same surgery. No conversion to median sternotomy or operative mortality occurred. The average operation time was 292±62 minutes (ranged 140-450 minutes) with CPB time of 124±26 minutes and aortic occlusion time of 88±21 minutes. The postoperative mechanical ventilation support time was continued for 15±6 hours, and the average staying length in critical care unit was 4±1 days. No myocardial infarction, ventricular tachycardia or excessive bleeding was complicated. All patients were successfully followed up for a median of 3.5 years (ranged 1 month to 6 years). In the follow-up period, no incidence of death, stroke, re-operation due to prosthetic endocarditis or prosthetic failure was reported. However, 39.5% (n=17) patients still had atrial fibrillation after surgery. Conclusion Robotic MVR is a safe and effective procedure with excellent long term surgical outcome.

Surgical management of renal neoplasm extending into the inferior veno cava / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To summarize our experience with surgical management of renal neoplasm involving inferoir veno cava.Methods We review the data of 115 patients,including 74 male patients and 41 female patients,with renal neoplasm involving venous system between March 1993 and December 2015.The mean age was 52 years old,ranging 22 to 77 years old.The tumor was found in right side in 77 cases and left side in 38 cases.There were 15 patients (13.0％) with renal vein thrombus,38 (33.1％) with infrahepatic thrombus,29 (25.2％) with low retrohepatic thrombus,20 (17.4％) with high retrohepatic thrombus,and 13 (11.3％) with supradiaphragmatic thrombus.The mean age was 52 years old,ranging 22 to 77 years old.The tumor was found in right side in 77 cases and left side in 38 cases.All patients accepted the radical nephrectomy.Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS),and cancer special survival (CSS) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) estimated by Kaplan-Meier method.Secondary outcome included operative and oncological features,past-operative complications and hospital mortality.Cox proportional hazard model was used to univariate and multivariate analysis for risk factor impacting on OS of RCC patients.Results Complete resections of renal neoplasm with tumor thrombus were achieved in 113 patients (98.3％),2 patients died intraoperatively due to the dropping of thrombus.Postoperative complication rate was 16.8％.Hospital mortality was 2.6％.Mean follow-up interval was 48 months.OS rates at 5-,and 10-year in RCC patients were 66.5％,and 61.8％,respectively.Metastasis was an independent risk factor affecting on OS (P =0.000).However,the level of thrombus was not an risk factor affecting the prognosis.Conclusions Radical resection of renal tumor and caval thrombus is an effective treatment for prolonging survival in patients with RCC extending into venous system.Retrohepatic caval tumor thrombus below or above the main hepatic vein should be dichotomized and managed respectively with diverse techniques.Metastatic rather than the level of thrombus was a risk factor impacting on RCC patient survival.

Resurgery for recurrent heart valve diseases / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To summarize the experience with resurgery for recurrent valvular heart diseases.Methods From June 2004 to June 2015, 28 patients (15 males and 13 females) with ages ranging from 44 to 67 years (55.6±6.5 years) with recurrent heart valve disease underwent resurgery. The reasons for resurgery included perivalvular leakage (7 cases), bioprosthetic valve decline (6 cases in mitral valve and 3 in tricuspid valve), mechanical prostheses dysfunction (2cases), infective endocarditis after valve replacement (2 cases), restenosis of repaired native valve (1 case), and severe tricuspid insufficiency after left-side valve surgery (7 cases). Resurgery included mitral valve replacement in 18 patients and tricuspid valve replacement in 10. All the patients underwent third or fourth or even fifth cardiac surgery for valve replacement.Results There were 2 hospital deaths with a mortality of 7.1% (2/28). The main causes of early-stage deaths were low cardiac output syndrome. The main postoperative complications were respiratory failure in 3, low cardiac output syndrome in 2, reexploration for bleeding in 2 and serious infectious shock in 1. All the patients were found with the great improvement in heart function and the re-implanted prostheses worked well during follow-up.Conclusions Although resurgery for recurrent heart valve disease poses a continuing challenge to cardiac surgeon, it could be performed with the satisfactory results. The keys to a successful cardiac resurgery include appropriate operational timing, refined surgical technique and reasonable perioperative managements.

Short-term follow-up results of hybrid coronary revascularization by robotic coronary artery bypass grafting and stent implantation / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the short-term outcomes of staged hybrid coronary revascularization performed using robotic-assisted off-pump coronary bypass grafting followed by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a non-left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery lesion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January, 2007 to May, 2013, 35 patients (32 male and 3 female patients, mean age 56.7 ± 9.6 years) underwent staged hybrid coronary revascularization. Ten patients had double-vessel and 25 patients had triple-vessel coronary diseases, and the lesions involved an average of 2.7 ± 0.5 coronary vessels. Coronary artery bypass grafting was completed in robotic-assisted left internal thoracic artery (ITA) harvesting and LITA to LAD bypass. Coronary angiography or 64-MSCT was performed to evaluate the patency of the ITA and stents at 6 months and at 1 to 5 years postoperatively. The patients were followed for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Staged hybrid revascularization was completed successfully in all the patients without complications. The LITA to LAD anastomosis was completed in minimally invasive direct coronary bypass grafting (MIDCAB) or totally robotic coronary bypass grafting on beating heart (TECAB) with the assistance of da Vinci Surgical System. The mean artery graft flow was 36.0 ± 22.5 ml/min, and the graft had a 100% patency before discharge. A total of 49 stents were deployed in 35 patients within 2 weeks after robotic coronary bypass grafting, with a mean of 1.34 ± 0.6 stents per case (1 stent in 23 cases, 2 stents in 11 cases, and 3 stents in 1 case). The patients were followed up for 17.5 ± 11.6 months, and 1 patient had artery graft occlusion and another had in-stent occlusion at 6 months. All the other 33 patients had patent LITA-to-LAD anastomosis without angina or MACE.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Staged hybrid revascularization strategy has acceptable angiographic patency results for both LITA-LAD grafts and PCI interventions.</p>

Surgical treatment of aortic paravalvular abscess by infective endocarditis / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the clinical features, pathology and surgical treatment experiences in the patients with aortic paravalvular abscess by infective endocarditis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The study consisted of a retrospective analysis of 29 cases with aortic paravalvular abscess by infective endocarditis underwent surgical treatment between January 2001 and June 2013. Among the 29 patients, 22 were male and 7 were female, and the mean age was (37 ± 16) years (range from 11 to 63 years). The primary cardiac disease was congenital aortic valve malformation in 16 patients. There were 15 patients with a history of severe heart failure. Of 29 cases, 8 abscess cavities, 13 pseudoaneurysms and 6 fistulas were found, and complete aortoventricular discontinuity was present in 5 patients with serious infections. Of them, the abscess was above the annulus in 14 patients and below the annulus in 10 patients, and simultaneously involved the annulus above and below in 5 patients. 19 patients were culture positive either positive preoperative blood cultures or positive cultures of surgical specimens, including 9 patients with Staphylococcus infection. The paravalvular defect was repaired by patch in 19 cases, and by local closure in 10 cases. The valvular annulus was reconstructed simultaneously in 16 patients. Aortic valve replacement was performed in 26 patients, and Bentall procedure in 2 patients, including 23 with prosthetic mechanical valve and 5 with biological valve.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the total 29 patients, 28 patients were recovered, and 1 patient was died of sepsis. During 3 months to 13 years postoperative follow-up (average 4.5 years), one was died of non-cardiac cause, and no patient had recurrent endocarditis and paravalvular leakage.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Aortic paravalvular abscess by infective endocarditis is not uncommon, prone to heart failure. According to the different pathological manifestations, the appropriate surgical approach and strategy can achieve satisfactory outcomes.</p>

Emergency coronary artery bypass grafting for acute coronary syndrome: mid-term follow-up results / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the experience with emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (ECABG) for management of acute coronary syndrome and analyze the mid-term follow-up results.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-five ECABG surgeries were performed in 34 male and 11 female patients (aged 65.6∓5.8 years) for cardiogenic shock (5 cases), acute heart failure (6 cases) and refractory unstable angina (34 cases). Twenty patients received the operation within one week after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 18 were preoperatively supported by intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP). All patients had triple-vessel disease and 15 had left main stenosis. Ten patients experienced two myocardial infarctions and 6 had chronic renal dysfunction including two requiring hemodialysis. On-pump operations were performed in all cases with a mean CPB time of 104.2∓29.7 min and cross clamping time of 69.0∓21.3 min. Cold blood or HTK cardioplegia was used for myocardial protection. The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) was routinely anastomosed to the left anterior descending artery (LAD), and the great saphenous vein (GSV) to other target vessels. The mean number of grafts was 2.9∓0.6.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Forty-one patients were cured and discharged and 4 patients died with an in-hospital mortality of 8.9%, including one associated with cardiac event (2.2%). IABP was weaned off within 28.5∓10.6 h after surgery except for one patient who died of multiple organ and system failure (MOSF). Thirty-eight patients (92.7%) were followed up for a mean of 37.3∓16.7 months, during which 2 patients died with a mid-term survival rate of 94.7%. Thirty-five (92.1%) patients had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I and II. The freedom from cardiac event was 90.5%. Follow-up echocardiography showed significantly improved left ventricular dimension and ejection fraction in these cases (P<0.05), and graft patency was 95.8% for the LIMA and 90.5% for the GSV.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Despite a slight increase of the in-hospital mortality, ECABG can improve the mid-term survival, freedom from cardiac event, and cardiac function when the indications and timing for surgery are well controlled with optimal perioperative management.</p>

Changes of circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the changes of circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells (cHPCs) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-one patients scheduled to undergo elective CABG surgery were prospectively enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 1, 3, and 5 days after the surgery. CD34⁺ CD45dim, CD133⁺ CD45dim, and CD34⁺ CD133⁺ CD45dim cells were measured by flow cytometry. The functionality of the circulating progenitor cells were studied in vitro using clonogenic and migration assays.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the elective patients showed a significant postoperative increase of CD34⁺ CD45dim (1.51 ± 1.26 vs 2.02 ± 1.16, P=0.036) and CD133⁺ CD45dim cells (1.16 ± 0.85 vs 1.65 ± 0.99, P=0.008) irrespective of on-pump or off-pump CABG. The perioperative changes of the cHPCs was more significant in patients undergoing on-pump surgery than those having off-pump surgery.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery, cHPC level increased early after the surgery but recovers the normal level over time.</p>

Efficacy of oral bosentan for treatment of congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of oral bosentan in the treatment of congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>24 patients with congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, including 4 receiving heart surgery and 20 with surgical contraindications, were enrolled in this study. All the patients were given oral bosentan and followed up regularly for analyzing the outcomes and side effects.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One patient was lost to follow up and one patient died. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure showed no significant changes at 2 (93.6 ± 17.2 mmHg) and 4 months (85.7 ± 25.5 mmHg) of bosentan treatment compared to that before the medication (97.8 ± 14.9 mmHg) (P=0.096), but decreased significantly after a 6-month therapy (80.9 ± 25.0 mmHg, P=0.029). The 6-minute walking distance increased significantly after a 2, 4, and 6-month therapy [(488 ± 98.8, 496.3 ± 89.0, and 491.3 ± 114.2 m, respectively; P=0.004, 0.003, and 0.004 vs the distance before medication (317.0 ± 134.1)]. The New York heart functional classification was improved significantly after a 2, 4, and 6-month therapy [(2.0 ± 0.5, 1.8 ± 0.4, and 1.7 ± 0.5, respectively; P<0.001 vs pre-medication score (2.9 ± 0.5)). Hepatic and renal function remained normal, and ALT and AST showed no significant variations during the medication (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Oral bosentan can effectively relieve the symptoms, decrease pulmonary artery hypertension, and improve exercise tolerance and cardiac function classification in patients with pulmonary artery hypertension associated with congenital heart disease with good safety and mild side effects.</p>

Impact of perioperative cardiovascular risk factors on bone marrow progenitor cells / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:celltherapy by the implantation of autologous bone marrow cells has been used for the treatment of ischemic heart diseases in clinical trials for decade. However, as the outcomes of celltransplantation obviously vary among patients, it is essential to identify the risk factors that may influence the level and function of progenitor cells in bone marrow, in order to identify the patients who would benefit the most from this treatment. OBJECTIVE:To observe the impact of perioperative cardiovascular risk factors on number and function of bone marrow progenitor cells from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. METHODS:We col ected clinical and laboratory data from 44 patients scheduled to undergo sternotomy for coronary artery bypass grafting procedures. Bone marrow was aspirated from the sternum during the operation and bone marrow mononuclear cells were isolated by density centrifugation with Ficol lymphoprep and then detected using trypan blue exclusion method. Levels of progenitor cells in bone marrow were evaluated using flow cytometry. Function of bone marrow progenitor cells were assessed by clonogenic and migration assays. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:We assessed the number of bone marrow mononuclear cells out of 20 mL bone marrow in duplicate samples from patients with coronary heart disease scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting that was (10-89)×106 cells with over 95%activity. A negative correlation was observed between the number of bone marrow mononuclear cells and the age (n=44, r=-0.788, P=0.001). Levels of CD34+, CD133+, and CD34+CD133+cells in bone marrow mononuclear cells was (0.94±0.39)%, (0.46±0.28)%, and (0.53±0.26)%. Levels of CD34+cells and CD133+cells in patients with diabetes were significantly lower than those in patients without diabetes. Female, advanced age and poor heart function were related with reduced colony-forming ability of progenitor cells. A positive correlation was observed between level of CD34+cells and migration ability of bone marrow mononuclear cells. The results show that by density gradient centrifugation, we can harvest a sufficient number of bone marrow mononuclear cells in the treatment for ischemic heart disease. Age, gender, diabetes, heart function are correlated with bone marrow mononuclear cellnumber and functions.

The effect of surgical revascularization on different timing after ST-elevation myocardial infarction on patients with ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analysis the influence of surgical revascularization on different timing after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) on patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 225 patients admitted from January 2003 to July 2012 with history of STEMI and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection faraction<50%) who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting was retrospectively reviewed. There were 186 male and 39 female patients. According to the timing of surgical revascularization after STEMI, the patients were divided into early revascularization group (ER group, <21 days), mid-term revascularization group (MR group, 21 to 90 days) and late revascularization group (LR group, >90 days). There were 20 male and 9 female patients in ER group with mean age of (63 ± 10) years, 48 male and 16 female in MR group with mean age of (63 ± 8) years, 118 male and 14 female in LR group with mean age of (62 ± 10) years, respectively. Thirty-day post-operative mortality and major complications were determined as the endpoints to evaluate the early results of operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 30-day post-operative mortality were 3.4%,0 and 2.3% among three groups respectively and there was no statistic difference between groups (χ(2) = 2.137, P = 0.330).Low cardiac output syndrome mortality were 13.8%, 3.1% and 2.3% among three groups respectively and there was statistic difference between groups (χ(2) = 8.344, P = 0.015). The ejection fractions was significantly improved in all the three groups from 42% ± 6%, 41% ± 6% and 42% ± 6% preoperatively to 46% ± 7%, 45% ± 10% and 45% ± 9% postoperatively (t = -3.378 to -2.339, all P < 0.05). The left ventricular end diastolic dimension were significantly reduced in MR group and LR group from (54 ± 6) mm and (55 ± 6) mm preoperatively to (47 ± 8) mm and (49 ± 9) mm postoperatively (t = 5.634, 5.885; P = 0.000). There was no significant change in ER group pre- and postoperatively ((51 ± 6) mm vs.(49 ± 7) mm, t = 1.524, P = 0.133).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction can benefit from surgical revascularization on different timing after STEMI, presenting as the reverse of left ventricle remodeling and the improvement of left ventricle function. The short-term results are mainly determined by the patients' condition, surgical technique and the level of perioperative management.It is recommended for this patient cohort to accept surgical revascularization three weeks after STEMI.</p>

Early results of left atrial appendage closure in cerebral ischemic stroke reduction in patients with mitral valve replacement / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of left atrial appendage (LAA) closure for cerebral ischemic stroke prevention following mitral valve replacement.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Retrospective data on 860 consecutive adult patients undergoing mitral valve replacement between January 2008 and January 2013 were analyzed. There were 414 male and 446 female patients, with a mean age of (53 ± 12) years. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the left atrial appendage was closed during operation: LAA closure group (n = 521) and non-LAA closure group (n = 339).Early mortality, postoperative cerebral ischemic stroke and the risk factors for cerebral ischemic stroke were assessed. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with non-LAA closure group, LAA closure group had higher proportion of female gender, higher percentage of patients with cardiac insufficiency, pulmonary hypertension and left atrial thrombus, higher incidence of mechanical valve implantation and concurrent tricuspid surgery, and larger preoperative diameter of left atrium, but lower proportion of hypertension and patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, and shorter aorta cross clamping time (χ² = 6.807 to 122.576, t = -2.818 and 3.756, all P < 0.05). There were no differences in exploratory thoracotomy for bleeding and in-hospital mortality between the two groups. Postoperative cerebral ischemic stroke occurred in 12 patients (1.4%). The incidence of cerebral ischemic stroke in LAA closure group was significantly lower than in non-LAA closure group (0.6% vs.2.7%, χ² = 6.452, P = 0.011).Logistic regression analysis showed that LAA closure was a significant protective factor for postoperative cerebral ischemic stroke (OR = 0.189, 95% CI: 0.039 to 0.902, P = 0.037) while history of cerebrovascular disease (OR = 4.326, 95% CI:1.074 to 17.418, P = 0.039) and preoperative diameter of left atrium (OR = 1.509, 95% CI: 1.022 to 1.098, P = 0.002) being the independent risk factors for postoperative cerebral ischemic stroke. The subgroup analysis showed that, for atrial fibrillation patients, LAA closure was a strong protective factor (OR = 0.064, 95% CI: 0.006 to 0.705, P = 0.025), but LAA closure was not a significant predictive factor (OR = 1.902, 95% CI: 0.171 to 21.191, P = 0.601) in non-atrial fibrillation patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Concurrent LAA closure during mitral valve replacement is safe and effective to reduce the early postoperative risk of cerebral ischemic stroke in atrial fibrillation patients.</p>

Establishment of a chronic left ventricular aneurysm model in rabbit / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

Objectives To establish a cost-effective and reproducible procedure for induction of chronic left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) in rabbits. Methods Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was induced in 35 rabbits via concomitant ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and the circumflex (Cx) branch at the middle portion. Development of AMI was co n-firmed by ST segment elevation and akinesis of the occluded area. Echocardiography, pathological evaluation, and agar i n-tra-chamber casting were utilized to validate the formation of LVA four weeks after the surgery. Left ventricular end systolic pressure (LVESP) and diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were measured before, immediately after and four weeks after ligation. D i-mensions of the ventricular chamber, thickness of the interventricular septum (IVS) and the left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW) left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV) and systolic volume (LVESV), and ejection fraction (EF) were recorded by echo-cardiography. Results Thirty one (88.6%) rabbits survived myocardial infarction and 26 of them developed aneurysm (83.9%). The mean area of aneurysm was 33.4% ± 2.4% of the left ventricle. LVEF markedly decreased after LVA formation, whereas LVEDV, LVESV and the thickness of IVS as well as the dimension of ventricular chamber from apex to mitral valve annulus significantly increased. LVESP immediately dropped after ligation and recovered to a small extent after LVA formation. LVEDP progressively increased after ligation till LVA formation. Areas in the left ventricle (LV) that underwent fibrosis included the apex, anterior wall and lateral wall but not IVS. Agar intra-chamber cast showed that the bulging of LV wall was prominent in the area of aneurysm. Conclusions Ligation of LAD and Cx at the middle portion could induce develo pment of LVA at a mean area ratio of 33.4%±2.4%which involves the apex, anterior wall and lateral wall of the LV.

Role of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in patients undergoing robotic atrial myxoma excision / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the role of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during robotic atrial myxoma excision.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-eight consecutive patients undergoing robotic atrial myxoma excision from September 2007 to August 2012 were enrolled in the study. During the procedure, TEE was performed to document the myxoma position, its attachment, and hemodynamic information before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). During establishment of peripheral CPB, TEE was used to guide placement of the cannulae in the inferior vena cava (IVC), superior vena cava (SVC), and ascending aorta (AAO). After weaning from CPB, TEE was performed to evaluate the effect of the procedure.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The accuracy of TEE for the position or its attachment of the myxoma was 100%. All the cannulae in the SVC, IVC and AAO were located in correct position. In all patients, TEE confirmed successful excision.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Intraoperative TEE is a valuable adjunct in patients undergoing robotic atrial myxoma excision.</p>

Good outcomes from cardiac valve surgery in the elderly over 70 years / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ObjectiveTo evaluate the outcomes for elderly( ＞70 years) patients undergoing valvular heart surgery and determine the early mortality and major morbidity associated with cardiac valve surgery in the elderly.MethodsBetween 2005and 2011,1366 patients underwent cardiac valve surgery in our department.115 patients(65 males,50 females) were 70 or older [aged (74.3 ± 3.1 ) years].Rheumatic valvular disease presented in 68 ( 59.1％ ),degenerative valvular disease in 33(28.7 ％),congenital heart disease in 6 (5.2 ％) and the others in 8 (7.0％).20 cases( 17.4％ ) had hypertention,17 cases( 15.8 ％ ) had diabetes mellitus,18 (15.7％) had coronary heart disease.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found in 25 cases(21.7 ％ ),and renal insufficiency was found in 9(7.8 ％ ).6 patients(5.2％ ) had the history of cerebrovascular disease.72 (62.6 ％) had atral fibrillation and 11 cases(9.6％ ) had the history of cardiac valve surgery previously.75(65.2 ％ ) cases were in New York Heart Association(NYHA) functional class Ⅲ-Ⅳ.Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 0.28-0.72 (0.53 ± 0.01 ).All the patients receieved coronary angiography preoperatively.All the operations were performed on cardiac-pulmonary bypass (CPB) with moderate hypothermia.During CPB,the perfusional pressure was maintained between 60-70 mm Hg and the oxygen saturation for mixed venous blood was kept above 0.70.Artificial ultrafilitration was performed for all the patients during the time of CPB.55 ( 47.8 ％ ) patients had mitral valve replacement ( MVR),3 (2.6％) had mitral valve repair( MVP),33 (28.7 ％) had aortic valve replacement (AVR),16 ( 13.9 ％ ) had AVR +MVR,5(4.3％ ) had AVR + MVP,and 3 had tricuspid replacement.The concomitant procedures included left atrial thrombus scavenging in 18( 15.7％ ),tricuspid valvularplasty in 71 (61.7 ％ ),bental procedure in 6 (5.2 ％ ),and coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG) in 15 ( 13.0 ％).ResultsThe early mortality was 0.87 ％.The major complications included sever low cardiac output syndrome in 6 patients,transient atrial fibrillation in 17,acute renal failure requiring dialysis in 3,delayed ventilation assistance in 12,and stroke in 3.112 (97.4％) patients survived during 6 months period of follow-up,in whom only 8(7.14％) were in NYHA functional class Ⅲ-Ⅳ which was lower significantly compared with that preoperatively.ConclusionHeart valve surgery for elderly patients can get satisfactory result and early mortality and major mortality is low for them.Concerns over the risk of cardiac valve surgery in the elderly should not prevent referral,and elderly patients can do well.

Effect of midazolam and propofol on serum VEGF concentration and G-CSF-induced bone marrow stem cell mobilization after acute myocardial infarction in rats / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of propofol and midazolam on the serum vascular endothe lial growth factor (VEGF) concentration and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-induced bone marrow stem cell (BMSC) mobilization after acute myocardial infarction in rats.Methods Thirty-six male Wistar rats,weighing 250-280 g,were anesthetized with intraperitonel 1％ pentobarbital 45 mg/kg.Acute myocardial infarct was induced by ligation of left anterior descending branch of coronary artery.BMSC mobilization was induced by intraperitoneal injection of G-CSF for 5 days.On 7th day after BMSC mobilization,the rats were equally and randomly divided into three groups:G-CSF group (group G),midazolam group (group M) and propofol group (group P).In group G,normal saline was continuously infused via the femoral vein at a rate of 0.5 ml/h for 6 h.In group M,midazolam was infused via the femoral vein at 0.05 mg· kg - 1 · h- 1 for 6 h.In group P,propofol was infused via the femoral vein at 5 mg·kg1 -h-1 for 6 h.Blood samples were obtained from the femoral vein after administration to determine the number of CD34+ monocyte (CD34+ MNC) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) by flow cytometry and the serum concentration of VEGF by ELISA.Six rats from each group were chosen 4 weeks after myocardial infarction for measurement of the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and ± dp/dtmax Results Compared with group G,the number of CD34 + MNC and EPCs,the serum concentration of VEGF,and the absolute value of - dp/dtmax were significantly increased,while LVEDP was significantly decreased in group ( P ＜0.05),and LVEDP was significantly decreased,and the absolute value of - dp/dtmax was significantly increased in group P ( P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group P,the number of CD34+ MNC and EPCs,the serum concentration of VEGF,and the absolute value of - dp/dtmax were significantly increased,while LVEDP was significantly decreased in group M (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Midazolam can promote the release of VEGF,strengthen G-CSF-induced BMSC mobilization and improve the cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction in rats.Propofol can not promote the release of VEGF and produce G-CSF-induced BMSC mobilization after acute myocardial infarction in rats.

Robotic-assisted endoscopic atrial septal defect closure: analysis of 115 cases in a single center / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the experience with the application of robotic technique in totally endoscopic atrial septal defect closure in a single center.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 2007 and September 2011, 115 patients with the diagnosis of secundum type atrial septal defects underwent robotic atrial septal defect repair with the assistance of da Vinci surgical system. The patients had a median age of 35 years and a median defect diameter of 28 mm. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established via peripheral cannulation. Via three 8-mm ports and one 15-mm port in the right chest, the surgeon manipulated the microinstruments to complete the defect closure with or without tricuspid valve plasty. Echocardiography was performed intraoperatively, before discharge and at 30 days after the operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Atrial septal defect closure was completed on arrested heart in 44 patients and on beating heart in 61 patients. No deaths or conversions to alternate techniques occurred in these cases. No residual shunt was detected by intraoperative or postoperative echocardiography. The mean operating time and cardiopulmonary bypass time on bearing heart group were significantly shorter than those on arrested heart group. The median ventilation time, intensive care unit stay, drainage volume, or length of hospital stay showed no significant differences between the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Secundum type atrial septal defect closure can be successfully performed with the assistance of the robotic system with good surgical results.</p>

Analysis of blood flow in sequential and individual saphenous vein grafts in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the blood flow in sequential and individual saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) and to analyze the influence of the location of the target vessel in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB).@*METHODS@#A total of 464 SVGs in 412 patients receiving OPCAB were nested into individual SVG (n=206), double (n=241) or triple sequential SVG (n=15), and analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The blood flow in double and triple SVGs was significantly higher than in individual SVGs [(43.4±22.5), (43.7±19.2) and (28.9±18.7) mL/min, respectively, P<0.001, P=0.047]. There were no differences between flow in double and triple SVGs (P=0.96). Pulsatility index (PI) of the three groups were similar (2.6±1.2, 2.5±1.6, 2.8±0.9, respectively, P=0.49, P=0.49). In individual SVGs to right coronary artery, the blood flow was higher than in the posterior descending branch (PDA) (P=0.047) and posterior branch of left ventricle (PBLV), the flow-time in systole period was longer than diagonals (P=0.003), obtuse marginal (OM) (P=0.013) and PDA (P=0.002), PI was significantly lower than PDA (P=0.033) and PBLV (P=0.032). The blood flow in individual SVGs to diagonals was significantly lower than in other target vessels except for PBLV (P<0.05). Flow in double SVGs to PDA-PBLV was significantly lower than in PDA-OM.@*CONCLUSION@#The mean blood flow in double and triple sequential SVGs is about 1.5 times higher than in individual SVGs. Individual, double, and triple SVGs have similar pI. Flow in individual SVGs to diagonals was significantly lower than in other target vessels except for PBLV.