Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in a Brazilian High-Volume Aortic Center

Abstract Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought an unprecedented lack of control of what was to come. The intent of this document is to provide a balance of how much was ceased to be done for patients with aortic disease, to assess the mortality of these patients, and to show what happened to those who became COVID-19 positive during their hospitalization. Methods: From April 1st to July 31st 2020, the worst period of the pandemic in São Paulo, Brazil, the Institute's aortic surgical patients operated on were evaluated and those were compared with patients operated during the same period in 2019. Results: In 2019, 88 surgeries were performed; most of them were elective (66 [75%]), 10 were urgent, and 12 were emergency surgeries. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we operated on only 31 patients, being 74.2% non-elective surgeries (P<0,001). There was a higher mortality for patients operated on during the pandemic surge of COVID-19 (P<0,001), but it was not specifically related to infected patients. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on surgical volume and outcome of patients with aortic disease, although it did not directly increase mortality.

Dilataçäo aneurismática do segmento de reimplante dos vasos viscerais após correçäo de aneurisma toracoabdominal / Aneurysmal dilation of the reimplant segment of the visceral vessels after thoracoabdominal aneurysm correction

We present a case of aneurysmal dilation of the aortic residual segment, involving abdominal vessels in corrective surgeries for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, through the identification of risk groups for recurrent dilation, aiming at using a specific operative technique with a branched graft, to prevent aneurysm relapse

Substituição da valva mitral nas cardiomiopatias dilatadas com insuficiência mitral secundária / Replacement of the mitral valve in dilated cardiomyopathy with secondary mitral regurgitation

A insuficiência mitral funcional nas cardiomiopatias dilatadas ocorre em razão das alterações da geometria do ventrículo esquerdo e dos aparelhos valvar e subvalvar. A sobrecarga de volume decorrente da insuficiência mitral resulta no aumento progressivo da cavidade ventricular e do anel mitral, agravando a disfunção ventricular. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar o resultado da substituição valvar mitral associado ao remodelamento ventricular nesse grupo de pacientes. No período de julho de 2000 a fevereiro de 2003, 20 pacientes consecutivos portadores de insuficiência mitral funcional (classe funcional III e IV) e cardiomiopatia dilatada idiopática foram submetidos a troca da valva mitral associada ao remodelamento ventricular esquerdo. Foram avaliados segundo as alterações hemodinâmicas e ecocardiográficas e quanto à evolução clínica. A análise estatística foi obtida por meio do teste t de Student e a análise de sobrevida, pelo método de Kaplan-Meyer. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 10 por cento e a curva atuarial demonstrou sobrevida de 74 por cento + 14,8 por cento aos 30 meses de seguimento; após seguimento médio de 11,2 meses, 82 por cento dos pacientes encontram-se em classe funcional I e II. A avaliação hemodinâmica apresentou melhora do débito e do índice cardíacos (p < 0,00001 para ambos). A avaliação ecocardiográfica demonstrou melhora da fração de ejeção (p = 0,01), redução dos diâmetros sistólico e diastólico final esquerdo (p = 0,0007 e p = 0,03) e redução do volume sistólico final esquerdo (p = 0,03). A troca valvar mitral associada ao remodelamento ventricular foi capaz de reduzir os sintomas, melhorar a qualidade de vida e prolongar a sobrevida desses pacientes.