Different transseptal puncture for different procedures: Optimization of left atrial catheterization guided by transesophageal echocardiography.

Background: Left atrial catheterization through transseptal puncture is frequently performed in cardiac catheterization procedures. Appropriate transseptal puncture is critical to achieve procedural success. Aims: The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of selective transseptal punctures, using a modified radiofrequency (RF) transseptal needle and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), in different types of procedures that require specific sites of left atrial catheterization. Setting and Design: This was an observational trial in a cardiac catheterization laboratory of a teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: Patients undergoing different percutaneous procedures requiring atrial transseptal puncture such as atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, and mitral valve repair were included in the study. All procedures were guided by TEE and an RF transseptal needle targeting a specific region of the septum to perform the puncture. Statistical Analysis: The statistical analysis was descriptive only. Results: RF‑assisted transseptal punctures were performed in six consecutive patients who underwent AF ablation (two patients), LAA closure (two patients), and mitral valve repair (two patients). In all patients, transseptal punctures were performed successfully at the desired site. No adverse events or complications were observed. Conclusions: Selective transseptal puncture, using TEE and an RF needle, is a feasible technique that can be used in multiple approaches requiring a precise site of access for left atrial catheterization.

Sufentanil intratecal para revascularização do miocárdio / Intrathecal sufentanil for coronary artery bypass grafting / Sufentanilo intratecal para revascularización del miocardio

Contexto: pacientes de cirurgia cardíaca submetidos a revascularização do miocárdio com circulação extracorpórea. Objetivo: avaliar o efeito hemodinâmico da adição de sufentanil intratecal para anestesia geral. Desenho: estudo prospectivo, randômico e aberto, após aprovação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa. Cenário: estudo monocêntrico feito no Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, São Paulo, Brasil. Pacientes: foram submetidos à revascularização eletiva 40 pacientes de ambos os sexos que assinaram o termo de consentimento informado. Critérios de exclusão: doença renal crônica, procedimentos de emergência, reoperações, contraindicação para raquianestesia, fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo inferior a 40%, índice de massa corporal acima de 32 kg/m2 e uso de nitroglicerina. Intervenções: os pacientes foram randomizados para receber (ou não) 1μg/kg de sufentanil intratecal. Anestesia foi induzida e mantida com infusão contínua de sevoflurano e remifentanil. Principais medidas de desfecho: variáveis hemodinâmicas, níveis sanguíneos de troponina I cardíaca, peptídeo natriurético do tipo B, interleucina-6 e fator de necrose tumoral alfa durante e após a cirurgia. Resultados: os pacientes do grupo sufentanil precisaram de menos suporte inotrópico com dopamina, comparados aos do grupo controle (9,5% vs 58%, p = 0,001), e menos aumentos de doses de remifentanil (62% vs 100%, p = 0,004). Os dados hemodinâmicos em oito intervalos de tempo diferentes e os dados bioquímicos não apresentaram diferenças entre os grupos. Conclusões: os pacientes que receberam sufentanil intratecal apresentaram uma estabilidade hemodinâmica ...

Context: Cardiac surgery patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass. Objective: Evaluate the effect of adding intrathecal sufentanil to general anesthesia on hemodynamics. Design: Prospective, randomized, not blinded study, after approval by local ethics in Research Committee. Setting: Monocentric study performed at Dante Pazzanese Institute of Cardiology, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Patients: 40 consenting patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass, both genders. Exclusion criteria: Chronic kidney disease; emergency procedures; reoperations; contraindication to spinal block; left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40%; body mass index above 32 kg/m2 and use of nitroglycerin. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive intrathecal sufentanil 1 μg/kg or not. Anesthesia induced and maintained with sevoflurane and continuous infusion of remifentanil. Main outcome measures: Hemodynamic variables, blood levels of cardiac troponin I, B-type natriuretic peptide, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alfa during and after surgery. Results: Patients in sufentanil group required less inotropic support with dopamine when compared to control group (9.5% vs 58%, p = 0.001) and less increases in remifentanil doses (62% vs 100%, p = 0.004). Hemodynamic data at eight different time points and biochemical data showed no differences between groups. Conclusions: Patients receiving intrathecal sufentanil have more hemodynamical stability, as suggested by the reduced inotropic support and fewer adjustments in intravenous opioid doses. .

Contexto: pacientes de cirugía cardíaca sometidos a revascularización miocárdica con circulación extracorpórea. Objetivo: evaluar el efecto hemodinámico de la adición de sufentanilo intratecal para anestesia general. Proyecto: estudio prospectivo, aleatorizado y abierto, con posterior aprobación del Comité de Ética en Investigación. Escenario: estudio monocéntrico realizado en el Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiología, São Paulo, Brasil. Pacientes: cuarenta pacientes de ambos sexos que firmaron el consentimiento informado fueron sometidos a revascularización electiva. Criterios de exclusión: enfermedad renal crónica, procedimientos de urgencia, reintervenciones, contraindicación para la raquianestesia, fracción de eyección del ventrículo izquierdo inferior al 40%, índice de masa corporal por encima de 32 kg/m2 y uso de nitroglicerina. Intervenciones: los pacientes fueron aleatorizados para recibir (o no), 1 µg/kg de sufentanilo intratecal. La anestesia se indujo y se mantuvo con infusión continua de sevoflurano y remifentanilo. Principales medidas de resultados: variables hemodinámicas, niveles sanguíneos de troponina i cardíaca, péptido natriurético del tipo B, interleucina 6 y factor de necrosis tumoral alfa durante y después de la cirugía. Resultados: los pacientes del grupo sufentanilo necesitaron menos soporte inotrópico con dopamina, comparado con el grupo control (9,5 vs. 58%, p = 0,001) y menos aumentos de dosis de remifentanilo (62 vs. 100%, p = 0,004). Los datos hemodinámicos en 8 intervalos de tiempo diferentes y los datos bioquímicos no presentaron diferencias entre los grupos. Conclusiones: los pacientes que recibieron sufentanilo intratecal tuvieron una estabilidad hemodinámica mayor, evidenciada por el soporte ...

A survey on the use of intra-aortic balloon pump in cardiac surgery.

Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is an established tool in the management of cardiac dysfunction in cardiac surgery. The best timing for IABP weaning is unknown and varies greatly among cardiac centers. The authors investigated the differences in IABP management among 66 cardiac surgery centers performing 40,675 cardiac surgery procedures in the 12-month study period. The centers were contacted through email, telephone, or in person interview. IABP management was very heterogeneous in this survey: In 43% centers it was routinely removed on the first postoperative day, and in 34% on the second postoperative day. In 50% centers, it was routinely removed after extubation of the patients whereas in 15% centers it was removed while the patients were sedated and mechanically ventilated. In 66% centers, patients were routinely receiving pharmacological inotropic support at the time of removal of IABP. The practice of decreasing IABP support was also heterogeneous: 57% centers weaned by reducing the ratio of beat assistance whereas 34% centers weaned by reducing balloon volume. We conclude that the management of IABP is heterogeneous and there is a need for large prospective studies on the management of IABP in cardiac surgery.

Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early predictor of prolonged intensive care unit stay after cardiac surgery.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a protein of lipocalin family highly expressed in various pathologic states and is an early biomarker of acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery. We performed an observational study to evaluate the role of NGAL in predicting postoperative intensive care stay in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We enrolled 27 consecutive patients who underwent high-risk cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Urinary NGAL (uNGAL) was measured before surgery, at intensive care unit (ICU) arrival and 24 h later. Univariate and multivariate predictors of ICU stay were performed. uNGAL was 18.0 (8.7-28.1) ng/mL at baseline, 10.7 (4.35-36.0) ng/mL at ICU arrival and 29.6 (9.65-29.5) 24 h later. The predictors of prolonged ICU stay at the multivariate analysis were body mass index (BMI), uNGAL 24 h after surgery, and aortic cross-clamp time. The predictors of high uNGAL levels 24 h after at a multivariate analysis were preoperative uNGAL and logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation. At a multivariate analysis the only independent predictors of prolonged ICU stay were BMI, uNGAL 24 h after surgery and aortic cross-clamp time.

Validation of a decision-making strategy for systolic anterior motion following mitral valve repair.

Low cardiac output syndrome and hypotension are dreadful consequences of systolic anterior motion (SAM) after a mitral valve (MV) repair. The management of SAM in the operating room remains controversial. We validate a recently suggested two-step management method and classification of this complication. This was a teaching hospital-based observational study. We validated a novel two-step conservative management method, consisting in intravascular volume expansion and discontinuation of inotropic drugs (step 1), and increasing the afterload by ascending aorta manual compression while administering esmolol e.v. (step 2). We also validate a novel classification of SAM: easy-to-revert (responding to step 1), difficult-to-revert (responding to step 2), or persistent. Fifty patients had an easy-to-revert while 26 had a difficult-to-revert SAM; 4 patients had a persistent condition (promptly diagnosed through our decisional algorithm) and underwent an immediate second pump run to repeat the mitral repair surgery. We confirmed that SAM after a repair of a degenerative MV is common and validated a simple two-step conservative management method that allows to clearly identify those few patients who require immediate surgical revision.

Remifentanil in critically ill cardiac patients.

Remifentanil has a unique pharmacokinetic profile, with a rapid onset and offset of action and a plasmatic metabolism. Its use can be recommended even in patients with renal impairment, hepatic dysfunction or poor cardiovascular function. A potential protective cardiac preconditioning effect has been suggested. Drug-related adverse effects seem to be comparable with other opioids. In cardiac surgery, many randomized controlled trials demonstrated that the potential benefits of the use of remifentanil not only include a profound protection against intraoperative stressful stimuli, but also rapid postoperative recovery, early weaning from mechanical ventilation, and extubation. Remifentanil shows ideal properties of sedative agents being often employed for minimally invasive cardiologic techniques, such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation and radio frequency treatment of atrial flutter, or diagnostic procedures such as transesophageal echocardiography. In intensive care units remifentanil is associated with a reduction in the time to tracheal extubation after cessation of the continuous infusion; other advantages could be more evident in patients with organ dysfunction. Effective and safe analgesia can be provided in case of short and painful procedures (i.e. chest drain removal). In conclusion, thanks to its peculiar properties, remifentanil will probably play a major role in critically ill cardiac patients.

Role of cardiac biomarkers (troponin I and CK-MB) as predictors of quality of life and long-term outcome after cardiac surgery.

Perioperative and postoperative morbidity and mortality associated with cardiac surgery affect both the outcome and quality of life. Markers such as troponin effectively predict short-term outcome. In a prospective cohort study in a University Hospital we assessed the role of cardiac biomarkers, also as predictors of long-term outcome and life quality after cardiac surgery with a three-year follow-up after conventional heart surgery. Patients were interviewed via phone calls with a structured questionnaire examining general health, functional status, activities of daily living, perception of life quality and need for hospital readmission. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were performed. Out of 252 consecutive patients, 8 (3.2%) died at the three years follow up: 7 for cardiac complications and 1 for cancer. Thirty-six patients (13.5%) had hospital readmission for cardiac causes (mostly for atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias (9.3%), but none needed cardiac surgical reintervention; 21 patients (7.9%) were hospitalised for non-cardiac causes. No limitation in function activities of daily living was reported by most patients (94%), 92% perceived their general health as excellent, very good or good and none considered it insufficient; 80% were NYHA I, 17% NYHA II, 3% NYHA III and none NYHA IV. Multivariate analysis indicated preoperative treatment with digitalis or nitrates, and postoperative cardiac biomarkers release was independently associated to death. Elevated cardiac biomarker release and length of hospital stay were the only postoperative independent predictors of death in this study.

Halogenated anaesthetics and cardiac protection in cardiac and non-cardiac anaesthesia.

Volatile anaesthetic agents have direct protective properties against ischemic myocardial damage. The implementation of these properties during clinical anaesthesia can provide an additional tool in the treatment or prevention, or both, of ischemic cardiac dysfunction in the perioperative period. A recent meta-analysis showed that desflurane and sevoflurane reduce postoperative mortality and incidence of myocardial infarction following cardiac surgery, with significant advantages in terms of postoperative cardiac troponin release, need for inotrope support, time on mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and overall hospital stay. Multicentre, randomised clinical trials had previously demonstrated that the use of desflurane can reduce the postoperative release of cardiac troponin I, the need for inotropic support, and the number of patients requiring prolonged hospitalisation following coronary artery bypass graft surgery either with and without cardiopulmonary bypass. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines recommend volatile anaesthetic agents during non-cardiac surgery for the maintenance of general anaesthesia in patients at risk for myocardial infarction. Nonetheless, evidence in non-coronary surgical settings is contradictory and will be reviewed in this paper together with the mechanisms of cardiac protection by volatile agents.