Mitral valve replacement through mini sternotomy after long ECMO course: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is defined as an abnormal reversal of blood flow from the left ventricle to the left atrium (LA). It is caused by disruption in any part of the mitral valve apparatus. Surgical intervention remains the mainstay of management for severe cases. CASE SUMMARY: We are reporting a case of pneumonia with severe sepsis, that had a complicated hospital course. The patient developed multi-organ failure. Echocardiography on admission showed severe mitral regurgitation. He required early mechanical ventilation and then Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV-ECMO) over 29 days. He might be the first case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in our hospital. Mitral valve replacement was done after stabilization of the patient and weaning from the ECMO. DISCUSSION: Our report demonstrates that the use of a long term VV-ECMO as a bridge for stabilization, facilitates management of the critically ill respiratory failure patient with severe MR and patient outcomes. Still the long-term results and the optimal timing of intervention need more research to define. CONCLUSION: Our report demonstrates that the use of a long term VV ECMO facilitates management of patients with respiratory failure associated with severe MR. Future studies focusing on stabilizing such patients, might help to define the optimal timing for intervention in these patients and the long-term outcome.

[Treatment of postoperative anterior mediastinitis, sternal osteomyelitis in a patient with a novel coronavirus infection]. / Lechenie posleoperatsionnogo perednego mediastinita, osteomielita grudiny u patsientki s novoi koronavirusnoi infektsiei (COVID-19).

The incidence of mediastinitis after median sternotomy makes up 1-3%. This complication results prolonged hospital-stay, significant increase in treatment cost and high mortality (up to 75%). Severe COVID-19 pneumonia is often manifested by coughing, that impairs sternum stability after osteosynthesis. Moreover, concomitant leukopenia increases the risk of mediastinitis. Viral pneumonia and mediastinitis are complicated by respiratory failure and mutually potentiate the negative effect. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with combined antibiotic therapy ensures a favorable outcome even in patients with postoperative mediastinitis and osteomyelitis combined with viral pneumonia.

[Comparison of quality of life and long-term outcomes following mitral valve replacement through robotically assisted versus median sternotomy approach].

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 (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups. Assessment of the patients at 30 days after the operation showed a better quality of life in the robotic group, but the difference between the two groups tended to diminish at 6 months. The patients in the robotic group reported significantly better satisfaction with the incision than those in the thoracotomy group (P < 0.001). At 6 months after the operation, the patients in the robotic group showed significantly faster recovery of work and daily activities than those 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.

Sternal wound infections during the COVID-19 pandemic: an unexpected benefit.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus, now termed SARS-CoV-2, has had a significant impact on cardiac surgical services globally. Although drastically reduced, our institution has maintained a significant level of cardiac surgical activity during the pandemic. Rigorous COVID-19 guidelines have been instituted to mitigate the risk of viral transmission. We observed a reduction in sternal wound infections since the institution of new perioperative surgical guidelines. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution since a national lockdown was declared in March 2020. A retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent cardiac surgery in the 12 months preceding the national lockdown, as a baseline cohort group, was also performed. RESULTS: A total of 2600 patients (493 during the COVID-19 pandemic) were included in this study. Urgent/emergency procedures accounted for more than 60% of procedures performed during the lockdown compared to 39% previously. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 4 sternal wound infections with an overall incidence of 0.8%. In comparison, the incidence of sternal wound infections was significantly higher at 3.0% in the 12-month period prior to lockdown with 63 sternal wound infections (p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: This report suggests a significant role of iatrogenic causes in sternal wound infections prior to the pandemic. The strict implementation of guidelines in the perioperative period suggests that sternal wound infections can be prevented. We propose that the now widespread COVID-19 guidelines to reduce transmission risk be adapted to help reduce the incidence of sternal wound infections.