Neochordae implantation versus leaflet resection in mitral valve posterior leaflet prolapse and dilated left ventricle: a propensity score matching comparison with long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: Uncorrected severe mitral regurgitation (MR) due to posterior prolapse leads to left ventricular dilatation. At this stage, mitral valve repair becomes mandatory to avoid permanent myocardial injury. However, which technique among neochoardae implantation and leaflet resection provides the best results in this scenario remains unknown. METHODS: We selected 332 patients with left ventricular dilatation and severe degenerative MR due to posterior leaflet (PL) prolapse who underwent neochoardae implantation (85 patients) or PL resection (247 patients) at our institution between 2008 and 2020. A propensity score matching analysis was carried on to decrease the differences at baseline. RESULTS: Matching yielded 85 neochordae implantations and 85 PL resections. At 10 years, freedom from cardiac death and freedom from mitral valve reoperation were 92.6 ± 6.1% vs 97.8 ± 2.1% and 97.7 ± 2.2% vs 95 ± 3% in the neochordae group and in the PL resection group, respectively. The MR ≥2+ recurrence rate was 23.9 ± 10% in the neochordae group and 20.8 ± 5.8% in the PL resection group (P = 0.834) at 10 years. At the last follow-up, the neochordae group showed a higher reduction of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (44 vs 48 mm; P = 0.001) and a better ejection fraction (60% vs 55%; P < 0.001) compared to PL resection group. CONCLUSIONS: In this subgroup of patients, both neochordae implantation and leaflet resection provide excellent durability of the repair in the long term. Neochordae implantation might have a better effect on dilated left ventricle.

Detachable Aortic Clamp for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery.

Since its first implementation, minimally invasive cardiac surgery has become more and more popular among surgeons. By avoiding a complete opening of the sternum, this surgery is traditionally associated with a faster recovery, less surgical pain and less postoperative bleeding and transfusions. With its growing popularity, the need for specifically designed surgical instrumentation is evident. Since 2008, the detachable-branch Glauber clamp (Cardiovision-Trytech, Tokyo, Japan) has been used to facilitate aortic cross-clamp during minimally invasive cardiac surgery, to optimize the intraoperative visualization field without the need for adjunctive incisions of the thorax. It has been specifically developed for limited single-access minimally invasive valve surgery. The clamp is introduced through the main access incision (mini-sternotomy or mini thoracotomy) by means of a specifically designed delivery system, which is subsequently removed, leaving inside the thorax only the detachable closed branches on the aorta. Since its first implementation, the clamp has been used in numerous patients at several cardiac surgery centers worldwide. Over the years, attempts have been made to improve its ergonomics and enhance its performance. The G2 detachable-branch Glauber clamp (USB Medical, Hatboro, PA, USA) occupies a smaller space inside the thorax, has a simplified gripping mechanism and comes with detachable arms that enhance versatility with up to 10 possible clamp configurations. This article describes the characteristics of detachable-branch aortic clamps and compares them to other aortic cross-clamps that are currently available for minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

The impact of mitral valve surgery on ventricular arrhythmias in patients with Barlow's disease: preliminary results of a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Aim of this study was to evaluate arrhythmic burden of patients with Barlow's disease and significant mitral regurgitation (MR) and assess the impact of mitral repair on ventricular arrhythmias (VA) in this group of subjects. METHODS: We prospectively included 88 consecutive patients with Barlow's disease referred to our Institution from February 2021 to May 2022. All enrolled patients underwent 24-h Holter monitoring before surgery. Sixty-three of them completed 3 months echocardiographic and Holter follow-up. Significant arrhythmic burden was defined as ≥1% premature ventricular beats/24 h or at least one episode of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), VT or ventricular fibrillation. RESULTS: At baseline, 29 patients (33%) were arrhythmogenic (AR), while 59 (67%) were not [non-arrhythmogenic (NAR)]. AR subjects tended to be more often females with history of palpitations. Sixty-three patients completed 3-months follow-up. Twenty of them (31.7%) were AR at baseline and 43 (68.3%) were not. Among AR patients, 9 (45%) remained AR after mitral surgery, while 11 (55%) became NAR. Considering NAR subjects at baseline, after mitral valve repair 8 (18.6%) evolved into AR, while 35 (81.4%) remained NAR. A higher prevalence of pre-operative MAD was found among patients experiencing VA reduction if compared with patients who remained arrhythmogenic (63.6% vs 11.1%, P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, one-third of Barlow's patients referred for mitral surgery showed a significant arrhythmic burden. Almost half of the subjects arrhythmogenic at baseline were free from significant VA after mitral repair. However, a minority (18.6%) of subjects without arrhythmic burden at baseline experienced significant VA at follow-up.

Mitral Repair With Complete Rings or Posterior Bands in Barlow Disease: Long-term Results.

BACKGROUND: Complete rings or posterior bands are both commonly used during mitral valve repair, but which one ensures the best long-term outcome in patients with Barlow disease is a topic of debate. This study evaluated whether the type of annuloplasty device affects the long-term durability of the repair. METHODS: We selected 296 consecutive patients with severe mitral regurgitation due to Barlow disease who underwent edge-to-edge mitral repair at our institution between 2004 and 2013. For the edge-to-edge repair, a complete semirigid ring was used in 151 patients, whereas a posterior flexible band was used in 145 patients. The clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of both groups were compared at long-term follow-up. RESULTS: At 14 years, the overall survival was 87.3% ± 2.79% in the ring group and 94.1% ± 2.30% in the band group (P = .056). The incidence of mitral valve reintervention was 4.9% ± 1.95% in the ring group and 5.5% ± 2.53% in the band group (P = .371) at 14 years. The incidence of recurrence of mitral regurgitation ≥3+ and ≥2+ was 8.3% ± 2.64% in the ring group and 8.7% ± 3.07% in the band group (P = .991) and 26.5% ± 4.23% in the ring group and 17.4% ± 3.26% in the band group (P = .697), respectively. Mitral regurgitation ≥1+ at discharge was the only independent predictor of reoperation and recurrence of mitral regurgitation ≥3+ in the long-term. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with Barlow disease undergoing edge-to-edge mitral valve repair, the type of annuloplasty device does not influence the long-term results. Achieving an optimal immediate result remains the key to maintain the stability of the repair at long-term.

Long Term Results of Reduction Ascending Aortoplasty.

The aim of this retrospective study is to show medium-long-term results in terms of cardiac death and aortic events in patients undergoing reduction ascending aortoplasty between 1997 and 2009 in our hospital. The Fine and Grey model for competing risk analysis was performed for time to cardiac death, with non-cardiac death as the competing risk, and time to recurrence of both re-dilation (aortic diameter > 45 mm) and re-operation with overall death as the competing risk. Paired t-test was used to evaluate the change in aortic diameter from the post-operative values to follow-up. The population included 142 patients. The mean pre-operative aortic diameter and the diameter at follow-up were respectively 46.5 ± 5.11 mm vs. 41.4 ± 5.55 mm (p-value < 0.001). At a mean follow-up of 11.6 ± 4.15 years, 11 patients (7.7%) required re-operation on the ascending aorta. At 16 years, the CIF of aortic-related events was 29.4 ± 7.2%; the freedom from cardiac death was 89.2 ± 3.7%. Ten patients (7%) died from cardiac causes but no one was aortic-related. The Fine and Grey analysis did not identify any significant predictors. This procedure is safe but might be justified only in high-risk patients or in those with advanced age/short life expectancy.

Mid-term outcomes of isolated tricuspid valve surgery according to preoperative clinical and functional staging.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at assessing mid-term outcomes of patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve (TV) surgery based on a preoperative baseline clinical and functional classification. METHODS: All patients treated with isolated TV repair or replacement from March 1997 to May 2020 at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed and assessed for mid-term postoperative outcome according to a novel classification [stages 1-5 related to the absence or presence and extent of right heart failure (RHF)]. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to estimate mid-term survival. Competing risk analysis for time to cardiac death and hospitalizations for RHF were also carried out. RESULTS: Among the 172 patients included, 129 (75%) underwent TV replacement and 43 (25%) TV repair. At follow-up (median 4.2 years [2.1-7.5]), there were 23 late deaths. At 5 years, overall survival was 100% in stage 2, 88 ± 4% in stage 3 and 60 ± 8% in stages 4-5 (P = 0.298 and P = 0.001, respectively). Cumulative incidence function of cardiac death at 5 years was 0%, 8.6 ± 3.76% and 13.2 ± 5% for stages 2, 3 and 4 and 5, respectively. At follow-up, cumulative incidence function of re-hospitalizations for RHF was 0% for stage 2, 20 ± 5% for stage 3 and 20 ± 6.7% for stages 4 and 5 (P = 0.118 and P = 0.039, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Both short- and mid-term outcomes support early referral for surgery in isolated TV disease, with excellent survival at 5 years and no further hospitalizations for RHF.

Long-term fate of moderate aortic regurgitation left untreated at the time of mitral valve surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The appropriateness of moderate aortic regurgitation treatment during mitral valve (MV) surgery remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the immediate and long-term outcomes of patients with moderate aortic regurgitation at the time of MV surgery. METHODS: We included 183 patients admitted to our institution for elective treatment of MV disease between 2004 and 2018, in whom moderate aortic regurgitation was diagnosed during preoperative evaluation. One hundred and twenty-two patients underwent isolated MV surgery (study group) whereas 61 patients underwent concomitant MV surgery and aortic valve replacement (control group). RESULTS: One death (0.8%) occurred in the study group, and 3 deaths (4.8%) occurred in the control group (P = 0.52). The rate of the most common postoperative complication was similar between the 2 groups. At 12 years, the cumulative incidence function of cardiac death, with non-cardiac death as a competing risk, was 4.7 ± 2.8% in the study group; no cardiac deaths were observed in the control group (P = 0.078). At 6 and 12 years, in the study group, the cumulative incidence function of aortic valve reintervention, with death as a competing risk, was 2.5 ± 1.85% and 19 ± 7.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The appropriate management of moderate aortic regurgitation at the time of MV surgery deserves a careful evaluation by balancing the reintervention rate with the age, the operative risk and the life expectancy of the patient. Our findings suggest that a patient-tailored approach is the key to achieving the best clinical outcome for each individual patient.

Treatment of isolated tricuspid regurgitation in 2020: an update.

Tricuspid valve regurgitation is an insidious pathology that is associated with increased mortality if left untreated. Conversely, surgical correction of tricuspid regurgitation is burdened by poor outcomes, especially when right ventricular dysfunction, kidney disease, or liver disease occur. There is, therefore, increasing interest in transcatheter approaches as an alternative to surgery in patients at high or prohibitive surgical risk. The development of percutaneous devices to treat tricuspid regurgitation has several technical challenges, mainly because of the complexity of valve anatomy, thus requiring accurate patient selection. Here we review the currently available transcatheter approaches to treat severe tricuspid regurgitation.