Constrictive pericarditis: portal, splenic, and femoral venous Doppler pulsatility: a case series.

PURPOSE: Pulsatile flow of the portal vein has been implicated as an indicator of right ventricular dysfunction in cardiac patients. In patients with significantly elevated right atrial pressure, pulsatile venous flow may be transmitted to the portal, splenic, renal, and femoral veins. We describe the evolution of these echocardiographic findings in four patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP) undergoing pericardiectomy with simultaneous hemodynamic waveform and cerebral oximetry monitoring in the operating room and in the intensive care unit. CLINICAL FEATURES: Patient 1 presented classic signs of CP, including equalization of left and right diastolic pressures, a "square root" sign on the diastolic portion of the right ventricular pressure curve, and elevated right atrial pressure. Preoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed a hyperdynamic left ventricle and dilated right ventricle with abnormal pulsatile waveforms in the portal and splenic veins. Surgical decompression of the pericardium gradually normalized the Doppler waveforms. Increased venous return following pericardiectomy during surgery in patients 2 and 3 and during the postoperative period in patient 4 resulted in right ventricular (RV) failure due to significantly increased preload. Venous pulsatility was also observed in the portal, splenic, and femoral veins. CONCLUSION: In patients with CP, changes in hemodynamic and echocardiographic signs of RV dysfunction are rapidly reflected by changes in peripheral venous velocities. Identifying signs of splanchnic and peripheral vascular venous congestion could help identify patients at higher risk of developing postoperative complications following pericardiectomy.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF : Le flux pulsatile de la veine porte a été impliqué comme indicateur de dysfonctionnement ventriculaire droit chez les patients de chirurgie cardiaque. Le flux veineux pulsatile pourrait être transmis aux veines porte, splénique, rénale et fémorale chez les patients présentant une pression auriculaire droite significativement élevée. Nous décrivons l'évolution de ces observations échocardiographiques chez quatre patients atteints de péricardite constrictive (PC) bénéficiant d'une péricardectomie avec monitorage simultané de la forme d'onde hémodynamique et de l'oxymétrie cérébrale en salle d'opération et à l'unité de soins intensifs. CARACTéRISTIQUES CLINIQUES: Le patient 1 présentait des signes classiques de PC, y compris l'égalisation des pressions diastoliques gauche et droite, un signe de « racine carrée ¼ sur la partie diastolique de la courbe de pression ventriculaire droite, et une pression auriculaire droite élevée. L'échocardiographie transœsophagienne préopératoire a montré un ventricule gauche hyperdynamique et un ventricule droit dilaté, avec des formes d'onde pulsatiles anormales dans les veines porte et splénique. La décompression chirurgicale du péricarde a progressivement normalisé les formes d'onde Doppler. L'augmentation du retour veineux suivant une péricardectomie, survenue pendant la chirurgie chez les patients 2 et 3 et en période postopératoire chez le patient 4, a entraîné une défaillance ventriculaire droite (VD) due à l'augmentation significative de la précharge. La pulsatilité veineuse a également été observée dans les veines porte, splénique et fémorale. CONCLUSION: Chez les patients atteints de péricardite constrictive, les changements dans les signes hémodynamiques et échocardiographiques de dysfonctionnement du VD sont rapidement reflétés par des changements dans la vélocité veineuse périphérique. L'identification des signes de congestion veineuse splanchnique et vasculaire périphérique pourrait aider à identifier les patients présentant un risque plus élevé de manifester des complications postopératoires après une péricardectomie.

The Ross procedure is a safe and durable option in adults with infective endocarditis: a multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: Surgical treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) remains a challenge. The Ross procedure offers the benefit of a living substitute in the aortic position but it is a more complex operation which may lead to increased operative risk. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and late outcomes of the Ross procedure for the treatment of active IE. METHODS: From 2000 to 2019, a total of 31 consecutive patients underwent a Ross procedure to treat active IE (mean age 43 ± 12 years, 84% male). All patients were followed up prospectively. Four patients (13%) were intravenous (IV) drug users and 6 patients (19%) had prosthetic IE. The most common infective organism was Streptococcus (58%). Median follow-up was 3.5 (0.9-4.5) years and 100% complete. RESULTS: There were no in-hospital deaths. One patient suffered a postoperative stroke (3%) and 1 patient (3%) required reintervention for bleeding. Three patients had a new occurrence endocarditis: 2 patients were limited to the pulmonary homograft and successfully managed with IV antibiotics, whereas 1 IV drug user patient developed concomitant autograft and homograft endocarditis. Overall, cumulative incidence of IE recurrence was 13 ± 8% at 8 years. The cumulative incidence for autograft endocarditis was 5 ± 4% at 8 years. Two patients (6%) died during follow-up, both from drug overdoses. At 8 years, actuarial survival was 88 ± 8%. CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients with IE, the Ross procedure is a safe and reasonable alternative with good mid-term outcomes. Freedom from recurrent infection on the pulmonary autograft is excellent, labelporting the notion that a living valve in the aortic position provides good resistance to infection. Nevertheless, in IV drug user patients, pulmonary homograft endocarditis remains a challenge. Continued follow-up is needed to ascertain the long-term benefits of this approach.

A review of pulmonary autograft external support in the Ross procedure.

Introduction: Although the Ross procedure offers several advantages over standard prosthetic AVR, its use remains limited. The risk of pulmonary autograft dilatation requiring reintervention remains one of the main concerns. Consequently, multiple techniques have been developed in attempt to mitigate this complication.Areas covered: This article reviews the incidence of pulmonary autograft dilatation, its risk factors and pathophysiology. The techniques of external pulmonary autograft support are discussed along with their respective advantages and limitations. Finally, future areas of research and developments are examined.Expert opinion: The risk of autograft dilatation is mainly prevalent in patients with aortic regurgitation and a dilated aortic annulus. In these selected patients, an external support may prevent dilatation of the autograft. However, any permanent support potentially restricts autograft root motion, mitigating some of the advantages associated with the Ross procedure. A bioresorbable matrix that could support the root during its initial adaptative phase could alleviate this problem. In our opinion, aggressive blood pressure control during the first postoperative year along with annular and sino-tubular junction support in selected patients provides optimal stability of autograft root dimensions while preserving root dynamics. Serial imaging and clinical follow-up are necessary to define the role of these various strategies.

Myocardial Protection in Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery: Retrograde Cardioplegia Alone Using Endovascular Coronary Sinus Catheter Compared With Combined Antegrade and Retrograde Cardioplegia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare myocardial protection with retrograde cardioplegia alone with antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMS). DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The authors studied 97 MIMS patients using retrograde cardioplegia alone and 118 MIMS patients using antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia. INTERVENTIONS: The data from patients admitted for MIMS using retrograde cardioplegia (MIMS retro) between 2009 to 2012 were compared with the data from patients undergoing MIMS with antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia (MIMS ante-retro) between 2006 and 2010 (control group). Cardioplegia in the MIMS retro group was delivered solely through an endovascular coronary sinus (CS) catheter positioned under echographic and fluoroscopic guidance. Antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia was used in the MIMS ante-retro group. Data regarding myocardial infarction (MI; creatine kinase Mb, troponin T, electrocardiogram), myocardial function, and hemodynamic stability were collected for comparison. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Adequate cardioplegia administration (CS pressure >30 mmHg and asystole) was attained in 74.2% of the patients with retrograde cardioplegia alone. In 23.7% of the patients, the addition of an antegrade cardioplegia was necessary. No difference was observed in the incidence of MI (0 MIMS retro v 1 for MIMS ante-retro, p = 0.3623), difficult separation from cardiopulmonary bypass, and postoperative malignant arrhythmia. No difference was found for maximal creatine kinase Mb (39.1 [28.0-49.1] v 37.9 [28.6-50.9]; p = 0.8299) and for maximal troponin T levels (0.39 [0.27-0.70] v 0.47 [0.32-0.79]; p = 0.1231) for MIMS retro and MIMS ante-retro, respectively. However, lactate levels in the MIMS retro group were significantly lower than in the MIMS ante-retro group (2.1 [1.4-3.05] v 2.4 [1.8-3.3], respectively; p = 0.0453). No difference was observed in duration of intensive care unit stay and death. MIMS retro patients had a shorter hospital stay (7.0 [6.0-8.0] v 8.0 [7.0-9.0] days; p = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: Retrograde cardioplegia administration alone provided comparable myocardial protection to antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia during MIMS, but was not sufficient to achieve asystole in one-fifth of patients.

Perioperative Right Ventricular Pressure Monitoring in Cardiac Surgery.

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a cause of increased morbidity and mortality in both cardiac surgery and noncardiac surgery and in the intensive care unit. Early diagnosis of this condition still poses a challenge. The diagnosis of RV dysfunction traditionally is based on a combination of echocardiography, hemodynamic measurements, and clinical symptoms. This review describes the method of using RV pressure waveform analysis to diagnose and grade the severity of RV dysfunction. The authors describe the technique, optimal use, and pitfalls of this method, which has been used at the Montreal Heart Institute since 2002, and review the current literature on this method. The RV pressure waveform is obtained using a pulmonary artery catheter with the capability of measuring RV pressure by connecting a pressure transducer to the pacemaker port. The authors describe how RV pressure waveform analysis can facilitate the diagnosis of systolic and diastolic RV dysfunction, the evaluation of RV-arterial coupling, and help diagnose RV outflow tract obstruction. RV pressure waveform analysis also can be used to guide pharmacologic treatment and fluid resuscitation strategies for RV dysfunction.

Aortic Valve Cusp Coaptation Surface Area Using 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography Correlates with Severity of Aortic Valve Insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test both in humans and using finite element (FE) aortic valve (AV) models whether the coaptation surface area (CoapSA) correlates with aortic insufficiency (AI) severity due to dilated aortic roots to determine the validity and utility of 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic-measured CoapSA. DESIGN: Two-pronged, clinical and computational approach. SETTING: Single university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 10 patients with known AI and 98 FE simulations of increasingly dilated human aortic roots. INTERVENTIONS: The CoapSA was calculated using intraoperative 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography data of patients with isolated AI and compared with established quantifiers of AI. In addition, the CoapSA and effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) were determined using FE simulations. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In the 10 AI patients, regurgitant fraction (RF) increased with EROA (R2 = 0.77, p = 0.0008); CoapSA decreased with RF (R2 = 0.72, p = 0.0020); CoapSA decreased with EROA (R2 = 0.71, p = 0.0021); and normalized CoapSA (CoapSA / [Ventriculo-Aortic Junction × Sinotubular Junction]) decreased with EROA (R2 = 0.60, p = 0.0088). In the 98 FE simulations, normalized CoapSA decreased with EROA (R2 = 0.50, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In both human and FE AV models, CoapSA was observed to be inversely correlated with AI severity, EROA, and RF, thereby supporting the validity and utility of 3D TEE-measured CoapSA. A clinical implication is the expectation that high values of CoapSA, measured intraoperatively after AV repairs, would correlate with better long-term outcomes of those repairs.

Low-Dose Versus High-Dose Tranexamic Acid Reduces the Risk of Nonischemic Seizures After Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of postoperative nonischemic seizures associated with the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) and the possibility of prevention with a low-dose regimen of TXA were evaluated. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 12,195 patients who underwent cardiac surgical procedures under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were evaluated. INTERVENTIONS: The files of every clinical seizure case diagnosed in the surgical intensive care unit between April 2006 and April 2014 were reviewed. Patients who experienced a postoperative seizure underwent a cerebral computed tomography scan to exclude an ischemic lesion. Dosage and type of antifibrinolytic used and surgery characteristics were retrieved from perfusion files. Low-dose TXA was defined as 1,000-mg bolus, 400-mg/h infusion, and 500 mg in CPB priming. High-dose TXA was defined as 30-mg/kg bolus, 15 mg/kg/h, and 2 mg/kg in CPB priming. RESULTS: No seizure was observed in the 886 patients who did not receive antifibrinolytics. A total of 98 clinical seizures (0.8%) were recorded in the intensive care unit, and ischemic cause was excluded in the majority of them after computed tomography scan results were reviewed (91 patients [93%]). Low-dose TXA was associated with fewer seizures than was high-dose TXA (46 of 7,452 cases [0.70%] v 34 of 2,190 cases [1.55%], respectively; p < 0.0001). Open-chamber cardiac surgery also was linked to a higher incidence of seizures compared with revascularization (80 of 6,662 [1.20%] and 11 of 5,533 [0.20%], respectively; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Lower doses of TXA were associated with a lower incidence of nonischemic seizures compared with higher doses of the drug.