Transvenous Implantation of a Stent Valve in Patients With Degenerated Mitral Prostheses and Native Mitral Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report the use of a transvenous transseptal approach using a stent valve in patients with degenerated biological mitral valve prostheses, regurgitation after mitral repair, and native mitral stenosis. METHODS: Ten patients (median age, 74 years; range, 20-89 years; 5 men and 5 women) with degenerated mitral bioprosthetic valves (n = 7), failed mitral repair (n = 1), or calcified native stenotic valves (n = 2) underwent transvenous implantation of a stent valve. RESULTS: The procedure was initially successful in all patients. Predilation was performed for balloon sizing only in the 2 patients with native mitral stenosis. The stent valve was deployed during 1 period of rapid pacing. A guidewire, as a loop from the right femoral vein and through the left ventricular apex, facilitated a good angle and secure positioning of the stent valve. An ultrasonographically guided puncture of the apex was carried out in 6 patients, and in the other 4 we performed a minithoracotomy before apical puncture. All valves were implanted in a good position with improved function and without significant paravalvular leakage (PVL). There were no periprocedural deaths. The 30-day survival was 80% (8 of 10 patients), and 60% (6 of 10) of patients were still alive a median time of 290 days after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Transvenous transseptal implantation of a stent valve was performed in 10 patients with mitral valve disease, with good early functional results. These high-risk patients must be carefully selected by a multidisciplinary team because the procedure carries a high mortality.

Lymphocyte subpopulations in lymph nodes and peripheral blood: a comparison between patients with stable angina and acute coronary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerosis is characterized by a chronic inflammatory response involving activated T cells and impairment of natural killer (NK) cells. An increased T cell activity has been associated with plaque instability and risk of acute cardiac events. Lymphocyte analyses in blood are widely used to evaluate the immune status. However, peripheral blood contains only a minor proportion of lymphocytes. In this study, we hypothesized that thoracic lymph nodes from patients with stable angina (SA) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) might add information to peripheral blood analyses. METHODS: Peripheral blood and lymph nodes were collected during coronary by-pass surgery in 13 patients with SA and 13 patients with ACS. Lymphocyte subpopulations were assessed by flow cytometry using antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD16/56, CD25, Foxp3, CD69, HLA-DR, IL-18 receptor (R) and CCR4. RESULTS: Lymph nodes revealed a lymphocyte subpopulation profile substantially differing from that in blood including a higher proportion of B cells, lower proportions of CD8(+) T cells and NK cells and a 2-fold higher CD4/CD8 ratio. CD4(+)CD69(+) cells as well as Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells were markedly enriched in lymph nodes (p<0.001) while T helper 1-like (CD4(+)IL-18R+) cells were more frequent in blood (p<0.001). The only significant differences between ACS and SA patients involved NK cells that were reduced in the ACS group. However, despite being reduced, the NK cell fraction in ACS patients contained a significantly higher proportion of IL-18R(+) cells compared with SA patients (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There were several differences in lymphocyte subpopulations between blood and lymph nodes. However, the lymphocyte perturbations in peripheral blood of ACS patients compared with SA patients were not mirrored in lymph nodes. The findings indicate that lymph node analyses in multivessel coronary artery disease may not reveal any major changes in the immune response that are not detectable in blood.

Collagen-gentamicin implant for prevention of sternal wound infection; long-term follow-up of effectiveness.

In a previous randomized controlled trial (LOGIP trial) the addition of local collagen-gentamicin reduced the incidence of postoperative sternal wound infections (SWI) compared with intravenous prophylaxis only. Consequently, the technique with local gentamicin was introduced in clinical routine at the two participating centers. The aim of the present study was to re-evaluate the technique regarding the prophylactic effect against SWI and to detect potential shifts in causative microbiological agents over time. All patients in this prospective two-center study received prophylaxis with application of two collagen-gentamicin sponges between the sternal halves in addition to routine intravenous antibiotics. All patients were followed for 60 days postoperatively. From January 2007 to May 2008, 1359 patients were included. The 60-day incidences of any SWI was 3.7% and of deep SWI 1.5% (1.0% mediastinitis). Both superficial and deep SWI were significantly reduced compared with the previous control group (OR=0.34 for deep SWI, P<0.001). There was no increase in the absolute incidence of aminoglycoside resistant agents. The majority of SWI were caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). The incidence of deep SWI caused by Staphylococcus aureus was 0.07%. The results indicate a maintained effect of the prophylaxis over time without absolute increase in aminoglycoside resistance. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00484055).

Impella used for hemostasis by left ventricular unloading, in a case with left ventricular posterior wall rupture.

Left ventricle wall rupture is a feared complication in mitral valve surgery. We report a combined mitral valve anuloplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting procedure with severe, life-threatening bleeding complication due to left ventricular posterior wall rupture. The patient was successfully treated with a temporary left ventricular assist device to decompress the left ventricle in an attempt to minimize the bleeding, as the patient's condition did not allow standard repair of the left ventricle.

Wound contamination in cardiac surgery. A systematic quantitative and qualitative study of the bacterial growth in sternal wounds in cardiac surgery patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the degree of bacterial contamination in the sternal wound during cardiac surgery and the sternal skin flora after operation in order to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of sternal wound infections. DESIGN: Prospective study where cultures were taken peri- and postoperatively from sternal wounds and skin. SETTING: University Hospital. PATIENTS: 201 cardiac surgery patients. RESULTS: 89% of the patients grew bacteria from the subcutaneous sternal tissue. 98% of the patients showed bacterial growth on the surrounding skin at the end of the operation. We found both commensal and nosocomial bacteria in the sternal wound. These bacteria had different temporal distribution patterns. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and Propionibacterium acnes (PA) were by far the most prevalent bacteria during and after the operation. Furthermore, 41% of patients had more than 10,000 CFU/pad CoNS on the skin. There was no correlation between length of operation and number of bacteria. Men displayed higher bacterial counts than women on the skin. CONCLUSION: Skin preparation with ethanol/chlorhexidine is unable to suppress the physiological skin flora for the duration of a heart operation. A decrease of CoNS and PA postoperatively can be caused by competitive recolonisation of commensal and nosocomial bacteria.

The Linköping experience--ups and downs.

This is a brief single-centre report of experiences regarding different prophylactic measures against sternal wound infection during a period of about 10 years. It illustrates the difficulties associated with evaluating the effect of specific prophylactic methods in the clinical situation. Possible explanations for perceived shifts in the rate of wound infections are discussed.

Cost effectiveness of local collagen-gentamicin as prophylaxis for sternal wound infections in different risk groups.

OBJECTIVES: In a randomized trial addition of local collagen-gentamicin in the sternal wound reduced the rate of sternal wound infection (SWI) to about 50% compared to intravenous prophylaxis alone. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the economic rationale for its use in every-day clinical practice. This includes the question whether high-risk groups that may have particular benefit should be identified. DESIGN: For each patient with SWI in the trial the costs attributable to the SWI were calculated. Risk factors for SWI were identified and any heterogeneity of the effect of the prophylaxis examined. RESULTS: The mean cost of a SWI was about 14500 Euros. A cost effectiveness analysis showed that the prophylaxis was cost saving. The positive net balance was even higher in risk groups. Assignment to the control group, overweight, diabetes, younger age, mammarian artery use, left ventricular ejection fraction <35% and longer operation time were independent risk factors for infection. CONCLUSION: The addition of local collagen-gentamicin to intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis was dominant, i.e. resulted in both lower costs and fewer wound infections.

A multimodal approach for reducing wound infections after sternotomy.

As previous efforts failed to reduce infection rates after cardiac surgery at our institution, we developed a concept based on adjustment of surgical technique. This concept was then evaluated in clinical practice. We modified our surgical technique towards: minimizing contamination, avoidance of devitalizing tissue, and securing a rigid fixation of the caudal part of sternum. After a pilot series sequential series was compared before and after introduction of the modified technique in a case-series design. All surgical site infections were recorded at discharge, after 6 weeks and by the attending cardiologist at 2 and 6 months. In the pilot series 9/136 patients developed sternal wound infections (SWI) compared with 15/89 patients in the control group (P=0.015). In the larger study population we found a significant drop in the total number of SWIs (72/772 vs 124/772, P<0.0001). Although not statistically significant a 32% reduction in deep SWIs was observed. No reduction in infections at harvest sites for graft material was seen. The preliminary results from the pilot study appear reproducible and we were able to reduce the incidence of SWIs significantly, using this simple modified surgical technique.