Post-pneumonectomy patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding post-pneumonectomy patient assessment for cardiac surgery is scarce. This retrospective study was conducted to define early and late outcomes in these patients, and to identify risk factors for poor outcomes. METHODS: This study included patients with a previous history of pneumonectomy undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery with median sternotomy. The institutional database was reviewed from 1992 to 2018. RESULTS: Sixteen post-pneumonectomy patients (all lung cancer) were identified. The age range was 53-81 years. The mean FEV1/FVC was 69%. The mean EuroSCORE II was 11.6%. Four patients had heart failure symptoms in the 2 weeks before surgery. Seven patients had isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and six patients had CABG + aortic valve replacement (AVR). The major perioperative events affecting the ease and outcomes of the surgical procedures were structural shifts (5), extensive adhesions on heart and vessels (5), and extensive calcification of heart components (5). Important postoperative complications were respiratory (7), infections (5), and acute kidney injury (5). The median hospital length of stay was 7 days. Five patients died in hospital (none with isolated CABG) with a preoperative New York Heart Association classification (NYHA) of III-IV, a cardiopulmonary bypass time of 175.2 min and an aortic cross-clamp time of 104.0 min. The long-term survival data were recorded with a mean follow-up of 7.3 ± 7.1 years (range from 0 to 19). The overall, 5-year survival, was 50% for all cardiac surgeries, 71% for isolated CABG surgeries, and 17% for CABG + AVR surgeries, respectively. CONCLUSION: Post-pneumonectomy patients have acceptable postoperative outcomes and survival. Simple and short surgeries with careful planning can yield favorable outcomes for this high-risk subgroup of patients.

Asymptomatic Left Ventricular Malignant Psammomatous Melanotic Schwannoma.

Malignant psammomatous melanotic schwannoma (MPMS) is a rare type of tumour, occasionally reported to occur with mediastinal involvement. Histopathologic similarities with melanoma may lead to a wrong diagnosis, but distinguishing between types of tumours is mandatory for adequate management and prognosis. MPMS may be aggressive and manifest unpredictable behavior, with a poor midterm prognosis despite benign histopathologic features. We discuss the challenges that come with a diagnosis of MPMS, and the rationale for our treatment strategy, in this first report regarding MPMS involving the left heart ventricle.

Le schwannome mélanotique psammomateux malin (SMPM) est un type de tumeur rare qui est à l'occasion observé au niveau du médiastin. Ses similitudes histologiques avec le mélanome peuvent conduire à un diagnostic erroné, mais il est impératif de savoir faire la distinction entre ces types de tumeur pour optimiser la prise en charge et le pronostic. Le SMPM peut être agressif et avoir une évolution imprévisible, avec un pronostic défavorable à moyen terme malgré des caractéristiques histopathologiques bénignes. Dans cette première étude de cas de SMPM présentant une atteinte du ventricule gauche, nous décrivons les défis posés par un diagnostic de SMPM et justifions notre stratégie de traitement.

Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis Outside Randomized Trials.

BACKGROUND: Recent randomized trials including low-risk patients showed positive results for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), but patients with non-tricuspid aortic valve (NTAV), severe coronary artery disease (SevCAD), and those requiring concomitant mitral/tricuspid valve (CMTV) or concomitant ascending aorta replacement (CAAR) interventions were excluded. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the presence and impact of the main clinical variables not evaluated in TAVR versus SAVR trials (NTAV, SevCAD, and CMTV or CAAR intervention) in a large series of consecutive low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (SAS) undergoing SAVR. METHODS: Single-center study including consecutive patients with SAS and low surgical risk (Society of Thoracic Surgeons score of <4%) undergoing SAVR. Baseline, procedural characteristics, and 30-day outcomes were prospectively collected. RESULTS: Of 6,772 patients with SAS who underwent SAVR between 2000 and 2019, 5,310 (78.4%) exhibited a low surgical risk (mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons score: 1.94 ± 0.87%). Of these, 2,165 patients (40.8%) had at least 1 of the following: NTAV (n = 1,468, 27.6%), SevCAD (n = 307, 5.8%), CMTV (n = 306, 5.8%), and CAAR (n = 560, 10.5%). The 30-day mortality and stroke rates for the overall low-risk SAS cohort were 1.9% and 2.4%, respectively. The mortality rate was similar in the SevCAD (2.6%) and CAAR (2.1%) groups versus the rest of the cohort (odds ratio [OR]: 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85 to 3.75, and OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 0.88 to 3.05, respectively), lower in the NTAV group (0.9%; OR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.81), and higher in the CMTV group (5.9%; OR: 2.61; 95% CI: 1.51 to 4.5). CONCLUSIONS: In a real-world setting, close to one-half of the low-risk patients with SAS undergoing SAVR exhibited at least 1 major criterion not evaluated in TAVR versus SAVR randomized trials. Clinical outcomes were better than or similar to those predicted by surgical scores in all groups but those patients requiring CMTV intervention. These results may help determine the impact of implementing the results of TAVR-SAVR trials in real practice and may inform future trials in specific groups.

An autopsy view of the Hemi-commando procedure.

Invasive endocarditis involving the fibrous skeleton of the heart requires complex high-risk surgical management. For combined aortic and mitral infection in whom the posterior mitral leaflet and at least the free edge of anterior mitral valve could be spared, a modification of the Commando procedure was suggested: the "Hemi-commando procedure." We report the autopsy images of a Hemi-commando procedure after in unfortunate death in a 24 years old man 17 days after surgery.

Large Intramural Aortic Hematoma with Intimal Tear.

A 72-year-old man presented with excruciating epigastric pain. A chest computed tomography angiography revealed an aortic intramural hematoma. A filling defect within the distal ascending aorta was noted. Images of an intramular hematoma and surgical details of an ascending aortic replacement under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest are provided.

Identification of Long Noncoding RNA H19 as a New Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Right Ventricular Failure in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) function is the major determinant for both functional capacity and survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Despite the recognized clinical importance of preserving RV function, the subcellular mechanisms that govern the transition from a compensated to a decompensated state remain poorly understood and as a consequence there are no clinically established treatments for RV failure and a paucity of clinically useful biomarkers. Accumulating evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs are powerful regulators of cardiac development and disease. Nonetheless, their implication in adverse RV remodeling in PAH is unknown. METHODS: Expression of the long noncoding RNA H19 was assessed by quantitative PCR in plasma and RV from patients categorized as control RV, compensated RV or decompensated RV based on clinical history and cardiac index. The impact of H19 suppression using GapmeR was explored in 2 rat models mimicking RV failure, namely the monocrotaline and pulmonary artery banding. Echocardiographic, hemodynamic, histological, and biochemical analyses were conducted. In vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed in rat cardiomyocytes. RESULTS: We demonstrated that H19 is upregulated in decompensated RV from PAH patients and correlates with RV hypertrophy and fibrosis. Similar findings were observed in monocrotaline and pulmonary artery banding rats. We found that silencing H19 limits pathological RV hypertrophy, fibrosis and capillary rarefaction, thus preserving RV function in monocrotaline and pulmonary artery banding rats without affecting pulmonary vascular remodeling. This cardioprotective effect was accompanied by E2F transcription factor 1-mediated upregulation of enhancer of zeste homolog 2. In vitro, knockdown of H19 suppressed cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by phenylephrine, while its overexpression has the opposite effect. Finally, we demonstrated that circulating H19 levels in plasma discriminate PAH patients from controls, correlate with RV function and predict long-term survival in 2 independent idiopathic PAH cohorts. Moreover, H19 levels delineate subgroups of patients with differentiated prognosis when combined with the NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) levels or the risk score proposed by both REVEAL (Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-Term PAH Disease Management) and the 2015 European Pulmonary Hypertension Guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identify H19 as a new therapeutic target to impede the development of maladaptive RV remodeling and a promising biomarker of PAH severity and prognosis.

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.

Right atrial catheter "ghost" removal by cardiac surgery: A pediatric case series report.

Fibrin sheath formation around long-term indwelling central venous catheters is common and usually benign. Fibrin sheath can persist after catheter removal and rarely leads to complications. This is a report of three pediatric oncology patients that required cardiac surgery for cardiac embolization of a "ghost" catheter several years after catheter removal. One case required tricuspid valve replacement for complete tricuspid valve destruction and two had erosion through the atrial wall. The severity of these rare complications mandates follow-up of "ghost" catheters in pediatric oncology patients.

Tricuspid Intervention Following Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is common among adults with corrected tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) or pulmonary stenosis (PS) referred for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR). Yet, combined valve surgery remains controversial. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the impact of concomitant tricuspid valve intervention (TVI) on post-operative TR, length of hospital stay, and on a composite endpoint consisting of 7 early adverse events (death, reintervention, cardiac electronic device implantation, infection, thromboembolic event, hemodialysis, and readmission). METHODS: The national Canadian cohort enrolled 542 patients with TOF or PS and mild to severe TR who underwent isolated PVR (66.8%) or PVR+TVI (33.2%). Outcomes were abstracted from charts and compared between groups using multivariable logistic and negative binomial regression. RESULTS: Median age at reintervention was 35.3 years. Regardless of surgery type, TR decreased by at least 1 echocardiographic grade in 35.4%, 66.9%, and 92.8% of patients with pre-operative mild, moderate, and severe insufficiency. In multivariable analyses, PVR+TVI was associated with an additional 2.3-fold reduction in TR grade (odds ratio [OR]: 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25 to 0.77) without an increase in early adverse events (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.46 to 1.57) or hospitalization time (incidence rate ratio: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.46). Pre-operative TR severity and presence of transvalvular leads independently predicted post-operative TR. In contrast, early adverse events were strongly associated with atrial tachyarrhythmia, extracardiac arteriopathy, and a high body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with TOF or PS and significant TR, concomitant TVI is safe and results in better early tricuspid valve competence than isolated PVR.

More Than 25 Years of Experience With the Ross Procedure in Children: A Single-Center Experience.

BACKGROUND: Aortic valve replacement in children represents an important challenge. Concerns regarding pulmonary autograft and homograft longevity requiring reoperations are well recognized. Very long-term outcomes after the Ross procedure are still unknown. We reviewed our experience with the Ross procedure, aiming to define very long-term survival rate and freedom from reintervention. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective cohort including 63 consecutive children who underwent the Ross procedure. Median follow-up duration was 20.5 years. Time-related events were assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimator. RESULTS: There were 51 (81%) boys, mean age 10.1 ± 5.8 years. Isolated aortic stenosis was the most common diagnosis (n = 29, 46%) and 34 (54%) patients previously underwent cardiac surgery. There was 1 (1.6%) in-hospital death. Overall survival at 5, 15, and 25 years was 96.7%, 94.4%, and 94.4%, respectively. Freedom from any autograft-related reintervention was 98.1%, 86.4%, and 61.2% at 5, 15, and 25 years, respectively. Fifteen (24%) patients underwent autograft reoperations. Among them, 10 (67%) patients underwent valve-sparing autograft reoperation. Freedom from any pulmonary conduit reintervention was 93.2%, 58.2%, and 28.3% at 5, 15, and 25 years, respectively. Thirty (46.6%) patients underwent conduit reintervention (8 percutaneous, 22 surgical replacements). CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric Ross procedure is associated with excellent long-term survival. Ross-related reinterventions are more than twice as common on the pulmonary homograft than on the autograft.

Neonatal Cardiac Arrest From Left Ventricular Cardiac Hemangioma: A Surprising Presentation.

Cardiac hemangioma is rare, even more when leading to a cardiovascular collapse in a seemingly healthy newborn. A 6-day-old neonate had a tamponade caused by a basolateral hemangioma of the left ventricle. Partial surgical resection was performed. A congenital lobular capillary hemangioma was diagnosed upon histologic examination. The patient recovered completely and shows normal development at the 12-month follow-up.

Prosthetic aortic valve thrombosis: To fibrinolyse or not to fibrinolyse? That is the question!

Prosthetic heart valve (PHV) dysfunction is a rare but serious complication whose optimal management may be challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Treatment success ultimately depends on determining the underlying mechanism of valve dysfunction by echocardiography. However, being able to establish the main etiology is not always straightforward. We present a difficult case of obstructive PHV dysfunction and discuss clinical and echocardiographic parameters to help differentiate thrombus from pannus formation.

Long-Term Outcomes Following Surgical Aortic Bioprosthesis Implantation.

BACKGROUND: Few data exist on long-term outcomes and structural valve degeneration (SVD) in consecutive unselected patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine the long-term outcomes of a contemporary cohort of consecutive unselected SAVR recipients with a focus on evaluating clinical outcomes and SVD based on echocardiographic criteria. METHODS: A total of 672 consecutive patients (mean age: 72 ± 8 years; 61.5% male) undergoing SAVR with a bioprosthesis between 2002 and 2004 were included. Baseline and follow-up data were prospectively collected in a dedicated database. Baseline post-operative echocardiographic data were obtained in the 624 patients alive at hospital discharge and in 209 patients at 10 years (87% of the patients at risk). SVD was defined as subclinical (increase >10 mm Hg in mean transvalvular gradient + decrease >0.3 cm2 in valve area and/or new-onset mild or moderate aortic regurgitation) and clinically relevant (increase >20 mm Hg in mean transvalvular gradient + decrease >0.6 cm2 in valve area and/or new-onset moderate-to-severe aortic regurgitation). RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 10 years (interquartile range: 5 to 13 years), 432 patients (64.3%) had died. Older age, left ventricular dysfunction, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, greater body mass index, and diabetes mellitus were associated with an increased mortality risk (p < 0.05 for all). Clinically relevant SVD occurred in 6.6% of patients; 30.1% of patients had subclinical SVD. A greater body mass index and the use of a specific aortic bioprosthesis were independently associated with clinically relevant SVD (p < 0.05 for both), and 83% of these patients underwent aortic valve reintervention (valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement in 44% of them). CONCLUSIONS: The 10-year mortality rate in elderly SAVR recipients of a bioprosthetic valve was considerable, chiefly determined by their older age and the presence of comorbidities. Clinically relevant SVD was infrequent, but close to one third of the population exhibited subclinical SVD. These results provide contemporary data on long-term clinical outcomes and SVD post-SAVR, and they should be taken into consideration when evaluating late clinical outcomes and valve durability after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery: Masquerading as Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

Diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy 8 years earlier, a 45-year-old woman had sudden cardiac death. After resuscitation, the patient was diagnosed with an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery and underwent a successful coronary repair. The management of a patient with clinical features of cardiomyopathy is reviewed.

Mitral Annular Calcification and Mitral Valve Replacement: A New Approach.

Mitral valve replacement is technically challenging in the context of mitral annular calcification. A new surgical strategy is described that was used in a 71-year-old obese patient, where intraatrial prosthesis insertion and valve fixation into native uncalcified structures were performed without calcium debridement.

Clinical Outcomes Following the Ross Procedure in Adults: A 25-Year Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Very few reports of long-term outcomes of patients who underwent the Ross procedure have been published. OBJECTIVES: The authors reviewed their 25-year experience with the Ross procedure with the aim of defining very-long-term survival and factors associated with Ross-related failure. METHODS: Between January 1990 and December 2014, the Ross procedure was performed in 310 adults (mean age 40.8 years) at a single institution. All patients were prospectively added to a dedicated cardiac surgery registry. Complete post-operative clinical examination and history were obtained, and transthoracic echocardiography was performed according to a standardized protocol. There was no loss to follow-up. Median follow-up was 15.1 years and up to 25 years. RESULTS: Bicuspid aortic valve was diagnosed in 227 patients (73.2%), and the most common indication for surgery was aortic stenosis (n = 225 [72.6%]). Freedom from any Ross-related reintervention was 92.9% and 70.1% at 10 and 20 years, respectively. Independent risk factors for pulmonary autograft degeneration were pre-operative large aortic annulus (hazard ratio: 1.1; p = 0.01), pre-operative aortic insufficiency (hazard ratio: 2.7; p = 0.002), and concomitant replacement of the ascending aorta (hazard ratio: 7.7; p = 0.0003). There were 4 hospital deaths (1.3%), and overall survival at 10 and 20 years was 94.1% and 83.6%, respectively. Long-term survival was not significantly different in patients who required Ross-related reintervention (log-rank p = 0.70). However, compared with the general population, survival was significantly lower in patients following the Ross procedure when matched on age and sex (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The Ross procedure was associated with excellent long-term valvular outcomes and survival, regardless of the need for reintervention. Adults presenting with aortic insufficiency or a dilated aortic annulus or ascending aorta were at greater risk for reintervention. Unlike previous reports, long-term survival was lower in Ross patients compared with matched subjects.