Emergent cardiopulmonary bypass for a 180 kilogram patient: support with a single oxygenator.

As obesity increases in prevalence, so will cases in which patients present at the boundaries of care. We report the support of a class III obese man, having a body mass index of 60.8 kg/m2 and in acute renal failure, with a single Trillium-coated Affinity NT Hollow Fiber oxygenator in cardiopulmonary bypass for an emergent aortic valve replacement secondary to infective endocarditis. A maximum oxygen delivery of 807.51 mL of oxygen per minute is reported for this oxygenator in this case report.

Effective median sternotomy closure in high-risk open heart patients.

We describe a novel surgical technique with a median sternotomy closure in high-risk open heart patients. In contrast to conventional sternal closure, in which sternal wires are passed through the intercostal space, the novel technique in sternal closure passes sternal wires transcostally or through costo-chondral joints.

Freedom from structural valve deterioration among patients aged < or = 60 years undergoing Freestyle stentless aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Certain theoretical arguments suggest that a stentless bioprosthetic valve may be less subject to calcification and degeneration compared to an equivalent stented bioprosthesis. The study aim was to define the long-term clinical outcomes, including freedom from structural valve deterioration (SVD), among relatively younger patients after aortic valve replacement (AVR) with the Freestyle aortic bioprosthesis. METHODS: A total of 725 patients at eight study sites underwent AVR with the Freestyle stentless aortic bioprosthesis. Of these patients, 57 (7.9%) were aged < or = 60 years at the time of surgery. All clinical data were recorded prospectively. RESULTS: The total follow up for the group was 4,900 patient-years; the mean follow up per patient was 6.8 +/- 3.6 years; median 7.2 years; range: 0 to 13.3 years). Survival at 12 years was 65.0 +/- 11.6% for patients aged < or = 60 years at implant, and 33.1 +/- 5.3% for those aged > or = 61 years. Freedom from cardiac death was 94.6 +/- 6.6% and 70.7 +/- 7.5%, respectively. Freedom from SVD at 12 years was 92.4 +/- 8.0% for patients aged < or = 60 years at implant, and 92.3 +/- 5.0% for those aged > or = 61 years (p = 0.58). There was no significant difference in freedom from reoperation at 12 years between the younger and older age groups (p = 0.16). CONCLUSION: The Freestyle stentless aortic bioprosthesis was associated with excellent clinical outcomes through 12 years of follow up. Freedom from cardiac death was excellent. Measures of bioprosthesis durability remained outstanding through 12 years, with no difference in freedom from SVD or from reoperation between patients aged < or = 60 years and those aged > or = 61 years at the time of implant. Inasmuch as valve durability may influence decisions between a tissue and a mechanical valve in younger patients, these data help to support use of the Freestyle valve in patients aged < or = 60 years.

Randomized trial of endoscopic versus open vein harvest for coronary artery bypass grafting: six-month patency rates.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the 6-month angiographic patency rates of greater saphenous veins removed during coronary artery bypass grafting with the endoscopic vein harvest or open vein harvest techniques. METHODS: Two hundred patients undergoing nonemergency on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were prospectively randomized to either endoscopic vein harvest or open vein harvest. Follow-up angiography of all vein grafts was scheduled at 6 months. Graft patency and disease grades were assigned independently by 2 interventional cardiologists. Leg wound healing was evaluated at discharge, 1 month, and 6 months for evidence of complications. RESULTS: There were 3 conversions from endoscopic vein harvest to open vein harvest because of vein factors. Leg wound complications were significantly lower in the endoscopic vein harvest group (7.4% vs 19.4%, P = .014). On multivariable analysis, endoscopic vein harvest emerged as the only factor affecting wound complications (odds ratio, 0.33). Three deaths (2 perioperative and 1 late) occurred in the endoscopic vein harvest group that were unrelated to vein graft closure. Twenty-four and 29 patients in the endoscopic vein harvest and open vein harvest cohorts, respectively, refused the follow-up 6-month angiography. Therefore a total of 144 angiograms (73 endoscopic vein harvests and 71 open vein harvests) and 336 vein grafts (166 endoscopic vein harvests and 170 open vein harvests) were available for analysis. The overall occlusion rates at 6 months were 21.7% for endoscopic vein harvest and 17.6% for open vein harvest. Additionally, there was evidence of significant disease (>50% stenosis) in 10.2% and 12.4% of endoscopic vein harvest and open vein harvest grafts, respectively. By means of ordinal hierarchic logistic regression, endoscopic vein harvest was not found to be a risk factor for vein graft occlusion or disease (odds ratio, 1.15). Significant predictors were congestive heart failure (odds ratio, 2.87), graft to the diagonal artery territory (odds ratio, 1.76), larger vein conduit size (odds ratio, 1.32), and graft flow (odds ratio, 0.90). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic vein harvest reduces leg wound complications compared with open vein harvest without compromising the 6-month patency rate. The overall patency rate depends on target and vein-related variables and patient characteristics rather than the method of vein harvesting.

Randomized trial comparing partial versus complete chordal-sparing mitral valve replacement: effects on left ventricular volume and function.

OBJECTIVE: The merits of retaining the subvalvular apparatus during mitral valve replacement for chronic mitral regurgitation have been demonstrated in numerous retrospective clinical investigations but not in a randomized study. In this report we analyzed the early and late effects of complete versus partial chordal preservation on left ventricular mechanics. METHODS: Forty-seven patients undergoing isolated surgical correction of mitral insufficiency were prospectively randomized to either total or partial chordal-sparing mitral valve replacement. Complete data from 36 patients were available for analysis. Of these individuals, 15 had preservation of the posterior leaflet only (P-MVR group), and 21 had complete preservation of all chordal structures (C-MVR group). Echocardiography was performed preoperatively, at the time of discharge, and after 1 year to determine dimensions, wall stress, left ventricular mass, and ejection function. RESULTS: End-diastolic volume decreased in both groups initially but continued to decline only in the C-MVR cohort. Similarly, although end-systolic volume decreased over time with total chordal preservation, no notable changes were observed in the P-MVR group. In the C-MVR group, end-systolic stress decreased initially but rose slightly by 1 year. In contrast, end-systolic stress remained unchanged at discharge in the P-MVR group and increased at 1 year. In terms of systolic performance, ejection fraction declined after surgical intervention with partial chordal-sparing techniques and did not improve by 1 year. Ejection fraction returned to the preoperative level after an initial decrease in the C-MVR group. Finally, left ventricular mass was reduced in the C-MVR cohort versus no change in the P-MVR group. CONCLUSION: Complete retention of the mitral subvalvular apparatus during mitral valve replacement confers a significant early advantage by reducing left ventricular chamber size and systolic afterload compared with partial chordal preservation. Furthermore, left ventricular ejection performance continues to improve over time, probably because of more favorable left ventricular remodeling.

Torsion dynamics in the evolution from acute to chronic mitral regurgitation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF STUDY: Left ventricular (LV) torsion reduces transmural fiber strain gradients during systole, and torsional recoil in early diastole is thought to assist LV filling. To test the hypothesis that deterioration of torsional dynamics accompanied LV dysfunction during the evolution of mitral regurgitation (MR), torsion was measured during the progression from acute to chronic MR in a canine model. METHODS: Seven dogs underwent cardiopulmonary bypass for LV marker placement and creation of MR by disrupting the posterior leaflet. After 7-10 days, three-dimensional marker coordinates were measured with biplane videofluoroscopy to study LV geometry, size and function, plus maximal torsional deformation, time of maximal torsion relative to end-ejection, and early diastolic torsional recoil during the first 5% of filling. After three months, the animals were re-studied. RESULTS: Progression from acute to chronic MR was associated with a significant decrease in maximum LV dP/dt (1,574+/-213 to 1,300+/-252 mmHg/s, p <0.01) and an increase in LVEDP from 11+/-5 to 15+/-5 mmHg (p <0.01). After three months of MR, maximum torsional deformation decreased from 6.3+/-1.9 to 4.7+/-2.0 degrees (p = 0.04), as did early diastolic recoil (-3.8+/-1.0 to -1.5+/-1.7 degrees, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Progression from acute to chronic MR is accompanied by decreased and delayed systolic LV torsional deformation and a decline in early diastolic recoil, which may contribute to LV dysfunction by increasing transmural strain gradients during systole and impairing diastolic filling. As torsional deformation and recoil can be measured non-invasively with MRI in humans, such measurements might prove useful in patients with progressive MR as an adjunct to determine the timing of surgical repair.