Safety and effectiveness of selective carotid angioplasty prior to cardiac surgery: a single-centre matched case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: Reducing the rate of postoperative stroke after cardiac surgery remains challenging, especially in patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease. Angioplasty in all patients with high-grade carotid artery stenosis has not been shown to be effective in reducing the post-surgical stroke rate. In this study, we present the initial results of a different approach using selective carotid angioplasty only in patients with poor intracranial collaterals. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre study to assess the safety of this procedure. The postangioplasty complication rate of the study group was compared to that of patients who were scheduled for symptomatic carotid artery angioplasty. To determine the effectiveness of this procedure, the post-cardiac surgery complication rate of the study group was compared with that of the matched case controls. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were treated with selective carotid angioplasty without developing persistent major neurological complications. All patients except 1 patient subsequently underwent surgery without developing persistent major neurological disabilities. Two patients died of cardiogenic shock within 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Selective carotid angioplasty prior to cardiac surgery in patients with a presumed high risk of stroke was relatively safe and effective in this study group. Although this strategy does not prevent stroke in these high-risk patients, data suggest that this approach shifts the postoperative type of stroke from a severe haemodynamic stroke towards a minor embolic stroke with favourable neurological outcomes. Larger studies are needed to determine whether this strategy can effectively eliminate the occurrence of haemodynamic stroke after cardiac surgery.

Impact of the Haga Braincare Strategy on the burden of haemodynamic and embolic strokes related to cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study prospectively evaluates the impact of the Haga Braincare Strategy (HBS) on the occurrence of haemodynamic and embolic stroke in a cohort of patients who underwent coronay artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve replacement of a combination of both types of surgery between 2012 and 2015 at the Haga Teaching Hospitals. METHODS: The HBS is a dual strategy based on a preoperative vascular work-up of the cerebral circulation by transcranial Doppler and a perioperative monitoring of the cerebral circulation by cerebral oximetry. Duplex of the carotid arteries and/or computed tomography angiography prior to surgery was performed in high-risk patients. Patients with severe carotid artery stenosis were scheduled for carotid angioplasty prior to surgery or waived from surgery. RESULTS: A total of 1065 patients were included. Poor cerebral haemodynamics were identified by transcranial Doppler in 2.1% of patients (n = 22). Based on the HBS, 3 patients were waived from surgery, 4 received preoperative carotid angioplasty followed by cardiac surgery and the remaining patients were operated while being monitored with bilateral cerebral oximetry sensors. In all, 2.2% of the study group experienced a stroke (n = 23), of which none were classified as haemodynamic. Most of the remaining presumed embolic strokes showed a minor to moderate stroke severity. CONCLUSIONS: In this single-centre prospective follow-up study, surveillance of cerebral perfusion by the HBS eliminated the occurrence of haemodynamic stroke while most of the residual strokes had a good to favourable prognosis.