Femoro-axillary versus femoro-femoral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory cardiogenic shock: A monocentric retrospective study.

RATIONALE: For veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the femoral artery is the preferred cannulation site (femoro-femoral: Vf-Af). This results in retrograde aortic flow, which increases the left ventricular afterload and can lead to severe pulmonary edema and thrombosis of the cardiac chambers. Right axillary artery cannulation (femoral-axillary: Vf-Aa) provides partial anterograde aortic flow, which may prevent some complications. This study aimed to compare the 90-day mortality and complication rates between VF-AA and VF-AF. METHODS: Consecutive adult patients with cardiogenic shock who received peripheral VA-ECMO between 2013 and 2019 at our institution were retrospectively included. The exclusion criteria were refractory cardiac arrest, multiple VA-ECMO implantations due to vascular access changes, weaning failure, or ICU readmission. A statistical approach using inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to estimate the effect of the cannulation site on the outcomes. The primary endpoint was the 90-day mortality. The secondary endpoints were vascular access complications, stroke, and other complications related to retrograde blood flow. Outcomes were estimated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: VA-ECMO was performed on 534 patients. Patients with refractory cardiac arrest (n = 77 (14%)) and those supported by multiple VA-ECMO (n = 92, (17%)) were excluded. Out of the 333 patients studied (n = 209 Vf-Aa; n = 124 VF-AF), the main indications for VA-ECMO implantation were post-cardiotomy (33%, n = 109), dilated cardiomyopathy (20%, n = 66), post-cardiac transplantation (15%, n = 50), acute myocardial infarction (14%, n = 46) and other etiologies (18%, n = 62). The median SOFA score was 9 [7-11], and the crude 90-day mortality rate was 53% (n = 175). After IPTW, the 90-day mortality was similar in the Vf-Aa and VF-AF groups (54% vs 58%, IPTW-OR = 0.84 [0.54-1.29]). Axillary artery cannulation was associated with significantly fewer local infections (OR = 0.21, 95% CI:0.09-0.51), limb ischemia (OR = 0.37, 95% CI:0.17-0.84), bowel ischemia (OR = 0.16, 95% CI:0.05-0.51) and pulmonary edema (OR = 0.52, 95% CI:0.29-0.92) episodes, but with a higher rate of stroke (OR = 2.87, 95% CI:1.08-7.62) than femoral artery cannulation. CONCLUSION: Compared to VF-AF, axillary cannulation was associated with similar 90-day mortality rates. The high rate of stroke associated with axillary artery cannulation requires further investigation.

Sex differences and outcomes in surgical infective endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac surgery for infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with significant hospital mortality, and female sex may be associated with worse outcomes. However, the impact of sex on the presenting characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients operated on for acute infective endocarditis (IE) has not been adequately studied. OBJECTIVES: The goal of our study was to analyse differences in management and outcome of IE between women and men who undergo surgery. METHODS: Clinical data of 717 patients undergoing cardiac surgery for IE between December 2005 and December 2019 were prospectively collected. Sex-related postoperative outcomes including in-hospital mortality were recorded. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify potential sex-related determinant of in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: In all, 532 male patients (74.2%) and 185 female patients (25.8%) underwent surgery for IE. At baseline, women had more frequent mitral regurgitation with 63 patients (34.1%) than men with 135 patients (25.4%) (P = 0.002). Female sex was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (23.2% versus 17.3%, P = 0.049). However, multivariable analysis revealed age (P < 0.01), antibiotics < 7 days before surgery (P = 0.01) and staphylococcal IE (P < 0.01) but not female sex (P = 0.99) as independent determinants of hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of patients operated-on for IE, female sex was associated with more severe manifestations of IE and significantly higher in-hospital mortality. However, after multivariable analysis, initial presentation, but not sex, seemed to determine clinical outcomes.

Challenges in the Monitoring of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange during Acute Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Adults under ECMO.

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been proposed to remove heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) antibodies before planned thoracic surgery in patients with acute HIT and to allow brief re-exposure to heparin during surgery. In patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), simultaneous administration of TPE and alternative nonheparin anticoagulant therapies is challenging. We report 2 patients on ECMO with acute HIT who underwent repeated TPE to enable cardiothoracic surgery with the use of heparin. In both cases, serial monitoring of HIT antibody titer and heparin-induced platelet activation assay (HIPA) was performed. The effect of adding exogenous platelet factor 4 (PF4) in the HIPA was also tested. Negative anti-PF4/H IgG levels were achieved after 5 and 3 TPE sessions, respectively and patients could beneficiate from surgery with brief heparin re-exposure without any thrombotic complication. Negative HIPA results were obtained before negative anti-PF4/H IgG in one patient but remained positive in the other despite very low antibody titers. The addition of PF4 in HIPA led to more contrasted results for the two patients. Serial HIT screening including immunological and functional assays is necessary to closely monitor TPE in acute HIT patients on ECMO who require surgery. The addition of PF4 in HIPA could help detect clinically relevant platelet-activating antibodies and guide re-exposure to heparin.

Use of Aprotinin versus Tranexamic Acid in Cardiac Surgery Patients with High-Risk for Excessive Bleeding (APACHE) trial: a multicentre retrospective comparative non-randomized historical study.

OBJECTIVES: Following the reintroduction of aprotinin into the European market, the French Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Anaesthesiologists recommended its prophylactic use at half-dose for high-risk cardiac surgery patients. We examined whether the use of aprotinin instead of tranexamic acid could significantly reduce severe perioperative bleeding. METHODS: This multicentre, retrospective, historical study included cardiac surgery patients treated with aprotinin or tranexamic acid between December 2017 and September 2020. The primary efficacy end point was the severe or massive perioperative bleeding (class 3-4 of the universal definition of perioperative bleeding). The safety secondary end points included the occurrence of thromboembolic events and all-cause mortality within 30 days after surgery. RESULTS: Among the 693 patients included in the study, 347 received aprotinin and 346 took tranexamic acid. The percentage of patients with severe or massive bleeding was similar in the 2 groups (42.1% vs 43.6%, Adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] = 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.62-1.23, P = 0.44), as was the perioperative need for blood products (81.0% vs 83.2%, ORadj = 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.48-1.17, P = 0.20). However, the median (Interquartile range) 12 h postoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the aprotinin group (383 ml [241-625] vs 450 ml [290-730], P < 0.01). Compared to tranexamic acid, the intraoperative use of aprotinin was associated with increased risk for thromboembolic events (adjusted Hazard ratio 2.30 [95% Cl: 1.06-5.30]; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Given the modest reduction in blood loss at the expense of a significant increase in thromboembolic adverse events, aprotinin use in high-risk cardiac surgery patients should be based on a carefully considered benefit-risk assessment.

Predictive performance of surgical mortality risk scores in infective endocarditis.

OBJECTIVES: This observational study aimed to evaluate Association pour l'Etude et la Prévention de l'Endocardite Infectieuse (AEPEI) surgery score predictive performance in comparison to general (EuroSCORE I, II) and specific (De Feo, PALSUSE) surgical risk scores for infective endocarditis (IE). METHODS: The study included patients who underwent surgery for IE during the acute phase at Bichat University Hospital (Paris, France) between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2016 and at Nancy University Hospital (Nancy, France) between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2019. Patients with IE complicating percutaneous aortic valve implantations or implantable intra-cardiac devices were excluded. Discrimination and calibration were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, calibration curves and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality rates were 18% at Bichat and 16% at Nancy. Discrimination was high for all risk scores at Bichat (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.77 for EuroSCORE I, 0.78 for EuroSCORE II, 0.76 for De Feo score, 0.72 for PALSUSE and 0.73 for AEPEI with 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.67 to 0.83), but lower at Nancy (0.56 for EuroSCORE I, 0.65 for EuroSCORE II, 0.63 for De Feo score, 0.67 for PALSUSE and 0.66 for AEPEI score with 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.47 to 0.75). With Brier score, all scores were adequately calibrated in both populations between 0.129 (De Feo) and 0.135 (PALSUSE) for Bichat and between 0.128 (De Feo) and 0.135 (EuroSCORE I) for Nancy. With the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, the AEPEI score exhibited the best calibration (observed/predicted ratio 1.058 in Bichat, 1.087 in Nancy). CONCLUSIONS: This surgical score external validation in 2 large independent populations demonstrated that the AEPEI surgical score had the best predictive performance compared to other prognosis scores. It could be helpful in clinical practice to assist the endocarditis team in decision-making.

Pulse contour techniques for perioperative hemodynamic monitoring: A nationwide carbon footprint and cost estimation.

BACKGROUND: The question of environmentally sustainable perioperative medicine represents a new challenge in an era of cost constraints and climate crisis. The French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (SFAR) recommends stroke volume optimization in high-risk surgical patients. Pulse contour techniques have become increasingly popular for stroke volume monitoring during surgery. Some require the use of specific disposable pressure transducers (DPTs), whereas others can be used with standard DPTs. OBJECTIVE: Quantify and compare the carbon footprint and cost of pulse contour techniques using specific and standard DPTs on a yearly basis and at a national level. METHODS: We estimated the number of high-risk surgical patients monitored every year in France with a pulse contour technique, and the plastic waste, carbon footprint and cost associated with the use of specific and standard DPTs. MAIN FINDINGS: When compared to pulse contour techniques working with a standard DPT, techniques requiring a specific DPT are responsible for an increase in carbon dioxide emission estimated at 65-83 tons/yr and for additional hospital cost estimated at €67 million/yr. If, as recommended by the SFAR, all high-risk surgical patients were monitored, the difference would reach 179-227 tons/yr for the environmental impact and €187 million/yr for the economic impact. CONCLUSION: From an environmental and economic standpoint, pulse contour techniques working with standard DPTs should be recommended for the perioperative hemodynamic monitoring of high-risk surgical patients.

[The operating room, at the center of the danger]. / Le bloc opératoire, au cœur du danger.

Cardiac anesthesiologists face a demanding and stressful practice that requires a sense of well-being at work that is essential to patient safety and quality of care. Like all cardiac caregivers, they are exposed to the death of the people they care for and must nevertheless overcome the difficulties associated with the management of heavy patients.

Cost Analysis of Aprotinin Reintroduction in French Cardiac Surgery Centres: A Real-World Data-Based Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The European Medicines Agency restored aprotinin (APR) use for preventing blood loss in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft (iCABG) in 2016 but requested the collection of patient and surgery data in a registry (NAPaR). The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the impact of APR reintroduction in France on the main hospital costs (operating room, transfusion and intensive unit stay) compared to the current use of tranexamic acid (TXA), which was the only antifibrinolytic available before APR reinstatement. METHODS: A multicenter before-after post-hoc analysis to compare APR and TXA was carried out in four French university hospitals. APR use followed the ARCOTHOVA (French Association of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthetists) protocol, which had framed three main indications in 2018. Data from 236 APR patients were retrieved from the NAPaR (N = 874); 223 TXA patients were retrospectively retrieved from each center database and matched to APR patients upon indication classes. Budget impact was evaluated using both direct costs associated with antifibrinolytics and transfusion products (within the first 48 h) and other costs such as surgery duration and ICU stay. RESULTS: The 459 collected patients were distributed as: 17% on-label; 83% off-label. Mean cost per patient until ICU discharge tended to be lower in the APR group versus the TXA group, which resulted in an estimated gross saving of €3136 per patient. These savings concerned operating room and transfusion costs but were mainly driven by reduced ICU stays. When extrapolated to the whole French NAPaR population, the total savings of the therapeutic switch was estimated at around €3 million. CONCLUSION: The budget impact projected that using APR according to ARCOTHOVA protocol resulted in decreased requirement for transfusion and complications related to surgery. Both were associated with substantial cost savings from the hospital's perspective compared with exclusive use of TXA.

Clinical utility of a deep-learning mortality prediction model for cardiac surgery decision making.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study using decision curve analysis (DCA) was to evaluate the clinical utility of a deep-learning mortality prediction model for cardiac surgery decision making compared with the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II and to 2 machine-learning models. METHODS: Using data from a French prospective database, this retrospective study evaluated all patients who underwent cardiac surgery in 43 hospital centers between January 2012 and December 2020. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to compare the accuracy of the EuroSCORE II, machine-learning models, and an adapted Tabular Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers deep-learning model in predicting postoperative in-hospital mortality. The clinical utility of these models for cardiac surgery decision making was compared using DCA. RESULTS: Over the study period, 165,640 patients underwent cardiac surgery, with a mean EuroSCORE II of 3.99 ± 6.67%. In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve was significantly greater for the deep-learning model (0.834; 95% confidence interval, 0.831-0.838) than the EuroSCORE II (P < .001), the random forest model (P = .03), and the Extreme Gradient Boosting model (P = .03). In the DCA, the clinical utility of the 3 artificial intelligence models was superior to that of the EuroSCORE II, especially when the threshold probability of death was high (>45%). The deep-learning model showed the greatest advantage over the EuroSCORE II. CONCLUSIONS: The deep-learning model had better predictive accuracy and greater clinical utility than the EuroSCORE II and the 2 machine-learning models. These findings suggest that deep learning with Tabular Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers prediction model could be used in the future as the gold standard for cardiac surgery decision making.

Perioperative individualized hemodynamic optimization according to baseline mean arterial pressure in cardiac surgery patients: Rationale and design of the OPTIPAM randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remain high despite recent advances in both anesthesia and perioperative management. Among modifiable risk factors for postoperative complications, optimal arterial pressure during and after surgery has been under debate for years. Recent data suggest that optimizing arterial pressure to the baseline of the patient may improve outcomes. We hypothesize that optimizing the mean arterial pressure (MAP) to the baseline MAP of the patient during cardiac surgery with CPB and during the first 24 hours postoperatively may improve outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: The OPTIPAM trial (NCT05403697) will be a multicenter, randomized, open-label controlled trial testing the superiority of optimized MAP management as compared with a MAP of 65 mm Hg or more during both the intraoperative and postoperative periods in 1,100 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery with CPB. The primary composite end point is the occurrence of acute kidney injury, neurological complications including stroke or postoperative delirium, and death. The secondary end points are hospital and intensive care unit lengths of stay, Day 7 and Day 90 mortality, postoperative cognitive dysfunction on Day 7 and Day 90, and quality of life at Day 7 and Day 90. Two interim analyses will assess the safety of the intervention. CONCLUSION: The OPTIPAM trial will assess the effectiveness of an individualized target of mean arterial pressure in cardiac surgery with CPB in reducing postoperative morbidity. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05403697.

Impact of Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Surgical Site Infections in Cardiac Surgery.

(1) Background: Cephalosporins (CA) are the first-line antibiotic prophylaxis recommended to prevent surgical site infection (SSI) after cardiac surgery. The combination of vancomycin/gentamicin (VGA) might represent a good alternative, but few studies have evaluated its efficacy in SSI prevention. (2) Methods: A single-centre retrospective study was conducted over a 13-year period in all consecutive adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Patients were stratified according to the type of antibiotic prophylaxis. CA served as the first-line prophylaxis, and VGA was used as the second-line prophylaxis. The primary endpoint was SSI occurrence at 90 days, which was defined as the need for reoperation due to SSI. (3) Results: In total, 14,960 adult patients treated consecutively from 2006 to 2019 were included in this study, of whom 1774 (12%) received VGA and 540 (3.7%) developed SSI. VGA patients had higher severity with increased 90-day mortality. Nevertheless, the frequency of SSI was similar between CA and VGA patients. However, the microbiological aetiologies were different, with more Gram-negative bacteria noted in the VGA group. (4) Conclusions: VGA seems to be as effective as CA in preventing SSI.

A new machine learning algorithm to predict veno-arterial ECMO implantation after post-cardiotomy low cardiac output syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Post-cardiotomy low cardiac output syndrome (PC-LCOS) is a life-threatening complication after cardiac surgery involving a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Mechanical circulatory support with veno-arterial membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) may be necessary in the case of refractory shock. The objective of the study was to develop a machine-learning algorithm to predict the need for VA-ECMO implantation in patients with PC-LCOS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were included in the study with moderate to severe PC-LCOS (defined by a vasoactive inotropic score (VIS) > 10 with clinical or biological markers of impaired organ perfusion or need for mechanical circulatory support after cardiac surgery) from two university hospitals in Paris, France. The Deep Super Learner, an ensemble machine learning algorithm, was trained to predict VA-ECMO implantation using features readily available at the end of a CPB. Feature importance was estimated using Shapley values. RESULTS: Between January 2016 and December 2019, 285 patients were included in the development dataset and 190 patients in the external validation dataset. The primary outcome, the need for VA-ECMO implantation, occurred respectively, in 16% (n = 46) and 10% (n = 19) in the development and the external validation datasets. The Deep Super Learner algorithm achieved a 0.863 (0.793-0.928) ROC AUC to predict the primary outcome in the external validation dataset. The most important features were the first postoperative arterial lactate value, intraoperative VIS, the absence of angiotensin-converting enzyme treatment, body mass index, and EuroSCORE II. CONCLUSIONS: We developed an explainable ensemble machine learning algorithm that could help clinicians predict the risk of deterioration and the need for VA-ECMO implantation in moderate to severe PC-LCOS patients.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Respiratory Failure Related to COVID-19: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite expanding use, knowledge on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support during the COVID-19 pandemic remains limited. The objective was to report characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in France and to identify pre-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation factors associated with in-hospital mortality. A hypothesis of similar mortality rates and risk factors for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was made. METHODS: The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Respiratory Failure and/or Heart failure related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (ECMOSARS) registry included COVID-19 patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in France. This study analyzed patients included in this registry up to October 25, 2020, and supported by venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for respiratory failure with a minimum follow-up of 28 days after cannulation. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 494 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients included in the registry, 429 were initially supported by venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and followed for at least 28 days. The median (interquartile range) age was 54 yr (46 to 60 yr), and 338 of 429 (79%) were men. Management before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation included prone positioning for 411 of 429 (96%), neuromuscular blockage for 419 of 427 (98%), and NO for 161 of 401 (40%). A total of 192 of 429 (45%) patients were cannulated by a mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation unit. In-hospital mortality was 219 of 429 (51%), with a median follow-up of 49 days (33 to 70 days). Among pre-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation modifiable exposure variables, neuromuscular blockage use (hazard ratio, 0.286; 95% CI, 0.101 to 0.81) and duration of ventilation (more than 7 days compared to less than 2 days; hazard ratio, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.83) were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Both age (per 10-yr increase; hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.50) and total bilirubin at cannulation (6.0 mg/dl or more compared to less than 1.2 mg/dl; hazard ratio, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.09 to 6.5) were confounders significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital mortality was higher than recently reported, but nearly half of the patients survived. A high proportion of patients were cannulated by a mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation unit. Several factors associated with mortality were identified. Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support should be considered early within the first week of mechanical ventilation initiation.

One-Year Outcome After Cardiac Surgery for Patients With Cancer: An Observational Monocentric Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac surgery increasingly is being performed in patients with a history of or with active cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between a history of cancer and 1-year mortality after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). DESIGN: An observational monocentric study, with data collected from a prospective institutional database was conducted. SETTING: A single academic center. PARTICIPANTS: All consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB between 2005 and 2017. INTERVENTION: None. METHODS: A history of cancer was preoperatively identified. Mortality rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The 1-year mortality risk of patients with and without cancer was compared using a multivariate Cox model. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During the study period, 12,143 patients underwent cardiac surgery with CPB, including 4,681 (39%) isolated coronary artery bypass surgeries. Their median EuroSCORE II was 3.1, interquartile range 1.5-to-6.4. Nine hundred thirty patients (8%) had a diagnosis of cancer, out of whom 469 (50%) were diagnosed ≤5 years before the index surgery; 103 (11%) patients had hemopathy, and 825 (89%) had solid cancers. The estimated unadjusted 1-year mortality was significantly higher among patients with cancer, 11% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10-14) versus 8% (95%CI 7-9) p < 0.01. After adjustment, a diagnosis of cancer was not associated with the risk of 1-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.17 [95%CI 0.96-1.43]; p = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB, cancer was not independently associated with 1-year mortality. An isolated cancer history should not lead to denial of cardiac surgery. The impact of cancer on complications and long-term survival after cardiac surgery requires further research.

Right axillary artery cannulation for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a retrospective single centre observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to assess the safety, outcomes and complication rate of axillary artery cannulation for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data obtained from the review of medical charts of all consecutive patients undergoing VA-ECMO implantation between January 2013 and December 2017 at a teaching hospital. Only patients with right axillary VA-ECMO implantation in a non-emergency setting were included. Post-procedural outcomes and local and systemic complications were analysed. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-four [131 male (75.3%), 43 female (24.7%); mean age 56.8 ± 15.1 years] patients underwent femoral-axillary VA-ECMO. Indications were cardiogenic shock from any cause (n = 78, 44.8%) or post-cardiotomy syndrome (n = 96, 55.2%). Fifty-three (30.5%) patients died while on VA-ECMO support. At the time of VA-ECMO ablation, 89 (51.1%) patients had recovered; 13 (7.5%) patients were bridged to a long-term mechanical support device and 19 (10.9%) patients underwent heart transplants. Thirty-day and 1-year mortality was 36.2% (n = 63) and 49.4% (n = 86), respectively. The 1-year survival rate of patients who were weaned from VA-ECMO support was 72.7% (n = 88). The complications of axillary cannulation were bleeding (n = 7, 4%), local infection (n = 3, 1.7%), upper limb ischaemia (n = 2, 1.1%) and brachial plexus injury (n = 1, 0.6%). Left ventricle unloading was required for 9 (5.2%) patients. The median duration of VA-ECMO support was 7 (range 1-26) days. CONCLUSIONS: Right axillary artery cannulation is a safe and reliable method for VA-ECMO support with a low rate of local complications. In the absence of a control group with femoro-femoral cannulation, no definitive conclusion about the superiority of axillary over femoral cannulation can be drawn.

Timing of ß-Blocker Reintroduction and the Occurrence of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation after Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: For cardiac surgery patients under chronic ß-blocker therapy, guidelines recommend their early postoperative reintroduction to decrease the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation. The authors hypothesized that the timing of ß-blocker reintroduction affects their effectiveness on the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation. METHODS: This multicenter prospective French cohort study included patients on ß-blockers (more than 30 days before surgery) in sinus rhythm without a pacemaker. The primary outcome, time sequence of ß-blocker reintroduction, was analyzed for 192 h after surgery. The secondary outcome, relationship between the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation and timing of ß-blocker reintroduction, was analyzed based on pre- and intraoperative predictors (full and selected sets) according to landmark times (patients in whom atrial fibrillation occurred before a given landmark time were not analyzed). RESULTS: Of 663 patients, ß-blockers were reintroduced for 532 (80%) but for only 261 (39%) patients in the first 48 h after surgery. Median duration before reintroduction was 49.5 h (95% CI, 48 to 51.5 h). Postoperative atrial fibrillation or death (N = 4) occurred in 290 (44%) patients. After performing a landmark analysis to take into account the timing of ß-blocker reintroduction, the adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for predictor full and selected (increased age, history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and duration of aortic cross clamping) sets for the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation were: adjusted odds ratio (full) = 0.87 (0.58 to 1.32; P = 0.517) and adjusted odds ratio (selected) = 0.84 (0.58 to 1.21; P = 0.338) at 48 h; adjusted odds ratio (full) = 0.64 (0.39 to 1.05; P = 0.076) and adjusted odds ratio (selected) = 0.58 (0.38 to 0.89; P = 0.013) at 72 h; adjusted odds ratio (full) = 0.58 (0.31 to 1.07; P = 0.079) and adjusted odds ratio (selected) = 0.53 (0.31 to 0.91; P = 0.021) at 96 h. CONCLUSIONS: ß-Blockers were reintroduced early (after less than 48 h) in fewer than half of the cardiac surgery patients. Reintroduction decreased postoperative atrial fibrillation occurrence only at later time points and only in the predictor selected set model. These results are an incentive to optimize (timing, doses, or titration) ß-blocker reintroduction after cardiac surgery.

Postoperative Cardiac Troponin I Thresholds Associated With 1-Year Cardiac Mortality After Adult Cardiac Surgery: An Attempt to Link Risk Stratification With Management Stratification in an Observational Study.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac troponin (cTn) concentrations are measured routinely in some centers after cardiac surgery as part of risk stratification, but there are no data on how increased cTn concentrations could change patients' management. The aim of this study was to estimate relevant cTnI thresholds and identify potential interventions (additional monitoring/therapeutic interventions) that could be part of management changes of patients with cTnI greater than relevant thresholds. DESIGN: Retrospective, single-center, observational study. SETTING: Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris, France, between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2012. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: cTnI was measured on the 20th postoperative hour. Causes of death and possible interventions were determined by analysis of individual medical records. cTnI thresholds for 1-year cardiac mortality with a specificity >80% were calculated. For this study, 3,228 procedures were analyzed; 129 deaths occurred (4%), 83 of which (2.6%) were cardiac deaths. Threshold cTnI values were 4.2 µg/L for coronary artery bypass grafting (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.9-4.5) and 10.7 µg/L for non-coronary artery bypass grafting (95% CI 10.0-11.3). In multivariable analysis, the EuroSCORE II (odds ratio 1.1 [95% CI 1.06-1.13]; p < 0.001) and cTnI concentrations greater than the thresholds (odds ratio 5.62 [95% CI 3.37-9.37]; p < 0.001) were associated with significantly increased risk of death. The additive and absolute Net Reclassification Index were 0.288% and 14.1%, respectively, for a logistic model including cTnI and EuroSCORE II (area under the curve C-index 0.82 [95% CI 0.77-0.87]) compared with a model including only EuroSCORE II (area under the curve C-index 0.80 [95% CI 0.75-0.84]). Fifty-three of the 83 patients who experienced cardiac death (64%) had a cTnI concentration greater than the threshold, and an intervention was deemed possible in 47 of those 53 (89%) (mostly patients with mild postoperative cardiac dysfunction). For noncardiac deaths, 28% of patients had a cTnI concentration greater than the threshold and no interventions were deemed possible. CONCLUSIONS: In an attempt to evolve from risk to management stratification, this study's results identified a subgroup of patients with mild cardiac dysfunction and a cTnI concentration greater than the threshold who could be the target for interventions in future validation studies concerning changes in patient management.