[Systemic inflammatory response in cardiac surgery: possibilities of using colchicine].

AIM: To evaluate manifestations of systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and the effect of the colchicine therapy on SIR severity in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with extracorporeal circulation (EC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 100 patients aged 62+6.3 years with stable IHD and multivessel coronary atherosclerosis scheduled for CABG with EC. Patients of group 1 (n=50) were administered with a single dose of colchicine (Colchicum-Dispert) 500 µg 4 hours before surgery followed by 500 µg twice a day for 10 days after surgery. Patients of group 2 (n=50) received a standard treatment, including nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs after surgery. Severity of the inflammatory response was evaluated by measuring blood cytokines. RESULTS: In the postoperative period, patient of group 1 showed a tendency toward a lower incidence of pleurisy and heart rhythm disorders in the form of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) (p=0.18). Levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were significantly increased in both groups at 6 hours after surgery (p<0.05); at the same time, in group 1, IL-10 remained increased also at 10 days after surgery (р=0.0002). No significant time-related changes in the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), were observed. At 3 days post-CABG, there were significant increases in tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloprotease 1 (TIMP-1) (р<0.0001) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) (р<0.001); at the same time, patients of group 1 had lower MMP-9 concentrations than patients of group 2 (p<0.05). At 10 days of postoperative period, these values were comparable with the background values. Increases in neopterin compared to preoperative values were found in both groups on days 3 and 10 after surgery (р <0.0001). CONCLUSION: CABG with EC is associated with the activation of SIR. The colchicine therapy at a dose of 500 µg 4 hours prior to surgery and 500 µg twice a day for 10 days after surgery reduces manifestations of SIR, which is clinically evident as a tendency to reduced incidence of pleurisy and arrhythmias, and does not result in the development of serious complications. The dynamics of matrix metalloproteinases indicates that the colchicine treatment is promising for decreasing the risk of CHF progression and myocardial remodeling in patients with IHD.

[Assessment of the results of left ventricular reconstruction in combination of coronary atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus]. / Otsenka rezul'tatov rekonstruktsii levogo zheludochka pri sochetanii koronarnogo ateroskleroza i sakharnogo diabeta.

AIM: To study the effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus on changes of intracardiac haemodynamics and myocardial morphology in patients with ischaemic heart disease and a postinfarction aneurysm of the left ventricle before and after corrective operations on the heart. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 79 patients with ischaemic heart disease and a chronic aneurysm of the left ventricle (Group I - patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (n=27), mean age 57.5±3.9 years, average number of shunts 2.9±0.6; Group II - patients without diabetes mellitus (n=52), mean age 55,3 ±7.1 years, average number of shunts - 2.7±0.3). In the preoperative period all patients were examined taking into account the functional class of angina pectoris, with the assessment of the left ventricular ejection fraction, end-diastolic index, end-systolic index, sphericity index. All patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and surgical restoration of the normal geometry of the left ventricle according to the Menicanty technique with the target end-systolic index of 60 ml/m2, during which 39 patients from both groups were subjected to intraoperative biopsy of the left ventricular myocardium and right atrial auricle. RESULTS: The intergroup analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in age, angina pectoris class, level of arterial pressure between the groups. Neither were there statistically significant differences in the echocardiographic parameters at the preoperative stage. In the postoperative period, we detected a significant decrease in the end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes of the left ventricle in both groups, with a statistically significant increase of the left ventricular ejection fraction observed only in non-diabetic patients. One year after the operation, such patients still continued to demonstrate more favourable parameters of the systolic and diastolic functions of the left ventricle. A detailed analysis with determining the delta of the alterations in the parameters revealed more significant positive dynamics in the postoperative period in patients with ischaemic heart disease not associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: The obtained findings are indicative of negative dynamics of the course of chronic ischaemic heart disease aggravated by type 2 diabetes mellitus after reconstruction of the left ventricle. Macro- and microangiopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus significantly deteriorated the myocardial trophism. Subsequent bleedings draw phagocytic cells into the myocardial stroma, thus adversely affecting the further prognosis and course of the disease, since we demonstrated that the presence of inflammatory infiltrate in the myocardial stroma is a key factor of unfavourable outcomes of surgical treatment of patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

[Method of optimal hydraulic dilatation of venous conduits for coronary artery bypass grafting]. / Sposob optimal'noi gidravlicheskoi dilatatsii venoznykh konduitov dlia aortokoronarnogo shuntirovaniia.

Hydraulic dilatation is used in everyday cardiac surgical practice for assessment of leak-proofness and prevention of spasm of autovenous shunts. The classical technique envisages manual high-pressure solution injection, which exerts a negative effect on venous conduits and is one of the causes of incompetence of shunts in the postoperative period. Limiting pressure during hydraulic dilatation is necessary to minimize morphological changes and preserve functional viability of venous conduits. The purpose of the present study was to develop and assess efficacy of a standardized methodology of controlled hydraulic dilatation of venous conduits. We worked out an original technique of controlled hydraulic dilatation of venous conduits under perfusion pressure of artificial circulation. This was followed by assessing morphological changes and functional viability of venous segments after controlled hydraulic dilatation as compared with veins after conventional uncontrolled hydraulic dilatation and the control intact veins. Uncontrolled hydraulic dilatation was accompanied by endothelial damage (p<0.05), multiple conduit wall tears (p<0.05) according to the findings of light microscopy, leading to a significant decrease in the functional vitality of the venous conduit (a decreased reaction to hyperpotassium solution, phenylephrine, acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (p<0.05) according to the findings of biophysical examination. Our original technique of controlled hydraulic dilatation of venous conduits under perfusion pressure of artificial circulation made it possible not only to evaluate leak-proofness of the vessel but also to achieve comparable to the control segments parameters of structural integrity of the venous wall and functional viability of the conduit. Thus, using the developed method of controlled hydraulic dilatation makes it possible to minimize morphofunctional alterations in venous conduits, influencing the function of autovenous shunts.

[Successful experience in the correction of post-infarction ventricular septal defect].

Rupture of the interventricular septum (MVP) as a complication of acute myocardial infarction is a rare event and associated with high mortality without timely surgical treatment. We present a case of a 68-year-old patient who had an acute myocardial infarc­ tion with ST-segment elevation complicated by a rupture of MVP. In this article we discusse the difficulties of patient management with this pathology and the problem of choice of treatment tactics.

[Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: Current State of the Problem].

In this article we present discussion of the current state of the problem of surgical treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). The pathophysiological aspects of left ventricular remodeling in patients with ICM are also covered. A detailed characterization of methods for assessing the myocardial viability is given and their role in patients with ICM is shown. The problem of right ventricular dysfunction in ICM is discussed. Main attention is focused on the methods of surgical treatment of ICM. Limitations of the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) study are analyzed. The article is intended for cardiologists, general practitioners and cardiac surgeons.

[Hybrid treatment of the ascending aortic aneurysm and "shaggy aorta" syndrome].

This case report describes simultaneous approach that enables to replace the ascending aortic aneurysm complicated with atherosclerotic lesions of the descending aorta (the "shaggy aorta" syndrome) using frozen elephant trunk technique.

[Functionality of mammary-coronary bypass grafts according to the data of intraoperative flowmetry]. / Funktsional'nost' mammarokoronarnykh shuntov po dannym intraoperatsionnoi floumetrii.

Improvement of surgical treatment for ischaemic heart disease is one of the main trends in modern medicine. After the operation of coronary bypass grafting, further functioning of blood flow in the grafts largely depends upon its domination over the native blood flow in the target coronary arteries. Therefore, intraoperative diagnosis of functional competence of coronary bypass grafts by means of flowmetry is currently of special importance. The purpose of this study was flowmetric quantitative assessment of the curves of blood flow through the coronary bypass grafts, depending on the degree of stenosis of the target coronary arteries. A total of 135 patients were examined during our study. We evaluated the curves of blood flow through the bypass grafts from the left internal thoracic artery to the anterior descending artery. The bypass grafts were divided into three groups: the 1st group (n=47) with moderate stenosis of the coronary arteries (from 50 to 75%); the 2nd group (n=42) with a more pronounced lesion of the target vessel (from 75 to 99%), and the 3rd group (n = 46) with occluded coronary arteries (100%). It was revealed that the flow rate (Q, ml/min) in group one was lower (17±3.1) than in group two (33±5.3) and group three (45±3.4). Also, differences were revealed in the resistance index of the grafts: it turned out to be higher in group one (5.2±1.1) and group two (4.5±0.9) as compared with group three (1.8±0.5). However, there was no between-group difference in diastolic filling of the grafts, which amounted to 58±13, 61±10 and 64±9% for groups one, two and three, respectively. By the shape of the curve, we assessed the reverse systolic peak whose presence prevailed in the grafts of group one (15 of 47; 31.9%) and group two (11 of 42; 26.2%) as compared with that in the grafts of group three (5 of 46; 10.8%). The obtained findings confirm higher frequency of the presence of competitive blood flow in the grafts used on non-occluded coronary arteries.

[The virus-immune hypothesis for cardiac dilatation]. / Virusno-immunnaia gipoteza razvitiia dilatatsii serdtsa.

The paper gives an update on the pathogenetic role of viral infection and immune mechanisms in the development of cardiac dilatation at the cellular, ultrastructural, and molecular levels. Particular attention is given to the discussion of the possible role of herpesvirus infection in the mechanisms of cardiomyocyte damage with the direct or indirect impact of viral infection through immunoinflammatory responses. Data on the protective and damaging action of a number of cytokines in the immunopathogenesis of viral myocarditis are considered.

Myocardial Protection against Ischemic and Reperfusion Injuries (Experimental Study).

The effects of hypoxic, hyperoxic, and hypoxic-hyperoxic preconditioning were examined in the prospective study on narcotized and artificially ventilated rabbits. Under artificial circulation, acute myocardial ischemia was modeled by ligation of anterior descending coronary artery, which was followed by reperfusion. The degree of ventricular arrhythmias was assessed, and the ischemic area was evaluated in percent of the area at risk. Microscopic characterization of the myocardium was employed to assess the cardioprotective effect of hypoxic and/or hyperoxic preconditioning. According to Kruskal-Wallis test, the greatest resistance of the myocardium to ischemic and reperfusion injury was observed after hypoxic-hyperoxic preconditioning (H=42.459; p=0.009). The rabbits subjected to this type of preconditioning demonstrated the least damaged myocardium in comparison with nonconditioned controls.

[Significance of the level of implantation of the 'E-vita open plus' hybrid stent graft into the descending aorta in the development of spinal ischaemic complications]. / Znachenie urovnia implantatsii gibridnogo stent-grafta 'E-vita open plus' v niskhodiashchuiu aortu v razvitii spinal'nykh ishemicheskikh oslozhnenii.

Spinal ischaemia in patients after reconstruction of the thoracic aorta is referred to the category of the most severe postoperative complications, especially in hybrid interventions. The present study was aimed at assessing the risks for the development of spinal ischaemia in patients after implantation of the 'E-vita open plus' stent graft into the descending portion of the thoracic aorta during hybrid reconstruction. The 'E-vita open plus' hybrid stent graft (Jotec, Germany) was implanted to 18 patients presenting with various pathology of the thoracic aorta (dissection, aneurysms). All operations were carried out in the conditions of moderate hypothermia, circulatory arrest and antegrade perfusion of the brain through the brachiocephalic trunk. It was determined that the distal end of the stent graft was located at the level of Th7-Th12. In 12 (66.7%) cases the 'lower' edge of the stent graft was located at the level of thoracic vertebrae Th8-Th9. Before the operation the number of open pairs of intercostal arteries amounted to 10 [9, 11]. After the operation, the number of the open pairs of the segmental arteries amounted to 3 [1; 4], they were all in the lower thoracic portion; the above-located intercostal arteries were shut by the stent graft. In 17 (94.5%) cases in the early postoperative period there were no signs of spinal ischaemia. Only one (5.5%) patient was clinically diagnosed to have developed transient spinal ischaemia noted to disappear spontaneously within the first 24 hours. A conclusion was made that using the 'E-vita open plus' stent graft in the course of hybrid reconstruction of the thoracic aorta was accompanied by the minimal risk for spinal ischaemic complications. The level of the location of the distal edge of the stent graft is not the determining factor in the risks of spinal complications in of such similar operations.

[Single-centre experience with implantation of the 'E-vita open plus' hybrid stent graft]. / Odnotsentrovyi opyt implantatsii gibridnogo stent-grafta 'E-vita open plus'.

Hybrid technologies appear to have been gaining ground in surgery of the thoracic aorta. The present study was aimed at assessing the immediate clinical outcomes of surgical treatment of diseases of the thoracic aorta by means of the 'E-vita open plus' hybrid stent graft. The 'E-vita open plus' hybrid stent graft was implanted to 18 patients. All operations were carried out in the conditions of moderate hypothermia. The brain was protected by unilateral cerebral perfusion through the brachiocephalic trunk. The duration of artificial circulation averagely amounted to 265.1 [214; 281] min., with the mean aortic cross-clamping time equalling 150.8 [121; 177] min., and circulatory arrest lasting 55 [47.5; 62.5] min. In one (5.5%) case resternotomy was performed for haemorrhage. Five (27.8%) patients required haemodialysis to perform for postoperative renal insufficiency. A further five (27.8%) patients were found to have transient impairment of cerebral circulation. One (5.5%) patient was diagnosed as having haemorrhage into the area of the 'old ischaemic focus', one (5.5%) patient developed transient spinal ischaemia spontaneously disappearing within the first 24 hours. There were no cases of cardiac complications. A conclusion was drawn that hybrid operations according to the 'frozen elephant trunk' technique yield satisfactory immediate clinical results of treatment in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissection.

[A new method of endoscopic harvesting of the great saphenous vein in an open system]. / Novyi metod éndoskopicheskogo vydeleniia bol'shoi podkozhnoi veny v otkrytoi sisteme.

We examined a total of 246 patients subjected to coronary artery bypass grafting with the use of the great saphenous vein (GSV). The patients were subdivided into two groups. Group One (n=121) patients endured procurement of the great saphenous vein by a new endoscopic technique in an open system with the help of the equipment Karl Storz and electric dissector Ligasure. In Group Two (n=125) patients the vein was harvested by means of the traditional open method. In all patients we evaluated complications in the early postoperative period 13±2.5 days after the operation. The rate of relapsing angina pectoris in both Groups turned out to be low and did not differ (1.65% in Group One and 1.6% in Group Two). Patients of the both groups differed significantly by the incidence of postoperative complications on the lower limbs in the zone of procurement of the GSV (9.09% in Group One and 26.4% in Group Two, p=0.131). Group Two patients (open method of procurement of the GSV) were considerably more often found to have developed cases of lymphorrhoea, haematomas, disjunction of the sutures (21.6%) compared with Group One (endoscopic method) patients (3.3%) (p=0.167), which in 10.4% of cases required secondary surgical debridement of wounds in patients after the open harvest of the GSV. Eventually, the length of hospital stay for Group Two patients increased significantly (15 ± 4.5 days) compared with Group One patients (8±1.1 days) (p=0.361). Hence, the endoscopic method of harvesting the GSV in the open CO2 system makes it possible to obtain a good cosmetic effect on the lower limbs after the operation, to considerably decrease the complications rate, thus reducing the length of hospital stay.

[Puncture treatment of pseudoaneurysms of femoral arteries with the use of human thrombin]. / Punktsionnoe lechenie lozhnykh anevrizm bedrennykh arterii s ispol'zovaniem chelovecheskogo trombina.

The authors analysed both immediate and remote results of puncture treatment with the use of human thrombin under ultrasound control in patients with iatrogenic false aneurysms of femoral arteries. The study included a total of 32 patients presenting with post-puncture pseudoaneurysms of femoral arteries after previous endovascular manipulations. The clinical diagnosis was verified by means of ultrasound duplex scanning. Puncture treatment was carried out using lyophilisate of human thrombin at a concentration of 500 IU according to the patented technique. The obtained outcomes were assessed at various terms (up to 12 months). The predominant ultrasound characteristics of a false aneurysm were as follows: an arterial defect sized 2.1-3 mm with prevailing localization in the superficial femoral artery (singe-chamber pseudoaneurysm with the volume of its cavity amounting to 31-60 cm3). The average dose of thrombin sufficient for obliteration of the cavity amounted to 320.8±104.6 IU. The puncture treatment proved to be effective in 30 (93.7%) patients. In the remaining 2 (6.3%) cases the outcomes of puncture treatment turned out unsatisfactory, thus requiring an operative intervention. No relapsed were observed in the remote period. A conclusion was drawn that puncture treatment is a highly effective method in relation to false aneurysms of femoral arteries and is neither accompanied by relapses nor followed by allergic, thrombotic, infectious complication at various terms of follow up. Efficacy of treatment with human thrombin does not depend on taking antithrombotic agents by the patients.

[Possibilities of "E-vita open plus" hybrid stent graft in surgery of thoracic aorta]. / Vozmozhnosti gibridnogo stent-grafta «E-vita open plus¼ v khirurgii grudnoi aorty.

BACKGROUND: The variety of pathology of the thoracic aorta supposes different approaches of surgical management, including the use of hybrid technologies. OBJECTIVE: To broaden a possible spectrum of indications for implantation of the "E-vita open plus" hybrid stent graft. RESULTS: Surgical treatment of thoracic aorta with the help of the "E-vita open plus" hybrid stent graft according to the "frozen elephant trunk" technique demonstrated satisfactory results in patients with various pathology: type A and B acute and chronic dissection according to the Stanford classification, as well as rare diseases (post-traumatic false aneurysm, complicated atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta). CONCLUSION: The technology of "frosted elephant trunk" with implantation of the "E-vita open plus" hybrid stent graft in not limited by cases of acute aortic dissection, aortic aneurysmatic transformation and has wider indications for application. The use of this technology in cases of rare pathology of the thoracic aorta ("shaggy aorta" syndrome, posttraumatic false aneurysm) makes it possible to obtain satisfactory clinical results.

[Reconstructive surgery of aortic arch interruption in adults].

AIM: To evaluate surgical results in adults with aortic arch interruption. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seven patients with aortic arch interruption were operated. Two of them (28.6%) underwent aortic arch repair using allograft, 4 (57.21%) - distal arch and proximal descending aortic replacement, 1 (14.3%) - supra-coronary ascending aortic, aortic arch and proximal descending aortic replacement. All operations were performed under moderate hypothermia (25 °Ð¡), circulatory arrest with unilateral cerabral perfusion 8-10 ml/kg/min via innominate artery and pressure 69.6±14.7 mm Hg in arterial. RESULTS: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time was 242±36.1 min, aortic cross-clamping - 110.7±40.4 min, circulatory arrest - 58.6±17.9 min. There were no cases of renal insufficiency, vascular lesion of brain and spinal cord, cardiac events. Resternotomy for bleeding was performed in 1 (14.3%) case. Sufficient descending aortic lumen was achieved in 100% according to CT postoperatively. Peak descending aortic pressure gradient after repair with allograft was 29±1.4 mm Hg, after aortic replaement - 10±4.2 mm Hg. Postoperative and in-hospital 30-day mortality was absent. CONCLUSION: Reconstructive surgery for aortic arch interruption in adults is effective approach with good clinical and hemodynamic results.

[Simultaneous magnetic resonance angiographic and tomographic assessment of atherosclerotic plaques of carotid arteries with paramagnetic contrasting by cyclomang].

The authors studied a possibility of simultaneously performing magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of carotid arteries and contrast-enhanced MR tomography of atherosclerotic plaques of carotid arteries. We examined a total of 16 patients presenting with disseminated atherosclerosis and 8 patients of the control group. Quadrature coils for examination of the head were used in order to sequentially perform MR tomography of the brain, MR angiography of carotid arteries and MR tomography of atherosclerotic plaques of carotid arteries with contrasting by 0.5M cyclomang. Angiography was carried out by means of the technique of 3D GR FFE of rapid gradient echo (TR/TE/FA/ST=10 ms/2.7 ms/20°/1.5 mm). MR tomography of the carotid arteries bifurcation was performed in the T1-weighted spin-echo mode: TR=500-900 ms, TE=10 ms, slice sickness 1-3 mm into the matrix 256x256 voxels, with the voxel size measuring 0.2x0.2x2 mm. The average time of passing of the paramagnetic through the blood vessels of the cerebral hemispheres in the control group amounted to 4.23±0.14 s for the left hemisphere and to 4.27±0.15 s for the right one. The mean time of bolus passing in patients with predominantly unilateral stenosis of the internal carotid artery amounted to 4.89±0.23 on the affected side, equalling 4.56±0.19 s on the unaffected side (p>0.05). In bilateral lesions these indices for the left and right hemispheres amounted to 4.98±0.21 s and 5.01±0.16 s (p>0.05), respectively. Contrast-enhanced MR angiography with cyclomang made it possible in all cases to visualize the localization and character of stenosis. The index of stenosis degree calculated for MR-angiogram highly significantly correlated with the indices of the ultrasonographic examination performed according to the ECST technique both for cases of unilateral (r=0.87, p<0.05) and cases of bilateral stenotic lesion (r=0.85, p<0.05). Inhomogeneous soft plaques with high content of lipids had high values of the enhancement index on contrasting--1.26±0.07, whereas hard fibrous avascular plaques--1.09±0.04 (p<0.05). The total time of the examination amounted to 41±5 min while performing time-fly MR-angiography and to 29±5 min without it. A conclusion was made that simultaneous MR angiography and contrast-enhanced (with Mn-paramagnetic) MR tomography of carotid arteries is possible and appropriate within the framework of a single study using quadratic coil for the head.

[Antegrade unilateral perfusion of the brain through the brachiocephalic trunk in operations on the aortic arch].

Presented herein is a technique of unilateral antegrade perfusion of the brain in operations on the aortic arch. The method makes it possible to perform both systemic artificial circulation and adequate physiological perfusion of the brain, promoting minimization of the number of neurological complications.

[Bilateral Internal Mammary Grafts With Preservation of Sternum Blood Supply].

We have prospectively collected data from 43 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery and received bilateral internal thoracic artery (ITA) graft. Left ITA was harvested on full length from ostium to bifurcation. Right ITA harvesting included mobilization of only its proximal stump (5-6 cm long), that allowed its distal segment to remain intact. Proximal stump of right ITA was lengthened by radial artery or large subcutaneous vein grafts in order to reach various parts of coronary vascular bed. After comparative intraoperative manometry of ante- and retrograde pressures in right ITA patients were divided into two groups. In group 1patients (n=28) difference between ante- and retrograde systolic pressure (112.5+/-17.4 and 92.4+/-19.6 mm Hg, respectively) was <30%; in group 2 patients (n=15) difference between ante- and retrograde pressure (110.2+/-14.1 and 68.9+/-12.3 mm Hg, respectively) was more or equal 30%. Lower limb and carotid (arteries stenotic lesions (stenosis >60-70%) were more frequent in group 2 (n=8; 18.6%) than in group 1 (n=4; 9%). However postoperative ultrasound study detected no significant differences between two groups in systolic retrograde blood flow velocity in intact portion of right ITA (29.8+/-8.7 and 23.1+/-8.0 cm/s, respectively, p>0.05). Absence of sternal wound healing complications confirmed efficacy of sternal retrograde blood supply through lower and upper epigastric arteries. Patency rate of composite grafts according to angiography (n=19) performed in 3+/-0.8 years after surgery was high (94.7%). Our data confirm high functionality of bilateral ITA grafts with preservation of sternal supply.