[Complications of infective endocarditis]. / Complications de l'endocardite infectieuse.

COMPLICATIONS OF INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS. The high in-hospital mortality of patients with infective endocarditis (about 20%) is mainly due to its complications. These complications are essentially of cardiac, neurological, and infectious origin. Rapid diagnosis and early antibiotic treatment are of paramount importance and allow drastic reduction of the frequency and severity of such complications. Discussion with all physicians caring for the patients with infective endocarditis in an "endocarditis team" setting is a mandatory step in management optimization and outcome improvement. This "endocarditis team" approach allows faster identification of patients at high risk of acute heart failure and/or cerebral embolism, and selection of those who might benefit from urgent valvular surgery. Factors associated with high embolic risk are the size and mobility of vegetation, mitral valve endocarditis, and infection with Staphylococcus aureus. When neurological complications occur, there is a risk that these may be worsened by the valvular surgery if there is a hemorrhagic component. This risk needs to be careful weighed in a team approach before sending patients to surgery. Persistent sepsis after effective antibiotic treatments prompts to local extension of the disease or to embolic extra cardiac secondary infectious localization.

COMPLICATIONS DE L'ENDOCARDITE INFECTIEUSE. Les complications de l'endocardite infectieuse (EI) sont à l'origine d'une mortalité hospitalière élevée d'environ 20 %. Elles sont essentiellement cardiaques, neurologiques et septiques. Un diagnostic rapide et une antibiothérapie précoce sont essentiels, car ils permettent de réduire la fréquence et la sévérité de ces complications. Une discussion collégiale au sein de l'équipe pluridisciplinaire (endocarditis team) est indispensable pour optimiser la prise en charge et améliorer le pronostic. Elle permet notamment d'identifier rapidement les patients à haut risque d'insuffisance cardiaque aiguë et/ou d'embolie cérébrale et de sélectionner les patients nécessitant une chirurgie valvulaire urgente. Les facteurs prédictifs d'un haut risque embolique sont la taille et la mobilité de la végétation, sa localisation sur la valve mitrale et l'EI à Staphylococcus aureus. La survenue d'une complication neurologique nécessite une évaluation rigoureuse compte tenu des risques d'aggravation de la lésion par la chirurgie valvulaire en présence d'une composante hémorragique. Un sepsis persistant sous traitement antibiotique doit faire rechercher une extension locale de l'endocardite ou des foyers emboliques extracardiaques.

Optimizing coronary artery opacification and 3D reconstruction from human cadaver hearts in anatomy research.

OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to identify the ideal dilution rate of a radiopaque product to optimize the visualization of coronary arteries and their branches within human cadaver hearts. The process involves obtaining images in the anatomy laboratory and subsequently constructing a three-dimensional model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We utilized 30 human hearts fixed in 10 % formalin (9 females and 21 males) with a mean age of 79 ± 5 years. The initial experiment, involving the first four hearts (referred to as "group 1"), encountered difficulties in opacifying coronary arteries. In this phase, a probabilistic injection of 20 % Visipaque and 80 % latex, with coronary sinus ostium closure, was performed. The optimal mixture ratio was then determined as 33 % Visipaque and 66 % latex. Recognizing the need for on-site injection at the CT Scan table, this protocol was applied to the subsequent 11 hearts in "group 2." Closure of the coronary sinus was deemed unnecessary. The final 15 hearts, constituting "group 3," revealed that the injection should be gradual, maintaining controlled pressure between 120 and 150 mm Hg. Post-injection, hearts were scanned with the injected coronary arteries using an Optima 660 CT scanner. Two-dimensional images were acquired with parameters set at 64 × 0.625 mm, 100 kV, 300-400 mA, and a rotation of 0.5 s. Subsequently, 3D reconstruction was conducted using Advantage Workstation 4.7 (GE Healthcare) and volume rendering with Volume Viewer software, version 15. RESULTS: Significant differences in the percentage of opacified coronaries were observed among the three groups (p < 0.005). This variation underscores the learning curve and comprehension required before establishing a reliable method. Group 1 (N = 4) demonstrated minimal opacification, group 2 (N = 11) displayed partial opacification, while group 3 (N = 15) achieved 100 % opacification of coronary arteries. CONCLUSION: The successive experiments culminated in the development of a protocol for CT imaging, enabling accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of the normal anatomy of the main and secondary coronary arteries. Our work is grounded in a series of progressively refined and successful experiments.

Impact of cardiac surgery on left-sided infective endocarditis with intermediate-length vegetations.

OBJECTIVE: The best strategy to manage patients with left-sided infective endocarditis (IE) and intermediate-length vegetations (10-15 mm) remains uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the role of surgery in patients with intermediate-length vegetations and no other European Society of Cardiology guidelines-approved surgical indication. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 638 consecutive patients admitted to three academic centres (Amiens, Marseille and Florence University Hospitals) between 2012 and 2022 for left-sided definite IE (native or prosthetic) with intermediate-length vegetations (10-15 mm). We compared four clinical groups: medically (n=50) or surgically (n=345) treated complicated IE, medically (n=194) or surgically (n=49) treated uncomplicated IE. RESULTS: Mean age was 67±14 years. Women were 182 (28.6%). The rate of embolic events on admission was 40% in medically treated and 61% in surgically treated complicated IE, 31% in medically treated and 26% in surgically treated uncomplicated IE. The analysis of all-cause mortality showed the lowest 5-year survival rate for medically treated complicated IE (53.7%). We found a similar 5-year survival rate for surgically treated complicated IE (71.4%) and medically treated uncomplicated IE (68.4%). The highest 5-year survival rate was observed in surgically treated uncomplicated IE group (82.4%, log-rank p<0.001). The analysis of the propensity score-matched cohort estimated an HR of 0.23 for uncomplicated IE treated surgically compared with medical therapy (p=0.005, 95% CI: 0.079 to 0.656). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that surgery is associated with lower all-cause mortality than medical therapy in patients with uncomplicated left-sided IE with intermediate-length vegetations even in the absence of other guideline-based indications.

The presence of elastic compression stockings reduces the fluid responsiveness of patients in the operating room.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether elastic compression stockings (ECS) can affect fluid responsiveness parameters before and during passive leg raising (PLR) maneuvers. METHODS: In the operating room (OR), we performed a prospective study including patients referred for cardiac surgery. Blood pressure (BP), ΔPP, heart rate (HR), central venous pressure (CVP), stroke volume (SV) and aortic blood flow (ABF) (by esophageal doppler) were measured according to four conditions: supine position without ECS (baseline 1), lower limbs raised to an angle of 45° (PLR 1), returned to the supine position with ECS (baseline 2), then a second PLR maneuver with ECS was performed (PLR 2). RESULTS: Twenty patients were included. BP, SV, ABF and CVP increased significantly. ΔPP and HR decreased during PLR 1. At baseline 2, HR and ΔPP decreased significantly compared to baseline 1. During PLR 2, increase of SV (4% [9]) and ABF (4% [9]), and the decrease of ΔPP (-19% [104]) were significantly lower than those observed at PLR 1 (7% [21] P=0.05; 9% [8] P=0.02 and -66% [40] P=0.02, respectively). Eleven patients presented a ΔPP≥13% at baseline 1. Only 1 patient still presented a ΔPP≥13% with ECS at baseline 2. Only 3/9 patients with an increase of ABF ≥10% and 2/11 patients with an increase of PP ≥12% during the PLR 1 presented similar results during PLR 2. CONCLUSIONS: In the OR, ECS provoke a self-fluid loading increasing ABF, decreasing ΔPP and PLR response. The presence of ECS should be considered when managing hemodynamic parameters of patients.

Biological scoring system for early prediction of acute bowel ischemia after cardiac surgery: the PALM score.

BACKGROUND: Bowel ischemia is a life-threatening emergency defined as an inadequate vascular perfusion leading to bowel inflammation resulting from impaired colonic/small bowel blood supply. Main issue for physicians regarding bowel ischemia diagnosis lies in the absence of informative and specific clinical or biological signs leading to delayed management, resulting in a poorer prognosis, especially after cardiac surgery. The aim of the present series was to propose a simple scoring system based on biological data for the diagnosis of bowel ischemia. METHODS: In a retrospective monocentric study, patients admitted in cardiac ICU, after cardiovascular surgery, were screened for inclusion. According to a 1:2 ratio (case-control), matching between two groups was based on sex, type of cardiovascular surgery, and the operative period (per month). Patients were divided into two groups: "ischemic group" which corresponds to patients with confirmed bowel ischemia and "non-ischemic group" which corresponds to patients without bowel ischemia. Primary objective was the conception of a scoring system for the diagnosis of bowel ischemia. Secondary objectives were to detail the postoperative morbidity and the diagnostic features for the distinction between acute mesenteric ischemia and ischemic colitis. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients (1.3%) had confirmed bowel ischemia ("ischemic group"). According to the 2:1 matching, 96 patients were included in the "non-ischemic group." Aspartate aminotransferase > 449 UI/L, lactate > 4 mmol/L, procalcitonin > 4.7 µg/L, and myoglobin > 1882 µg/L were found to be independently associated with bowel ischemia. Based on their respective odds ratios, points were assigned to each item ranging from 4 to 8. AUROCC [95% confidence interval] of the scoring system to diagnose bowel ischemia was 0.93 [0.91-0.95], p < 0.001. The optimal threshold after bootstrapping was ≥ 14 points; this yielded a sensitivity of 85.4%, a specificity of 94.8%, a positive likelihood ratio of 16.42, a negative likelihood ratio of 0.15, a Youden's index of 0.802, and a diagnostic odds ratio of 106.62. CONCLUSIONS: A biological scoring system based on PCT, ASAT, lactate, and myoglobin measurement allows the diagnosis of bowel ischemia after cardiac surgery with high accuracy. This score could help clinician to propose an early diagnosis and an early treatment in this high mortality disease.

Fatal multifocal Pasteurella multocida infection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: In humans, Pasteurella multocida infections are usually limited to the soft tissues surrounding a lesion. However, P. multocida can also cause systemic infections (such as pneumonia, lung abscess, peritonitis, endocarditis, meningitis and sepsis)-especially in patients with other underlying medical conditions. CASE PRESENTATION: We report on a case of fulminant P. multocida bacteremia at several sites (soft tissues, endocarditis and joints) on a white European man. Despite surgery and intensive medical care, the patient died. CONCLUSIONS: The present case emphasizes the importance of appropriate initial treatment of skin wounds. Patients at risk should be aware of the possible consequences of being bitten, scratched or licked by their pet.

The gray zone of the qualitative assessment of respiratory changes in inferior vena cava diameter in ICU patients.

INTRODUCTION: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a useful tool for minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring in the ICU. Dynamic indices (such as the inferior vena cava distensibility index (dIVC)) can be used to predict fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients. Although quantitative use of the dIVC has been validated, the routinely used qualitative (visual) approach had not been assessed before the present study. METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative assessments of the dIVC were compared in a prospective, observational study. After operators with differing levels in critical care echocardiography had derived a qualitative dIVC, the last (expert) operator performed a standard, numeric measurement of the dIVC (referred to as the quantitative dIVC). Two groups of patients were separated into two groups: group (dIVC < 18%) and group (dIVC ≥ 18%). RESULTS: In total, 114 patients were assessed for inclusion, and 97 (63 men and 34 women) were included. The mean sensitivity and specificity values for qualitative assessment of the dIVC by an intensivist were 80.7% and 93.7%, respectively. A qualitative evaluation detected all quantitative dIVCs >40%. Most of the errors concerned quantitative dIVCs of between 15% and 30%. In the dIVC <18% group, two qualitative evaluation errors were noted for quantitative dIVCs of between 0 and 10%. The average of positive predictive values and negative predictive values for qualitative assessment of the dIVC by residents, intensivists and cardiologists were 83%, 83%, and 90%; and 92%, 94%, and 90%, respectively. The Fleiss kappa for all operators was estimated to be 0.68, corresponding to substantial agreement. CONCLUSION: The qualitative dIVC is a rather easy and reliable assessment for extreme numeric values. It has a gray zone between 15% and 30%. The highest and lowest limitations of the gray area are rather tedious to define. Despite reliability of the qualitative assessment when it comes to extreme to numerical values, the quantitative dIVC measurement must always be done within a hemodynamic assessment for intensive care patients. The qualitative approach can be easily integrated into a fast hemodynamic evaluation by using portable ultrasound scanner for out-of-hospital patients.

Survival implication of left ventricular end-systolic diameter in mitral regurgitation due to flail leaflets a long-term follow-up multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the association of left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) with survival after diagnosis in organic mitral regurgitation (MR) due to flail leaflets. BACKGROUND: LVESD is a marker of left ventricular function in patients with organic MR but its association to survival after diagnosis is unknown. METHODS: The MIDA (Mitral Regurgitation International Database) registry is a multicenter registry of echocardiographically diagnosed organic MR due to flail leaflets. We enrolled 739 patients with MR due to flail leaflets (age 65 +/- 12 years; ejection fraction: 65 +/- 10%) in whom LVESD was measured (36 +/- 7 mm). RESULTS: Under conservative management, 10-year survival and survival free of cardiac death were higher with LVESD <40 mm versus > or =40 mm (64 +/- 5% vs. 48 +/- 10%; p < 0.001, and 73 +/- 5% vs. 63 +/- 10%; p = 0.001). LVESD > or =40 mm independently predicted overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 3.83) and cardiac mortality (HR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.35 to 7.09) under conservative management. Mortality risk increased linearly with LVESD >40 mm (HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.27 per 1-mm increment). During the entire follow-up (including post-surgical), LVESD > or =40 mm independently predicted overall mortality (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.24 to 2.80) and cardiac mortality (HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.29 to 3.56), due to persistence of excess mortality in patients with LVESD > or =40 mm after surgery (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.11 to 3.15 for overall death, and HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.05 to 3.54 for cardiac death). CONCLUSIONS: In MR due to flail leaflets, LVESD > or =40 mm is independently associated with increased mortality under medical management but also after mitral surgery. These findings support prompt surgical rescue in patients with LVESD > or =40 mm but also suggest that best preservation of survival is achieved in patients operated before LVESD reaches 40 mm.

Outcomes in mitral regurgitation due to flail leaflets a multicenter European study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess incidence and predictors of events associated with nonsurgical and surgical management of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in European institutions. BACKGROUND: The management of patients with MR remains disputed, warranting multicenter studies to define clinical outcome in routine clinical practice. METHODS: The MIDA (Mitral Regurgitation International DAtabase) is a registry created for multicenter study of MR with echocardiographically diagnosed flail leaflet as a model of pure, organic MR. Our cases were collected from 4 European centers. We enrolled 394 patients (age 64 +/- 11 years; 67% men; 64% in New York Heart Association functional class I to II; left ventricular ejection fraction 67 +/- 10%). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, linearized event rates/year under nonsurgical management were 5.4% for atrial fibrillation (AF), 8.0% for heart failure (HF), and 2.6% for death. Mitral valve (MV) surgery was performed in 315 (80%) patients (repair in 250 of 315, 80%). Perioperative mortality, defined as death within 30 days from the operation, was 0.7% (n = 2). Surgery during follow-up was independently associated with reduced risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21 to 0.84; p = 0.014). Benefit was largely driven by MV repair (adjusted HR vs. replacement 0.37, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.76; p = 0.007). In 102 patients strictly asymptomatic and with normal ventricular function, 5-year combined incidence of AF, HF, or cardiovascular death (CVD) was 42 +/- 8%. In these patients, surgery also reduced rates of CVD/HF (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.89; p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study, nonsurgical management of severe MR was associated with notable rates of adverse events. Surgery especially MV repair performed during follow-up was beneficial in reducing rates of cardiac events. These findings support surgical consideration in patients with MR due to flail leaflets for whom MV repair is feasible.

Totally normothermic aortic arch replacement without circulatory arrest.

BACKGROUND: Various techniques have been proposed for cerebral protection during the surgical treatment of complex aortic disease. The authors propose a revisited strategy of normothermic replacement of the aortic arch to avoid limitations and complications of profound hypothermic circulatory arrest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2000 to May 2006, 19 patients with an aneurysm of the aortic arch and 10 patients with an acute (7) or a chronic (3) aortic dissection underwent a totally normothermic, complete replacement of the aortic arch using three pumps: One pump ensured antegrade cerebral perfusion, at a flow rate adapted to obtain a pressure of 70 mmHg in the right radial artery, and required a selective cannulation of the supra-aortic vessels. A second pump ensured body perfusion at a flow rate adapted to obtain a pressure of 55 mmHg in the left femoral artery and was situated between the right femoral artery and the right atrium. A special balloon aortic occlusion catheter was placed in the descending thoracic aorta. A third pump ensured intermittent normothermic myocardial perfusion via the coronary venous sinus. The arch reconstruction was performed with no time limit. RESULTS: There were two operative, in-hospital (6.8%) mortalities. All others patients were rapidly extubated, except one, with no neurological sequelae, and postoperative course was uneventful, without coagulopathy or hepato-renal impairment. CONCLUSIONS: In the light of these results, a normothermic procedure is possible for arch surgery and may ensure a more physiological autoregulation of cerebral blood flow while maintaining body perfusion without high vascular resistances.

Clinical experience with the mini-extracorporeal circulation system: an evolution or a revolution?

PURPOSE: We studied a cohort of 150 patients operated on with a new cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system. This is the mini-extracorporeal circulation (MECC) system. DESCRIPTION: The MECC is a fully heparin coated closed-loop CPB system that includes a centrifugal pump and has a priming volume of 450 mL. Between March 2001 and September 2002, 150 consecutive patients were operated on using the mini-CPB (MECC) method. This includes 105 coronary artery bypass graft and 45 aortic valve replacement patients. The median age was 66.7 +/- 10.7 years with a gender ratio of 3.27 males to 1 female. EVALUATION: The 30-day operative mortality was 1.3%. The hemoglobin concentration was stable and perioperative transfusion was needed in only 6% of all patients. The renal and neuropsychiatric complications were less than 1%. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the MECC system is a reliable new concept for CPB with good clinical results.

Management of patients with asymptomatic moderate aortic stenosis undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY: Manual decalcification of the aortic valve was performed systematically in a prospective series of patients with asymptomatic moderate aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study addressed two main issues: (i) whether aortic valve decalcification is a good option to relieve moderate AS; and (ii) whether the natural progression of AS may be delayed by manual valve debridement when surgery is indicated for coronary disease. METHODS: Between October 1997 and March 2001, 14 adult patients with moderate AS underwent concomitant surgical repair of the aortic valve during CABG. Manual valve debridement with restoration of cusp mobility was attempted. Calcified deposits were removed by careful dissection. All patients underwent myocardial revascularization; a mean of 2.38 grafts was performed per patient. RESULTS: Immediately after surgery, mean aortic valve area index (AVAI) was improved, from 0.56+/-0.12 to 1.43+/-0.25 cm2/m2. Patients with the slowest recalcification rates were those with a postoperative/preoperative AVAI ratio of 1.6 to 2.4, those in whom the degree of postoperative aortic insufficiency was very similar to the degree of preoperative regurgitation, and those in whom the preoperative AVAI was >0.55 cm2/m2. CONCLUSION: Manual aortic valve debridement for moderate AS is a good option when surgery must be performed for coronary disease; the best results were obtained in patients with senile stenosis of a tricuspid aortic valve with an AVAI of 0.55-0.9 cm2/m2.