Clinical Features of 544 Patients With Ruptured Aortic Aneurysm　- A Report From the Tokyo Acute Aortic Super Network Database.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data on ruptured aortic aneurysms from large-scale studies are scarce. The aims of this study were to: clarify the clinical course of ruptured aortic aneurysms; identify aneurysm site-specific therapies and outcomes; and determine the clinical course of patients receiving conservative therapy.Methods and Results: Using the Tokyo Acute Aortic Super Network database, we retrospectively analyzed 544 patients (mean [±SD] age 78±10 years; 70% male) with ruptured non-dissecting aortic aneurysms (AAs) after excluding those with impending rupture. Patient characteristics, status on admission, therapeutic strategy, and outcomes were evaluated. Shock or pulselessness on admission were observed in 45% of all patients. Conservative therapy, endovascular therapy (EVT), and open surgery (OS) accounted for 32%, 23%, and 42% of cases, respectively, with corresponding mortality rates of 93%, 30%, and 29%. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 50%. The prevalence of pulselessness was highest (48%) in the ruptured ascending AA group, and in-hospital mortality was the highest (70%) in the ruptured thoracoabdominal AA group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated in-hospital mortality was positively associated with pulselessness (odds ratio [OR] 10.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.09-25.07), and negatively associated with invasive therapy (EVT and OS; OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.06-0.20). CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of ruptured AAs remain poor; emergency invasive therapy is essential to save lives, although it remains challenging to reduce the risk of death.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement-related aortic dissection: A clinical case series.

OBJECTIVES: We review our experience with 13 periprocedural aortic dissection (AD) cases caused by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: AD is a potentially lethal complication of TAVR; however, only sporadic case reports have been published to date. METHODS: Among 1335 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR in 2013-2021, we retrospectively extracted 13 patients (1.0%) with TAVR-related AD (Stanford type A in 6 [46%], type B in 7 [54%]). AD was defined as a new-onset dissected layer of the aortic wall and diagnosed by aortography, computed tomography, or transesophageal echocardiography. RESULTS: Five of the six type A AD cases (83%) were detected during TAVR versus only one of the seven type B AD cases (14%). Four of the seven type B AD cases (57%) were asymptomatic and incidentally detected on computed tomography. The presumed causes of AD were injury by the delivery sheath (39%), delivery catheter (23%), valve implantation (15%), stent edge (15%), and pre-dilation balloon (8%). Complicated AD occurred in only one patient (8%). Considering the patient's age and prohibitive surgical risk, all patients were treated conservatively and free of any aortic-related deaths or interventions during a follow-up of 1087 days. CONCLUSIONS: TAVR-related AD is a rare but life-threatening condition that may be underdiagnosed. Its optimal therapy remains unclear, and conservative management might be an option for selected patients. Further studies are needed to elucidate the incidence, risk factors, effective screening, optimal therapy, and outcomes of TAVR-related AD.

Exploring the Frailty Components Related to Hospitalization-Associated Disability in Older Patients After Cardiac Surgery Using a Comprehensive Frailty Assessment.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the components of frailty associated with hospitalization-associated disability (HAD) after cardiac surgery.Methods and Results: This retrospective, observational study evaluated 1,446 older patients after elective cardiac surgery at the Sakakibara Heart Institute. We examined the association between HAD and 7 domains of frailty assessed by the Kihon Checklist. HAD was defined as a decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) between admission and discharge, as assessed by the Barthel Index. Logistic regression and decision tree analysis were used to identify associations between the number and type of frailty components and HAD. Of the 1,446 patients, 190 were excluded, and 90 (7%) developed HAD. An increase in the number of frailty components was a risk factor for HAD (odds ratio: 1.88, 95% confidence interval: 1.62-2.17). Decision tree analysis identified physical functional decline, depression, and cognitive dysfunction as factors associated with HAD. The incidence of HAD was highest in cases of physical functional decline (21%) and lowest for cases in which the 3 aforementioned factors were absent (2.8%). CONCLUSIONS: An increased number of frailty factors increased the risk of HAD and the findings also reaffirmed the importance of a comprehensive assessment to evaluate the risk of HAD, including evaluation of physical function, cognitive function, and depression.

1-year outcomes of patients implanted with the Perceval sutureless valve: the Japanese post-marketing surveillance study.

Sutureless offers an alternative to standard valves in surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). We sought to confirm the efficacy and safety of the Perceval sutureless valve in Japanese patients. Prospective observational study of 204 patients who underwent SAVR with Perceval at 19 sites in Japan between March and December 2019. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and postoperative complications; the secondary outcome was all-cause mortality at 1 year. Efficacy outcomes were changed in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, pressure gradients, effective orifice area (EOA), EOA indexed to body surface area (EOAi) and severity of aortic regurgitation. Mean age was 77.7 years, 62.7% were female. Procedural success rate was 99.0%. The median cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 68.0 and 108 min. Perceval size S and M were implanted in 95 (46.6%) and in 76 (37.3%) of patients, respectively. The 30-day and late mortality rate were 0.5% and 4.4%, while the new permanent pacemaker implantation rate was 4.4%. Mean pressure gradient was 13.0 mmHg at discharge, reaching 11.0 mmHg at 1 year; while the mean EOA was 1.5 cm2 at discharge remaining stable up to 1 year. No moderate or severe leakages were present at discharge or at 1 year. NYHA class improved by ≥ 1 level in 55.1% of the patients at discharge and in 69.4% of the patients at 1 year. 1-year outcomes of SAVR with the Perceval sutureless valve in Japanese patients were favorable. This valve offers a promising alternative to conventional biological AVR in this Japanese population.

[Clinical Considerations in the Surgical Management of Active Infective Endocarditis of the Mitral Valve].

In the surgical management of infective endocarditis (IE), the presence of circulatory failure from valve destruction and vegetation embolization are important factors in determining the timing of surgery. Emergency surgery carries certain risks, such as infection control problems due to the unknown portal of entry of bacteria and infection, and the possibility of worsening cerebral hemorrhage in patients with hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease. In recent years, there has been a trend toward more aggressive attempts at mitral valve repair for mitral IE, with improved success rates and rates of recurrent mitral regurgitation, and some reports suggesting that valve repair for active IE has better longterm survival rates than valve replacement. One possible factor is that early surgical intervention to resect the lesion may have a significant impact on the cure rate by preventing progression of valve destruction and controlling infection. Based on our clinical experience, we discuss the optimal timing of surgical intervention for mitral valve IE and present the postoperative remote survival rate, avoidance rate of reinfection, and avoidance rate of reoperation.

Physical function examination at intensive care unit as predictive indicators for hospitalization-associated disability in patients after cardiovascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: Following cardiovascular surgery, patients are at high risk of requiring systemic management in the intensive care unit (ICU), resulting in hospitalization-associated disability (HAD). Predicting the risk of HAD during the postoperative course is important to prevent susceptibility to cardiovascular events. Assessment of physical function during the ICU stay may be useful as a prediction index but has not been established. METHODS: This prospective observational study conducted at a high-volume cardiovascular center included 236 patients (34% female; median age, 73 years) who required an ICU stay of at least 72 hours after surgery and underwent postoperative rehabilitation. HAD was defined as a decrease in the discharge Barthel index (BI) score of at least 5 points relative to the preadmission BI score. Physical Function ICU Test-scored (PFIT-s), Functional Status Score for the ICU (FSS-ICU), and Medical Research Council (MRC)-sumscore were used to assess physical function at ICU discharge. RESULTS: HAD occurred in 58 (24.6%) of the 236 patients following cardiovascular surgery. The cut-off points for HAD were 7.5 points for the PFIT-s (sensitivity 0.80, specificity 0.59), 24.5 points for the FSS-ICU (sensitivity 0.57, specificity 0.66), and 59.5 points for the MRC-sumscore (sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.66). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a PFIT-s of >7.5 points (odds ratio [OR], 4.84; 95% CI, 2.39-9.80; p < 0.001) and an MRC-sumscore of >59.5 points (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.22-4.87; p = 0.012) as independent associated factors. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that the PFIT-s and MRC-sumscore at ICU discharge may be helpful as a predictive indicator for HAD in patients having undergone major cardiovascular surgery.

Anterior leaflet-oriented tricuspid annuloplasty using a flexible ring for severe tricuspid regurgitation.

We describe our concept and method of tricuspid annuloplasty using flexible ring for patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation accompanied by a severe tethering and a wide separation of the leaflets between the anterior leaflet and septal leaflet. The goal for our tricuspid ring annuloplasty using a flexible ring is to match the patient's own anterior leaflet configuration. We reduce the size of the tricuspid annulus respecting the individual configuration of the anterior leaflet to create a sufficient coaptation area of the leaflets. We performed this method in a 78-year-old female patient with very severe tricuspid regurgitation accompanied by a severe tethering. The anterior leaflet almost covered the orifice of the flexible ring during systole and intraoperative transesophageal echo examination revealed only trivial tricuspid regurgitation. We believe the anterior leaflet-oriented tricuspid ring annuloplasty using a flexible ring is useful for patients with severe TR accompanied by a severe tethering.

Combination Use of Inoue-Balloon and Self-Expandable Transcatheter Valves in Managing Aortic Stenosis Not Amenable to Balloon-Expandable Valves.

Data on the combined use of aortic Inoue-Balloon catheter and self-expandable transcatheter valve for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are lacking. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of this combination, particularly in patients who cannot be safely managed with balloon-expandable valves.Between 2018 and 2021, 140 consecutive patients who had Inoue-Balloon catheters with self-expandable valves were retrospectively examined. Self-expandable transcatheter valves were deployed using the heart team approach in patients with calcification on the left ventricular outflow tract, which could not be safely addressed with the current-generation balloon-expandable valves.The 20- and 22 mm Inoue-Balloon catheters were used with the 26- and 29 mm Evolut valves, respectively. According to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria, the procedural success rate was 95.0%, with an early safety at 30 days rate of 6.5%. A total of 27 patients required post-dilation with the same Inoue-Balloon catheter used for pre-dilation after adjustment to appropriate sizes. Post-dilation, with balloon size adjusted to be 1.4 ± 0.9 mm larger than that in pre-dilation, was effective in 19 out of 27 patients (70.3%) for decreasing paravalvular leak after transcatheter valve deployment. The procedural complication rates between patients with and without post-dilation were not different.The combined use of the size-adjustable Inoue-Balloon catheter and self-expandable valve is safe, particularly in patients who cannot be safely managed with balloon-expandable valves. However, further studies are warranted to elucidate concerns regarding the durability of self-expandable transcatheter valves after post-dilation using the Inoue-Balloon catheter.

Relationship Between Heart Rate at Discharge and Long-Term Outcomes of Surgically Treated Patients With Type A Acute Aortic Dissections.

BACKGROUND: Resting heart rate (HR) at discharge is an important predictor of mortality after acute myocardial infarction. However, in patients with Stanford type A acute aortic dissections (TA-AADs), the relationship between HR and long-term outcomes is unclear. Therefore, this relationship was investigated in the present study.Methods and Results:Surgically treated consecutive patients with TA-AAD (n=721) were retrospectively categorized according to HR quartiles, recorded within 24 h before discharge (<70, 70-77, 78-83, and ≥84 beats/min). The study endpoints included aortic aneurysm-related deaths, sudden deaths, aortic surgeries, and hospitalizations for recurrence of acute aortic dissections. The mean (±SD) patient age was 65.8±13.0 years. During a median observation period of 5.8 years (interquartile range 3.9-8.5 years), 17.2% of patients (n=124) experienced late aortic events. Late aortic surgery was performed in 14.0% of patients. After adjusting for potential confounders, including ß-blocker use, HR at discharge remained an independent predictor of long-term aortic outcomes. Patients with discharge HR ≥84 beats/min had a higher risk (hazard ratio 1.86; 95% confidence interval 1.06-3.25; P=0.029) of long-term aortic events than those with HR <70 beats/min; the cumulative survival rates were similar among the groups (log-rank, P=0.905). CONCLUSIONS: In surgically treated patients with TA-AAD, HR at discharge independently predicted long-term aortic outcomes. Consequently, HR in patients with TA-AAD should be optimized before discharge, particularly if the HR is ≥84 beats/min.

[Asymptomatic Congenital Left Ventricular Aneurysm Treated with Endocardial Linear Infarct Exclusion Technique( ELIET):Report of a Case].

Surgical repair of asymptomatic congenital left ventricular aneurysm is poorly reported. A 30-yearold man presented with an asymptomatic abnormal electrocardiogram. Computed tomography (CT) and angiography revealed a congenital left ventricular aneurysm, and surgical repair was conducted with endocardial linear infarct exclusion technique (ELIET). His postoperative course was uneventful. Postoperative CT showed an elliptical cardiac shape with no recurrence of aneurysm. ELIET would serve as a surgical procedure for congenital left ventricular aneurysm.

Prosthetic valve replacement for aortic leaflet tear secondary to Impella device placement.

We experienced a case of aortic regurgitation secondary to tear in the non-coronary cusp of the aortic valve after percutaneous mechanical circulatory support by Impella 2.5 placement, which was resolved with aortic valve replacement. Our patient, a 72-year-old man, developed non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, which was treated with the implantation of Impella 2.5 prior to percutaneous coronary intervention. He eventually required prosthetic valve replacement for progressive aortic regurgitation after removing the Impella device. From intraoperative photographs, multiple lacerations were confirmed in the non-coronary aortic cusp. One year after prosthetic valve replacement, he was asymptomatic as per the New York Heart Association functional class II; additionally, echocardiography showed a mean prosthetic valve gradient of 7 mmHg, an effective orifice area of 1.87 cm2, and no aortic regurgitation. A rare complication of aortic regurgitation due to aortic valve injury should be considered when hemodynamic deterioration is observed after Impella implantation.

Surgical Treatment Strategy with Combined Cardiopulmonary Bypass for Renal Cell Carcinoma with Tumor Embolism Developed in Inferior Vena Cava.

OBJECTIVE: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC) presents surgeons with a technical intraoperative challenge because of the need for aggressive surgical management. In this study, we describe our method for surgical management with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and investigate the long-term outcomes of RCC patients with and without CPB. METHODS: Fifteen patients with RCC underwent nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy from May 2011 to December 2017. We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the clinical course of all patients. Novick classification was used to assess the level of tumor thrombus extension into the IVC. Patient characteristics, surgical procedures, and postoperative outcome data in both groups were collected. RESULTS: Twelve patients were male and 3 were female, with an average age of 62.9 ± 10.9 years (range 46 to 82). The average operative times were 824 ± 335 minutes in the patients with CPB and 646 ± 162 minutes in those without CPB (P = .17). The average amount of intraoperative bleeding was 2125 ± 1315 ml in the patients with CPB and 3333 ± 1431 ml in those without CPB (P = .14). The same tendency was observed in patients of Novick levels 3 and 4. The mean observation period was 1061.4 days. No 30-day mortality was noted. There was no significant difference in all-cause survival between the patients with CPB and those without. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that surgical management with CPB and circulatory arrest may be a viable and safe method of treatment for RCC patients.

[Septal Myectomy for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Due to Noonan Syndrome;Report of a Case].

A 15-year-old boy with Noonan syndrome, who had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) at 4 and treated by drugs, was referred to our hospital because of progression of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed left ventricular hypertrophy( LVH), LVOTO( systolic gradient:102 mmHg), and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve( SAM) with mild mitral regurgitation(MR). We performed septal myectomy by transaortic and transapical approaches. Postoperative TTE revealed significant reduction in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient (9 mmHg), resolution of SAM, and reduction in MR grade. The postoperative course was uneventful except for transient atrial tachyarrhythmia. Myectomy for HCM in a patient with Noonan syndrome is rare. This case suggests that myectomy is useful for the patients with Noonan syndrome.

Is systolic blood pressure high in patients with acute aortic dissection on first medical contact before hospital transfer?

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) cases are thought to have high blood pressure (BP) on admission; however, little data are available on BP prior to admission. The purpose of this study was to investigate systolic blood pressure (SBP) very early after symptom onset and before hospital transfer in patients with AAD to determine whether SBPs were high, and also whether SBPs were higher or lower compared with SBPs at hospital admission. We obtained results using three-year data derived from the Tokyo Acute Aortic Super Network Database. First, we selected 830 patients with AAD for which the "duration from symptom onset to first medical contact by ambulance crews" (SO-FMC) was within 60 min. We examined the SBPs of such patients. Next, we selected 222 patients with AAD whose SBPs were measured both at FMC, within 15 min after symptom onset, and at hospital admission, and compared SBPs at FMC with those at hospital admission. Among types A (n = 190) and B (n = 117), in patients with an SO-FMC ≤ 15 min, the median SBP was 100 mmHg and 178 mmHg (p < 0.001), respectively; 9% and 50% (p < 0.001) of such patients, respectively, exhibited an SBP ≥ 180 mmHg; and 43% and 10% (p < 0.001) of such patients, respectively, had an SBP < 90 mmHg. Of patients with types A (n = 124) and B (n = 98) AAD whose SBPs were measured both at FMC, within 15 min after symptom onset, and at hospital admission, SBPs at FMC were higher than those at hospital admission for the SBP ≥ 180 mmHg subgroups of both type A (194 mmHg vs. 159 mmHg, p < 0.001) and type B (199 mmHg vs. 186 mmHg, p < 0.001). Approximately 10 min after symptom onset and before hospital transfer, the measured SBPs of many patients with type A AAD were not necessarily high. However, the SBPs of cases with type B AAD were high as previously reported for SBP on admission. In addition, for the subgroup of SBP ≥ 180 mmHg at FMC within 15 min after symptom onset, SBPs at FMC were significantly higher than those at hospital admission for both types A and B; the higher SBP at symptom onset may have been partially associated with being a trigger of AD.

Treadmill exercise induces murine cardiac allograft survival and generates regulatory T cell.

Exercise therapy has been associated with improvement in functional capacity and quality of life. The role of exercise therapy in heart transplant recipients is of great interest for the transplant society, although concerning the effect of exercise therapy, there is little knowledge at present. We analyzed the effects of exercise on alloimmune responses in murine cardiac allograft transplantation. CBA mice (H2(k) ) underwent transplantation of C57Bl/6 (H2(b) ) hearts and exercised on a treadmill. Untreated CBA recipients rejected C57Bl/6 cardiac grafts acutely (median survival time [MST], 7 days). CBA recipients treated with treadmill for 1 week after transplantation, and for 1 week both before and after transplantation prolonged allograft survivals (MSTs, 35 and 18 days, respectively). However, treadmill exercise recipients for 1 week before transplantation were not effective to allograft survival (MST, 8 days). Adoptive transfer of whole splenocytes and CD4(+) cells from treadmill exercise recipients significantly prolonged allograft survival in naive secondary recipients (MSTs, 30 and 52 days, respectively), suggesting that regulatory cells was generated after treadmill exercise. Moreover, flow cytometry studies showed that CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) cell population increased in treadmill exercise recipients. Therefore, postoperative but not pre-operative exercise could induce prolongation of survival of fully allogeneic cardiac allografts and generate CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells.

Graft protective effects and donor-specific antibody suppression by CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cell induced by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor rosuvastatin in a murine heart transplant model.

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that the hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (statins) play an important role in the regulation of alloimmune responses. However, little is known regarding the effects of statin on allograft protection or donor-specific antibodies (DSA). In this study, we investigated the graft-protective and immunomodulatory effects of rosuvastatin in a model of fully major histocompatibility complex-mismatched murine cardiac allograft transplantation. METHODS: CBA mice underwent transplantation of C57BL/6 (B6) hearts and received 50 and 500 µg/kg/day of rosuvastatin from the day of transplantation until seven days after the completion of transplantation. To confirm the requirement for regulatory T cells (Tregs), we administered an anti-interleukin-2 receptor alpha antibody (PC-61) to rosuvastatin-treated CBA recipients. Additionally, histological and fluorescent staining, cell proliferation analysis, flow cytometry, and DSA measurements were performed. RESULTS: CBA recipients with no treatment rejected B6 cardiac graft acutely (median survival time [MST], 7 days). CBA mice treated with 500 µg/kg/day of rosuvastatin prolonged allograft survival (MSTs, 77 days). Fluorescent staining studies showed that rosuvastatin-treated recipients had strong aggregation of CD4+Foxp3+ cells in the myocardium and around the coronary arteries of cardiac allografts two weeks after grafting. Flow cytometry studies performed two weeks after transplantation showed an increased number of splenic CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells in rosuvastatin-treated recipients. The addition of rosuvastatin to mixed leukocyte cultures suppressed cell proliferation by increasing the number of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs. Additionally, Tregs suppressed DSA production in rosuvastatin-treated recipients. CONCLUSION: Rosuvastatin treatment may be a complementary graft-protective strategy for suppressing DSA production in the acute phase, driven by the promotion of splenic and graft-infiltrating CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs.