How robust are recommended waiting times to pacing after cardiac surgery that are derived from observational data?

AIMS: For bradycardic patients after cardiac surgery, it is unknown how long to wait before implanting a permanent pacemaker (PPM). Current recommendations vary and are based on observational studies. This study aims to examine why this variation may exist. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted first a study of patients in our institution and second a systematic review of studies examining conduction disturbance and pacing after cardiac surgery. Of 5849 operations over a 6-year period, 103 (1.8%) patients required PPM implantation. Only pacing dependence at implant and time from surgery to implant were associated with 30-day pacing dependence. The only predictor of regression of pacing dependence was time from surgery to implant. We then applied the conventional procedure of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, seeking an optimal time point for decision-making. This suggested the optimal waiting time was 12.5 days for predicting pacing dependence at 30 days for all patients (area under the ROC curve (AUC) 0.620, P = 0.031) and for predicting regression of pacing dependence in patients who were pacing-dependent at implant (AUC 0.769, P < 0.001). However, our systematic review showed that recommended optimal decision-making time points were strongly correlated with the average implant time point of those individual studies (R = 0.96, P < 0.001). We further conducted modelling which revealed that in any such study, the ROC method is strongly biased to indicate a value near to the median time to implant as optimal. CONCLUSION: When commonly used automated statistical methods are applied to observational data with the aim of defining the optimal time to pacing after cardiac surgery, the suggested answer is likely to be similar to the average time to pacing in that cohort.

Concomitant cardiac surgery and fixation of bilateral rib fractures sustained during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may cause sternal or rib fractures and chest wall instability. This can complicate medical management and significantly impair respiratory function. Surgical management of flail chest is technically demanding, and it becomes even more challenging if the patient requires a concomitant cardiac procedure. CASE PRESENTATION: A 78-year-old male suffered a cardiac arrest and sustained sternal and bilateral rib fractures during a successful CPR. He underwent a concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement combined with stabilization of the chest wall. We discuss the possibility of fixation of bilateral rib fractures and its role in postoperative recovery after cardiac surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Chest wall stabilization for an already fragile patient, with impaired respiratory system performance, could help improve overall outcomes, pulmonary function, weaning from mechanical ventilation, and rehabilitation. It may be used together with a cardiac procedure for a life-threatening cardiac pathology.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on aortic valve surgical service: a single centre experience.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus-disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic imposed an unprecedented burden on the provision of cardiac surgical services. The reallocation of workforce and resources necessitated the postponement of elective operations in this cohort of high-risk patients. We investigated the impact of this outbreak on the aortic valve surgery activity at a single two-site centre in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Data were extracted from the local surgical database, including the demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients operated on from March 2020 to May 2020 with only one of the two sites resuming operative activity and compared with the respective 2019 period. A similar comparison was conducted with the period between June 2020 and August 2020, when operative activity was restored at both institutional sites. The experience of centres world-wide was invoked to assess the efficiency of our services. RESULTS: There was an initial 38.2% reduction in the total number of operations with a 70% reduction in elective cases, compared with a 159% increase in urgent and emergency operations. The attendant surgical risk was significantly higher [median Euroscore II was 2.7 [1.9-5.2] in 2020 versus 2.1 [0.9-3.7] in 2019 (p = 0.005)] but neither 30-day survival nor freedom from major post-operative complications (re-sternotomy for bleeding/tamponade, transient ischemic attack/stroke, renal replacement therapy) was compromised (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). Recommencement of activity at both institutional sites conferred a surgical volume within 17% of the pre-COVID-19 era. CONCLUSIONS: Our institution managed to offer a considerable volume of aortic valve surgical activity over the first COVID-19 outbreak to a cohort of higher-risk patients, without compromising post-operative outcomes. A backlog of elective cases is expected to develop, the accommodation of which after surgical activity normalisation will be crucial to monitor.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Isolated Epicardial Left Ventricular Lead Implant Using a Minithoracotomy Approach for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Transvenous left ventricular (LV) lead placement for cardiac resynchronization therapy is unsuccessful in 5-10% of reported cases. These patients may benefit from isolated surgical placement of an epicardial LV lead via minithoracotomy approach. AIM: To evaluate the success of this approach at long-term follow-up. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of all consecutive patients undergoing isolated epicardial LV lead placement after failed transvenous attempt over a 6-year period. Data collected on baseline parameters, procedural details, and outcome at follow-up (hospital stay, complications, mortality, and clinical response). RESULTS: Forty-two patients underwent epicardial lead implant. Five died within 1 year (11.9%): two (4.8%) died within 30-days post op (one from intraoperative hemorrhage, the other from multiple organ failure); 39 (95.1%) were admitted to the high dependency unit and transferred to the ward <24 hours. Median hospital stay was 3.4 ± 1.9 days. The overall complication rate was 17.5% (n = 7): 15.0% (n = 6) short term and 2.5% (n = 1) long term; these included three (7.5%) LV noncapture events all treated with reprogramming. There were two (5.0%) wound infections requiring oral antibiotics and two (5.0%) device infections requiring intravenous antibiotics (one had device resiting, the other developed septic shock requiring intensive care admission). Assessment of clinical response was possible in 34 (81.0%) at follow-up: 21 (61.8%) were responders and 13 (28.2%) nonresponders with no significant differences between these groups; no clinical predictors of response were identified. CONCLUSION: Isolated epicardial LV lead implant using minithoracotomy is relatively safe and effective at successful LV pacing. Response rate and postoperative recovery at long-term follow-up are reasonable in these high-risk patients.

Study protocol for a cross-sectional online survey investigating patient preferences and experiences of waiting for elective cardiac surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Being on a waiting list for elective (planned) cardiac surgery can be physically and psychologically challenging for patients. Research suggests that stress associated with waiting for surgery is dependent on different individual and contextual factors. However, most data on patients' experiences of waiting for surgery and preferences for waiting list management derives from non-cardiac clinical populations. The aim of the current study is to explore patients' experiences of being on a waiting list for elective cardiac surgery, and their views on how the waiting experience could be improved in the future. This work will inform the patient management strategy during the waiting period for surgery across the four major hospitals in London directly involved in this study, and potentially beyond by transferring learning to other services. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a mixed-methods study that will collect quantitative and qualitative data using a cross-sectional online survey. Patients who are on waiting lists for elective surgery across four major cardiac surgery departments in London hospitals, and are at least 18 years old, will be invited by their healthcare team via text message or letter to complete the survey. The target sample size of non-randomly selected participants will be 268. Bivariable and multivariable regression models will be used to assess associations between survey items measuring the impact of the cardiac condition on specific life domains (eg, daily activities, social and family relationships, hobbies, sexual life), anxiety and depression symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 and survey items evaluating experiences of health services. Data on experience and preferences for improvements to the waiting experience will be analysed with qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was reviewed and granted ethical approval by the East of England-East Cambridge Research Ethics Committee. Findings from this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, a research website and social media and with an online event engaging patients, members of the public, healthcare professionals and other relevant stakeholders. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMB: NCT05996640.

Minimally invasive vs. conventional mitral valve surgery: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Objective: The evidence underlying the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) is inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether MIMVS improves clinical outcomes compared with conventional sternotomy. Methods: We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to January 2024 for all randomised controlled trials (RCTs), comparing MIMVS with conventional mitral valve surgery. RevMan 5.4 was used to analyse the data with risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) as the effect measures. Results: Eight studies reporting data on 7 RCTs were included in our review. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality, the number of patients requiring blood product transfusion, and the change from baseline in the SF-36 physical function scores between the MIMVS and conventional sternotomy groups. MIMVS reduced the length of hospital stay (MD -2.02 days, 95% CI: -3.66, -0.39) but did not affect the length of ICU stay, re-operation for bleeding, and the incidence of renal injury, wound infection, neurological events, and postoperative moderate or severe mitral regurgitation. MIMVS was associated with a trend toward lower postoperative pain scores (MD -1.06; 95% CI: -3.96 to 0.75). Conclusions: MIMVS reduced the number of days spent in the hospital and showed a trend toward lower postoperative pain scores, but it did not decrease the risk of all-cause mortality or the number of patients needing blood product transfusions. Further large-scale RCTs are required to inform definitive conclusions, particularly with regard to quality-of-life outcomes investigating functional recovery. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42023482122).

Left Atrial Septal Pouch (LASP) and cryptogenic stroke risk: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: The left atrial septal pouch (LASP) is a small anatomical septal recess in the heart that has been linked with cardioembolic events. A systematic appraisal of the existing literature is necessary to establish a better understanding of the risk as studies continue to indicate a correlation between LASPs and cryptogenic strokes. OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of association between the presence of LASP and the risk of developing cryptogenic stroke. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus for studies comparing the prevalence of LASP in patients with cryptogenic stroke against non-cryptogenic stroke control groups from inception till December, 2023. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was used for quality assessment and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 3.3 was used for data analysis with odds ratio (OR) as the effect measure. RESULTS: Our review included a total of 10 retrospective, observational studies published between 2010 to 2022. A total of 683 cases of cryptogenic strokes were identified, out of which 33.1 % (n = 271) were associated with a LASP. Among the non-cryptogenic stroke controls (n = 2641), LASP was present in 20.6 % cases (n = 476). The aggregate OR for cryptogenic stroke was 1.618 times greater than non-cryptogenic stroke (p < 0.001) among LASP cases, CONCLUSION: The presence of a septal pouch in the left atrium is significantly linked to a higher risk of developing cryptogenic strokes. As a potential site of thrombus formation and subsequent dislodgement, further large-scale studies are necessary to establish the guidelines for management and prophylaxis to prevent embolic events.