Practical Considerations for Obtaining Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography Accreditation: Collective Experiences at Early-Adopting Centers.

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) is a nonprofit accrediting organization committed to ensuring the quality of diagnostic imaging and related procedures. It comprises a collaboration of stakeholders spanning numerous medical professionals and specialties. In a recent initiative, IAC Echocardiography introduced a new accreditation specifically for Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography (PTE). This accreditation process is anchored in rigorous clinical peer review to ensure diagnostic quality and report accuracy, thus maintaining high standards of medical care. The authors present the inaugural 4 sites to achieve IAC accreditation for PTE, which have collaborated to share their experiences in achieving this accreditation. This review endeavors to offer actionable insights and proven solutions to navigate the accreditation journey for others. Mirroring the IAC Standards and Guidelines for PTE accreditation, this review is divided into three pivotal sections as follows: (1) organization of a perioperative echocardiography service, including stakeholder engagement to facilitate the application for accreditation; (2) performance of examinations and reporting; and (3) instituting quality improvement strategies and establishing a robust program. The pursuit of accreditation in PTE is to transcend a mere compliance exercise. It signifies a dedication to excellence, continual growth, and, above all, to the well-being of patients.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database: Intraoperative Echocardiography Reporting.

OBJECTIVES: To identify trends in the reporting of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) data in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) and the Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology (ACA) module by period, practice type, and geographic distribution, and to elucidate ongoing areas for practice improvement. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: STS ACSD. PARTICIPANTS: Procedures reported in the STS ACSD between July 2017 and December 2021 in participating programs in the United States. INTERVENTIONS: None MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Intraoperative TEE is reported for 73% of all procedures in ACSD. Although the intraoperative TEE data reporting rate increased from 2017 to 2021 for isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery, it remained low at 62.2%. The reporting of relevant echocardiographic variables across a wide range of procedures has steadily increased over the study period but also remained low. The reporting in the ACA module is high for most variables and across all anesthesia care models; however, the overall contribution of the ACA module to the ACSD remains low. CONCLUSIONS: This progress report suggests a continued need to raise awareness regarding current practices of reporting intraoperative TEE in the ACSD and the ACA, and highlights opportunities for improving reporting and data abstraction.

Right Ventricle-Pulmonary Artery Coupling in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Interventions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to summarize the fundamentals of RV-PA coupling, its non-invasive means of measurement, and contemporary understanding of RV-PA coupling in cardiac surgery, cardiac interventions, and congenital heart disease. RECENT FINDINGS: The need for more accessible clinical means of evaluation of RV-PA coupling has driven researchers to investigate surrogates using cardiac MRI, echocardiography, and right-sided pressure measurements in patients undergoing cardiac surgery/interventions, as well as patients with congenital heart disease. Recent research has aimed to validate these alternative means against the gold standard, as well as establish cut-off values predictive of morbidity and/or mortality. This emerging evidence lays the groundwork for identifying appropriate RV-PA coupling surrogates and integrating them into perioperative clinical practice.

Healing from Within: How Gut Microbiota Predicts IBD Treatment Success-A Systematic Review.

Recent research indicates that the microbiome has a significant impact on the progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and that creating therapies that change its composition could positively impact the outcomes of IBD treatment. This review summarizes the results of extensive studies that examined IBD patients undergoing several therapies, including anti-TNF medication, vedolizumab, ustekinumab, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and the alterations in their gut microbiota's composition and function. The objective was to investigate the variety and effectiveness of microbial species in order to discover new biomarkers or therapeutic targets that could improve the outcome of treatment for these patients. This research aimed to offer useful insights into personalized medicine techniques for managing IBD. Beneficial bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia have been consistently linked to favorable clinical outcomes, whereas pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Clostridioides difficile are associated with worsening disease conditions. Although many studies have examined the role of gut microbiota in IBD, there is still a need for more targeted research on the connection between specific microbial communities and treatment outcomes. This study sought to address this gap by exploring the intricate relationship between the gut microbiota composition and the effectiveness of IBD medications.

Evaluation of MELD Scores and Thyroid Hormones as Prognostic Factors of Liver Cirrhosis.

Background and Objectives: Hepatic cirrhosis is a disease with an increasing frequency globally, but its mechanisms of disease development are not yet completely known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between thyroid hormone levels (T3, fT4, and TSH) and survival in patients with chronic liver disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 419 patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis were included in the study. The MELD score was computed, and TSH, T3, and fT4 were collected from each patient using the ELISA procedure. Signs and symptoms of liver failure and portal hypertension confirmed the clinical diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, and biological tests and imaging methods confirmed the diagnosis. Results: The MELD score was positively associated with TSH on admission and TSH on discharge and negatively associated with T3 at discharge. TSH levels were higher in non-survivors than in survivors. The values of T3 and fT4 present no significant changes to be considered as prognostic factors. Conclusions: Although the differences between the median TSH values of the patients who died and those who survived are not very large, the statistical significance of the data obtained demonstrates that there are changes in metabolism of the thyroid hormones during the progression of liver cirrhosis. It is possible that TSH is the one which maintains the normal balance of thyroid activity for patients with liver cirrhosis, so it can be considered as an important marker of evolution of these patients.

Health care resource utilization and clinical outcomes for adult heart transplant recipients with primary graft dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: The advent of new technologies to reduce primary graft dysfunction (PGD) and improve outcomes after heart transplantation are costly. Adoption of these technologies requires a better understanding of health care utilization, specifically the costs related to PGD. METHODS: Records were examined from all adult patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) between July 1, 2013 and July 30, 2019 at a single institution. Total costs were categorized into variable, fixed, direct, and indirect costs. Patient costs from time of transplantation to hospital discharge were transformed with the z-score transformation and modeled in a linear regression model, adjusted for potential confounders and in-hospital mortality. The quintile of patient costs was modeled using a proportional odds model, adjusted for confounders and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: 359 patients were analyzed, including 142 with PGD and 217 without PGD. PGD was associated with a .42 increase in z-score of total patient costs (95% CI: .22-.62; p < .0001). Additionally, any grade of PGD was associated with a 2.95 increase in odds for a higher cost of transplant (95% CI: 1.94-4.46, p < .0001). These differences were substantially greater when PGD was categorized as severe. Similar results were obtained for fixed, variable, direct, and indirect costs. CONCLUSIONS: PGD after OHT impacts morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization. We found that PGD after OHT results in a significant increase in total patient costs. This increase was substantially higher if the PGD was severe. SUMMARY: Primary graft dysfunction after heart transplantation impacts morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization. PGD after OHT is costly and investments should be made to reduce the burden of PGD after OHT to improve patient outcomes.

Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with dynamic aortic regurgitation.

The ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) can present with dynamic aortic regurgitation (AR). Hemodynamic changes elicited by induction of general anesthesia can lead to dynamic AR in setting of ruptured SVA. Perioperative echocardiography is critical in understanding the etiology of AR and in guiding surgical decision-making. If the aortic valve is structurally normal, AR may resolve following patch repair of the SVA rupture defect. Conventional measures of assessing AR severity are not accurate with continuous left-to-right flow across a ruptured SVA.

The Role of Recipient Thyroid Hormone Supplementation in Primary Graft Dysfunction After Heart Transplantation: A Propensity-Adjusted Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether recipient administration of thyroid hormone (liothyronine [T3]) is associated with reduced rates of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after orthotopic heart transplantation. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single-center, university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation. INTERVENTIONS: A total of 609 adult heart transplant recipients were divided into 2 cohorts: patients who did not receive T3 (no T3 group, from 2009 to 2014), and patients who received T3 (T3 group, from 2015 to 2019). Propensity-adjusted logistic regression was performed to assess the association between T3 supplementation and PGD. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After applying exclusion criteria and propensity-score analysis, the final cohort included 461 patients. The incidence of PGD was not significantly different between the groups (33.9% no T3 group v 40.8% T3 group; p = 0.32). Mortality at 30 days (3% no T3 group v 2% T3 group; p = 0.53) and 1 year (10% no T3 group v 12% T3 group; p = 0.26) were also not significantly different. When assessing the severity of PGD, there were no differences in the groups' rates of moderate PGD (not requiring mechanical circulatory support other than an intra-aortic balloon pump) or severe PGD (requiring mechanical circulatory support other than an intra-aortic balloon pump). However, segmented time regression analysis revealed that patients in the T3 group were less likely to develop severe PGD. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that recipient single-dose thyroid hormone administration may not protect against the development of PGD, but may attenuate the severity of PGD.

Urinary Biomarkers in Monitoring the Progression and Treatment of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease-The Promised Land?

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common genetic kidney disease, and it leads to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The clinical manifestations of ADPKD are variable, with extreme differences observable in its progression, even among members of the same family with the same genetic mutation. In an age of new therapeutic options, it is important to identify patients with rapidly progressive evolution and the risk factors involved in the disease's poor prognosis. As the pathophysiological mechanisms of the formation and growth of renal cysts have been clarified, new treatment options have been proposed to slow the progression to end-stage renal disease. Furthermore, in addition to the conventional factors (PKD1 mutation, hypertension, proteinuria, total kidney volume), increasing numbers of studies have recently identified new serum and urinary biomarkers of the disease's progression, which are cheaper and more easily to dosing from the early stages of the disease. The present review discusses the utility of new biomarkers in the monitoring of the progress of ADPKD and their roles in new therapeutic approaches.

Imaging for Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices.

Heart failure is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. Changes in organ allocation for solid thoracic (lung and heart) transplantation has increased the number of patients on mechanical circulatory support. Temporary mechanical support devices include devices tht support the circulation directly or indirectly such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and temporary support for right-sided failure, left-sided failure or biventricular failure. Most often, these devices are placed percutaneously and require either guidance with echocardiography, continuous radiography (fluoroscopy) or both. Furthermore, these devices need imaging in the intensive care unit to confirm continued accurate placement. This review contains the imaging views and nuances of the temporary assist devices (including ECMO) at the time of placement and the complications that can be associated with each individual device.

Cerebral Oximetry During Adult Cardiac Surgery Is Associated With Improved Postoperative Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association/effect of intraoperative cerebral oximetry (CeOx) on major organ morbidity and mortality (MOMM) after adult cardiac surgery. DESIGN: A retrospective, multicenter cohort study. SETTING: Patients treated at any hospital within the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database between July 1, 2011, and December 31, 2016, with a 30-day postoperative follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals ≥18 years old undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or valve repair or replacement, or any combination of procedures with cardiopulmonary bypass. INTERVENTIONS: Intraoperative CeOx. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: MOMM includes operative mortality, stroke, renal failure, prolonged mechanical ventilation, deep sternal wound infection, or reoperation for any reason within 30 days. Of 1.19 million patients who met inclusion criteria within 1,180 facilities, ∼30% (n = 361,124) received CeOx versus nonrecipients (n = 838,675) with similar baseline patient characteristics. Using a propensity score-based 1:1 greedy matching method, 99.7% of CeOx recipients (n = 360,285) were matched with nonrecipients. The rates of MOMM were lower with versus without CeOx. The absolute risk reduction translated to a number needed to treat of 227 patients (95% CI: 166-363, p < 0.0001). In sensitivity analyses of prespecified subgroups, the benefit was strongest among patients undergoing aortic valve repair or replacement ± CABG (more than 7 fewer MOMM events per 1,000, p < 0.0001). However, intensive care unit stay >72 hours was higher with CeOx. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative cerebral oximetry is associated with less major organ morbidity and mortality after adult cardiac surgery. A large-scale clinical trial is warranted, given that desaturation is common and correctable.

Predictive capabilities of the European registry for patients with mechanical circulatory support right-sided heart failure risk score after left ventricular assist device implantation.

OBJECTIVES: The prediction of right heart failure (RHF) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation remains a challenge. Recently, risk scores were derived from analysis of the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) data, the EUROMACS-RHF, and the modified postoperative EUROMACS-RHF. The authors assessed the performance characteristics of these 2 risk score formulations in a continuous-flow LVAD cohort at their institution. DESIGN: A retrospective, observational study. SETTING: At a tertiary-care academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients who underwent durable LVAD implantation between 2015 and 2018. INTERVENTIONS: None MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Early post-LVAD RHF was defined as follows: (1) need for right ventricular assist device, or (2) inotropic or inhaled pulmonary vasodilator support for ≥14 postoperative days. The authors used logistic regression and examined receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to evaluate the ability of the 2 risk scores to distinguish between outcome groups. A total of 207 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of the patients, 16% developed RHF (33/207). The EUROMACS-RHF score was not predictive of RHF in the authors' cohort (odds ratio [OR] 1.25; 95% CI [0.99-1.60]; p = 0.06), but the postoperative EUROMACS-RHF CPB score was significantly associated (OR 1.38; 95% CI [1.03-1.89]; p = 0.03). The scores had similar ROC curves, with weak discriminatory performance: 0.601 (95% CI [0.509-0.692]) and 0.599 (95% CI [0.505-0.693]) for EUROMACS-RHF and postoperative EUROMACS-RHF, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the authors' single-center retrospective analysis, the EUROMACS-RHF risk score did not predict early RHF. An optimized risk score for the prediction of RHF after LVAD implantation remains an urgent unmet need.

Renal-Resistive Index for Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury in the Setting of Aortic Insufficiency.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common postoperative complication after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and leads to significant morbidity, mortality, and cost. Although early recognition and management of AKI may reduce the burden of renal disease, reliance on serum creatinine accumulation to confidently diagnose it leads to a significant and important delay (up to 48 hours). Hence, a search for earlier AKI biomarkers is warranted. The renal-resistive index (RRI) is a promising early AKI biomarker that reflects intrarenal arterial pulsatility as reflected by the peak systolic and end-diastolic blood velocities divided by the peak systolic velocity. During cardiac surgery, post-CPB elevation of RRI is correlated with renal injury. The RRI is influenced by intrarenal and extrarenal factors, as well as different hemodynamic states. Understanding its limitations may increase its usefulness as an early AKI biomarker. For example, tachycardia or aortic stenosis typically results in a lower RRI, whereas bradycardia or increased systemic pulse pressure (as seen with aortic insufficiency) are associated with a higher RRI, unrelated to any intrarenal effects. In this E-Challenge, the authors present two cases in which the RRI was used to evaluate a patient's risk of developing AKI.

Association between primary graft dysfunction and acute kidney injury after orthotopic heart transplantation - a retrospective, observational cohort study.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and primary graft dysfunction (PGD) are serious complications after heart transplantation (HT). The relationship between AKI and PGD is poorly understood. We sought to examine the incidence of AKI and identify risk factors associated with AKI. We hypothesized that PGD is one of the risk factors independently associated with post-HT AKI. We gathered data for all adult patients who underwent HT between 2009 and 2014. AKI was defined by the KDIGO criteria. PGD was categorized using ISHLT criteria. We assessed univariable and multivariable logistic regression to identify risk factors independently associated with post-HT AKI. Out of 316 patients, postoperative AKI occurred in 273 (86%) patients: 188 (68%) stage I, 44 (16%) stage II, and 41 (15%) stage III. Stage II/III AKI was associated with increased risk of mortality at 1 year. There was significant association between severe PGD and stage II/III AKI (P = 0.001, OR 3.63, 95% CI: 1.69-7.94). Other clinical factors significantly associated with stage II/III AKI included longer donor brain death duration and lower recipient baseline creatinine. We found that stage II/III AKI is common and independently associated with severe PGD. Another potentially modifiable risk factor is donor brain death duration.

Frailty in the End-Stage Lung Disease or Heart Failure Patient: Implications for the Perioperative Transplant Clinician.

The syndrome of frailty for patients undergoing heart or lung transplantation has been a recent focus for perioperative clinicians because of its association with postoperative complications and poor outcomes. Patients with end-stage cardiac or pulmonary failure may be under consideration for heart or lung transplantation along with bridging therapies such as ventricular assist device implantation or venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, respectively. Early identification of frail patients in an attempt to modify the risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality has become an important area of study over the last decade. Many quantification tools and risk prediction models for frailty have been developed but have not been evaluated extensively or standardized in the cardiothoracic transplant candidate population. Heightened awareness of frailty, coupled with a better understanding of distinct cellular mechanisms and biomarkers apart from end-stage organ disease, may play an important role in potentially reversing frailty related to organ failure. Furthermore, the clinical management of these critically ill patients may be enhanced by waitlist and postoperative physical rehabilitation and nutritional optimization.

Primary graft dysfunction after heart transplantation: Incidence, trends, and associated risk factors.

Changes in heart transplantation (HT) donor and recipient demographics may influence the incidence of primary graft dysfunction (PGD). We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate PGD incidence, trends, and associated risk factors by analyzing consecutive adult patients who underwent HT between January 2009 and December 2014 at our institution. Patients were categorized as having PGD using the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT)-defined criteria. Variables, including clinical and demographic characteristics of donors and recipients, were selected to assess their independent association with PGD. A time-trend analysis was performed over the study period. Three-hundred seventeen patients met inclusion criteria. Left ventricular PGD, right ventricular PGD, or both, were observed in 99 patients (31%). Risk factors independently associated with PGD included ischemic time, recipient African American race, and recipient amiodarone treatment. Over the study period, there was no change in the PGD incidence; however, there was an increase in the recipient pretransplantation use of amiodarone. The rate of 30-day mortality was significantly elevated in those with PGD versus those without PGD (6.06% vs 0.92%, P = .01). Despite recent advancements, incidence of PGD remains high. Understanding associated risk factors may allow for implementation of targeted therapeutic interventions.

Intraoperative Renal Resistive Index as an Acute Kidney Injury Biomarker: Development and Validation of an Automated Analysis Algorithm.

OBJECTIVE: Intraoperative Doppler-determined renal resistive index (RRI) is a promising early acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarker. As RRI continues to be studied, its clinical usefulness and robustness in research settings will be linked to the ease, efficiency, and precision with which it can be interpreted. Therefore, the authors assessed the usefulness of computer vision technology as an approach to developing an automated RRI-estimating algorithm with equivalent reliability and reproducibility to human experts. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Single-center, university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Adult cardiac surgery patients from 7/1/2013 to 7/10/2014 with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography-determined renal blood flow measurements. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Renal Doppler waveforms were obtained retrospectively and assessed by blinded human expert raters. Images (430) were divided evenly into development and validation cohorts. An algorithm for automated RRI analysis was built using computer vision techniques and tuned for alignment with experts using bootstrap resampling in the development cohort. This algorithm then was applied to the validation cohort for an unbiased assessment of agreement with human experts. Waveform analysis time per image averaged 0.144 seconds. Agreement was excellent by intraclass correlation coefficient (0.939; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.921 to 0.953) and in Bland-Altman analysis (mean difference [human-algorithm] -0.0015; 95% CI -0.0054 to 0.0024), without evidence of systematic bias. CONCLUSION: The authors confirmed the value of computer vision technology to develop an algorithm for RRI estimation from automatically processed intraoperative renal Doppler waveforms. This simple-to-use and efficient tool further adds to the clinical and research value of RRI, already the "earliest" among several early AKI biomarkers being assessed.

Utility of Angle Correction for Hemodynamic Measurements with Doppler Echocardiography.

OBJECTIVES: The routine application angle correction (AnC) in hemodynamic measurements with transesophageal echocardiography currently is not recommended but potentially could be beneficial. The authors hypothesized that AnC can be applied reliably and may change grading of aortic stenosis (AS). DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Single institution, university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: During phase I, use of AnC was assessed in 60 consecutive patients with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. During phase II, 129 images from a retrospective cohort of 117 cases were used to quantify AS by mean pressure gradient. INTERVENTIONS: A panel of observers used custom-written software in Java to measure intra-individual and inter-individual correlation in AnC application, correlation with preoperative transthoracic echocardiography gradients, and regrading of AS after AnC. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: For phase I, the median AnC was 21 (16-35) degrees, and 17% of patients required no AnC. For phase II, the median AnC was 7 (0-15) degrees, and 37% of assessed images required no AnC. The mean inter-individual and intra-individual correlation for AnC was 0.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49-0.52) and 0.87 (95% CI 0.82-0.92), respectively. AnC did not improve agreement with the transthoracic echocardiography mean pressure gradient. The mean inter-rater and intra-rater agreement for grading AS severity was 0.82 (95% CI 0.81-0.83) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.95), respectively. A total of 241 (7%) AS gradings were reclassified after AnC was applied, mostly when the uncorrected mean gradient was within 5 mmHg of the severity classification cutoff. CONCLUSIONS: AnC can be performed with a modest inter-rater and intra-rater correlation and high degree of inter-rater and intra-rater agreement for AS severity grading.

Use of Adjuncts Reduces Cardiopulmonary Bypass Time During Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MIAVR) through a mini-thoracotomy is comparable to AVR through a sternotomy, but may have increased surgical times. The development of adjuncts such as the automatic knot fastener and percutaneous coronary sinus (CS) catheter may reduce this disadvantage. METHODS: A retrospective review conducted between 2002 and 2015 at a single institution revealed 78 patients who underwent MIAVR with adjuncts. The automatic knot fastener was used on all patients, and a successful CS catheter was placed and confirmed by echocardiography in 67 patients (86%). Patients were propensity matched against those who had MIAVR without adjuncts (n = 78) and through a median sternotomy (n = 78) for assessment of major morbidity. Variables were compared using an unpaired t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, chi-squared and Fisher's exact test where appropriate. RESULTS: Patients who underwent MIAVR with adjuncts had shorter cross-clamp times (70.5 versus 108.1 and 84.4 min; p <0.0001) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) times (101.1 versus 166.12 and 127.7 min; p <0.0001) than those who underwent MIAVR without adjuncts or through a median sternotomy. Patients who underwent MIAVR received fewer blood transfusions compared to those undergoing AVR via a median sternotomy (0.6 and 1.2 versus 2.5; p <0.012). Patients who underwent MIAVR with adjuncts had similar rates of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) than those undergoing MIAVR without adjuncts (33% versus 22%; p = 0.11), but had higher rates of AF compared to the sternotomy group (33% versus 17%; p = 0.02). Rates of in-hospital morbidity and mortality were similar between all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of adjuncts during MIAVR led to a significant shortening of cross-clamp and CPB times, and to a requirement for fewer blood transfusions. Morbidity and mortality rates after MIAVR were similar to those in patients undergoing a median sternotomy.