Totally endoscopic aortic valve replacement with concomitant trans-aortic mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive aortic valve procedures through a hemi-sternotomy or a right anterior mini-thoracotomy have gained popularity over the last several years. Totally endoscopic aortic valve replacement (TEAVR) is an innovative and a less invasive (incision-wise) surgical aortic valve replacement technique. The operative steps of TEAVR have been reported previously from our group. Mitral regurgitation (MR) frequently accompanies aortic valve disease that at times may also require repair. Totally endoscopic surgery in such cases has not been tested. PRESENTATION OF THE TECHNIQUE: We present a surgical technique for a totally endoscopic approach to aortic valve replacement and concomitant mitral valve repair for primary and secondary MR. An aortotomy incision was used avoiding an atriotomy, which results in an increase in cross-clamp (XC) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) times that could be associated with higher mortality and morbidity. Neochords (artificial chordae tendineae) were used for primary MR and an edge-to-edge approach for secondary MR. CONCLUSION: TEAVR and concomitant mitral valve repair can be performed successfully with reasonable XC and CPB times with excellent short-term results.

Preoperative determination of artificial chordae tendineae length by transoesophageal echocardiography in totally endoscopic mitral valve repair.

OBJECTIVES: Artificial chordae tendineae are widely used for surgical repair in patients with mitral regurgitation due to floppy mitral valve/mitral valve prolapse. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene has been used to construct these artificial chordae; however, the determination of the optimal length of the chordae prior to surgery has been an issue. For this reason, such a method was developed and the results of its use are presented. METHODS: Forty-seven consecutive patients with significant mitral regurgitation due to floppy mitral valve/mitral valve prolapse who underwent totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery were studied. The chordae length was predetermined using transoesophageal echocardiography. The length between the top of the fibrous body of the papillary muscle and the coaptation line of the 2 leaflets of the mitral valve was measured and used to define the length of the chordae to be used for repair. Then under stereoscopic vision, a total endoscopic mitral valve repair was performed. RESULTS: The predicted mean length of chordal loops was 19.76 ± 0.71 mm (median 20, range 16-28) and the actual mean length of chordal loops used was 19.68 ± 0.74 mm (median 20, range 16-26) demonstrating an excellent correlation between the two (r = 0.959). The mean number of chordae loops used per patient was 5.12 ± 0.62 (median 4, range 2-12). All patients at the time of discharge had no or trivial mitral regurgitation on transoesophageal echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: The chordae length used for mitral valve repair can be determined prior to surgery using transoesophageal echocardiography with a high degree of accuracy. Further, total endoscopic repair in this group of patients provides excellent results. For these reasons, it is expected that this method will replace most traditional approaches to cardiac surgeries in the years to come.

Mitral valve repair: moving towards a personalized ring.

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve repair with the use of an annuloplasty ring is the procedure of choice in patients with significant mitral regurgitation (MR) due to floppy mitral valve (FMV)/mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The mitral annular size, shape and motion may vary substantially among patients and thus, commercially available rings may not be suitable for each individual patient. METHODS: A "personalized ring" (PR) was easily constructed in the operating room using a Dacron sheet and titanium ligating clips to custom fit to each individual mitral annulus shape and size. There were 127 patients with severe MR due to FMV/MVP that underwent mitral valve repair surgery; 58 patients received a PR and 69 patients received a commercial Carpentier-Edwards Physio II ring. The patient records were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: There were no surgical deaths. In-hospital length-of-stay and blood transfusions were not statistically different between the two groups. Mitral valve area was greater (p < 0.05) in the PR group (3.78 ± 0.22) compared to the Physio II ring group (3.13 ± 0.21). Mitral annular area changed from systole to diastole by 14.35% ± 3.28% in the PR group and did not change in the Physio II ring group (p < 0.05). Systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve occurred in 2 patients with the Physio II ring and no patients with the PR. Up to 8 years follow-up, all patients in both groups were alive with NYHA functional class I-II symptoms and mild or less MR. CONCLUSIONS: The PR is suitable for all patients with significant MR due to FMV/MVP who require MV repair. The precise fit of the PR to the mitral annulus better preserves valve area and sphincter function of the mitral annulus, prevents SAM and provides excellent short and long-term results.

Inflammatory markers in patients with severe burn injury. What is the best indicator of sepsis?

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the diagnostic value of serum PCT, CRP, leukocyte count and temperature as markers of sepsis in critically ill ICU burn patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, observational study in a four bed Burn Intensive Care Unit. PATIENTS: Forty-three patients admitted in a Burn ICU were included in our study. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Serum PCT, CRP concentrations, WCC (white cell count), neutrophils and temperature were measured within the first 24h after-burn and daily thereafter. Severity of organ failure was estimated by sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. Every day we classified all patients in one of the following three categories: non-systemic inflammatory condition (non-SIRS), SIRS non-infected and SIRS 2 infected or sepsis. Patients with infected SIRS differ significantly from non-infected SIRS in PCT (11.8+/-15.8 versus 0.63+/-0.0.43, respectively, p < 0.001). On the other hand, WCC, temperature and neutrophils did not differ significantly between patients with SIRS non-infected and infected SIRS. CRP was elevated in all three groups but didn't differ significantly between SIRS non-infected and septic patients. Area under receiver operating curves was 0.975 and showed reasonable discriminative power (p = 0.002, 95% CI, 0.91-1.035) in predicting of sepsis only for PCT. CONCLUSIONS: Serum procalcitonin levels can be used as an early indicator of septic complication in patients with severe burn injury.

Pneumothorax as a complication of central venous catheter insertion.

The central venous catheter (CVC) is a catheter placed into a large vein in the neck [internal jugular vein (IJV)], chest (subclavian vein or axillary vein) or groin (femoral vein). There are several situations that require the insertion of a CVC mainly to administer medications or fluids, obtain blood tests (specifically the "central venous oxygen saturation"), and measure central venous pressure. CVC usually remain in place for a longer period of time than other venous access devices. There are situations according to the drug administration or length of stay of the catheter that specific systems are indicated such as; a Hickman line, a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line or a Port-a-Cath may be considered because of their smaller infection risk. Sterile technique is highly important here, as a line may serve as a port of entry for pathogenic organisms, and the line itself may become infected with organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococci. In the current review we will present the complication of pneumothorax after CVC insertion.