The prognostic value of fQRSTa in patients with aortic stenosis undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: Surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) is the ultimate therapy for severe aortic stenosis (AS) in suitable patients. Prognostic factors of sAVR are great interest in recent studies. Frontal QRS-T angle (fQRSTa) is a novel marker of ventricular repolarization abnormalities. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of fQRSTa in patients with severe symptomatic AS undergoing sAVR. METHODS: A total of 372 patients with severe degenerative AS who underwent successful sAVR were included in this retrospective study. Then, patients were divided into two groups: patients with narrow fQRSTa (≤90°) as group 1 and wide fQRSTa (>90°) as group 2. Perioperative and postoperative clinical evaluation and time of death were recorded from all subjects. RESULTS: The incidence of total mortality was higher in patients with wider fQRSTa (13.8% [15]; 4.9% [9], P = .013) compared to patients with narrow fQRSTa. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, advanced age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.054; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.004-1.106; P = .034), dyspnea (OR = 7.687; 95% CI = 2.296-25.729; P = .001), lower efection fraction (OR = 0.924; 95% CI = 0.884-0.966; P = .001), in-hospital duration (OR = 1.051; 95% CI = 1.016-1.088; P = .004) and wider fQRSTa (OR = 4.029; 95% CI = 1.383-11.740; P = .011) were found to be independent predictors of mortality. Additionally, a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis also revealed that long-term survival was found to be significantly decreased in patients with wider fQRSTa (log-rank P = .014). CONCLUSION: fQRSTa was related with poor prognosis in patients with AS undergoing sAVR. fQRSTa was also an independent predictor of mortality in this population.

Prognostic Value of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Risk Factors for Mortality in Patients with Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a prognostic predictor in a wide range of cardiovascular disease. Acute aortic dissection (AD) is an uncommon but fatal cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated both prognostic factors in patients with AD and whether NLR can be a predictor for mortality. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the data of 57 patients with AD who had undergone emergent surgery in our hospital and included 128 consecutive patients with chest pain admitted to the emergency room as a control group. Also, patients who were operated on due to aortic dissection as another subgroup were compared to NLR values. Baseline clinical features, cardiovascular risk factors, and surgical and laboratory parameters were obtained from the hospital database. Results: Patients with AD had higher NLR than the control group (1.7 ± 0.5 versus 7.6 ± 3.3, P < .001). In the AD group, 15 deaths occurred and non-survivors had significantly higher NLR, compared to survivors (11.6 ± 2.4 versus 6.6 ± 2.3, P < .001). In multivariate analysis, high NLR (odds ratio [OR] 1.913, 95% CI 1.030-1.081, P = .04) and cross-clamp time (OR 1.265, 95% CI 1.003-1.596, P = .04) were determined as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. In receiver operating characteristics curve analyses, the NLR > 9.3 predicted the mortality in AD with a specificity of 91% and a sensitivity of 86% (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This study shows that high NLR can be used as a marker for prognosis in short-term mortality of patient with AD. Additionally, increased lactate level in perioperative period, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, and additional cardiac procedures are strong independent predictors of short-term mortality in patients with acute AD.

Staged or Combined Approach for Carotid Endarterectomy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A 5-Year-Long Experience.

BACKGROUND: Optimal surgical approach for patients with hemodynamically significant carotid and coronary disease remains controversial. We analyzed our 5-year experience and compared early and long-term outcome following staged and combined carotid and coronary artery bypass. METHODS: 312 consecutive patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass between 2008 and 2013 were prospectively enrolled in the study. Patients were scheduled for a staged (carotid endarterectomy followed by coronary artery bypass within 1 week) procedure (Group S) unless they were unstable in terms of cardiac status (were deemed to a combined procedure; Group C). All patient data including demographics, risk factors, immediate perioperative events, 30-day, and long-term outcome were prospectively recorded and then analyzed. Groups S and C were compared for pre- and perioperative data as well as immediate, 30-day, and long-term survival. A P value less than .05 was considered significant. Survival analysis was made using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. RESULTS: Group S included 204 patients and Group C included 108 patients. Preoperative demographics and clinical data were similar in the two groups except that preoperative cerebrovascular events were more common in Group C (31.7% versus 22.22%, P = .036) and bilateral carotid disease was more common in Group S. The EuroSCORE was higher in Group C (2.91 versus 2.65, P = .013). Carotid surgery techniques were similar; intraluminal shunting was more frequent in group C than group S (33.33% versus 9.88%, P = .001). Additional cardiac procedures in addition to coronary surgery was predominant in Group C. 30-day neurological adverse event rates, ICU, and hospital stay were significantly higher in Group C. The 30-day mortality was also sigficantly higher in Group C (1.96% versus 4.62%, P = .001). CONCLUSION: Staged and combined surgical approaches yield comparable outcomes. A staged approach may provide a more favorable neurological outcome with significantly reduced need for intraluminal shunting. Long-term outcome is, however, similar.

Hybrid intervention for type A aortic arch interruption and a giant subclavian artery aneurysm in an adult.

Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare but well-described congenital anomaly. Concomitant presentation of interrupted aortic arch and giant subclavian artery aneurysm is an unusual event in adulthood. To the best of our knowledge, hybrid intervention for type A aortic arch interruption with a giant aneurysm of the subclavian artery is an alternative approach for the management of these concomitant pathologies in adults.

Exclusion of a Huge Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Pseudoaneurysm with Konno's Procedure.

We present the use of Konno's procedure for the reconstruction of a huge left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm formed after aortic valve replacement.

Severe isolated tricuspid insufficiency due to tricuspid papillary muscle rupture after a fall from a horse: treatment with port access minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

We report on the successful treatment of tricuspid valve insufficiency due to blunt chest injury using port-access minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The optimal surgical treatment of traumatic valvular insufficiency is discussed, including a brief review of the relevant literature.

Rhythm disorders after isolated mitral valve surgery: Consideration of the variations of the sinoatrial nodal artery in choice of atriotomy.

Background: This study aims to investigate the effect of atriotomy approaches applied in mitral valve surgery and variations of the sinoatrial nodal artery on postoperative arrhythmias and the need for a temporary or permanent pacemaker. Methods: Data of 241 patients (108 males, 133 females, mean age: 53.7±12.3 years; range, 18 to 82 years) who underwent isolated mitral valve surgery with a median sternotomy between January 2009 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups according to the surgical approach for mitral valve exploration as left atriotomy (n=47), transseptal (n=131), and superior transseptal (n=63). By scanning the hospital records, the origin of the sinoatrial nodal artery was determined in the coronary angiography images obtained before surgery. Postoperative rhythm changes were analyzed based on electrocardiography and telemetry recordings. Results: Temporary pacing was required in 31 (49.2%) patients in the superior transseptal group, 40 (30.5%) patients in the transseptal group, and 12 (25.5%) patients in the left atriotomy group, indicating a statistically significantly higher rate in the superior transseptal group (p=0.013). Permanent pacemaker implantation was required in only one patient (superior transseptal), indicating no significant difference among the groups. The first-degree atrioventricular block was seen in 28 (44.4%) patients in the superior transseptal group, 42 (32.1%) patients in the transseptal group, and 13 (27.7%) patients in the left atriotomy group (p=0.130). The PR interval in the postoperative period was longer in the superior transseptal group than in the left atriotomy group in patients with the sinoatrial nodal artery originating from the right coronary artery (p=0.049). No significant difference was observed among the surgical approaches regarding the PR interval in patients with the sinoatrial nodal artery originating from the left circumflex coronary artery after surgery. Conclusion: We believe that the choice of atriotomy in isolated mitral valve surgery and sinoatrial nodal artery variations do not affect permanent arrhythmia alone. Still, the superior transseptal approach causes the electrical conduction to slow down temporarily more than the left atriotomy and transseptal method.

Cardiac and great vessel injuries after chest trauma: our 10-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular injuries after trauma present with high mortality. The aim of the study was to present our experience in cardiac and great vessel injuries after chest trauma. METHODS: During the 10-year period, 104 patients with cardiac (n=94) and great vessel (n=10) injuries presented to our hospital. The demographic data, mechanism of injury, location of injury, other associated injuries, timing of surgical intervention, surgical approach, and clinical outcome were reviewed. RESULTS: Eighty-eight (84.6%) males presented after chest trauma. The mean age of the patients was 32.5±8.2 years (range: 12-76). Penetrating injuries (62.5%) were the most common cause of trauma. Computed tomography was performed in most cases and echocardiography was used in some stable cases. Cardiac injuries mostly included the right ventricle (58.5%). Great vessel injuries involved the subclavian vein in 6, innominate vein in 1, vena cava in 1, and descending aorta in 2 patients. Early operations after admission to the emergency were performed in 75.9% of the patients. Thoracotomy was performed in 89.5% of the patients. Operative mortality was significantly high in penetrating injuries (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Clinicians should suspect cardiac and great vessel trauma in every patient presenting to the emergency unit after chest trauma. Computed tomography and echocardiography are beneficial in the management of chest trauma. Operative timing depends on hemodynamic status, and a multidisciplinary team approach improves the patient's prognosis.

Baroreflex failure syndrome: a rare complication of bilateral carotid body tumor excision.

Baroreflex failure syndrome is a rare disorder seen after bilateral carotid body tumor resection. Iatrogenic injuries to the baroreceptor reflex arc cause fluctuations in blood pressure with hypertensive attacks or hypotensive episodes. A 43-year-old woman underwent bilateral carotid body tumor resection with one-week interval for a hypervascular tumor, 78 x 50 x 45 mm in size, at the right carotid artery bifurcation and a smaller tumor (50 x 30 x 20 mm) in the contralateral neck. Blood pressure of the patient became significantly unstable after excision of the second tumor, with hypertensive attacks up to 220/140 mmHg, accompanied by episodes of severe frontal headache, nausea, vomiting, skin flushing, and synchronous sinus tachycardia of 130 beats/min. Intermittent episodes of hypotension and bradycardia were also noted. The patient was clinically diagnosed as having baroreflex failure syndrome. The symptoms of the patient improved with medical therapy including clonidine, low dose beta-blocker, metoprolol, and a sedative. During 10 months of follow-up, she was generally well with residual episodes of hypertension about twice a month. In patients with bilateral carotid body tumors, unilateral excision of the greater tumor and a conservative approach for the contralateral tumor seem to be a more convenient approach to prevent baroreflex failure.

Prophylactic dialysis in elderly patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery.

Renal dysfunction is associated with markedly increased risk for both mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), especially in elderly patients. In the current study, we aimed to determine the impact of prophylactic preoperative hemodialysis on operative outcome in patients with mild renal dysfunction. Between March 2002 and May 2005 a total of 64 patients, all of whom were more than 70 years of age and with preoperative creatinine levels greater than 2 mg/dL, underwent primary elective on pump coronary artery bypass surgery. The mean age was 76.3 +/- 6.4 (range 70-83). The patients were prospectively allocated into two groups. Group A was the dialysis group (31 patients) and preoperative prophylactic hemodialysis was carried out in all patients. Group B (33 patients) was taken as a control group without preoperative hemodialysis. During the present study, 10 patients died (15.6%) in the hospital. In the postoperative period mean levels of creatinine were found to be decreased in dialysis group. (2.3 +/- 0.8 mg/dL vs. 3.4 +/- 0.2 mg/, P = 0.037). The incidence of overall morbidity (such as acute renal failure, need of postoperative dialysis, low cardiac output and multiple organ failure) were also found to be decreased in dialysis group. We conclude from the present study that preoperative renal dysfunction and advanced age increase the risk of mortality and morbidity after on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. We believe that perioperative prophylactic hemodialysis is an easy and effective method and it decreases both operative mortality and morbidity in elderly patients with renal dysfunction.

Interpleural versus epidural analgesia with ropivacaine for postthoracotomy pain and respiratory function.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of interpleural analgesia (IP) on postthoracotomy pain and respiratory function as an alternative to thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA). DESIGN: Prospective, randomized study. SETTING: Tertiary-care military hospital. PATIENTS: Sixty young patients scheduled for elective thoracic surgery (correction of aorta coarctation and patent ductus arteriosus). INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized into two groups to receive either IP or TEA for postthoracotomy pain management. MEASUREMENTS: Patients in the IP group (n = 30) had a catheter inserted between the parietal and visceral pleura by a surgeon, and 0.2% ropivacaine was given through this catheter. In the TEA group, ropivacaine was administered through a thoracic epidural catheter. The impact of both methods on pain control, respiratory function, and pulmonary complications was analyzed and compared. MAIN RESULTS: The frequency of atelectasis and pleural effusion was also significantly high in the IP group (P < 0.01). Respiratory function and postoperative pain scores were better in the TEA group (P < 0.01). Arterial blood gas analysis on the fifth postoperative day was significantly better in the TEA group. CONCLUSION: Thoracic epidural analgesia has more beneficial effects on respiratory function and postoperative pain after thoracotomy than does IP.

Preservation of systemic tricuspid valve function by pulmonary conduit banding in a patient with corrected transposition of the great arteries.

Systemic tricuspid valve regurgitation increases mortality and morbidity in patients with a corrected transposition of the great arteries. A 17-year old male with a physiologically corrected transposition after the closure of a ventricular septal defect and conduit placement between a morphological left ventricle and pulmonary artery presented with exertional dyspnoea. The transthoracic echocardiography showed a severe conduit stenosis, and cardiac catheterization revealed a pressure gradient of 114 mmHg. The patient underwent conduit re-replacement using a pulmonary heterograft. Intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography revealed an acute severe tricuspid regurgitation after a conduit re-replacement. Pulmonary conduit banding was performed under transoesophageal echocardiography guidance, during which the left ventricular to right ventricular pressure ratio increased from 0.33 to 0.60 and the degree of tricuspid regurgitation decreased mildly. The patient was discharged uneventfully at postoperative day 16. Conduit banding might be a useful technique to preserve the systemic tricuspid valve function during conduit re-replacement in patients with a corrected transposition.

Extensive anterior chest wall ecchymosis as a sign of subacute type A aortic dissection.

A 66-year old man was admitted to the hospital with chest and back pain and wide chest wall ecchymosis. His medical history revealed no chest trauma or resuscitation, but coronary angiography had been performed 20 days previously. Subacute type A aortic dissection was diagnosed. The likely cause of an ecchymosis located in this way, correlated with vasculature of thoracic wall, was thought to be progression of the dissection through the arterial branches feeding the chest wall. Perioperative observation confirmed the diagnosis and a hemiarch replacement was performed with a good outcome.

Carotid body tumors and our surgical approaches.

Glomus tumors known as paragangliomas are neoplasms arising from the neural crest. They are named according to the place they originate from. Tumors originating from the carotid body at the carotid bifurcation are called Carotid Body Tumors (CBT). Surgical intervention is planned according to the Shamblin classification. 17 patients were operated after being diagnosed with CBT in our clinic between February 2007 and June 2010. 12 (70.5%) of the patients were male, and 5 (29.4%) of the patients were female. The average age was 42 (ages ranging between 32 and 47). Nine of the patients were diagnosed and treated with Shamblin type I tumor, seven of the patients with type II and one patient with type III. Only one patient had bilateral carotid tumor. In all patients with Shamblin type I and II, blunt dissection of the tumor was conducted smoothly by means of thermal cautery in the subadventitial plane. The patient with Shamblin type III had tumor invasion in the carotid artery and adjacent tissues were in an adherent state. Therefore mass resection was carried out by resecting 2 cm of the distal portion of the common carotid artery and 3 cm of the proximal portion of the internal carotid artery. 6 mm of synthetic polytetrafluoroethylene graft was interpositioned between the common carotid artery and the internal carotid artery. External carotid artery was anastomosed to this graft in an end-to-end fashion. The patient developed vocal cord paralysis postoperatively on the lesion side. The patient who underwent bilateral tumor excision developed Baroreflex Failure Syndrome. In the two patients thrombus developed in the internal carotid artery in the early postoperative period. These patients underwent thrombectomy and developed hemiplegia on the lesion side. One of them died on the seventh post-operative day while in follow-up in the intensive care unit. Surgical resection is the recommended treatment for carotid body tumors. Shamblin I and II type tumors' dimensions and pathological characteristics allow dissection. However Shamblin III tumors may require carotid artery resection and reconstruction due to tissue invasion. The possibility of post-operative cranial nerve paralysis and arterial thrombosis should be taken into account.

Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm after a vascular access port catheter implantation.

Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm is an unusual complication of surgically implantable central venous port catheters. We experienced a case of a 57-year-old man with gastric malignancy, in which a port catheter had been previously implanted for chemotherapy. Because of a puncture site that was also medial for the subclavian vein, the catheter tip fractured between the first rib and the clavicle, and embolized in the left pulmonary artery, which caused a 5 x 4 cm pseudoaneurysm that mandated surgical resection with a lobectomy. The diagnostic work-up and a review of the literature are presented.

Comprehensive analysis of 4205 patients with chest trauma: a 10-year experience.

Thoracic trauma is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. In this retrospective study, we present our 10-year experience in the management and clinical outcome of 4205 cases with chest trauma associated with blunt and penetrating injuries in a level I trauma hospital in Turkey. In 66% of the cases, blunt injury mostly related to traffic accidents was the cause of chest trauma. Additional organ injuries were found in 35% (n=1471). Conservative treatment was administered for most patients. Tube thoracostomy was administered in 40% of all cases, whereas thoracotomy was performed in 6% (n=252), of which 209 were early interventions (P=0.001). The morbidity rate in all victims was 25.2%. The mortality rate was 9.3% for all patients and was 6.8% in blunt, 1.4% in penetrating, and 17.7% in associated organ injuries. Mortality and injury severity score (ISS) increased in patients having early surgery (P=0.001). Although most patients could be managed with conservative approaches, early thoracotomy was required in some cases. We believe that urgent hospital admission, early diagnosis, and multidisciplinary approach are very important to improve outcome.

Posterior mediastinal ectopic thyroid: an unusual cause for dysphagia.

Posterior mediastinum is an atypical localization for the occurrence of ectopic thyroid. We present a case of a 62-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with atypical chest pain and dysphagia. The patient was diagnosed as having a true posterior mediastinal ectopic thyroid, which caused esophageal compression. The tumor was completely resected through a sternotomy, with favorable outcome and relief of symptoms.

Warfarin-induced skin necrosis after open heart surgery due to protein S and C deficiency.

Warfarin-induced skin necrosis is the rare but potentially devastating complication of anticoagulant therapy and commonly occurs in previously undetected C- and S-protein deficient patients. Because routine preoperative examination does not include protein C and S level measurement, detection of these patients preoperatively is generally not possible, which increases the risk of occurrence of this important complication. In this report we present and discuss such a patient, who died from warfarin-induced skin necrosis after coronary artery bypass surgery.