The Efficacy of Second-Stage Endovascular Repair Strategy for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of a hybrid treatment strategy for acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of 39 partial arch replacements (PAR; 26 male/13 female, mean age=67.9 years) in 62 patients with AAAD operated at our hospital from January 2019 to January 2023. The technique included PAR with graft-designed landing length and translocated the brachiocephalic artery inflow site during the initial surgery to minimize the invasiveness of the surgery. Thereafter, second-stage thoracic endovascular aortic repair (second TEVAR) for distal aortic events in the chronic phase was performed. RESULTS: There was 1 case of 30-day mortality (2.6%) and 2 cases of postprocedural cerebral infarction (5.1%). The cumulative survival rates were 97.4%/1 year and 97.4%/3 years. The cumulative freedom from aorta-related second-stage procedure for the distal aortic event after initial PAR, which was performed in 13 patients (33.3%), was 63.9%/1 year and 59.7%/3 years. All patients requiring re-intervention after initial PAR underwent a second TEVAR with a 100% success rate and no postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Initial PAR for AAAD in anticipation of the second TEVAR is a valuable strategy for enabling minimally invasive additional treatment of aorta-related re-intervention for distal aortic events in the chronic phase. CLINICAL IMPACT: This study provides detailed information on the hybrid aortic repair strategy of the initial open partial arch repair and second staged endovascular repair for the acute type A aortic dissection. Based on this study, distal aortic re-intervention after initial open partial arch repair was necessary only in about 30% of cases, and no cases of SCI were observed in the initial treatment or in the second-stage endovascular repair and no cases of distal SINE were observed after the second staged endovascular repair. Overall, the results suggest that limiting the initial open partial arch repair can achieve good perioperative and early outcomes of initial surgery, and that second staged endovascular re-intervention for distal aortic events can be performed reliably, safely, and with minimal invasiveness.

Aortic thrombosis with visceral malperfusion during circulatory support with a combination of Impella and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock.

Although veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has been used to aid myocardial recovery in patients with postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCCS), it has been associated with adverse effects. The combined use of VA-ECMO and Impella (ECPELLA) for PCCS, however, has been reported to be efficacious with few reports of thromboembolic events. We present a case of aortic thrombosis with visceral malperfusion during ECPELLA management for PCCS. We performed the Bentall procedure, mitral valve repair, tricuspid annuloplasty, and coronary artery bypass graft on a 73-year-old man admitted with congestive heart failure caused by annuloaortic ectasia, along with severe aortic and mitral regurgitation. VA-ECMO and Impella were required, since the cardiopulmonary bypass weaning was difficult. Impella was removed on postoperative day 4. On postoperative days 5 and 6, laboratory data showed worsening renal dysfunction, lactate levels, and acidosis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed thrombosis in the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries. Aortic thrombectomy was performed. Hyperkalemia, caused by a reperfusion injury, resulted in ventricular fibrillation. Continuous hemodiafiltration improved the hyperkalemia. However, irreversible acidosis progressed, and the VA-ECMO flow rate could not be sustained. On postoperative day 7, the patient died. Perioperative use of Impella for PCCS may be effective in improving postoperative cardiac function. When sudden organ failure is observed after surgery, it is necessary to not only keep the exacerbation of cardiogenic shock in mind, but also the possibility of thrombosis.

Convergences of Life Sciences and Engineering in Understanding and Treating Heart Failure.

On March 1 and 2, 2018, the National Institutes of Health 2018 Progenitor Cell Translational Consortium, Cardiovascular Bioengineering Symposium, was held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Convergence of life sciences and engineering to advance the understanding and treatment of heart failure was the theme of the meeting. Over 150 attendees were present, and >40 scientists presented their latest work on engineering human functional myocardium for disease modeling, drug development, and heart failure research. The scientists, engineers, and physicians in the field of cardiovascular sciences met and discussed the most recent advances in their work and proposed future strategies for overcoming the major roadblocks of cardiovascular bioengineering and therapy. Particular emphasis was given for manipulation and using of stem/progenitor cells, biomaterials, and methods to provide molecular, chemical, and mechanical cues to cells to influence their identity and fate in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these works are profoundly impacting and progressing toward deciphering the mechanisms and developing novel treatments for left ventricular dysfunction of failing hearts. Here, we present some important perspectives that emerged from this meeting.

New treatment strategy for severe heart failure: combination of ventricular assist device and regenerative therapy.

Heart transplantation and ventricular assist device for the patients with end-stage heart failure are limited by availability and durability due to limited donor or device-related complication. Thus, complementation or a new alternative is needed for the treatment of severe heart failure. Based on the results of basic experiments, we applied skeletal myoblast cell sheet transplantation in a clinical setting using cell-sheet methods with temperature-responsive dish for the treatment of heart failure patient from 2007. After confirming the safety of this treatment, we started a clinical trial of myoblast cell sheet transplantation as sole therapy. According to these results, in 2015, myoblast cell sheet transplantation with ischemic cardiomyopathy was approved by the Japanese government and now this treatment was covered by Japanese health insurance. Here we report our approach and future perspective of cardiac regenerative therapy using this new treatment method for severe heart failure including new strategy incorporating regenerative therapy in the conventional treatment of heart failure including VAD and heart transplantation.

Complex HeartWare left ventricular assist device infection treated with pump exchange: clinical alert for the driveline location.

Infection is a major complication in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Once a driveline exit-site infection (DLI) reaches the LVAD component, LVAD exchange may become necessary for radical treatment, although clinical results are not satisfactory. In this report, we describe two cases of LVAD infection successfully treated with pump exchange. During LVAD support, the DLI extended into the pump pocket and the outflow graft despite aggressive surgical debridement and negative pressure wound therapy. These two patients required LVAD exchange for radical treatment, because the estimated waiting period for heart transplantation was at least more than 1 year. The LVAD exchange was performed through median re-sternotomy, and the infected HeartWare ventricular assist device (HVAD) was completely removed under cardiopulmonary bypass. Then, a new LVAD covered with the omentum flap was implanted. These two patients were successfully bridged to heart transplantation after 10 months and 2 years of support without recurrence of infection. These two cases may suggest that the driveline of the HVAD needs to be kept away from the outflow graft to prevent refractory outflow graft infection.

Jarvik 2000 with postauricular cable as destination therapy: first clinical case in Japan.

Currently in Japan, a left ventricular assist device powered by an abdominal driveline is the only type of left ventricular assist device available. The driveline is vulnerable to infection secondary to inappropriate fixation and the traditional Japanese custom of bathing is prohibited in patients with an abdominal driveline. The Jarvik 2000 with postauricular cable is a left ventricular assist device in which the driveline exits the body behind the ear (postauricular) instead of exiting through an abdominal site. This case report is the first to describe the implantation of Jarvik 2000 with postauricular cable as destination therapy in a Japanese patient. This device enables patients to take a bath and may reduce the incidence of driveline infection.

Midterm Clinical Outcomes of the St Jude Medical Epic Porcine Bioprosthesis in the Mitral Position.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this single-center study was to report the midterm clinical outcomes and hemodynamic performance of the St Jude Medical Epic porcine bioprosthesis, a tricomposite glutaraldehyde-preserved porcine bioprosthesis, in mitral position. Methods and Results: Between January 2011 and March 2017, 117 patients (62 men, 55 women; mean age, 66.7±12.8 years) who underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR) with the Epic valve were retrospectively analyzed for early and mid-term morbidity and mortality. The mean follow-up period was 2.6±1.7 years. Three operative deaths occurred, and the operative mortality rate was 2.6%. Sixteen patients died during the follow-up period. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, freedom from all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events at 5-year follow-up were 80.9% and 54.8%, respectively. There were 6 reoperations: 2 for structural valve deterioration (SVD), 2 for prosthetic valve endocarditis, and 2 for thrombosis. Freedom from valve-related reoperation and SVD at 5 years were 89.0% and 93.1%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, age ≥71 years (HR, 6.78; 95% CI: 2.12-25.2, P<0.01), and NYHA functional class ≥III (HR, 3.20; 95% CI: 1.03-10.4, P=0.04) were independent predictors for all-cause death. Mean mitral pressure gradient at 1 year and 2 years were 5.1±1.9 mmHg and 4.5±1.4 mmHg, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Mid-term clinical results and durability of the Epic valve in the mitral position are satisfactory.

Relationship Between Bacteremia and Hemorrhagic Stroke in Patients With Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device.

BACKGROUND: Blood stream infection is thought to increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, a major adverse event with devastating outcome, in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). We analyzed the risk factors of hemorrhagic stroke in LVAD patients, as well as the time relationship between systemic bacteremia and hemorrhagic stroke.Methods and Results:We evaluated the incidence of systemic bacteremia and stroke in 164 patients who underwent continuous-flow LVAD implantation between 2005 and 2016. At 1 and 2 years after implantation, the incidence of bacteremia was 29% and 36%, and the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke was 22% and 22% in patients without bacteremia, and 32% and 44% in those with bacteremia, respectively (P=0.035). This higher prevalence of hemorrhagic stroke in patients with bacteremia was notable particularly in the chronic phase (>90 days after implantation). Multivariate analysis revealed that bacteremia was an independent risk factor of hemorrhagic stroke in the chronic phase [hazard ratio, 2.36 (1.02-5.62); P=0.044]. The hazard rate was the highest immediately after the onset of bacteremia, and the risk steadily declined by 90 days after the last episode of bacteremia and flattened thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: Bacteremia was an independent risk factor of hemorrhagic stroke in patients in the chronic phase, with the highest risk seen in the early phase following an episode of bacteremia.

Cardiac Function and Type of Mitral Valve Surgery Affect Postoperative Blood Flow Pattern in the Left Ventricle.

BACKGROUND: To determine the impact of cardiac function and type of mitral valve (MV) surgery on blood flow and energy loss in the left ventricle (LV). Methods and Results: This study enrolled patients with ejection fraction (EF) <35% or >50%; both groups had native (n=27 and n=16), repaired (n=19 and n=33), or prosthetic MVs (n=18 and n=19). They were examined by echocardiography-based vector flow mapping to assess the LV blood flow pattern and energy loss per heartbeat. Among patients with preserved EF, those with native MVs displayed a clockwise vortex and relatively low energy loss. In contrast, MV replacement induced a counterclockwise vortex producing higher energy loss than MV repair, which induced a normal clockwise vortex. This indicated the need for MV repair to minimize LV energy loss after surgery. Among the patients with reduced EF, those with native MVs showed a blood flow pattern similar to those with preserved EF and native MVs; furthermore, those with repaired MVs and half of the patients with prosthetic MVs displayed a clockwise vortex, resulting in no difference in energy loss between the 2 types of MV surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac function and the type of MV surgery are factors affecting the postoperative LV blood flow pattern. MV replacement resulted in abnormal blood flow with normal cardiac function, whereas advanced cardiomyopathy modified the blood flow pattern post-MV replacement.

Definitive Determinant of Late Significant Tricuspid Regurgitation After Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: Uncertainties remain regarding the course of existing tricuspid regurgitation (TR) after aortic valve replacement (AVR), and its long-term impact on outcome. We investigated changes in existing TR after isolated AVR for severe aortic stenosis (AS), the impact of preoperative TR on long-term outcome, and predictors of late significant TR.Methods and Results:After excluding mild mitral regurgitation and severe TR, 226 consecutive patients undergoing isolated AVR for severe AS between 2002 and 2015 were reviewed. Patients were classified into a non-TR (none/trivial preoperative TR, n=159) and a TR group (mild/moderate preoperative TR, n=67). During follow-up (median, 4.3 years), late significant TR was more prevalent in the TR group (n=20; 35.0%) than in the non-TR group (n=13; 9.6%; HR, 10.0; 95% CI: 4.44-24.7; P<0.001). The TR group developed more right heart failure (n=3; 5% vs. no patients in the non-TR group, P=0.007), and had a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (relative to baseline) until 5 years postoperatively. The tricuspid annulus diameter index was an independent predictor of late significant TR development. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative mild or moderate TR is aggravated after isolated AVR, resulting in a high incidence of renal dysfunction and right heart failure. Concomitant tricuspid valve intervention should be considered in patients undergoing AVR for severe AS with mild or moderate TR accompanied by dilated tricuspid annulus.

Overview of the 82nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society　- Futurability: Pioneering the Future of Circulatory Medicine.

The 82nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society was held in Osaka, Japan, on March 23-25, 2018, when the cherry blossoms were just opening everywhere around the venue. This was the 5th Annual Scientific Meeting of JCS in which a cardiovascular surgeon served as Congress Chairperson. The main theme of this meeting was "Futurability: Pioneering the Future of Circulatory Medicine". The word, futurability, is a neologism of future ability, because we now have to contemplate what constitutes the essence of cardiovascular medicine, how it should develop as medicine for future generations, and how its ability should be displayed. The meeting was favored by splendid weather and the number of participants was recorded as being higher than 18,700. There were heated and profound discussions about the "futurability" of cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, and heart team medical care as well, in every session. The meeting was successfully completed and we sincerely appreciate the great cooperation and support from all affiliates.

Colonic fistula caused by remaining inflow cannula 14 years after left ventricular assist device explantation.

Intestinal complication associated with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is not rare, and sometimes results in serious condition of patients, if occurred. We report a rare case in which remaining foreign body after LVAD explantation resulted in colonic fistula 14 years after LVAD explantation.

Diagnosis, medical treatment, and stepwise mechanical circulatory support for fulminat myocarditis.

Fulminant myocarditis is one of the most challenging diseases. We sought to examine the outcomes of our multidisciplinary treatment strategy for fulminant myocarditis. A retrospective review of consecutive 30 patients with fulminant myocarditis was conducted. Of the 30 patients, 25 required mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Percutaneous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was the first-line therapy to rescue the patients and inserted in 23 of them. The other 2 were implanted with temporary ventricular assist device (t-VAD) with extracorporeal centrifugal pump(s). Sixteen of the ECMO-supported patients were later transitioned to t-VAD. Of the 18 patients who underwent t-VAD support, heart function recovered and the VAD was explanted in 10. Four patients were bridged to long-term VAD and the other 4 died on t-VAD. Two patients were directly bridged to long-term VAD by ECMO. Heart function recovered only with ECMO in 4 patients and 1 died on ECMO. Overall survival rate was 83.3%. The duration of ECMO support significantly correlated with total bilirubin level, which was a significant risk factor for mortality. Pathologically, 7 patients (23.3%) had eosinophilic myocarditis and 1 (3.3%) had giant-cell myocarditis, and all the 8 patients underwent immunosuppressive therapy including steroids. Heart function recovered to normal level in 7 of them (87.5%). Timely conversion from the percutaneous ECMO to the temporary VAD before elevation of total bilirubin level is crucial for improving the clinical outcomes. Endomyocardial biopsy is needed to be done as soon as possible, because immunosuppressive therapy carries promising outcomes in certain etiologies.

The Adaptive Remodeling of the Anterior Mitral Leaflet and Chordae Tendineae Is Associated with Mitral Valve Function in Advanced Ischemic and Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

The degree or nature of functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is not necessarily correlated with the size or function of the left ventricle (LV). We hypothesized that the anatomical structure of the mitral valve (MV) complex might play a role in functional MR in ischemic or nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).The structure of the LV and MV complex in DCM patients (n = 29) was assessed using electrocardiogram-gated 320-slice computed tomography and was compared with that in healthy patients (n = 12). Twenty-five DCM patients with mild or low MR (DCM-lowMR) had markedly greater length, diameter, and sphericity index of the LV and a larger tenting area than the controls. The distance between the papillary muscle (PM) tip and the mitral annular plane was not different between DCM-lowMR and normal hearts despite the greater LV length observed in DCM-lowMR. Furthermore, DCM-lowMR had markedly longer chordae tendineae (DCM-lowMR: 24 [20-26] mm; controls: 14 [13-16] mm; P < 0.01) and larger anterior leaflets (DCM-lowMR: 30 [27-31] mm; controls: 22 [20-24] mm; P < 0.01), thus suggesting the adaptive remodeling of the MV complex. Four DCM patients with moderate-severe MR had unbalanced remodeling, such as excessive LV dilatation, short anterior mitral leaflets, and short chordae tendineae.The development of functional MR might be associated with the remodeling of LV and MV components, such as the PMs, chordae tendineae, or anterior MV leaflets. Detailed anatomical assessments of the LV and MV complex would contribute to the adequate staging of ischemic or nonischemic DCM.

Mitral Valve Structure in Addition to Myocardial Viability Determines the Outcome of Functional Mitral Regurgitation After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) reduces functional mitral regurgitation (MR) associated with ischemic heart disease, although the predictive factors or mechanisms of reversibility of functional MR after CABG are not fully understood.We investigated whether mitral valve structure is associated with the outcome of functional MR after CABG.Methods and Results:From a consecutive series of 98 patients with mild-moderate functional MR preoperatively who underwent isolated CABG, we enrolled 66 patients who were followed up for >1 year postoperatively using echocardiography. The degree of MR was reduced in 34 patients (52%) postoperatively, in association with a lower rate of in-hospital treatment for cardiac failure in the long term, compared with the 32 patients (48%) with residual MR postoperatively. The patients with reduced MR postoperatively had longer estimated coaptation length and more anteriorly or centrally directed MR jets than those without reduced MR. On statistical analysis, the addition of estimated coaptation length and jet direction to the reported predictors (ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and tenting height) more accurately predicted changes in post-CABG MR than the reported 3 factors alone. CONCLUSIONS: Residual MR was associated with the emergence of congestive heart failure in the long term after CABG. A specific mitral valve structure, such as large mitral leaflet size or predominant tethering of the posterior leaflet, was a predictive factor for the reversibility of post-CABG functional MR.

Restrictive Mitral Annuloplasty With or Without Papillary Muscle Approximation for Functional Mitral Regurgitation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The impact of adding papillary muscle approximation (PMA) to restrictive mitral annuloplasty (RMA) on postoperative left ventricular (LV) function is unknown. Changes in LV function parameters and clinical outcome were evaluated following RMA with and without PMA in patients with clinically relevant functional mitral regurgitation (FMR). METHODS: A total of 176 patients with advanced cardiomyopathy underwent RMA either with (n = 59) or without (n = 117) PMA. Propensity score analysis was used to adjust for group differences in several baseline characteristics, such as age, gender and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) (C-statistic = 0.80, goodness-of-fit value = 0.58). RESULTS: Serial echocardiography in 30 propensity score-matched pairs demonstrated decreases in LV end-systolic dimension (RMA alone: 57 ± 9 mm at baseline versus 54 ±11 mm at one month versus 56 ± 13 mm at latest examination; RMA + PMA: 56 ± 8 mm versus 53 ± 9 mm versus 48 ± 11 mm, respectively) and improvement in LVEF (RMA alone: 28 ± 8% versus 28 ± 11% versus 29 ± 10%; RMA + PMA: 30 ± 8% versus 30 ± 9% versus 36 ± 13%, respectively) in both groups. Greater degrees of changes in value were noted for patients receiving RMA + PMA (group effect p <0.05 for both). The two-year survival of both groups was similar (73 ± 8% versus 77 ± 23%, p = 0.7), but the RMA + PMA group showed a trend towards a greater freedom from composite events, defined as mortality and/or unscheduled heart failure re-admission (48 ± 9% versus 63 ± 9%, p = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: RMA + PMA induced greater long-term effects on unloading of the left ventricle and improvements in LV systolic function than did RMA alone. PMA may be a useful adjunct repair in combination with RMA, although its clinical benefits remain to be determined.

Anticoagulation therapy for a LVAD patient with acquired warfarin resistance.

Anticoagulation therapy with warfarin is essential for postoperative management in patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In this manuscript, we report the case of a patient who developed warfarin resistance after LVAD implantation. Although we administered a novel anticoagulant drug in addition to warfarin and aspirin therapy, the patient developed a major stroke. The patient needed continuous intravenous heparinization until heart transplantation for approximately 2 years. Meticulous management of anticoagulation therapy is essential for a LVAD with warfarin resistance. To our best knowledge, our case is the first case of warfarin resistance in a patient with LVAD.

Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia in a patient with left ventricular assist device implantation.

Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) is a devastating complication after cardiac surgery. Once patients develop NOMI, intra-mesenteric infusion of vasodilators and/or emergent laparotomy is usually required, but the mortality is extraordinarily high even with intensive treatment. We present a case of salvage of a patient with NOMI complicated with severe right ventricular dysfunction after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation using maximum treatment with emergent laparotomy and temporary right ventricular assist device implantation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful salvage case of NOMI in a LVAD patient. We believe that hemodynamic optimization using maximum treatment is critically important to achieve salvage.

Curative surgery for gastric cancer in a patient with an implantable left ventricular assist device.

The number of patients with end-stage heart failure treated by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is dramatically increasing, because the LVAD has been widely accepted for its clinical results. According to the initiation of destination therapy, the prevalence of malignancy in patients with an LVAD is estimated to increase. In patients with LVADs, abdominal surgery for visceral malignancy is associated with technical difficulties because of the presence of an LVAD pump or the driveline which is located transversely in the preperitoneal space. Herein, we describe the technical management for complete resection of gastric cancer in a patient with an LVAD.