COVID-19 patient bridged to recovery with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

BACKGROUND: In severe cases, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) viral pathogen produces hypoxic respiratory failure unable to be adequately supported by mechanical ventilation. The role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains unknown, with the few publications to date lacking detailed patient information or management algorithms all while reporting excessive mortality. METHODS: Case report from a prospectively maintained institutional ECMO database for COVID-19. RESULTS: We describe veno-venous (VV) ECMO in a COVID-19-positive woman with hypoxic respiratory dysfunction failing mechanical ventilation support while prone and receiving inhaled pulmonary vasodilator therapy. After 9 days of complex management secondary to her hyperdynamic circulation, ECMO support was successfully weaned to supine mechanical ventilation and the patient was ultimately discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: With proper patient selection and careful attention to hemodynamic management, ECMO remains a reasonable treatment option for patients with COVID-19.

Preoperative dental screening prior to cardiac valve surgery and 90-day postoperative mortality.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative dental screening before cardiac valve surgery is widely accepted but its required scope remains unclear. This study evaluates two preoperative dental screening (PDS) approaches, a focused approach (FocA) and a comprehensive approach (CompA), to compare postsurgical 90-day mortality. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis was performed on all patients who underwent valve surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital with FocA and Massachusetts General Hospital with CompA of PDS approach from January 2009 to December 2016. Patients with intravenous drug abuse and systemic infections were excluded. Univariate, multivariable, and subgroup analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 1835 patients were included in the study. With FocA 96% of patients (1097/1143) received dental clearance in a single encounter with 3.3% receiving radiographs and undergoing dental extractions. With CompA 35.5% of patients (245/692) received dental clearance in a single encounter, 94.2% received radiographs, and 21.8% underwent dental extractions. There was no significant difference in 90-day mortality when comparing both PDS approach (10% vs 8.4%, P = .257). This remained unchanged in a multivariable model after adjusting for risk factors (odds ratio:1.32 [95%CI:0.91-1.93] [P = .14]). Reoperation due to infection was less in FocA (0.5%) vs CompA (2.6) (P < .001) and postoperative septicemia was increased in the FocA (1.7%) cohort when compared to the CompA (0.7%) (P < .001) patients. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in post valve surgery 90-day mortality between patients who underwent a FocA vs CompA of PDS.

Left ventricle unloading strategies in ECMO: A single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-saving technology capable of restoring perfusion but is not without significant complications that limit its realizable therapeutic benefit. ECMO-induced hemodynamics increase cardiac afterload risking left ventricular distention and impaired cardiac recovery. To mitigate potentially harmful effects, multiple strategies to unload the left ventricle (LV) are used in clinical practice but data supporting the optimal approach is presently lacking. MATERIALS & METHODS: We reviewed outcomes of our ECMO population from September 2015 through January 2019 to determine if our LV unloading strategies were associated with patient outcomes. We compared reactive (Group 1, n = 30) versus immediate (Group 2, n = 33) LV unloading and then compared patients unloaded with an Impella CP (n = 19) versus an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP, n = 16), analyzing survival and ECMO-related complications. RESULTS: Survival was similar between Groups 1 and 2 (33 vs 42%, P = .426) with Group 2 experiencing more clinically-significant hemorrhage (40 vs. 67%, P = .034). Survival and ECMO-related complications were similar between patients unloaded with an Impella versus an IABP. However, the Impella group exhibited a higher rate of survival (37%) than predicted by their median SAVE score (18%). DISCUSSION: Based on this analysis, reactive unloading appears to be a viable strategy while venting with the Impella CP provides better than anticipated survival. Our findings correlate with recent large cohort studies and motivate further work to design clinical guidelines and future trial design.

Physical therapy in successful venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation bridge to orthotopic heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is a temporary mechanical circulatory support system that may be used as a lifesaving therapy for patients in acute heart failure and as a bridge to definitive management. Physical therapy in these patients remains challenging, with limited protocols to guide practitioners. METHODS: We describe a case of a 37-year-old gentleman who presented with familial cardiomyopathy and cardiogenic shock. RESULTS: Our patient underwent urgent peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) followed by successful heart transplantation. While on ECMO support he was enrolled in a physical therapy program that included the VitalGo Tilt Bed to improve lower body weight bearing while avoiding hip flexion and damage to the peripheral ECMO cannulae. The patient was discharged home expeditiously after heart transplant due to aggressive physical rehabilitation while on full VA-ECMO support. CONCLUSIONS: Early intensive physical rehabilitation is feasible and safe and may result in improved outcomes and expeditious discharge in VA ECMO patients. Protocol driven multidisciplinary physical therapy with a patient on femorally cannulated VA-ECMO retains the advantages of lower extremity peripheral cannulation while eliminating the risks of immobility. The new UNOS allocation system may result in a successful bridge to transplantation in patients on VA-ECMO due to the increased prioritization of this population to receive donor organs.

A modified implantation technique for temporary right ventricular assist device: Enabling ambulation and less invasive decannulation.

This report describes our unique temporary right ventricular assist device (RVAD) implantation technique, which enables early mobilization even during biventricular support and subsequent less invasive RVAD removal without needing resternotomy upon recovery.

Comparison of heart transplant outcomes between recipients with pulsatile- vs continuous-flow LVAD.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous-flow (CF) left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have replaced pulsatile flow (PF) LVADs irrespective of concerns from the physiologic changes/morbidity secondary to lack of pulsatility. Data comparing posttransplant outcomes in patients with CF vs PF LVADs are limited and conflicting. We used the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network database to compare posttransplant outcomes between CF and PF LVAD patients. METHODS: From 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2011, 3449 adult patients underwent primary heart alone transplantation. The cohort was restricted to 2741 recipients with LVAD at the time of transplant and divided into two groups: PF (Heartmate XVE) (n = 705) and CF (Heartmate II, HeartWare HVAD, and Jarvik 2000) (n = 2036). Endpoints were 30-day freedom from graft failure, 1-, and 5-year patient survival. Propensity score matching identified 705 pairs for adjusted comparisons. RESULTS: Among propensity-matched patients, 30-day freedom from graft failure after heart transplantation (PF = 94.8% vs CF = 95.2%, P > .7), and 1-, and 5-year patient survival (PF; 87.5% vs CF; 88.9%, P = .4, and PF;75.7% vs CF;77.5%, P = .3) were not different. CONCLUSION: Survival and freedom from graft failure after heart transplantation is similar between CF and PF LVADs. These findings are relevant as the use of CF devices increases despite physiologic changes related to the absence of pulsatility.

Use of Historical Surgical Times to Predict Duration of Primary Aortic Valve Replacement.

OBJECTIVES: To test whether a model using a historical average of a surgeon's surgical times for primary aortic valve replacements is a more accurate predictor of actual surgical times than solely relying on a surgeon's estimate. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Single university hospital that serves as a tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS: All patients undergoing primary aortic valve replacement between October 2008 and September 2014. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Estimation biases, calculated as the difference between actual and predicted surgical time, were compared between the surgeon and the model, which included between 2 and 20 cases in the historical average. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance was used to compare all values. Pairwise comparisons were made using the Steel-Dwass test to determine whether using more cases in the model resulted in smaller estimation biases. Using the historical model reduced mean overestimation bias from 55.30 minutes to 0.90-to-4.67 minutes. No significant difference was seen based on the number of cases used. CONCLUSIONS: An uncomplicated model can assist in providing comparatively unbiased estimations of surgical time for aortic valve replacements. The model can rely on a fewer number of cases (eg, 5) and does not benefit from including more cases (eg, 20).

Bridging strategies and cardiac replacement outcomes in patients with acute decompensated heart failure-related cardiogenic shock.

AIMS: To describe outcomes associated with bridging strategies in patients with acute decompensated heart failure-related cardiogenic shock (ADHF-CS) bridged to durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or heart transplantation (HTx). METHODS AND RESULTS: Durable LVAD or HTx recipients from 2014 to 2019 with pre-operative ADHF-CS were identified in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database and stratified by bridging strategy. The primary outcome was operative or 30-day post-operative mortality. Secondary outcomes included post-operative major bleeding. Exploratory comparisons between bridging strategies and outcomes were performed using overlap weighting with and without covariate adjustment. Among 9783 patients with pre-operative CS, 8777 (89.7%) had ADHF-CS. Medical therapy (n = 5013) was the most common bridging strategy, followed by intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP; n = 2816), catheter-based temporary mechanical circulatory support (TMCS; n = 417), and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO; n = 465). Mortality was highest in patients bridged with VA-ECMO (22%), followed by catheter-based TMCS (10%), IABP (9%), and medical therapy (7%). Adverse post-operative outcomes were more frequent in LVAD recipients compared with HTx recipients. CONCLUSION: Among patients with ADHF-CS bridged to HTx or durable LVAD, the highest rates of death and adverse events during index hospitalization were observed in those bridged with VA-ECMO, followed by catheter-based TMCS, IABP, and medical therapy. Patients who received durable LVAD had higher rates of post-operative complications compared with HTx recipients. Prospective trials are needed to define optimal bridging strategies in patients with ADHF-CS.

Fractured sternal wire causing a cardiac laceration.

BACKGROUND: Hemopericardium is a serious complication that can occur after cardiac surgery. While most post-operative causes are due to inflammation and bleeding, patients with broken sternal wires and an unstable sternum may develop hemopericardium from penetrating trauma. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 62-year-old male who underwent triple coronary bypass surgery and presented five months later with sudden anterior chest wall pain. Chest computed tomography revealed hemopericardium with an associated broken sternal wire that had penetrated into the pericardial space. The patient underwent a redo-sternotomy which revealed a 3.5 cm bleeding, jagged right ventricular laceration that correlated to the imaging findings of a fractured sternal wire projecting in the pericardial space. The laceration was repaired using interrupted 4 - 0 polypropylene sutures in horizontal mattress fashion between strips of bovine pericardium. The patient's recovery was uneventful and he was discharged on post-operative day four without complications. CONCLUSION: Patients with broken sternal wires and an unstable sternum require careful evaluation and management as these may have potentially life-threatening complications if left untreated.

IL-33 mediates Pseudomonas induced airway fibrogenesis and is associated with CLAD.

BACKGROUND: Long term outcomes of lung transplantation are impacted by the occurrence of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Recent evidence suggests a role for the lung microbiome in the occurrence of CLAD, but the exact mechanisms are not well defined. We hypothesize that the lung microbiome inhibits epithelial autophagic clearance of pro-fibrotic proteins in an IL-33 dependent manner, thereby augmenting fibrogenesis and risk for CLAD. METHODS: Autopsy derived CLAD and non-CLAD lungs were collected. IL-33, P62 and LC3 immunofluorescence was performed and assessed using confocal microscopy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA), Streptococcus Pneumoniae (SP), Prevotella Melaninogenica (PM), recombinant IL-33 or PsA-lipopolysaccharide was co-cultured with primary human bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) and lung fibroblasts in the presence or absence of IL-33 blockade. Western blot analysis and quantitative reverse transcription (qRT) PCR was performed to evaluate IL-33 expression, autophagy, cytokines and fibroblast differentiation markers. These experiments were repeated after siRNA silencing and upregulation (plasmid vector) of Beclin-1. RESULTS: Human CLAD lungs demonstrated markedly increased expression of IL-33 and reduced basal autophagy compared to non-CLAD lungs. Exposure of co-cultured PBECs to PsA, SP induced IL-33, and inhibited PBEC autophagy, while PM elicited no significant response. Further, PsA exposure increased myofibroblast differentiation and collagen formation. IL-33 blockade in these co-cultures recovered Beclin-1, cellular autophagy and attenuated myofibroblast activation in a Beclin-1 dependent manner. CONCLUSION: CLAD is associated with increased airway IL-33 expression and reduced basal autophagy. PsA induces a fibrogenic response by inhibiting airway epithelial autophagy in an IL-33 dependent manner.

All-cause Readmission after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in a Community Hospital - Long Term Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Post-procedure readmissions are associated with lower quality of life and increased economic burden. The study aimed to identify predictors for long-term all-cause readmissions in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in a community hospital. METHODS: A Historical cohort study of all adults who underwent TAVR at Cape-Cod hospital between June 2015 and December 2017 was performed and data on readmissions was collected up-to May 2020 (median follow up of 3.3 years). Pre-procedure, procedure and in-hospital post-procedure parameters were collected. Readmission rate was evaluated, and univariate and multivariable analyses were applied to identify predictors for readmission. RESULTS: The study included 262 patients (mean age 83.7±7.9 years, 59.9% males). The median Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) probability of mortality (PROM) score was 4.9 (IQR, 3.1-7.9). Overall, 120 patients were readmitted. Ten percent were readmitted within 1-month, 20.8% within 3-months, 32.0% within 6-months and 44.5% within 1-year. New readmissions after 1-year were rare. STS PROM 5% or above (HR 1.50, p = 0.039), pre-procedure anemia (HR 1.63, p = 0.034), severely decreased pre-procedure renal function (HR 1.93, p = 0.040) and procedural complication (HR 1.65, p = 0.013) were independent predictors for all-cause readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated procedural risk, anemia, renal dysfunction and procedural complication are important predictors for readmission. Pre-procedure and ongoing treatment of the patient's background diseases and completion of treatment for complications prior to discharge may contribute to a reduction in the rate of readmissions.

Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways have improved clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction across multiple non-cardiac surgical specialties. Since the adaptation of ERAS in cardiac surgery is rapidly increasing yet still evolving, herein, we demonstrate early results of our implementation of ERAS cardiac guidelines. We retrospectively reviewed all patients who were managed with our institutional ERAS Cardiac Surgery guidelines between 5/2018 and 6/2019(N = 102). Postoperative primary outcomes (total ventilation times(hours), intensive-care unit(ICU) stay, and postoperative hospital length of stay (LOS)) were compared to 1:1 propensity matched controls from the pre ERAS era between January 2017 and March 2019. A total of 76 propensity-matched pairs were identified. Compared to the matched controls, ERAS patients had significantly shorter median ventilation times(3.5 vs. 5.3 hours, p = .01), ICU stays(median 28 vs 48 hours, p=.005) and postoperative hospital LOS (median 5 vs. 6 days, p = .03). There were no operative mortalities and no significant differences in 30-day readmission rates. There were also no significant differences in post-operative stroke, acute kidney injury, atrial fibrillation, and reoperation rates for bleeding. Two-year survival was also not statistically different between the two cohorts (p = .22). Our initial experience with implementation of ERAS protocols in cardiac surgery appear to demonstrate that these protocols are associated with shorter ventilation times, ICU stay, and hospital LOS without compromising patient outcomes. While these results are promising yet preliminary, further studies are warranted to demonstrate whether ERAS algorithms in cardiac surgery can consistently expedite postoperative recovery and improve outcomes.

Advanced Surgical and Percutaneous Approaches to Pulmonary Vascular Disease.

Despite progress in modern medical therapy, pulmonary hypertension remains an unremitting disease. Once severe or refractory to medical therapy, advanced percutaneous and surgical interventions can palliate right ventricular overload, bridge to transplantation, and overall extend a patient's course. These approaches include atrial septostomy, Potts shunt, and extracorporeal life support. Bilateral lung transplantation is the ultimate treatment for eligible patients, although the need for suitable lungs continues to outpace availability. Measures such as ex vivo lung perfusion are ongoing to expand donor lung availability, increase rates of transplant, and decrease waitlist mortality.

Long-term Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement With Aortic Homograft: 27 Years Experience.

BACKGROUND: Aortic homografts have been used in young patients requiring aortic valve replacement. Currently, these grafts are generally reserved for aortic valve endocarditis with or without root abscess; however, longitudinal data are lacking. Our aim was to assess the long-term safety and durability of homograft implantation. METHODS: All adult patients undergoing aortic homograft implantation at a single institution from 1992 to 2019 were included. Outcomes of interest included all-cause mortality and aortic valve reoperation, studied over a median follow-up duration of 19 years. RESULTS: In all, 252 patients with a mean age of 49 years were included. Infective endocarditis was the primary indication for surgery in 95 patients (38%). The endocarditis group, compared with the no-endocarditis group, had a higher prevalence of New York Heart Association class III-IV (56% vs 26%), chronic kidney disease (22% vs 1%), prior cardiac surgery (40% vs 10%), and emergency status (7% vs 0%; all P < .001). Operative mortality was higher among endocarditis patients (16% vs 0.6%, P < .001), which persisted after risk adjustment. Among patients who survived to discharge, however, there was no difference in long-term survival between the endocarditis group and no-endocarditis group. Overall survival and freedom from reoperation were 88.3% and 80% at 15 years and 87.2% and 78% at 25 years, respectively. Indications for reoperation included structural valve deterioration (83%), endocarditis (12%), and mitral valve disease (5%). Reoperative mortality occurred in 2 patients (4.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic homografts are associated with good long-term survival and admissible freedom from reoperation. Operative mortality is high among patients with endocarditis; however, for those who survive to discharge, long-term survival and durability are the same as for patients without endocarditis.

Operative Technique of Donor Organ Procurement for En Bloc Heart-liver Transplantation.

Combined heart-liver transplant is an emerging option for patients with indications for heart transplantation and otherwise prohibitive hepatic dysfunction. Heart-liver transplantation is particularly relevant for patients with single ventricle physiology who often develop Fontan-associated liver disease and fibrosis. Although only performed at a limited number of centers, several approaches to combined heart-liver transplantation have been described. The en bloc technique offers several potential advantages over the traditional sequential technique. Specifically, en bloc heart-liver transplantation may allow improved hemodynamics, decreased bleeding, reduced liver allograft ischemic time, and may result in reduced rates of graft dysfunction. Here we describe our center's en bloc heart-liver procurement technique in detail, with the aim of allowing broader use and standardization of this technique.

Operative Techniques and Pitfalls in Donor Bilateral Lung Procurement.

BACKGROUND: Demand for lung transplant continues to grow nationally, and the number of donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death lung procurements increases each year. METHODS: We describe the Stanford technique for bilateral lung procurement for donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death and highlight the pitfalls and common mistakes to standardize the procurement process and ensure proper harvesting to prevent organ loss. RESULTS: Damage to the lung graft during bilateral en bloc procurement most commonly results from either poor preservation or injury to a pulmonary vein during division of the left atrial cuff. CONCLUSION: En bloc bilateral lung procurement should be standardized to ensure reproducible graft harvesting and preservation while teaching new generations of transplant surgeons.

Impact of Surgical Approach in Double Lung Transplantation: Median Sternotomy vs Clamshell Thoracotomy.

BACKGROUND: Double lung transplantation (DLT) remains the gold standard for end-stage lung disease. Although DLT was historically performed via clamshell thoracotomy, recently the median sternotomy has emerged as a viable alternative. As the ideal surgical approach remains unclear, the aim of our study was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of these 2 surgical approaches in DLT. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 192 consecutive adult patients who underwent primary DLT at our institution between 2012 and 2017 (sternotomy, n = 147; clamshell, n = 45). The impact of each surgical approach on post-transplant morbidity was investigated, and the overall survival probability analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in recipients' baseline and donors' characteristics and bilateral allograft ischemic time. Freedom from primary graft dysfunction, acute rejection episodes, postoperative prolonged ventilator support, tracheostomy, postoperative stroke, and airway dehiscence were comparable between these 2 groups. The duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and operative time were significantly longer in the clamshell thoracotomy group. Postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation usage tended to be more frequent in the clamshell thoracotomy group than the median sternotomy group, despite no statistical significance. Length of hospital and intensive care unit stay were not influenced by the type of incision. There was no significant difference in overall survival between these 2 procedure groups (P = .61, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: The median sternotomy approach in DLT decreases operative time and more importantly leads to a shorter duration of cardiopulmonary bypass. The type of surgical approach did not show any statistically significant impact on adult DLT recipients' morbidity and survival.

Automated fastener (Core-Knot) versus manually tied knots in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement: Impact on cross-clamp time and short-term echocardiographic results.

The Core-Knot device is an automatic fastener used mainly in minimally invasive heart valve surgery procedures, to facilitate knot tying. The purpose of this report is to compare ischemic time and outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacements (SAVRs) utilizing the Core-Knot device compared with manually tied knots.Between January, 2014 and December, 2016, 119 patients underwent SAVR in Cape Cod Hospital. We compared patient's characteristics, cross-clamp time, and outcomes of 75 patients who underwent SAVR using Core-Knot to those of 44 operated using manually tied knots.Patient characteristics were similar between groups. Patients in the Core-Knot group had higher preoperative aortic valve area and higher ejection fraction. The use of Core-Knot was associated with reduced aortic cross-clamp time (median 70 vs 84 minutes; P < .001). Patients undergoing SAVR using Core-Knot were less likely to have postoperative aortic regurgitation (P < .001). Early mortality, and also the rates of early adverse events (including all cardiac, neurologic, and renal complications), and the immediate postprocedure echo findings were similar in the 2 groups. In multivariate analysis, the use of Core-Knot was associated with reduced postoperative mean gradient across the aortic valve and reduced occurrence of postoperative aortic regurgitation. Older age and larger valve size were other predictors of reduced postoperative mean gradients.The use of an automatic fastener (Core-Knot) in surgical aortic valve replacement cases reduce aortic cross-clamp time and help eliminate postoperative paravalvular aortic regurgitation.