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.

Intraoperative Echocardiography: Guide to Decision-Making.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to provide a concise overview of key recommendations, with a specific focus on common challenges faced by intraoperative echocardiographers when dealing with frequently encountered valvular pathologies and mechanical circulatory support. It offers valuable insights for medical practitioners in this field. RECENT FINDINGS: The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) have released updated comprehensive guidelines for the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for the assessment of cardiac structures and implanted devices to help guide intraoperative decision-making. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a regularly employed intraoperative diagnostic and monitoring tool, offering various modalities for the rapid evaluation of valvular and aortic pathology, hemodynamic disturbances, and cardiac function. It is particularly valuable in assessing and placing mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices, providing views often challenging to obtain through transthoracic echocardiography. Additionally, intraoperative TEE can be used for decision-making in patients with valvular disease allowing incorporation of patient-specific and situational factors. Echocardiographers can employ this information in real-time to help guide surgical treatment selection such as repair, replacement, or deferral of intervention.

Teprasiran, a Small Interfering RNA, for the Prevention of Acute Kidney Injury in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects up to 30% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, leading to increased in-hospital and long-term morbidity and mortality. Teprasiran is a novel small interfering RNA that temporarily inhibits p53-mediated cell death that underlies AKI. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled phase 2 trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of a single 10 mg/kg dose of teprasiran versus placebo (1:1), in reducing the incidence, severity, and duration of AKI after cardiac surgery in high-risk patients. The primary end point was the proportion of patients who developed AKI determined by serum creatinine by postoperative day 5. Other end points included AKI severity and duration using various prespecified criteria. To inform future clinical development, a composite end point of major adverse kidney events at day 90, including death, renal replacement therapy, and ≥25% reduction of estimated glomerular filtration rate was assessed. Both serum creatinine and serum cystatin-C were used for estimated glomerular filtration rate assessments. RESULTS: A total of 360 patients were randomly assigned in 41 centers; 341 dosed patients were 73±7.5 years of age (mean±SD), 72% were men, and median European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score was 2.6%. Demographics and surgical parameters were similar between groups. AKI incidence was 37% for teprasiran- versus 50% for placebo-treated patients, a 12.8% absolute risk reduction, P=0.02; odds ratio, 0.58 (95% CI, 0.37-0.92). AKI severity and duration were also improved with teprasiran: 2.5% of teprasiran- versus 6.7% of placebo-treated patients had grade 3 AKI; 7% teprasiran- versus 13% placebo-treated patients had AKI lasting for 5 days. No significant difference was observed for the major adverse kidney events at day 90 composite in the overall population. No safety issues were identified with teprasiran treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence, severity, and duration of early AKI in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery were significantly reduced after teprasiran administration. A phase 3 study with a major adverse kidney event at day 90 primary outcome that has recently completed enrollment was designed on the basis of these findings (NCT03510897). Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02610283.

Conventional Ultrafiltration During Elective Cardiac Surgery and Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury.

OBJECTIVE: Conventional ultrafiltration (CUF) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) serves to hemoconcentrate blood volume to avoid allogeneic blood transfusions. Previous studies have determined CUF volumes as a continuous variable are associated with postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery, but optimal weight-indexed volumes that predict AKI have not been described. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Single-center university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,641 consecutive patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery between June 2013 and December 2015. INTERVENTIONS: The CUF volume was removed during CPB in all participants as part of routine practice. The authors investigated the association of dichotomized weight-indexed CUF volume removal with postoperative AKI development to provide pragmatic guidance for clinical practice at the authors' institution. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Primary outcomes of postoperative AKI were defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes staging criteria and dichotomized, weight-indexed CUF volumes (mL/kg) were defined by (1) extreme quartiles (Q3) and (2) Youden's criterion that best predicted AKI development. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to test the association of these dichotomized indices with AKI status. Postoperative AKI occurred in 827 patients (50.4%). Higher CUF volumes were associated with AKI development by quartiles (CUF >Q3 = 32.6 v CUF < Q1 = 10.4 mL/kg; odds ratio [OR] = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.19-2.3) and Youden's criterion (CUF ≥ 32.9 v CUF <32.9 mL/kg; OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.21-2.13). Despite similar intraoperative nadir hematocrits among groups (p = 0.8), higher CUF volumes were associated with more allogeneic blood transfusions (p = 0.002) and longer lengths of stay (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Removal of weight-indexed CUF volumes > 32 mL/kg increased the risk for postoperative AKI development. Importantly, CUF volume removal of any amount did not mitigate allogeneic blood transfusion during elective cardiac surgery. Prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

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.

Differences in Two- and Three-Dimensional Assessment of the Mitral Valve by Novices and Experts, Illustrated Using Anterior Mitral Valve Leaflet Length.

OBJECTIVES: In this measurement validation study, the authors evaluated agreement between 2-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), measuring anterior mitral valve leaflet length by both novice and experienced echocardiographers. DESIGN: This was a retrospective, observational study. SETTING: Single university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Analyses on datasets from 44 patients. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fifty datasets from 44 patients with mitral regurgitation were analyzed by 4 observers (2 novices, 2 experts). All observers measured the anterior mitral valve leaflet length from end-systolic 2D TEE images from the midesophageal longitudinal axis view and 3D software-augmented TEE images. The overall mean anterior mitral valve leaflet length was significantly shorter with 3D versus 2D TEE measurements (24.6 ± 4.5 mm v 26.2 ± 5.3 mm; p < 0.001), with novices measuring shorter leaflets than experts for both techniques (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). Bland-Altman plots of 3D and 2D TEE measurements showed mean biases (95% limits of agreement) of -1.6 mm (-9.0 to 5.9 mm), -1.8 mm (-9.6 to 6.0 mm), and -1.3 mm (-8.4 to 5.7 mm) for all observers, novices, and experts, respectively. For 2D measurements, interobserver reliability was very strong among experts and strong among novices (Pearson's r = 0.83 v 0.66; p = 0.055). For 3D measurements, interobserver reliability was strong in experts and moderate in novices (Pearson's r = 0.69 v 0.51; p = 0.168). CONCLUSION: For both novices and experts, 3D TEE measurements of the anterior mitral valve leaflet were significantly shorter than 2D measurements. Interobserver reliability was lowest for novices making 3D TEE measurements, indicating that reliable, quantitative evaluation of 3D TEE may require a greater amount of practice.

Renal Angina Is a Sensitive, but Nonspecific Identifier of Postcardiac Surgery Acute Kidney Injury.

OBJECTIVES: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of cardiac surgery, and early detection is difficult. This study was performed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and statistical performance of renal angina (RA) as an early predictor of AKI in an adult cardiac surgical patient population. DESIGN: Retrospective, nonrandomized, observational study. SETTING: A single, university-affiliated, quaternary medical center. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 324 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting or cardiac valvular surgery from February 1 through July 30, 2014. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One hundred-seven patients at moderate or high risk of developing postoperative renal injury were identified, 82 of whom met criteria for RA. The occurrence of RA was found to have an 80.9% sensitivity and 30.8% specificity for the prediction of AKI using Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria and 89.3% sensitivity and 27.8% specificity when paired with the Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End Stage Renal Disease criteria. A receiver operating characteristic area under the curve analysis revealed a nonsignificant predictive ability of 55.8% (95% confidence interval 0.47-0.65) when RA was paired with Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria; however, the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve was significant when paired with Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End Stage Renal Disease criteria, with a predictive ability of 0.586 (0.509-0.662). CONCLUSIONS: RA is a sensitive, but nonspecific, predictor of postcardiac surgery AKI, with clinical utility most suited as a screening tool.

Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of AKI after Cardiac Surgery.

AKI after cardiac surgery remains strongly associated with mortality and lacks effective treatment or prevention. Preclinical studies suggest that cell-based interventions may influence functional recovery. We conducted a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 27 centers across North America to determine the safety and efficacy of allogeneic human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in reducing the time to recovery from AKI after cardiac surgery. We randomized 156 adult subjects undergoing cardiac surgery with evidence of early AKI to receive intra-aortic MSCs (AC607; n=67) or placebo (n=68). The primary outcome was the time to recovery of kidney function defined as return of postintervention creatinine level to baseline. The median time to recovery of kidney function was 15 days with AC607 and 12 days with placebo (25th, 75th percentile range, 10-29 versus 6-21, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.53 to 1.24; P=0.32). We did not detect a significant difference between groups in 30-day all-cause mortality (16.7% with AC607; 11.8% with placebo) or dialysis (10.6% with AC607; 7.4% with placebo). At follow-up, 12 patients who received AC607 and six patients who received placebo had died. Rates of other adverse events did not differ between groups. In these patients with AKI after cardiac surgery, administration of allogeneic MSCs did not decrease the time to recovery of kidney function. Our results contrast with those in preclinical studies and provide important information regarding the potential effects of MSCs in this setting.

Development and validation of machine learning models to identify high-risk surgical patients using automatically curated electronic health record data (Pythia): A retrospective, single-site study.

BACKGROUND: Pythia is an automated, clinically curated surgical data pipeline and repository housing all surgical patient electronic health record (EHR) data from a large, quaternary, multisite health institute for data science initiatives. In an effort to better identify high-risk surgical patients from complex data, a machine learning project trained on Pythia was built to predict postoperative complication risk. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A curated data repository of surgical outcomes was created using automated SQL and R code that extracted and processed patient clinical and surgical data across 37 million clinical encounters from the EHRs. A total of 194 clinical features including patient demographics (e.g., age, sex, race), smoking status, medications, comorbidities, procedure information, and proxies for surgical complexity were constructed and aggregated. A cohort of 66,370 patients that had undergone 99,755 invasive procedural encounters between January 1, 2014, and January 31, 2017, was studied further for the purpose of predicting postoperative complications. The average complication and 30-day postoperative mortality rates of this cohort were 16.0% and 0.51%, respectively. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) penalized logistic regression, random forest models, and extreme gradient boosted decision trees were trained on this surgical cohort with cross-validation on 14 specific postoperative outcome groupings. Resulting models had area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) values ranging between 0.747 and 0.924, calculated on an out-of-sample test set from the last 5 months of data. Lasso penalized regression was identified as a high-performing model, providing clinically interpretable actionable insights. Highest and lowest performing lasso models predicted postoperative shock and genitourinary outcomes with AUCs of 0.924 (95% CI: 0.901, 0.946) and 0.780 (95% CI: 0.752, 0.810), respectively. A calculator requiring input of 9 data fields was created to produce a risk assessment for the 14 groupings of postoperative outcomes. A high-risk threshold (15% risk of any complication) was determined to identify high-risk surgical patients. The model sensitivity was 76%, with a specificity of 76%. Compared to heuristics that identify high-risk patients developed by clinical experts and the ACS NSQIP calculator, this tool performed superiorly, providing an improved approach for clinicians to estimate postoperative risk for patients. Limitations of this study include the missingness of data that were removed for analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Extracting and curating a large, local institution's EHR data for machine learning purposes resulted in models with strong predictive performance. These models can be used in clinical settings as decision support tools for identification of high-risk patients as well as patient evaluation and care management. Further work is necessary to evaluate the impact of the Pythia risk calculator within the clinical workflow on postoperative outcomes and to optimize this data flow for future machine learning efforts.

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.

The Perioperative Management of Ascending Aortic Dissection.

Acute aortic syndromes are a distinct group of pathologies involving the wall of the aorta that present acutely and can be potentially fatal unless treated in a timely fashion. The syndrome is dominated by aortic dissections, which comprise ≥95% of all such presentations. Those involving the ascending aorta are particularly lethal and require specific and early surgical treatment compared to dissections involving other parts of the aorta. The surgical repair of an ascending aortic dissection presents multiple challenges to the anesthesiologist. Thoughtful management throughout the perioperative period is critical for minimizing the significant morbidity and mortality associated with this condition. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of the perioperative management of patients presenting for the surgical repair of an ascending aortic dissection. Preoperative discussion focuses on assessment, hemodynamic management, and risk stratification. The intraoperative section includes an overview of anesthetic management, transesophageal echocardiographic assessment, and coagulopathy, as well as surgical considerations that may influence anesthetic management.

A Perioperative Medicine Model for Population Health: An Integrated Approach for an Evolving Clinical Science.

Health care delivery in the United States continues to balance on the tight rope that connects its transition from volume to value. Value in economic terms can be defined as the amount something exceeds its commodity price and is determined by extraordinary reputation, quality, and/or service, whereas its destruction can be a consequence of poor management, unfavorable policy, decreased demand, and/or increased competition. Going forward, payment for health care delivery will increasingly be based on services that contribute to improvements in individual and/or population health value, and funds to pay for health care delivery will become increasingly vulnerable to competitive market forces. Therefore, a sustainable population health strategy needs to be comprehensive and thus include perioperative medicine as an essential component of the complete cycle of patient-centered care. We describe a multidisciplinary integrated program to support perioperative medicine services that are integral to a comprehensive population health strategy.

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.

Mitral Regurgitation After Orthotopic Lung Transplantation: Natural History and Impact on Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Progression of mitral regurgitation (MR) after orthotopic lung transplantation (OLT) may be an underrecognized phenomenon due to the overlapping symptomatology of pulmonary and valvular disease. Literature evaluating the progression of MR after OLT currently is limited to case reports. Therefore, the hypothesis that MR progresses after OLT was tested and the association of preprocedure MR with postoperative mortality was assessed. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort. SETTING: A tertiary-care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients who underwent OLT between January 1, 2003 and February 4, 2012. INTERVENTIONS: After receiving institutional review board approval, a preprocedure transesophageal echocardiogram was compared with a postoperative transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) to determine the progression of MR. Univariate and multivariate association between preprocedure MR grade and 1- and 5-year mortality was assessed. A p value of<0.05 was considered statistically significant. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: From 715 patients who underwent OLT, 352 had a postoperative TTE and were included in the evaluation of progression of MR. Five patients had progression of MR postoperatively, and the mean change in MR score of -0.04 was found to be nonsignificant (p = 0.25). Mortality data were available for 634 of the 715 patients. After covariate adjustment, there was no significant association between MR grade and 1-year mortality (p = 0.20) or 5-year mortality (p = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: This study rejected the hypothesis that primary and secondary MR progresses after OLT and found that preprocedure MR was not associated with increased postoperative mortality. Despite the findings that MR does not progress in all patients, there is a subset of patients for whom MR progression is clinically significant.

Discordance in Grading Methods of Aortic Stenosis by Pre-Cardiopulmonary Bypass Transesophageal Echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines define severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) as an aortic valve area (AVA) ≤1.0 cm by the continuity equation and mean gradient (ΔPm) ≥ 40 mm Hg. However, these measurements can be discordant when classifying AS severity. Approximately one-third of patients with normal ejection fraction and severe AS by AVA have nonsevere AS by ΔPm when measured by preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Given the use of positive pressure ventilation and general anesthesia in the pre-cardiopulmonary bypass (pre-CPB) period, we hypothesized that discordance between ΔPm and AVA during pre-CPB transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) would be higher than previously reported by TTE. METHODS: We retrospectively examined pre-CPB TEE data for patients who had aortic valve replacement, with or without coronary artery bypass grafting, from 2000 to 2012. Patients were excluded if they had ejection fraction <55%, emergency surgery, repeat sternotomy, moderate or severe mitral regurgitation, or severe aortic regurgitation. Only patients with both pre-CPB AVA and ΔPm measurements were included. Patients were grouped according to severity (mild, moderate, and severe) by AVA or ΔPm. Discordance was defined as disagreement between severities based on either parameter. RESULTS: A total of 277 patients met inclusion criteria. There were 227 patients with AVA ≤ 1.0 cm. The proportion of these patients with a ΔPm < 40 mm Hg was 54% (95% confidence interval, 47%-61%). The rate of discordance was significantly higher than the rate (37%; P < 0.001) found in previously reported analyses using TTE. Of the patients with a ΔPm ≥ 40 mm Hg, only 8% (n = 9/113) had a discordant AVA. In contrast, of the patients with ΔPm < 40 mm Hg, 80% (n = 131/164) had a discordant AVA. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed our hypothesis that grading AS by ΔPm and AVA during pre-CPB TEE exhibits higher discordance than reported for TTE by others. It remains unclear whether these discrepancies reflect the effect of general anesthesia, imaging modality (TTE versus TEE) differences, inaccuracies in AS grading cutoffs when applied to pre-CPB TEE, or selection bias of the surgical population.

Grading Aortic Stenosis With Mean Gradient and Aortic Valve Area: A Comparison Between Preoperative Transthoracic and Precardiopulmonary Bypass Transesophageal Echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: The authors hypothesized that average precardiopulmonary bypass (pre-CPB) transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) mean gradient (PGm) and aortic valve area (AVA) values would be significantly different from preoperative transthoracic (TTE) values in the same patients and that these changes would affect pre-CPB TEE grading of aortic stenosis (AS). DESIGN: Retrospective, observational design. SETTING: Single university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 92 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement with or without coronary artery bypass grafting between 2000 and 2012 at Duke University Hospital and who had PGm and AVA values recorded in both pre-CPB TEE and preoperative TTE reporting databases. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: PGm with pre-CPB TEE was lower by 6.6 mmHg (95% confidence interval, -4.0 to -9.3 mmHg; p<0.001), whereas AVA was higher by 0.10 cm(2) (95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.15 cm(2); p<0.001), compared with preoperative TTE values. When using PGm, pre-CPB TEE generated an AS severity 1 grade lower 39.1% of the time and revealed no difference 55.4% of the time compared to preoperative TTE. When using AVA by continuity, pre-CPB TEE generated an AS severity 1 grade lower 14.1% of the time and revealed no difference 81.5% of the time compared to preoperative TTE. When using either PGm or AVA, preoperative TTE exhibited moderate or severe AS for all study patients, whereas, pre-CPB TEE demonstrated mild AS in 5.4% (n = 92) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The authors confirmed their hypothesis that pre-CPB TEE generates different PGm and AVA values compared with preoperative TTE. These differences often underestimate AS severity. Hemodynamic standardizations or adjustments of pre-CPB TEE PGm and AVA values may be necessary in anesthetized patients before assigning an AS grade using these parameters.

Use of mobile tablet devices and reduction in time to perioperative transesophageal echocardiography reporting: a historical cohort study.

PURPOSE: Timely communication of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) findings to the postoperative care team is critical to optimizing patient care. We compared the use of a personal computer (PC) system with the use of a mobile tablet device (MTD) system for point-of-care TEE data entry and hypothesized that the MTD-based system would reduce the time to preliminary TEE reporting and decrease the incidence of delinquent reporting by 50%. METHODS: In this historical cohort study, we reviewed 508 perioperative TEE reports entered by cardiothoracic anesthesia fellows. Reports were grouped based on whether data were entered on a PC (PC group) or a MTD (MTD group). Time to TEE reporting was defined as the time from the patient leaving the operating room to the time the TEE report was generated. Delinquent reports were defined as those generated >24 hr after the initial exam. Time to TEE reporting and incidence of delinquent reports were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean (SD) time to TEE reporting was significantly improved with MTD data entry vs PC data entry [233 (676) min vs 1,103 (3,830) min, respectively; mean difference 870 min; 95% confidence interval (CI) 293 to 1,448; P = 0.003], and median (IQR) time was also significantly improved [46 (163) min vs 126 (1,000) min, respectively; median difference 80 min; P = 0.0002]. The incidence of report delinquency with MTD data entry vs PC data entry was also significantly reduced [2.1% vs 6.8%, respectively; mean difference 2.2%; 95% CI 0.5 to 9.0; P = 0.02]. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a MTD system for data entry leads to improved TEE reporting time and reduces TEE reporting delinquency. Further studies are required to determine whether this strategy enhances quality of reporting, optimizes communication between care teams, and improves outcomes without increasing costs.

Diastolic dysfunction, diagnostic and perioperative management in cardiac surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review focuses on recent findings on the role of diastolic dysfunction in the perioperative period and on recent advances in the diagnosis and perioperative management of diastolic function. RECENT FINDINGS: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is an underestimated disease with a high risk for acute decompensation in the perioperative period. It has been associated with adverse outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac or noncardiac procedures. Recent advancements in the diagnosis of diastolic function have limited intraoperative applicability. Due to the lack of disease-specific therapies, perioperative management is preventive and symptomatic. SUMMARY: Appropriate perioperative patient care requires that the perioperative physician be alerted to the presence of diastolic dysfunction, be knowledgeable of the diastolic dysfunction grading system and understand the pathophysiologic changes associated with various grades of diastolic function.