Single or Combined Valve Surgery and Concomitant Right Coronary Artery Bypass through Right Anterior Minithoracotomy Approach.

BACKGROUND: Patients with combined valve and coronary artery disease are commonly performed by standard median sternotomy approach for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve surgery. The purpose of this study is to describe our experience and show feasibility and safety of minimally invasive approach to single or combined valve pathology with single-vessel right coronary artery (RCA) disease, even if it is suitable to percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 28 consecutive patients who underwent single or combined valve surgery concomitant right CABG through right anterior minithoracotomy between February 2018 and December 2020. Preoperative evaluation, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: There were 12 men and 16 women. The mean age was 71.46 ± 6.82 years. Ten patients were in New York Heart Association class III or IV. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamping times were 117.6 ± 21.3 and 98.1 ± 22.6 minutes, respectively. The mean time to extubation was 9.7 ± 5.6 hours, the mean intensive care unit stay was 37.4 ± 14.6 hours, and the mean hospital stay was 6.9 ± 3.2 days. There was one patient who underwent reoperation for bleeding. There were no instances of postoperative stroke, myocardial infarction, renal failure, or wound infection. The mean follow-up was 19 ± 2.4 months. CONCLUSION: Presence of RCA lesion is not a contraindication for minimally invasive approach in cases who underwent single or combined valve surgery. Combined valve surgery and right CABG via right anterior minithoracotomy are a safe and feasible option to standard median sternotomy surgery, even if RCA lesions seem suitable for stenting.

Multiple Valve Implantation Through a Minimally Invasive Approach: Comparison of Standard Median Sternotomy and Right Anterior Thoracotomy.

BACKGROUND: Following developments in the area of minimally invasive surgery and good, recently published surgical results, the areas in which minimally invasive surgery can be used are beginning to expand. This study aimed to describe experience and show the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive multiple valve implantation with right anterior minithoracotomy (RAT) and compare the outcomes with cases that underwent multiple valve surgery via a standard median sternotomy. METHODS: The study cohort comprised 52 patients with combined valvular disease who underwent aortic valve replacement and mitral valve replacement or repair, and/or tricuspid valve ring annuloplasty through median sternotomy (control group n=32) or minimally invasive surgery through a RAT (study group n=20) between January 2012 and December 2018 at the current centre. Preoperative evaluation included coronary catheterisation and multisliced computerised tomography in all patients. Postoperative clinical outcomes and haemodynamic performance of heart valves were reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 72.6±7.1 years, and 50% were male. Seventeen (17) patients (32.6%) were in New York Heart Association functional class III or IV. Three (3) patients (7.6%) had third-degree atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Mean follow-up was 21±3.9 months (maximum 26 months). No major paravalvular leakage occurred, and there was no postoperative valve migration in either group. Non-valve-related deaths occurred in five patients during follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study showed that minimally invasive multiple valve implantation is a technically feasible and safe procedure with acceptable surgical outcomes and similar postoperative quality when compared with median sternotomy.

Promising utilization areas of therapeutic plasmapheresis in cardiovascular surgery practice.

OBJECTIVE: Apheresis is performed for treatment of numerous diseases by removing auto-antibodies, antigen-antibody complexes, allo-antibodies, paraproteins, non-Ig proteins, toxins, exogenous poisons. In current study, we present our experience of using therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in patients with different types of clinical scenarios. METHODS: Between January 2013 and May 2016, we retrospectively presented the results of 64 patients in whom postoperative TPE was performed in ICU setting after cardiac surgery. Patients were grouped into four as; 1-sepsis (n = 26), 2-hepatorenal syndrome(n = 24), 3-antibody mediated rejection(AMR) following heart transplantation(n = 4) and 4-right heart failure(RHF) after left ventricular asist device(LVAD)(n = 10). Hemodynamic parameters were monitored constantly, pre- and post-procedure peripheral blood tests including renal and liver functions and daily complete blood count (CBC), sedimentation, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin (ng/ml) levels were studied. RESULTS: The mean age was 61 ± 17.67 years old and 56.25% (n = 36) were male. Mean Pre TPE left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (%), central venous pressure (CVP)(mmHg) pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP)(mmHg) and pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP)(mmHg) were measured as 41.8 ± 8.1, 15.5 ± 4.4, 17.3 ± 3.24 and 39.9 ± 5.4, respectively. Procalcitonin (ng/ml) level of patients undergoing TPE due to sepsis was significantly reduced from 873 ± 401 ng/ml to 248 ± 132 ng/ml. Seventeen (26.5%) patients died in hospital during treatment, mean length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay(days) was 13.2 ± 5.1. CONCLUSION: This study shows that TEP is a safe and feasible treatment modality in patients with different types of complications after cardiac surgery and hopefully this study will lead to new utilization areas.

A retrospective cohort analysis of percutaneous versus side-graft perfusion techniques for veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to compare vascular complications and the outcomes of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous cannulation with distal perfusion catheter (PC-DP) and arterial side-graft perfusion (SGP) techniques in patients who require veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support for refractory cardiogenic shock (RCS). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study of consequtive patients with RCS treated with VA-ECMO at a single transplant center from March 2010 until August 2015. Overall, 148 patients underwent VA-ECMO for RCS (99 men, aged 56.6 ± 12.0 years; BSA, 1.85 ± 0.19). Patients were categorized based on VA-ECMO perfusion technique into PC-DP via femoral artery and SGP via axillary/femoral artery groups. RESULTS: The median duration of VA-ECMO support was 5 days (range, 8 hours-80 days). Hospital mortality (PC-DP group, 54.7%; SGP group, 64.4%; p=0.23) and overall ECMO survival (PC-DP group, 36.9%; SGP group, 32.2%; p=0.47) was similar between the groups. There were no significant between-group differences in the rate of acute limb ischemia (PC-DP group, 4/75, 5.3%; SGP group, 2/73, 2.7%; p=0.68). However, the rate of surgical/cannulation site bleeding (PC-DP, 9/75 (12%) vs SGP, 18/73 (24.7%), p=0.05) and hyperperfusion syndrome (PC-DP, 2/75 (2.7%) vs SGP, 22/73 (30.1%),p=0.001) were higher in the SGP group than in the PC-DP group. CONCLUSIONS: We observed no significant difference in major vascular complications or survival between patients who underwent the PC-DP technique and those who underwent arterial SGP.

Myocardial Blush Grade Predicts Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation following Mitral Valve Replacement: A Novel Perspective.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common arrhythmia following mitral valve surgery. Although numerous clinical and laboratory indicators and possible mechanisms of postoperative AF (PoAF) have been described, the role of microvascular dysfunction in pathogenesis has not been assessed. We aimed to evaluate the association between microvascular dysfunction and PoAF in patients undergoing isolated mitral valve replacement. Methods: 188 patients undergoing mitral valve replacement were included in this retrospective study. Demographic characteristics of the patients were recorded. Angiographic assessment of microvascular perfusion was performed using the myocardial blush grading technique for each patient. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized to determine predictors of PoAF. Results: Of 188 patients (56.69 ± 8.9 years, 39.4% male) who underwent mitral valve replacement, 64 (34%) patients developed PoAF. In the PoAF group, a lower basal hemoglobin level (12.64 ± 0.89 vs. 14.46 ± 0.91 g/dL; p < 0.001), a higher left atrial diameter [5.9 (5.2-6.47) vs. 4.9 (4.5-5.8) cm; p < 0.001], and a lower total blush score (TBS) (8.33 ± 0.84 vs. 8.9 ± 0.31; p < 0.001) were detected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative LA diameter (OR:2.057; 95% CI: 1.166-3.63; p = 0.013), preoperative hemoglobin (OR:0.12; 95% CI: 0.058-0.245; p < 0.001), and abnormal TBS (OR:15.1; 95% CI: 1.602-142.339; p = 0.018) were independent predictors of PoAF. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that TBS at the preoperative period was an independent predictor of PoAF in patients undergoing isolated mitral valve replacement.

Severe Intermittent Transvalvular Mitral Valve Regurgitation: Serious Complication of Mitral Valve Replacement With Subvalvular Preservation.

Mitral valve replacement with subvalvular preservation is a favorable technique to protect left ventricular function and improve long-term survival. However, complications of the procedure should be considered. We report the case of a patient with a history of prosthetic mitral valve replacement with severe intermittent transvalvular mitral regurgitation and reduced ejection fraction. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Sutureless Valve Replacement Through a Right Anterior Mini-thoracotomy in Elderly Patients With Stenotic Bicuspid Aortic Valve.

Several indications for sutureless aortic valve replacement (SU-AVR) have been a matter of debate. We evaluated our experience with Perceval-S (LivaNova group, Saluggia, Italy) SU-AVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) involving bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), even though presence of BAV is still considered to be a contraindication for sutureless valves. From January 2013 through March 2018, 13 patients with severe AS involving BAV underwent SU-AVR with the Perceval-S (LivaNova group, Saluggia, Italy) prosthesis in a single center. Preoperative evaluation included coronary catheterization and multisliced computerized tomography was performed in all patients. Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography was used to evaluate for obtaining the anatomy and phenotype of BAV. Minimally invasive approach through right anterior thoracotomy from third intercostal space was performed for all patients. The mean age was 72.8 ± 2.26 years ranging from 70 to 77, and 53.8% (n = 7) were male. The mean aortic valve gradient decreased from 46.4 ± 13.8 to 13.6 ± 4.4 mmHg postoperatively. The mean aortic valve area increased from 0.69 ± 0.22 to 1.81 ± 0.38 cm2. There was no in-hospital mortality. One patient (7.6%) had third-degree atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Mean follow-up was 15.1 ± 6.3 months (maximum 2 years). No major paravalvular leakage or valve migration occurred postoperatively. This study shows that SU-AVR is a technically feasible and safe procedure in patients with severe AS and BAV with acceptable good surgical outcomes. Presence of BAV in AS should not be considered a contraindication to Perceval-S prosthesis (LivaNova group, Saluggia, Italy).

Right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain and stroke work index for predicting right heart failure after left ventricular assist device therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Right heart failure (RHF) is an important prognostic factor in continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. We aimed to assess the clinical variables associated with RHF after LVAD implantation and to compare their performance against currently available RHF predictive scoring systems. METHODS: The study cohort comprised 57 patients who underwent LVAD therapy between January 2012 and May 2018 in our centre. The mean age of the patients was 39.9 ± 18.3 years, and 43 (81.1%) of them were men. Thirty-eight patients (66.6%) were in the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile I or II. The study cohort was divided into the patients with RHF postoperatively (n = 20, 35.1%) and without RHF (n = 37, 64.9%). RESULTS: Independent predictors for RHF were preoperative right ventricular ejection fraction <25% [odds ratio (OR) 4.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.41-15.5; P = 0.01], right ventricular stroke work index <400 mmHg ml-1 (OR 3.73, 95% CI 1.01-13.7; P = 0.04), right ventricular outflow tract systolic excursion <7 mm (OR 1.55, 95% CI 0.31-0.84; P = 0.002), right ventricular outflow tract fractional shortening <15% (OR 1.62, 95% CI 0.34-0.78; P = 0.02), right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain ≤19% (OR 3.13, 95% CI 1.01-2.43; P = 0.003), right ventricular fractional area change <27% (OR 3.71, 95% CI 1.15-11.9; P = 0.02) and prealbumin <14 mg/dl (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.07-11.03; P = 0.03). Modest diagnostic performance for RHF was detected in 4 of 7 validated scoring systems with resulting area under the curve values of 0.70 (95% CI 0.55-0.84; P = 0.001) for the Seattle Heart Failure Model; 0.68 (95% CI 0.49-0.81, P = 0.03) for the Fitzpatrick's; 0.68 (95% CI 0.53-0.83, P = 0.028) for the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II; and 0.66 (95% CI 0.50-0.82, P = 0.04) for the model for end-stage liver disease scoring systems. However, we found best discrimination performance of the score with a resulting area under the curve value of 0.94 (95% CI 0.55-0.89, P = 0.03) for right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain ≥-15.5% and 0.82 for right ventricular stroke work index <400 mmHg ml-1 m-2 in predicting RHF. CONCLUSIONS: Right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain ≥-15.5% and right ventricular stroke work index <400 mmHg ml-1 m-2 were independent predictors of RHF following LVAD implantation. Currently available prediction risk scores had the modest power of accuracy in the low INTERMACS profile Turkish population.

Sutureless aortic valve replacement with concomitant valvular surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Sutureless aortic valve replacement (SU-AVR) is an alternative technique to standard aortic valve replacement. We evaluated our experience with the Perceval SU-AVR with concomitant mitral valve surgery, with or without tricuspid valve surgery, and aimed to discuss the technical considerations. METHODS: From January 2013 through June 2016, 30 patients with concomitant severe mitral valve disease, with or without tricuspid valve disease, underwent SU-AVR with the Perceval prosthesis in a single center. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.0 ± 6.6 years, ranging from 63 to 86 years, and 60% (n = 18) were male. Mean logistic EuroScore of the study cohort was 9.8 ± 4.6. Concomitant procedures consisted of mitral valve repair (n = 8, 26.6%), mitral valve replacement (n = 22, 73.3%), tricuspid valve repair (n = 18, 60%), tricuspid valve replacement (n = 2, 6.6%), and cryoablation for atrial fibrillation (n = 21, 70%). Median prosthesis size was 25 mm (large size). At 1 year, there were 2 deaths from noncardiac causes. One patient (3.3%) had third-degree atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Three patients (10%) had intraoperative supra-annular malpositioning of the aortic prosthesis, which was safely removed and reimplanted in all cases. Mean follow-up was 18 ± 4.5 for months (maximum 3 years). During the postoperative period, sinus rhythm restoration rate in patients who underwent the cryo-maze procedure was 76.1% (n = 16) at discharge. There was no structural valve deterioration or migration of the prosthesis at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Perceval SU-AVR is a technically feasible and safe procedure in patients with severe aortic stenosis with good results even in the presence of multivalvular disease and atrial fibrillation surgery.

Tricuspid valve surgery in implantable cardiac electronic device-related endocarditis: Repair or replace?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate lead endocarditis-related tricuspid valve regurgitation, to identify underlying causes, and to report our surgical approaches to tricuspid valve endocarditis. METHODS: Between March 2010 and August 2016, medical records of a total of 43 patients (23 males, 20 females; mean age: 63.2±13.6 years; range 48 to 72 years) who underwent tricuspid valve surgery for severe tricuspid regurgitation caused by lead endocarditis, which was previously placed as an implantable cardiac electronic device were reviewed. We removed all systems including infected leads and generators, revised infected wounds and tissues, performed tricuspid valve surgery for lead endocarditis, and applied long-term intravenous antibiotic regimen for the culprit agent, as confirmed by the culture. RESULTS: Of 43 patients, 18 underwent tricuspid valve repair and 25 underwent tricuspid valve replacement for lead endocarditisrelated severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. During followup (range, 2 to 62 months), two patients required temporary mechanical support due to postoperative acute right heart failure, while eight patients died due to sepsis (n=6; 14%) and stroke (n=2; 4.6%) in the early postoperative period. The remaining patients showed significant improvement in signs and symptoms of heart failure. CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest that incompetent experience and inaccurate decision for valve repair may result in delayed valve replacement and prolonged operation time.

Comparison of minimally invasive cardiac surgery incisions: Periareolar approach in female patients.

OBJECTIVE: All innovations in cardiac surgery provide us with new techniques to perform surgery through smaller incisions with less invasive and best cosmetic results. After promising results in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS), pain and cosmetic appearance became important end points, especially for female patients. In the current study, we intended to evaluate the surgical results and cosmetic satisfaction with the periareolar and submammary incision types in cardiac surgery. METHODS: Ninety-four female patients underwent MICS between July 2013 and March 2018. MICS was performed in 62 patients via periareolar incision and in 32 patients via submammarian incision. We investigated the incision size, wound infection, pain levels by using a postoperative standard pain-level questionnaire, the postoperative scar size, and patient satisfaction using a postoperative patient questionnaire. RESULTS: Periareolar incision size was smaller than the submammary incision (Group A: 5.6±0.6 vs. Group B: 6.7±0.8, p=0.001). Four patients from Group B had superficial wound infection (p=0.01). Patients who underwent MICS via periareolar incision and submammary incision had similar pain level (p=0.2). The scar tissue was smaller in size and postoperatively healed better in the following days for the patients with periareolar incision due to the elastic structure of breast tissue. (Group A: 4.3±0.4 vs. Group B: 5.3±0.2, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the periareolar approach would be more aesthetic, show better healing, and have a smaller scar size in female patients.

Controlled flow diversion in hybrid venoarterial-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

OBJECTIVES: Patients on venoarterial or venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support may require venoarterial-venous (VAV-ECMO) configuration during follow-up. We report 12 cases of VAV-ECMO with significant outflow steal. METHODS: Between October 2014 and November 2016, a total of 97 patients (56.6 ± 12.0 years; 59 men/38 women; body surface area 1.84 ± 0.36 m2) were supported with venoarterial ECMO (n = 85) or venovenous ECMO (n = 12). Among the 97 patients, 12 patients (age 61.5 ± 3.5 years; 8 men/4 women; body surface area 1.8 ± 0.8 m2) required hybrid use of VAV-ECMO. Control and monitoring of flow ratios in supplying cannulae using flow sensors were performed, and occluder devices were used according to patient requirements to achieve optimum haemodynamics and oxygenation. RESULTS: Among the 85 venoarterial ECMO-supported patients, Harlequin syndrome was detected in 9 cases (10.6%) who required switching to VAV-ECMO. Among the 12 patients, 3 (25%) patients required VAV-ECMO while on venovenous ECMO support as a result of initial respiratory failure subsequently developed cardiac decompensation. Mean duration of VAV-ECMO support was 6.4 ± 1.8 days. Overall, on VAV-ECMO support, 70.0 ± 4.6% of blood flow was detected within the supplying right internal jugular vein cannula as a result of lower afterload in venous system. We partially occluded the internal jugular vein cannula and directed flow to the common femoral artery. After adjustment, 34.3 ± 7.4% flow was directed to internal jugular vein and 65.6 ± 7.4% to common femoral artery. CONCLUSIONS: Non-invasive monitoring of flow rates within the supplying cannulae of VAV-ECMO and the use of partial occlusion for venous-supplying cannula enable individualized patient management and effective weaning from VAV-ECMO.

Comparative study of microfibrillar collagen hemostat (Colgel) and oxidized cellulose (Surgicel) in high transfusion-risk cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of microfibrillar collagen hemostat (Colgel) and oxidized cellulose (Surgicel) on bleeding and allogeneic transfusions were compared in cardiac operations with a predicted high risk of bleeding. METHODS: Between August 1999 and November 2001, 71 patients undergoing elective, high risk of bleeding operations were studied after giving informed consent. The procedures included repeat cardiac operations (aorta-coronary bypass operations or valvular operations), ascending aortic aneurysm repair necessitating deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, and ascending aortic grafting without deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Subjects were excluded if they had recent (<5 days) acetylsalicylic acid ingestion, thrombolytic therapy, or anticoagulant therapy (heparin <4 hours preoperatively or warfarin <3 days preoperatively). Consenting subjects were randomized to receive either Colgel or Surgicel. RESULTS: Chest tube drainage in the first 24 hours was 373 +/- 143 mL in the Colgel group and 571 +/- 144 mL in the Surgicel group (P =.01). Total postoperative chest tube drainage was 423 +/- 154 mL (range, 280-1100 mL) in the Colgel group and 677 +/- 128 mL (range, 285-1350 mL) in the Surgicel group (P =.01). In addition, chest tube drainage was compared between the 2 groups every 3 hours after operation. Blood loss in the first 3 postoperative hours was significantly less in the Colgel group (132 +/- 41 vs 228 +/- 57 mL, P <.001). In the following 3-hour interval, this significant difference persisted (67 +/- 24 vs 121 +/- 49 mL, P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the easy application, low cost, and significant blood-loss reduction effect of microfibrillar collagen powder renders this agent attractive for cardiac operations associated with high risk of bleeding.