The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database: 2023 Update on Procedure Data and Research.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database is one of the largest and most comprehensive contemporary clinical databases in use. It now contains >9 million procedures from 1010 participants and 3651 active surgeons. Using audited data collection, it has provided the foundation for multiple risk models, performance metrics, health policy decisions, and a trove of research studies to improve the care of patients in need of cardiac surgical procedures. This annual report provides an update on the current status of the database and summarizes the development of new risk models and the STS Online Risk Calculator. Further, it provides insights into current practice patterns, such as the change in the demographics among patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, the use of minimally invasive techniques for valve and bypass surgery, or the adoption of surgical ablation and left atrial appendage ligation among patients with atrial fibrillation. Lastly, an overview of the research conducted using the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database and future directions for the database are provided.

Practice patterns of female cardiothoracic surgeons older than age 58 years: Are we making progress?

OBJECTIVE: Women remain a small minority of cardiothoracic surgeons, and within adult cardiac surgery, the gender gap widens. This study examines the career pathway and trajectory of female adult cardiac surgeons. METHODS: Female cardiothoracic surgeons were identified from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery diplomates over 58 years. Publicly available information was obtained to determine years in practice, practice type, academic and leadership title(s), and location of practice. RESULTS: The average number of years in practice for female adult cardiac surgeons was 13.1. Those categorized as adult cardiac surgeons composed 25.4% (n = 90) of all female cardiothoracic diplomates and 134 (37.9%) were categorized as other subspecialty practice. Of the adult cardiac surgeons, 33.3% (n = 30) practiced privately and the remainder in academic practice. Academic titles were held by 47.8% (43 out of 90) and 30% (27 out of 90) held a position of leadership. Of those in academic practice, 25% (11 out of 42) are titled professor, whereas 43% (18 out of 42) are assistant professors. Most commonly, those in positions of leadership held the title "director," which reflects 37% (10 out of 27) of individuals. Practice locations were distributed throughout the United States, with the highest number in the northeast (26.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Only a small portion of female cardiothoracic surgeons pursue a career in adult cardiac surgery compared to their male counterparts. From 1999 to 2009, 1300 individuals were board certified cardiothoracic surgeons, of whom only 103 (7.9%) were female. Of these, the majority of female cardiothoracic surgeons entered academic practice. Although the overall number of practicing female adult cardiac surgeons has increased with a growth rate of 10.7%, this number remains extremely low. A discrepancy remains between gender representation of academic titles and leadership positions. Although the field has increased female representation over the past few decades, work remains to ensure all potential talent is encouraged and supported.

Evolving Characteristics of Heart Transplantation Donors and Recipients: JACC Focus Seminar.

Although the burden of end-stage heart failure continues to increase, the number of available organs for heart transplantation (HT) remains inadequate. The HT community has been challenged to find ways to expand the number of donor hearts available. Recent advances include use of hearts from donors infected with hepatitis C virus as well as other previously underutilized donors, including those with left ventricular dysfunction, of older age, and with a history of cocaine use. Concurrently, emerging trends in HT surgery include donation after circulatory death, ex vivo normothermic heart perfusion, and controlled hypothermic preservation, which may enable procurement of organs from farther distances and prevent early allograft dysfunction. Contemporary HT recipients have also evolved in light of the 2018 revision to the U.S. heart allocation policy. This focus seminar discusses recent trends in donor and recipient phenotypes and management strategies for successful HT, as well as evolving areas and future directions.

Unconventional use of total artificial heart in a patient with severe, destructive prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Here, we report the case of a patient who presented to our institution with severe, destructive, and unreconstructable prosthetic valve endocarditis which required the planned implantation of a total artificial heart (TAH) to function as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. The use of TAH in this fashion has been infrequently reported in the literature. This case highlights the importance of a thoughtful, preoperative multidisciplinary approach to these complex patients to provide the most appropriate and life-saving care.

Left ventricular assist device implantation by bi-thoracotomy technique: A single-center perspective.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are standardly implanted via full sternotomy. Nonsternotomy approaches are gaining popularity, but potential benefits of this approach have not been well-studied. We hypothesized that LVAD implantation by bi-thoracotomy (BT) would demonstrate smaller and more consistent inflow cannula angles leading to improved postoperative outcomes compared to sternotomy. METHODS: Charts of patients who underwent LVAD implantation between June 2018 and June 2020 at a single academic institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, surgical approach (sternotomy vs. BT), laboratory values, and postoperative course were compared. The inflow cannula angle was measured on the first chest radiograph available postoperatively. RESULTS: Of 40 patients studied, BT approach was used in 17 (42.5%). Mean inflow cannula angles were smaller in BT patients (23.0 vs. 37.1 degrees, p = .018) and had a smaller standard deviation (13.8 vs. 20.3). Excluding patients who went on to receive a heart transplant or died in the same hospitalization, there was no difference in median length of hospital stay after surgery (16.0 vs. 17.5 days, p = .768). However, BT patients required fewer days of postoperative inotrope support (4.0 vs. 7.0 days, p = .012). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest inflow cannula angles are smaller and more consistent with the BT approach, which leads to a shorter duration of postoperative inotropic support. This finding may suggest improved right heart function following LVAD implant via BT approach. Further study is warranted to determine additional benefits of the BT approach.

Impact of distance from implant center on mechanical circulatory device patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Patients on left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support receive extensive care and education before discharge home. We investigated the impact of patient's residential distance from LVAD implantation center on outcomes and survival. METHODS: A total of 214 patients received a LVAD between 2006 and 2018 at our institution. Patient's residential distance from the LVAD implantation center, LVAD complications, hospitalization, and death were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups: patients living less than or equal to 100 miles (Group 1), patients living more than 100 (Group 2). RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were assigned to Group 1 and 108 patients were assigned to Group 2. Destination therapy was intended in 20% of patients in Group 1 and 34% in Group 2 (p = .023). Mean length of stay was 13 ± 9 days for Group 1 and 21 ± 12 for Group 2 (p < .001). Major postoperative complications were unplanned readmissions due to infections (9% and 12%), gastrointenstinal bleeding (15% and 14%), cerebrovascular accidents (6% and 7.4%), and acute kidney injury (5% and 2%), respectively for Group 1 and Group 2. There was no difference in major complications (all p > .05) and survival between patients in both groups (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Distance from implanting center had no impact on adverse outcomes after LVAD implantation. There was a significant increase in hospital stay for patients who live far from the implanting center, suggesting that distance should not be a contraindication when considering patients for LVAD therapy, but plans should be made for prolonged hospital stay or extended local stay near the hospital for close follow-up.

Successful heart transplantation in a patient who recovered from COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease-2019 has created unprecedented challenges for society, and specifically the medical community. While the pandemic continues to unfold, the transplant community has had to pivot to keep recipients, donors, and institutional transplant teams safe given the unique circumstances inherent to solid organ transplantation.

Multimodal Cardiopulmonary Bypass Skills Assessment Within a High-Fidelity Simulation Environment.

BACKGROUND: A high-fidelity simulator that uses a perfused porcine heart, cannulae, and tubing has been demonstrated to be a useful training adjunct. We hypothesized that multimodal assessment of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) skills within this high-fidelity simulated environment could discern expert from trainee performance. METHODS: Three traditional fellows (postgraduate year 6-8) and 3 attending surgeons each performed 3 aortic cannulations. The third sequence included venous cannulation, commencement of CPB, and placement of a cardioplegia catheter and aortic cross-clamp. Performance across 20 cognitive and 21 technical domains was evaluated. Surgeon and assistant hand movements and economy of motion were assessed by electromagnetic motion sensors worn under sterile gloves. RESULTS: Analysis showed a significant difference in cognitive (6.7 ± 2.3 vs 4.6 ± 2.7, P = .03) but not technical (6.2 ± 2.5 vs 5.8 ± 2.2, P = .7) scores favoring the experts. In addition, experts showed higher efficiency by spending 64 ± 14 seconds to construct a nonpledgeted aortic purse-string suture and secure it with a Rummel, while trainees spent 82 ± 30 seconds to complete this task (P = .03). Motion analysis revealed similar path lengths between experts and trainees for cannulation and CPB but significantly shorter path lengths for experts in cross-clamp (47.5 ± 15.5 m vs 91.9 ± 20.3 m, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Multimodal assessment using cognitive, technical, and motion analysis of basic CPB tasks using a high-fidelity simulation environment is a valid system to measure performance and discriminate experts from trainees. This construct may allow for development of "competence thresholds" with important implications for training and certification in cardiothoracic surgery.

The changing landscape of percutaneous technology leading to surgical complications.

With new technology comes new complications. We discuss the interesting case presented by Bjelic and colleagues regarding a misplaced TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) valve into the inflow cannula of a left ventricular assist device, leading to hemodynamic collapse. The author describes the pitfalls of the new technology and interesting surgical maneuvers to address these complications.

Intra-aortic balloon pump placement in coronary artery bypass grafting patients by day of admission.

INTRODUCTION: Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABPs) can be utilized to provide hemodynamic support in high risk patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). There are many indications for IABP and institutional practice patterns regarding the placement of IABPs is variable. As a result, the preoperative placement of an IABP in a patient awaiting CABG is not standardized and may vary according to non-clinical factors. We hypothesize that the rate of IABP placement varies by day of the week. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database from 2006 to 2010 was performed. All patients admitted for CABG were included. Patients who died within 24 h of admission and those who had absolute contraindications to IABP placement were excluded. The primary outcome was preoperative IABP placement versus non-placement. A multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of IABP placement was performed, adjusting for patient demographics, clinical factors, and system variables. RESULTS: A total of 46,347 patients underwent CABG, of which 7695 (16.60%) had an IABP placed preoperatively. On unadjusted analysis, IABP rates were significantly higher on weekends versus weekdays (20.83% vs. 15.70%, p < 0.001). On adjusted analysis, patients awaiting CABG were 1.30 times more likely to have an IABP placed on weekends than on weekdays (OR: 1.30, 95% CI 1.20-1.40, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The odds of preoperative IABP placement prior to CABG is significantly increased on weekends compared to weekdays, even when controlling for clinical factors. Further exploration of this phenomenon and its associations are warranted.

Balancing supply and demand: Review of the 2018 donor heart allocation policy.

Heart transplant remains the most effective treatment for patients with end stage heart failure. Advances in mechanical circulatory support devices have changed the therapeutic landscape and contributed to a demographic shift in patients awaiting transplant. In the setting of a growing waitlist and concern for an inability of current policies to accurately account for patient acuity and equitable geographic distribution of organs, the United Network for Organ Sharing developed a new donor heart allocation policy which was introduced in 2018. The new policy creates more precise listing criteria to reflect patient acuity, addresses previously marginalized groups, and takes steps to address geographic inequalities.