Differential impacts of clinical, anatomical, and procedural factors on early and late mortality following open thoracoabdominal aortic repair: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The operative outcomes of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) are challenged by high operative mortality and disabling complications. This study aimed to explore the baseline clinical, anatomical, and procedural risk factors that impact early and late outcomes following open repair of TAAAs. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 290 patients who underwent open repair of TAAAs between 1992 and 2020 at a tertiary referral center. Determinants of early mortality (within 30 days or in hospital) were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models, while those of overall follow-up mortality were explored using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and landmark analyses. RESULTS: The rates of early mortality and spinal cord deficits were 13.1% and 11.0%, respectively, with Crawford extent II showing the highest rates. In the logistic regression models, older age (P < 0.001), high cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time (P < 0.001), and low surgical volume of the surgeon (P < 0.001) emerged as independent factors significantly associated with early mortality. During follow-up (median, 5.0 years; interquartile range, 1.1-7.6 years), 82 late deaths occurred (5.7%/patient-year). Cox proportional hazards models demonstrated that older age (P < 0.001) and low hemoglobin level (P = 0.032) were significant risk factors of overall mortality, while the landmark analyses revealed that the significant impacts of low surgical volume (P = 0.017), high CPB time (P = 0.002), and Crawford extent II (P = 0.017) on mortality only remained in the early postoperative period, without significant late impacts (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There were differential temporal impacts of perioperative risk variables on mortality in open repair of TAAAs, with older age and low hemoglobin level having significant impacts throughout the postoperative period, and low surgical volume, high CPB time, and Crawford extent II having impacts in the early postoperative phase.

Impact of Optimal Medical Therapy on Long-Term Outcomes After Myocardial Revascularization for Multivessel Coronary Disease.

Although optimal medical therapy (OMT) after coronary revascularization is advocated for intensive secondary prevention, its criteria and effect on long-term outcomes are uncertain. Using data from the ASAN-Multivessel (Asan Medical Center-Multivessel Revascularization) registry, we identified 8,311 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (n = 3,115) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (n = 5,196). OMT was defined as the combination of minimum of 3 medications in 4 drug classes (antiplatelet drugs, statins, ß blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers). Two primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and serious composite outcome of death, spontaneous myocardial infarction, or stroke at 10 years. Of 8,311 patients, 4,321 (52.0%) followed OMT. In the 3,397 propensity-score-matched cohort, OMT status compared with non-OMT status was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (10.7% vs 18.7%; hazard ratio [HR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47 to 0.65) and serious composite outcome (14.5% vs 22.5%, HR 0.635, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.73) at 10 years. The association on 10-year mortality was more prominent in the PCI group (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.56) than in the CABG group (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.90) with a significant interaction (p = 0.001). Overall findings were consistent using different OMT criteria (all 4 types of medications). In conclusion, OMT significantly lowered the risks of mortality and major cardiovascular events at 10 years in patients with multivessel revascularization. The OMT impact on mortality was more remarkable in the PCI group than in the CABG group. This work was registered at http://ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02039752).

The fate of aortic valve after rheumatic mitral valve surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Deterioration of the native aortic valve function by a late progression of rheumatic disease is not infrequent in patients who underwent rheumatic mitral valve surgery; however, this phenomenon has not been clearly quantified. METHODS: A total of 1155 consecutive patients (age 52.0 ± 12.9 years; 807 female) who underwent rheumatic mitral valve surgery without concomitant aortic valve surgery from 1997 to 2015 were enrolled. The primary end point was the composite of progression to severe aortic valve dysfunction or a requirement of subsequent aortic valve replacements during follow-up. To determine the risk factors of the primary outcome, we performed the generalized linear mixed model. RESULTS: The baseline severities of aortic valve were none to trivial in 880 patients (76.2%), mild in 256 patients (22.2%), and moderate in 19 patients (1.6%). The latest 1062 echocardiographic assessments (91.9%; median, 81.2 postoperative months; interquartile range, 37.3-132.1 months) demonstrated 26 cases (0.33%/patient-year) meeting the primary end point during follow-up. Cumulative incidence of the primary end point at 10 years was 0.4% ± 0.3% and 7.4% ± 2.5% depending on the presence of mild or greater aortic valve dysfunction at baseline (P < .01). In multivariable analyses, aortic valve peak pressure gradient (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.20), aortic regurgitation degree (mild over none: odds ratio, 3.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-9.23), and time (odds ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval 1.19-1.41) were significantly associated with the occurrence of the primary end point. CONCLUSIONS: Progression of severe aortic valve dysfunction and the need for aortic valve replacement are uncommon in patients undergoing rheumatic mitral valve surgery. However, such events were relatively common among those with mild or greater aortic valve dysfunction at the time of mitral valve surgery.

Surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation during aortic and mitral valve surgery: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of surgical atrial fibrillation ablation in reducing mortality or thromboembolic events during aortic/mitral valve surgery. We evaluated the association of surgical ablation versus no ablation with risks of all-cause death and ischemic stroke or systemic embolization among patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation undergoing concomitant aortic valve or mitral valve surgery. METHODS: With the use of administrative healthcare datasets from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database between 2003 and 2018, adult patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing aortic/mitral valve replacement or mitral valve repair were enrolled, and their outcomes were compared according to the performance of concomitant surgical ablation. The primary end points were all-cause death and thromboembolic event of ischemic stroke or systemic embolization. RESULTS: Among 17,247 patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing aortic/mitral valve surgery, 8716 (50.5%) received surgical ablation, whereas 8531 (49.5%) did not. During a median follow-up of 6.7 years (124,842.2 patient-years), death was less in the ablation group than in the no-ablation group (2.7 vs 4.1 patient-years; P < .001). The incidence of ischemic stroke or systemic embolization was also lower in the ablation group (0.9 vs 1.3 patient-years; P < .001). After adjustment with inverse probability of treatment weighting, surgical ablation was associated with decreased risks of all-cause death (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.92), ischemic stroke or systemic embolization (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.71), and hospitalization from heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing aortic/mitral valve surgery, concomitant surgical ablation was significantly associated with lower risks of mortality and thromboembolic events.

Aortic arch isolation to reduce cerebral embolic risk during replacement of the atherosclerotic aortic arch.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy of isolating the upper body circulation from the lower body (isolation technique) in reducing the risk of embolic stroke during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with severe atherosclerosis undergoing aortic arch surgery. METHODS: Between 2006 and 2019, 156 patients with severe atherosclerosis undergoing total arch replacement were enrolled. Since 2017, the right axillary or innominate artery and ascending aorta were both cannulated before cardiopulmonary bypass in the isolation group (n = 30). The left common carotid artery was clamped and inserted with a 13-Fr balloon perfusion catheter. The innominate artery was clamped in succession and cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted, establishing a parallel noncommunicating circulation for the upper and lower body. Patients without atherosclerosis that were not considered at high risk of embolic complications were excluded. The no-isolation group was drawn from historically matched control patients undergoing total arch replacement. RESULTS: The permanent stroke rate in the isolation and no-isolation groups were 3.3% (n = 1) and 15.9% (n = 15.9), respectively. After inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighting adjustment, the early mortality (P = .043), stroke (P = .044), and composite of early mortality or stroke (P = .005) rates were significantly lower in the isolation group. The logistic regression analysis after inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighting risk adjustment showed a significantly reduced composite risk of early death and stroke in the isolation group (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.70; P = .023). CONCLUSIONS: The isolation technique was associated with a significant reduction in early postoperative embolic stroke and mortality risks in patients with severe aortic atherosclerosis undergoing total arch replacement.

Bioprosthesis in the Mitral Position: Bovine Pericardial versus Porcine Xenograft.

BACKGROUND: While the use of bioprosthetic valves for mitral valve replacement (MVR) is increasing, very few studies have compared bovine pericardial and porcine valves in the mitral position to help guide bioprosthetic selection. METHODS: In the present study, patients who underwent MVR using bovine pericardial valves were compared with those who underwent MVR with porcine bioprostheses between January 1996 and July 2018. Those with prior MVR, infective endocarditis, congenital mitral valve disease, or ischemic mitral regurgitation were excluded. The primary outcomes were structural valve deterioration (SVD) and mitral valve reoperation from any cause, and death was regarded as a competing risk. Competing risk analysis and propensity score-matching were used for comparisons. RESULTS: Among the 388 patients enrolled, pericardial and porcine bioprostheses were implanted in 217 (55.9%) and 171 (44.1%), respectively. Propensity score-matching yielded 122 pairs of patients that were well-balanced for all baseline covariates. No significant differences were observed between the groups in unadjusted (p=0.09) and adjusted overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-1.76; p=0.60). Competing risk analysis revealed no significant differences in the risks of mitral reoperation (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.50-2.27; p=0.86) and development of SVD (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.56-4.36; p=0.39) between the groups. Matched population analysis confirmed similar results regarding reoperation (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.40-3.22; p=0.98) and SVD (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.41- 4.73; p=0.60). CONCLUSION: No significant differences in survival or valve durability were observed between bovine pericardial and porcine bioprosthetic MVR. These findings require further validation through studies with larger sample sizes.

Mini-thoracotomy and full-sternotomy approach for reoperative mitral valve surgery after a previous sternotomy.

OBJECTIVES: Right mini-thoracotomy approach may enhance the visualization of mitral valve (MV) visualization during redo MV surgery, thereby minimizing the risk of reoperative median sternotomy. We described the clinical outcomes of redo MV surgery by mini-thoracotomy and full-sternotomy approach. METHODS: Of 730 consecutive adult patients who underwent redo MV surgery between 2002 and 2018 at our institution, we identified 380 patients (age: 56.0 [14.8] years) after excluding those who underwent concomitant aortic valve or coronary artery surgeries. RESULTS: The clinical outcomes in patients who underwent mini-thoracotomy (MINI group; n = 168) and full-sternotomy (STERN group; n = 218) were described. The early and overall mortality in the MINI group was 4.3% (7/162) and 17.3% (28/162), with the rates of early major complications as follows: low cardiac output syndrome, 5.6% (9/162); early stroke, 6.8% (11/162); new-onset dialysis, 6.2% (10/162); prolonged ventilation, 15.4% (25/162); and postoperative bleeding requiring exploration, 7.4% (12/162). In the STERN group, the early mortality was 11.0% (24/218), whereas the risk of low cardiac output syndrome, early stroke, new-onset dialysis, prolonged ventilation, and postoperative bleeding was 12.4% (27/218), 14.2% (31/218), 17.0% (37/218), 33.0% (72/218), and 10.1% (22/218), respectively. The duration of intensive care unit and hospital stay was 2.0 [range 1.0, 3.0] and 8.0 [6.0, 13.0], respectively, in the MINI group and 3.0 [2.0, 7.0] and 14.0 [8.0, 29.0], respectively, in the STERN group. CONCLUSIONS: Mini-thoracotomy may be a viable alternative to conventional sternotomy for redo MV surgery.

3-Dimensional computed tomographic assessment predicts conduction block and paravalvular leakage after rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement.

OBJECTIVES: Complications like complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) and paravalvular leakage (PVL) following rapid deployment aortic valve (AV) replacement (RDAVR) remain unresolved. Selecting an optimal size of the valve might be important to minimize the incidence of these complications. We sought to determine the impact of prosthesis size relative to the anatomic profile of the AV on the occurrence of CAVB or PVL after RDAVR. METHODS: Preoperative computed tomographic (CT) images were evaluated in patients receiving RDAVR (INTUITY ELITE) between February 2016 and December 2019. The occurrence of CAVB requiring permanent pacemaker implantation and PVL (≥ mild) was evaluated. The relative size of implants against the cross-sectional dimensions of recipients' AV annulus and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) were calculated. RESULTS: Among 187 eligible patients, CAVB and PVL (≥ mild) occurred in 12 (6.4%) and 11 patients (5.9%), respectively. CAVB was associated with oversized RDAVR (RDAVR frame width minus average diameter of LVOT calculated from the cross-sectional area [ΔLVOTarea]: odds ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-3.30): this was with an area under the curve of 0.78 (P = 0.005). The projected probability of CAVB was <3% when the ΔLVOTarea was <1.3. In contrast, PVL was associated with under-sized RDAVR (RDAVR size divided by the longest diameter of AV annulus [index Annlong]: odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.79): This was with an area under curve of 0.94 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CT parameters of the AV annulus and LVOT are highly reliable in the prediction of CAVB or PVL after RDAVR. Our data might justify CT-based sizing of prosthesis for RDAVR.

Does Surgical Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation Benefit Patients Undergoing Bioprosthetic Valve Replacement?

The benefit of avoiding lifelong anticoagulation therapy in patients with bioprosthetic heart valve implantation may potentially be offset by atrial fibrillation (AF); however, clinical impact of surgical AF ablation in such patients remains controversial. We enrolled 426 patients (aged 72.0 ± 7.8 years) with AF who underwent left-side valve replacement with bioprostheses between 2001 and 2018. Of these, 297 underwent concomitant surgical ablation (ablation group) and 129 underwent valve replacement alone (non-ablation group). Clinical outcomes were compared, and mortality was considered as a competing risk factor against valve-related complications. Inverse-probability weighting (IPTW) was adopted to reduce selection bias. The ablation group had lower baseline risk profiles than the non-ablation group. In crude analysis, early mortality rates were 3.4% and 7.0% in the ablation and non-ablation groups, respectively (P = 0.104). During follow-up (1521.9 patient-years), the ablation group showed lower AF-recurrence (P < 0.001) and anticoagulant medication rate (P = 0.021), and lower overall mortality risk (subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.94), but higher risk of permanent pacemaker implantation (SHR, 4.67; 95% CI, 1.36-16.05). No significant difference in the risk of stroke (SHR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.55-2.95) was observed between the groups. After baseline IPTW-adjustment, findings of the clinical outcomes were analogous to those from crude analyses. In patients undergoing bioprosthetic valve replacement, the addition of surgical ablation was associated with improved rhythm outcomes and survival but at the expense of a higher risk of pacemaker implantation. The underlying mechanism of improved survival by AF ablation needs further investigation.

Benefit of Sarcopenia Screening in Older Patients Undergoing Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, known as physical frailty, is highly prevalent in older patients and is related to adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery. However whether sarcopenia assessment can reclassify an individual patient's risk, which is estimated by Society of Thoracic Surgeons-predicted risk of mortality scores in patients who undergo surgical aortic valve replacement, is unclear. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center, cohort study comprised 874 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement between 2009 and 2016. Total skeletal muscle area was calculated using height squared (cm2/m2) and was measured by preoperative computed tomography at the third lumbar vertebra inferior border using machine learning-based analysis. Sex-specific Z-scores were calculated, and patients in the lowest Z-score tertile were considered to have sarcopenia. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality, and secondary endpoints were in-hospital events, 1-year mortality, and long-term mortality. RESULTS: Thirty-day mortality, 30-day in-hospital events, and 1-year mortality rates were 4.7%, 17.6%, and 8.0%, respectively. As the Z-score decreased, the odds of an early adverse event showed a stepwise increase. Sarcopenia was independently associated with higher 30-day mortality, 30-day in-hospital events, and 1-year mortality. Reclassification analyses showed improvements in the ability to predict early adverse events after adding the Z-scores over and above The Society of Thoracic Surgeons-predicted risk of mortality scores (all P < .005). CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenic patients had significantly higher risks of early adverse events and long-term mortality after undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement than nonsarcopenic patients. Sarcopenia determined by preoperative computed tomography can enhance the prediction of postoperative outcome risk.

Long-Term Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents or Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Multivessel Coronary Disease.

More evidence is required with respect to the comparative effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in contemporary clinical practice. This prospective observational registry-based study compared the outcomes of 6,647 patients with multivessel disease who underwent PCI with second-generation DES (n = 3,858) or CABG (n = 2,789) between January 2006 and June 2018 and for whom follow-up data were available for at least 2 to 13 years (median 4.8). The primary outcome was a composite of death, spontaneous myocardial infarction, or stroke. Baseline differences were adjusted using propensity scores and inverse probability weighting. In the overall cohort, there were no significant between-group differences in the adjusted risks for the primary composite outcome (hazard ratio [HR] for PCI vs CABG 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86 to 1.25, p = 0.73) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.20, p = 0.68). This relative treatment effect on the primary outcome was similar in patients with diabetes (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.46, p = 0.25) and without diabetes (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.22, p = 0.67) (p for interaction = 0.24). The adjusted risk of the primary outcome was significantly greater after PCI than after CABG in patients with left main involvement (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.90, p = 0.044), but not in those without left main involvement (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.16, p = 0.56) (p = 0.03 for interaction). In this prospective real-world long-term registry, we observed that the risk for the primary composite of death, spontaneous myocardial infarction, or stroke was similar between PCI with contemporary DES and CABG.

Comparison of dopamine versus norepinephrine in circulatory shock after cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Although dopamine and norepinephrine are recommended as first-line agents in the treatment of shock, it is unclear which is the optimal vasoactive inotropic agent (VIA) to manage postcardiotomy circulatory shock. This single-center, randomized clinical trial aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of dopamine versus norepinephrine in postcardiotomy circulatory shock. METHODS: We randomly assigned the patients with postcardiotomy circulatory shock to receive either dopamine or norepinephrine. When shock persisted despite the dose of 20 µg/kg/min of dopamine or the dose of 0.2 µg/kg/min of norepinephrine, epinephrine or vasopressin could be added. The primary endpoint was new-onset tachyarrhythmic event during drug infusion. Secondary endpoints included requirement of additional VIAs, postoperative complications, and all-cause mortality within 30 days of drug initiation. RESULTS: At the planned interim analysis of 100 patients, the boundary for the benefit of norepinephrine has been crossed, and the study was stopped early. Excluding two patients withdrawing a consent, 48 patients were assigned to dopamine and 50 patients to norepinephrine. New-onset tachyarrhythmic event occurred in 12 (25%) patients in the dopamine and one (2%) patient in the norepinephrine group (p = .009). The requirement for additional VIAs was more common in the dopamine group (p < .001). Other secondary endpoints were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited study subjects with early determination, in patients with postcardiotomy circulatory shock, dopamine as a first-line vasopressor was associated with higher tachyarrhythmic events and greater need for additional VIAs compared with norepinephrine.

Comparative Surgical Outcomes of Prosthetic and Native Valve Endocarditis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As a consequence of a growing number of patients undergoing prosthetic heart valve replacement, the incidence of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) has increased. The study aims to analyze patterns and outcomes of PVE surgery as compared with native valve endocarditis (NVE). METHODS: We enrolled 269 patients (aged 58.0±15.7 years) who underwent valve surgery for infective endocarditis (IE) between 2013 and 2019. Of these, 56 had PVE whereas remainder (n=213) had NVE. Clinical outcomes were compared and multivariable analyses were conducted to determine risk factors for mortality. RESULTS: The proportion of PVE among surgical IE gradually increased from 15.4% (11/71) in the first time-quartile to 29.5% (18/61) in the last time-quartile (p=0.055). PVE patients were older, and more commonly had aorto-mitral curtain involvement and abscess formation than NVE group. Early mortality was 14.3% and 6.1% in PVE and NVE group, respectively (p=0.049). Postoperatively, PVE group had higher incidences of low cardiac output syndrome (p=0.027), new-onset dialysis (p=0.006) and reoperation for bleeding (p=0.004) compared to NVE group, but stroke rates were comparable (p=0.503). During follow-up (648.8 patient-years), PVE group showed significantly higher risks of overall mortality (p<0.001), valve reinfection (p<0.001) and permanent pacemaker implantation (p<0.001) than NVE group. On multivariable analysis, PVE (hazard ratio, 2.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-5.07; p=0.003) along with age, chronic kidney disease, multi-valve involvement, and causative organisms of Staphylococcus aureus or fungus were independent risk factors of overall mortality. CONCLUSIONS: PVE carried significant perioperative risks, and was an independent risk factor of overall mortality.

Outcomes of emergency endovascular versus open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.

PURPOSE: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) is one of the most common aortic emergencies in vascular surgery and is associated with high operative mortality and morbidity rates despite recent treatment advances. We evaluated operative mortality risks for the outcomes of emergency endovascular aneurysm repair (eEVAR) vs. open repair in rAAA. METHODS: Twenty patients underwent eEVAR (n = 12) or open repair (n = 8) for rAAA between 2016 and 2020. We adopted the EVAR first strategy since 2018. Primary endpoints included in-hospital mortality and 1-year survival. The outcome variables were analyzed with Fisher exact, Mann-Whitney test, and linear by linear association. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival. RESULTS: There were 13 males (65.0%) and the median age of the study cohort was 78.0 years (range, 49-88 years). In-hospital mortality occurred in 7 patients (35.0%); 5 (50.0%) in the early period and 2 (20.0%) in the later period of this series. According to the procedure type, 4 (50.0%) and 3 (25.0%) in-hospital mortalities occurred in the open repair and eEVAR patients, respectively. In 6 patients (50.0%), eEVAR was performed on unfavorable anatomy. The 1-year survival of eEVAR vs. open repair group was 75% ± 12.5% and 50% ± 17.7%, respectively. On univariate analysis, preoperative high-risk indices, postoperative acute renal failure requiring dialysis, pulmonary complications, and prolonged mechanical ventilation were associated with higher operative mortality. CONCLUSION: The current data showed relatively superior outcomes with eEVAR vs. open repair for rAAA, even in some patients with unfavorable anatomy supporting the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of EVAR first strategy.

Prognostic Implication of Right Ventricle Parameters Measured on Preoperative Cardiac MRI in Patients with Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for long-term major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in patients undergoing tricuspid valve (TV) surgery for functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The preoperative cardiac MR images, New York Heart Association functional class, comorbidities, and clinical events of 78 patients (median [interquartile range], 59 [51-66.3] years, 28.2% male) who underwent TV surgery for functional TR were comprehensively reviewed. Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to assess the associations of clinical and imaging parameters with MACCEs and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: For the median follow-up duration of 5.4 years (interquartile range, 1.2-6.6), MACCEs and all-cause mortality were 51.3% and 23.1%, respectively. The right ventricular (RV) end-systolic volume index (ESVI) and the systolic RV mass index (RVMI) were higher in patients with MACCEs than those without them (77 vs. 68 mL/m², p = 0.048; 23.5 vs. 18.0%, p = 0.011, respectively). A high RV ESVI was associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] per value of 10 higher ESVI = 1.10, p = 0.03). A high RVMI was also associated with all-cause mortality (HR per increase of 5 mL/m² RVMI = 1.75, p < 0.001). After adjusting for age and sex, only RVMI remained a significant predictor of MACCEs and all-cause mortality (p < 0.05 for both). After adjusting for multiple clinical variables, RVMI remained significantly associated with all-cause mortality (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: RVMI measured on preoperative cardiac MRI was an independent predictor of long-term outcomes in patients who underwent TV surgery for functional TR.

Comparative outcomes of total arch versus hemiarch repair in acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection: the impact of 21 years of experience.

OBJECTIVES: With the goal of evaluating the impact of experiences at our centre on comparative outcomes between total arch and hemiarch repairs, we reviewed our 21 years of experience with operations for acute type I aortic dissection. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2019, a total of 365 patients (177 women; 56.8 ± 12.9 years) with acute type I aortic dissection who had a hemiarch (n = 248) or a total arch replacement (n = 117) were evaluated, and the trends in comparative outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: Over time, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and retrograde cerebral perfusion were replaced by moderate hypothermia and antegrade cerebral perfusion with the introduction of dedicated aortic surgeons. Overall, operative deaths decreased from 11.0% in time quartile 1 to 2.2% in time quartile 4 (P = 0.090). After adjustment with the use of inverse probability weighting, the total arch group compared with the hemiarch group was at a similar risk of mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22-2.43; P = 0.71] but at a greater risk of neurological deficit (OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.23-8.98; P = 0.017) in the earlier half period (1999-2009). In the later period (2009-2019), however, both the risks of mortality (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.03-1.59; P = 0.23) and of neurological injuries (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.12-1.18; P = 0.13) were comparable between the 2 groups (P for interaction in terms of neurological deficit = 0.007). The multivariable logistic regression model revealed that dedicated aortic surgeons independently contributed to decreased risk of death (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.09-0.84; P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that accumulating institutional experiences, along with resultant improvements in surgical strategies and outcomes, may neutralize the surgical risk gap between total arch and hemiarch repair in acute type I aortic dissection.

B-type natriuretic peptide as a surrogate marker for survival in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a biomarker predicting morbidity and mortality in patients with congestive heart failure. However, the usefulness of pre- or postoperative BNP levels in patients undergoing cardiac surgery remains uncertain. We sought to determine the association of pre- or postoperative BNP levels on mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHODS: This study retrospectively evaluated 1,642 patients undergoing cardiac surgery under CPB over 2 years. The primary outcomes were 30-day and overall mortality after cardiac surgery. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was 3.0% (n=49), and the overall mortality occurred in 118 patients during the mean follow-up period of 24.9±8.9 months. In multivariable analyses, preoperative BNP level was not significantly associated with 30-day [odds ratio (OR), 1.03; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.99-1.06; P=0.06] or overall [hazard ratio (HR), 1.01; 95% CI, 0.98-1.03; P=0.50] mortalities. However, the postoperative BNP level was significantly associated with 30-day (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09; P=0.001) and overall (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P=0.01) mortalities. As a sensitivity analysis, postoperative BNP levels were divided into quartiles. The top quartile (≥484 pg/mL) was identified as a strong predictor of overall mortality (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.14-4.19; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative BNP level was not associated with mortality after cardiac surgery. However, postoperative BNP level was associated with mortality after cardiac surgery, especially in patients with high levels (≥484 pg/mL). Further studies in larger cohorts are necessary to validate these results.