Frozen elephant trunk in acute aortic dissection: a literature review.

Background: Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent surgical treatment. The frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique, including the Thoraflex hybrid prosthesis, has emerged as an effective strategy for treating complex aortic pathologies. With the widespread application of the FET technique, it continues to evolve, aiming to simplify procedures and reduce complications. These advancements provide improved outcomes and help save lives in patients with acute aortic dissection. Methods: For this review, PubMed databases were utilized from inception to March 2023. A descriptive approach was employed to identify and present the evidence regarding the application of the FET technique in acute settings and its clinical implications on the postoperative course. Results: In the reviewed studies, FET was a commonly used treatment approach for acute type A aortic dissection. A comprehensive analysis of 12 studies, comprising over 4056 FET procedures, revealed varying rates of early mortality (up to 21.1%), perioperative stroke (ranging from 2.7 to 18.0%), and spinal cord ischemia (ranging from 0 to 8.2%). During the follow-up period, which ranged from 6 to 108 months, the mortality rate was reported to be as high as 38%. Conclusions: The surgical management of acute aortic dissection remains challenging, but FET has shown promising results. Experienced teams have achieved acceptable in-hospital mortality and stroke rates, along with a lower risk of spinal cord injury compared to conventional repair. Furthermore, the FET technique has demonstrated positive alterations in the structure of the distal aorta, potentially improving long-term survival and reducing the necessity for future procedures.

BioGlue® is not associated with polypropylene suture breakage after aortic surgery.

Objective: We have encountered broken or damaged polypropylene sutures (Prolene®) at the anastomotic sites during aortic reoperations. Because a surgical sealant, bovine serum albumin-glutaraldehyde (BioGlue®), was used in previous aortic surgery in some of these cases, we undertook this in vitro study to evaluate whether the use of BioGlue® was associated with breakage of polypropylene sutures at the aortic anastomosis. Materials and methods: The broken polypropylene sutures, anastomotic sites and aortic tissue at the location of suture breakage were visually inspected and evaluated intraoperatively. Six human cadaveric aortic samples were incised circumferentially and anastomosed proximally to a valved conduit with running 4-0 polypropylene sutures (Prolene®). In the test group (n = 3), BioGlue® was applied directly to the Prolene® sutures at the anastomotic sites, while in the control group (n = 3) the anastomoses were not sealed with any surgical adhesive. The six samples were immersed in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline solution and mounted on a M-6 Six Position Heart Valve Durability Testing System and tested up to 120 million cycles for a 2-year period. During and upon completion of the testing, the integrity of Prolene® sutures, the anastomosis and aortic tissues was regularly assessed by visual inspection. Results: Intraoperative findings included a stretched and thin aortic wall (some with thrombus), a small cleft between the aortic tissue and the Dacron vascular graft. An excessive amount of BioGlue® was often found around the anastomosis, with cracking material, but no signs of mechanical damage were observed in these cases. Upon visual inspection during and after in vitro testing, there was no apparent damage to the polypropylene sutures on the interior or exterior of the aortic anastomoses in any of the samples. No difference was observed in the physical integrity of the polypropylene sutures at anastomotic lines, the anastomoses and aortic tissues between the test and control samples. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the use of BioGlue® was not associated with breakage of the polypropylene sutures at the anastomotic sites after aortic dissection repair.

Development of aortic arch surgery in Bologna and reflections on current strategy of cerebral protection.

Complications after open arch repair much decreased over time thanks to better methods of organ and cerebral protection. The crossroads was the introduction of antegrade cerebral perfusion as a method of cerebral protection. Other intraoperative techniques also contributed to facilitate arch reconstruction, such as performing circulatory arrest at higher core temperature, using hybrid grafts or endografts, and monitoring cerebral functions during the procedure. As part of this exciting process, we go back in Bologna in the early 1970s to relive some of these fundamental steps on aortic arch surgery. Today a large number of issues on cerebral protection remain for which we have incomplete responses. Probably, a super specialized approach and endovascular techniques will continue to improve the quality of care of patients with different arch pathologies.

Postoperative and mid-term hemodynamic changes after replacement of the ascending aorta.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate aortic distensibility and pulse waveform patterns associated with the ascending aortic aneurysm, and to analyze the postoperative and mid-term hemodynamic changes induced by prosthetic replacement of the ascending aorta. METHODS: Central blood pressure waves were recorded at the carotid artery level by means of a validated transcutaneous arterial tonometer in 30 patients undergoing prosthetic replacement of ascending aortic aneurysm and in 30 control patients. Measurements were obtained the day before surgery and 5 to 7 days and 16 to 20 months after surgery. RESULTS: The ascending aortic aneurysm was associated with a less steep slope of early systolic phase of the pressure curve (pulsus tardus) compared with a control group (0.54 ± 0.18 mm Hg/ms vs 0.69 ± 0.26 mm Hg/ms; P = .011). Replacing the ascending aorta with a noncompliant vascular prosthesis steepened the pulse pressure slope during the early systolic phase in the postoperative period (0.77 ± .29 mm Hg/ms), providing values comparable with those of the control group in the mid-term (0.67 ± .20 mm Hg/ms). No change in aortic stiffness was found either postoperatively or in the mid-term after ascending aorta surgical replacement (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity: preoperative, 9.0 ± 2.6 m/s; postoperative, 9.0 ± 2.9 m/s; mid-term postoperative, 9.3 ± 2.8 m/s). CONCLUSIONS: This study does not confirm the assumption that substitution of the viscoelastic ascending aorta with a rigid prosthesis can cause serious hemodynamic alterations downstream, because we did not observe a worsening of global aortic distensibility after insertion of a rigid prosthetic aorta. The ascending aortic aneurysm is associated with a pulsus tardus.

Sutureless versus transcatheter aortic valves in elderly patients with aortic stenosis at intermediate risk: A multi-institutional study.

OBJECTIVE: This multi-institutional study compares the long-term outcome of elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis and an intermediate risk profile undergoing sutureless versus transcatheter aortic valve implantation. METHODS: From 2008 to 2015, 967 elderly patients (>75 years) with intermediate risk (Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 4%-8%) and isolated aortic stenosis were included in the study (sutureless valve = 481; transcatheter aortic valve implantation = 486). After propensity score matching, 2 matched groups of 291 patients were obtained. Transcatheter valves implanted in patients were the CoreValve (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn), Edwards SAPIEN-XT (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, Calif), and Acurate-TA (Symetis, Lausanne, Switzerland). Primary end points included all-cause death at 30 days and 5 years. Secondary end points included early and 5-year incidence of composite adverse events (major adverse cardiovascular events: all-cause death, stroke, pacemaker implant, myocardial infarction, paravalvular leak ≥II, and reoperation). RESULTS: After matching, there were no substantial differences between groups. The 30-day mortality was significantly lower in the sutureless valve group (sutureless valve = 1.7% vs transcatheter aortic valve implantation = 5.5%; P = .024) and the rate of permanent pacemaker implantation (sutureless valve = 5.5% vs transcatheter aortic valve implantation = 10.7%, P = .032). Stroke/transient ischemic attack cumulative incidence at 5 years was 1.4% in the sutureless valve group and 5.3% in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation group (P = .010). The incidence of perivalvular leak grade II or greater was 1.3% in the sutureless valve group and 9.8% in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation group (P < .001). At 60 months follow-up, the all-cause death rate was lower in the sutureless valve group than in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation group (sutureless valve = 16.1% ± 4.1% vs transcatheter aortic valve implantation = 28.9% ± 5.3%, P = .006), and the major adverse cardiovascular event rate was lower in the sutureless valve group (sutureless valve = 23.5% ± 4.1% vs transcatheter aortic valve implantation = 39.0% ± 5.6%, P = .002). Multivariable Cox regression identified transcatheter aortic valve implantation as an independent predictor for 5-year mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 1.86; confidence interval, 1.09-3.18; P = .022) (hazard ratio, 1.73; confidence interval, 1.13-2.73; P = .010). CONCLUSIONS: Sutureless valves improved the outcomes of aortic stenosis in elderly patients with an intermediate risk profile when compared with transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in this subset population should be evaluated in further controlled randomized trials with sutureless valve use in a comparative cohort.

Early outcome and mid-term survival after open arch repair using selective antegrade cerebral perfusion.

OBJECTIVES: The introduction of selective antegrade cerebral perfusion technique as method of cerebral protection improved the outcome of open arch surgery. The aim of this study was to report early outcomes using this technique. METHODS: Between 1997 and 2017, data were collected retrospectively for all patients who underwent surgical replacement of the aortic arch using selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (n = 938). To confirm the effectiveness of this cerebral protection method, early outcome and results were evaluated. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative permanent neurological dysfunction was 6.4%. Overall hospital mortality was 11.9% (n = 112). On multivariable analysis, age >75 years, female gender, euroscore at increment of 1 point, chronic renal failure, extension of thoracic aorta replacement and CPB time emerged as independent risk factors for hospital mortality. The mid-term survival at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years was 92%, 78%, 60% and 49%, respectively. The competing risk analysis for permanent neurological dysfunction and aortic reoperations was performed excluding the patients who died during the hospital stay. The cumulative incidence of permanent neurological dysfunction and aortic reoperations was 2% at 3 years, 3% at 5 years, 6% at 10 years, 12% at 3 years, 15% at 5 years and 19% at 10 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: From the early 90s to the present day, the selective antegrade cerebral perfusion has confirmed to be a useful and "safe" method of brain protection in aortic arch surgery in terms of postoperative neurological complications.

Sutureless aortic valves in elderly patients with aortic stenosis and intermediate-risk profile.

AIMS: Sutureless valves became an alternative to standard bioprostheses, allowing surgeons to significantly reduce cross-clamping and extracorporeal circulation times, with a potential positive impact on major postoperative complications. The aim of this European multicentre study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sutureless valves in patients with an intermediate-risk profile undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR). METHODS: We investigated early and mid-term outcomes of 518 elderly patients with aortic stenosis at intermediate-risk profile (mean STS Score 6.1 ±â€Š2%) undergoing AVR with sutureless aortic valve. Primary endpoints were 30-day mortality and freedom from all-cause death at follow-up. The secondary endpoint was survival freedom from MACCEs [all-cause death, stroke/transitory ischemic attack (TIA), bleeding, myocardial infarction, aortic regurgitation Grade II, endocarditis, reintervention and pacemaker implant; VARC 1--2 criteria]. RESULTS: Sutureless valve implantation was successfully performed in 508 patients, with a procedural success rate of 98.1% (508/518) as per VARC criteria. Concomitant myocardial revascularization [coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)] was performed in 74 out of 518 patients (14.3%). In-hospital mortality was 1.9% (10/518). Postoperative complications included revision for bleeding (23/518; 4.4%), prolonged intubation more than 48h (4/518; 0.7%), acute renal failure (14/518; 2.7%), stroke/TIA (11/518; 2.1%), pacemaker implantation (26/518; 5.1%) and aortic regurgitation more than Grade II (7/518; 1.4%). At 48-month follow-up, Kaplan-Meier overall survival and freedom from MACCEs in patients receiving isolated AVR were 83.7% [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 81.1-86.3] and 78.4% (95% CI: 75.5-81.4), respectively, while in patients with concomitant CABG, Kaplan-Meier overall survival and freedom from MACCEs were 82.3% (95% CI: 73.3-91.3) and 79.1% (95% CI: 69.9-88.3), respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of sutureless aortic valves in elderly patients with an intermediate-risk profile provided excellent early and mid-term outcomes, providing a reliable tool in patients undergoing surgical AVR in this specific subset of population. These preliminary data need to be investigated with a TAVI control-group in further studies.

Results of frozen elephant trunk from the international E-vita Open registry.

BACKGROUND: Over the years, frozen elephant trunk (FET) has become the treatment of choice for multisegmental thoracic aortic disease. This multicenter study presents the evolution of FET results using the E-vita Open hybrid graft with respect to institutional experience and time. METHODS: The data of International E-vita Open registry were studied according to the institutional experience of the participating centers (high- versus low-volume centers) and according to the evolution of FET treatment during time (1st period, 2005-2011 versus 2nd period, 2012-2018). Overall, 1,165 patients were enrolled in the study with a wide variety of multisegmental thoracic aortic pathologies and aortic emergencies. Participating centers determined their own surgical protocol. RESULTS: The overall 30-day mortality was 12%. Short- and long-term survival were higher in high- versus low-volume centers (P=0.048 and P=0.013, respectively). In the 2nd time period, cerebral complications were reduced significantly (P=0.015). Incidence of permanent spinal cord-related symptoms was reduced to 3% in the 2nd time period, but did not reach statistical significance. Hypothermic circulatory arrest time (P<0.001) and incidence of postoperative temporary renal replacement therapy (P=0.008) were significantly reduced in the 2nd time period. Ten-year survival and freedom from aortic-related death rates were 46.6% and 85.7%, respectively, for the entire group. The freedom from distal aortic re-interventions for a new or progressive residual aortic disease was 76.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Evolution of FET arch repair techniques with the E-vita Open graft and increasing institutional experience were associated with improved results. Progression of residual aortic disease makes close follow-up with aortic imaging mandatory in such patients.

Mitral Valve Replacement With a Third-Generation Porcine Valve: An Italian Multicentered Study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative outcomes of a third-generation porcine bioprosthesis for mitral valve replacement (MVR) have been poorly addressed. The objective of this study was to perform an independent, retrospective, multicenter study on outcomes of patients undergoing MVR with a Mosaic (Medtronic Inc, Minneapolis, MN) porcine bioprosthesis. METHODS: From 1998 to 2011, 805 patients underwent MVR with a Mosaic porcine valve in 11 cardiac centers. There were 465 female patients (58%), and the overall mean age was 73.5 ± 7 years. Associated procedures included coronary artery bypass grafting (201 patients; 24.9%), aortic valve replacement (152 patients; 18.9%), tricuspid annuloplasty (187 patients; 22.3%), and other cardiac procedures (116 patients; 14.4%). RESULTS: Median follow-up was 44 months (interquartile range, 16 to 63), with a cumulative duration of 2.769 patient-years. Early mortality for isolated elective MVR was 3.8% (12 of 313), and overall early mortality was 7.8% (n = 63). The rate of late mortality was 3.4%/patient-year (95 late deaths). At 10 years, overall survival was 57.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.8% to 67.5%), and cumulative rates of cardiac- and valve-related death were 7.4% (95% CI, 4.8% to 10.1%) and 1.1% (95% CI, 0.2% to 1.9%), respectively. The 10-year cumulative rates of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events were 6.6% (95% CI, 1.4% to 11.8%) and 3.9% (95% CI, 0.1% to 8%), respectively, and the 10-year cumulative incidence of prosthetic valve endocarditis was 3% (95% CI, 1.2% to 4.9%). Finally, the 10-year cumulative incidences of structural valve degeneration and reoperations were 5.8% (95% CI, 0.2% to 11.5%) and 4.8% (95% CI, 0.7% to 10.3%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This independent, multicenter, retrospective study indicated that the Mosaic porcine bioprosthesis for MVR provides satisfactory results in terms of both early and long-term outcomes up to 14 years from its implantation.

Surgical aortic valve replacement with new-generation bioprostheses: Sutureless versus rapid-deployment.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to compare early clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of Perceval-S sutureless (Livanova, London, United Kingdom) and Intuity rapid-deployment (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, Calif) bioprostheses. METHODS: Data from patients who underwent isolated or combined aortic valve replacement with Perceval-S and with Intuity bioprostheses at 18 cardiac surgical institutions were analyzed. Propensity matching was performed to identify similar patient cohorts. RESULTS: We included 911 patients from March 2011 until May 2017. Perceval-S and Intuity valves were implanted in 349 (38.3%) and in 562 (61.7%) patients, respectively. Propensity score identified 117 matched pairs. In the matched cohort, device success was 99.1% and 100% in Perceval-S and Intuity group, respectively (P = 1.000). Thirty-day Valve Academic Research Consortium mortality occurred in 2 (1.7%) and 4 (3.4%) patients in the Perceval-S and in Intuity group, respectively (P = .6834). The rate of postoperative new permanent pacemaker implantation was 6% (7 patients) and 6.8% (8 patients) in the Perceval-S and in Intuity group, respectively (P = .7896). Perceval-S valve implantation requires significantly shorter aortic crossclamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times than Intuity valve implantation (aortic crossclamp time for isolated, 52 ± 14 minutes vs 62 ± 24 minutes; P < .0001). Peak transaortic gradients were 22.4 ± 8.1 mm Hg and 19.6 ± 6.7 mm Hg (P = .0144), whereas mean gradients were 11.8 ± 4.7 mm Hg and 10.5 ± 3.9 mm Hg (P = .0388) in the Perceval-S and Intuity groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Sutureless Perceval-S and rapid-deployment Intuity bioprostheses provide good and similar early clinical and hemodynamic outcomes. Perceval-S valve implantation requires shorter crossclamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times, whereas Intuity valve implantation provides lower transaortic peak and mean gradients.

Comparison of Two Strategies for Aortic Valve-Sparing Root Replacement.

BACKGROUND: Since its introduction in 1992, multiple variations of the aortic valve-sparing David procedure technique have been described. Here, we present the short- and midterm outcomes of 2 centers using the straight tube graft (David-I) and the Valsalva prosthesis in patients who underwent isolated David procedure. METHODS: Between March 2002 and October 2015, 232 patients underwent the David procedure at 2 European centers. Patients received either a straight tube graft (David-I, group A, n = 103, 74% men) or Valsalva graft (group B, n = 129, 85% men). Mean age was 47 ± 17 years in group A and 48 ± 17 years in group B (P = .916). RESULTS: There were significantly more cusp repairs in group B (n=28, 22%) compared with group A (n = 4, 4%, P < .001). The 30-day mortality rate was 1% (n = 1) in group A and 2% (n = 2, P = .698) in group B. Postoperative echocardiography showed aortic insufficiency ≥II in 0% (n = 0) of group A and 17% (n = 21) of group B (P < .001). Follow-up comprised 1530 patient-years, and survival was comparable between the 2 groups (P = .799). Follow-up echocardiography showed aortic insufficiency ≥II in 22% (n = 15) of group A and 39% (n = 33) of group B (P < .026). The rates for aortic valve-related reoperation were 8% (n = 8) in group A and 13% (n = 16) in group B (P = .241). Logistic Cox regression analysis identified bicuspid aortic valve (odds ratio, 3.435; 95% confidence interval, 1.459-8.083, P = .005) and postoperative aortic insufficiency ≥II (odds ratio, 5.988; 95% confidence interval, 2.545-14.088, P < .001) as risk factors for aortic valve-related reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: The aortic valve-sparing David procedure has acceptable midterm results. Our results show that the David-I procedure with straight tube graft is not inferior to those performed with Valsalva prosthesis.

Total aortic arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk technique: Results from two European institutes.

OBJECTIVE: We report on a large series of patients treated at the S. Orsola Hospital, University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy) and Hannover Medical School (Hannover, Germany), with the aim to evaluate the early and midterm results. METHODS: Between January 2007 and March 2017, 437 patients underwent total aortic arch replacement with the frozen elephant trunk technique. The frozen elephant trunk prostheses used were the custom-made Chavan-Haverich (Hanover, Germany) (n = 27, 6%), Jotec E-vita open (Jotec Inc, Hechingen, Germany) (n = 192, 44%), and Vascutek Thoraflex-Hybrid (Vascutek, Inchinnan, Scotland) (n = 218, 50%). The main indications were thoracic aortic aneurysm (n = 135, 31%), chronic aortic dissection (n = 182, 41.6%), and acute aortic dissection (n = 120, 27.5%). RESULTS: Overall in-hospital mortality was 14.9%, and permanent neurologic deficit and spinal cord injury were 10.8% and 5.5%, respectively. Patients with chronic aortic dissection presented a better in-hospital mortality rate than the thoracic aortic aneurysm and acute aortic dissection groups. Independent risk factors for mortality in the overall population were prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, age, urgent/emergency surgery, and Marfan syndrome. The median (p25, p75) follow-up time was 2.6 (1.4-4.4) years, and the mortality rate was 7.01 (95% confidence interval, 5.7-8.7) per 100 patient-years. A total of 86 patients (23.1%) required an additional procedure during the follow-up; 61 (16.3%) required endovascular extensions, and 25 (6.7%) required aortic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The frozen elephant trunk technique is a treatment option for all complex pathologies of the thoracic aorta. Patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms presented a higher mortality rate, and in patients with acute aortic dissection, the malperfusion syndrome still remains a catastrophic complication. The midterm follow-up showed satisfactory results in terms of survival and freedom from reintervention.

Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement with Sutureless Valves: Results From an International Prospective Registry.

OBJECTIVE: To report the early and mid-term results of patients who underwent minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MI-AVR) with a sutureless prosthesis from an international prospective registry. METHODS: Between March 2011 and September 2018, among 957 patients included in the prospective observational SURE-AVR (Sorin Universal REgistry on Aortic Valve Replacement) registry, 480 patients underwent MI-AVR with self-expandable Perceval aortic bioprosthesis (LivaNova PLC, London, UK) in 29 international institutions through either minithoracotomy (n = 266) or ministernotomy (n = 214). Postoperative, follow-up, and echocardiographic outcomes were analyzed for all patients. RESULTS: Patient age was 76.1 ± 7.1 years; 64.4% were female. Median EuroSCORE I was 7.9% (interquartile range [IQR], 4.8 to 10.9). Median cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp times were 81 minutes (IQR 64 to 100) and 51 minutes (IQR 40 to 63). First successful implantation was achieved in 97.9% of cases. Two in-hospital deaths occurred, 1 for noncardiovascular causes and 1 following a disabling stroke. In the early (≤30 days) period, stroke rate was 1.4%. Three early explants were reported: 2 due to nonstructural valve dysfunction (NSVD) and 1 for malpositioning. One mild and 1 moderate paravalvular leak were reported. In 16 patients (3.3%) pacemaker implantation was needed. Mean follow-up was 2.4 years (maximum = 7 years). During follow-up 5 explants were reported, 3 due to endocarditis and 2 due to NSVD. Follow-up stroke rate was 2.5%. Three structural valve deteriorations not requiring reintervention were reported. Five-year survival was 91.45%. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective international registry, MI-AVR with Perceval valve confirmed to be safe, reproducible, and effective in an intermediate-risk population, providing excellent clinical recovery both in early and mid-term follow-up.

The Decision-Making Process in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: When to Replace the Aortic Arch.

The decision-making process is crucial for the surgery of acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD). Often surgeons have to face different challenges, taking prompt decisions in emergency setting, during the pre- and intraoperative phase. Choosing if operate or not a patients with AAAD as well as the management of the dissected aortic arch can be challenging. Different factors need to be evaluated as: the patients age, the presence of organ malperfusion, the intimal tear location, and last but not least the surgeon personal experience in aortic surgery. During the last decade, different milestone steps have been achieved in aortic surgery as the antegrade perfusion of the aorta through different cannulation sites, open distal repair, antegrade selective cerebral perfusion, and systematic resection of the proximal intimal tear, allowing complex repair for dedicated team as well as simpler repair for not dedicated surgeons. We reviewed different scenarios and techniques used for the aortic arch replacement in patients with AAAD, taking into consideration that the aim of surgery is to save patients life.

Less invasive ventricular enhancement (LIVE) as potential therapy for ischaemic cardiomyopathy end-stage heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Surgical ventricular reshaping (SVR) is a treatment option for patients with severe ischaemic heart failure (HF). Recently, a new minimally invasive, hybrid technique named "less invasive ventricular enhancement" (LIVE), has been developed adopting the Reviven™ Myocardial Anchoring System (BioVentrix Inc., San Ramon, CA, USA). METHODS: Between January 2015 and November 2018, 7 patients (5 men and 2 women; mean age 72±8.9 years) underwent LIVE procedure at our institution. RESULTS: Procedural success was 100%. A total anchors number of 3.0±0.9 was used to reshape the left ventricle (LV). Preoperative and postoperative echocardiographic assessments showed an increase of LV ejection fraction (EF) from 22.8%±8.1% to 35%±7.2% (P=0.001) and a decrease of LV volumes in terms of LV end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), from 93.2±10.5 to 52.1±15.1 mL/m2 (P<0.001), and LV end-diastolic volume index LVEDVI, from 137.2±20.1 to 78±10.2 mL/m2 (P=0.001), respectively. In all patients functional mitral regurgitation (MR) prior to surgery decreased significantly after LIVE procedure. In 1 patient, the occurrence of right ventricle perforation required correction through a standard sternotomy. All patients survived the surgical procedure. The mean duration of intensive care unit stay was 7.8 days (range, 1-22 days), and the mean length of hospital stay was 22.1 days (range, 9-45 days). Mean follow-up (FU) time was 189.7±104.5 days. Average NYHA functional class at FU was 1.4±0.9 compared to 3.4±0.6 preoperatively (P=0.001). All patients were in satisfactory clinical condition and resumed their own daily activities. Echocardiographic monitorings at FU were stable and comparable to the above mentioned results at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: In high-risk patients and selected cases, LIVE procedure may be advantageous both technically and clinically. Preliminary results of this novel hybrid treatment for symptomatic ischaemic cardiomyopathy are encouraging, in terms of significant improvement in LV EF, reduction in LV volumes and functional MR grade.