Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.

There is considerable interest and demand in the application of minimally invasive techniques in cardiac surgery driven by multiple factors including patient cosmesis and satisfaction, reduction of surgical trauma and the development of specialized instrumentation that allows these procedures to be performed safely. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) has been conducted for more than 25 years and has been shown to offer multiple benefits including better cosmetic results, enhanced post-operative recovery, improved patient satisfaction and most importantly, equivalent clinical outcomes with regards to quality and safety when compared to the standard sternotomy approach. MIMVS may be particularly beneficial in certain subgroups of patients, for example patients undergoing redo mitral valve surgery. In this article, we discuss patient selection criteria for MIMVS, the merits and drawbacks of MIMVS relative to conventional sternotomy approaches, and detail procedural aspects including anaesthetic management, intraoperative technique, and important considerations in myocardial protection and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). When considering developing a MIMVS programme, as for any new technique, a team approach to the introduction of the programme is essential. Although it is clear that patient selection is important, particularly early in a surgical programme, with experience complex repairs can be performed through a minimally invasive approach with excellent outcomes.

Joint preoperative transthoracic and intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiographic assessment of functional mitral regurgitation severity provides better association with long-term mortality.

OBJECTIVES: Functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is observed with ischaemic heart disease or aortic valve disease. Assessing the value of mitral valve repair or replacement (MVR/P) is complicated by frequent discordance between preoperative transthoracic echocardiographic (pTTE) and intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiographic (iTOE) assessment of MR severity. We examined the association of pTTE and iTOE with postoperative mortality in patients with or without MR, at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or aortic valve replacement without MVR/P. METHODS: Medical records of 6629 patients undergoing CABG and/or aortic valve replacement surgery with or without functional MR and who did not undergo MVR/P were reviewed. MR severity assessed by pTTE and iTOE were examined for association with postoperative mortality using proportional hazards regression while accounting for patient and operative characteristics. RESULTS: In 72% of 709 patients with clinically significant (moderate or greater) functional MR detected by pTTE, iTOE performed after induction of anaesthesia demonstrated a reduction in MR severity, while 2% of patients had increased severity of MR by iTOE. iTOE assessment of MR was better associated with long-term postoperative mortality than pTTE in patients with moderate MR [hazard ratio (HR) 1.31 (1.11-1.55) vs 1.02 (0.89-1.17), P-value for comparison of HR 0.025] but was not different for more than moderate MR [1.43 (0.96-2.14) vs 1.27 (0.80-2.02)]. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing CABG and/or aortic valve replacement without MVR/P, these findings support intraoperative reassessment of MR severity by iTOE as an adjunct to pTTE in the prediction of mortality. Alone, these findings do not yet provide evidence for an operative strategy.

The Sky Is Not Falling: Surgical Perspectives on a New Transcatheter Paradigm.

The role of cardiac surgeons in the treatment of aortic valve disease is changing with the expansion of transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Recent trials in patients at low surgical risk will further this paradigm shift, and the future cardiac surgeons in this space remain uncertain. In this Viewpoint article, we discuss the role that surgeons can play in the future of structural heart medicine. We examine the potential effects of the low-risk transcatheter aortic valve replacement trials on overall operative volumes and how these effects may be limited through structured training programs and strong collaboration within the heart team. Finally, future considerations and cautions for the cardiac surgical community are discussed. The coming era presents an opportunity for growth, leadership, and strong interdisciplinary collaboration for the cardiac surgery community.

Sex-based differences in mitral valve Re-operation after mitral valve repair: Truth or myth?

BACKGROUND: Outcomes after mitral valve (MV) repair are known to be worse in women. Less is known about sex-based differences in MV repair durability. METHODS: All adult patients undergoing MV repair from 2002 to 2016 were reviewed. Of 2463 cases, 947 (39%) were women. Re-operation risk was defined as any intervention for repair failure or MV disease progression. Median follow-up was 8.2 years. RESULTS: Women were older with higher STS-risk scores and were more likely to have rheumatic disease (RHD). Operative mortality was clinically higher in women (2.7% vs 1.7%; P = 0.09). Although women had significantly higher 10-year re-operation risk (7% vs 4%), adjusted longitudinal analysis showed that this was associated with RHD in women (HR 4.04; P = 0.001). Female sex alone was not a significant predictor (P = 0.21). CONCLUSIONS: Re-operation following MV repair was infrequent. Women had increased re-operation risk that was largely attributable to their worse preoperative profiles rather than female sex alone.

Variability in opioid prescribing practices among cardiac surgeons and trainees.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The opioid epidemic has become a major public health crisis in recent years. Discharge opioid prescription following cardiac surgery has been associated with opioid use disorder; however, ideal practices remain unclear. Our aim was to examine current practices in discharge opioid prescription among cardiac surgeons and trainees. METHODS: A survey instrument with open- and closed-ended questions, developed through a 3-round Delphi method, was circulated to cardiac surgeons and trainees via the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons. Survey questions focused on routine prescription practices including type, dosage and duration. Respondents were also asked about their perceptions of current education and guidelines surrounding opioid medication. RESULTS: Eighty-one percent of respondents reported prescribing opioids at discharge following routine sternotomy-based procedures, however, there remained significant variability in the type and dose of medication prescribed. The median (interquartile range) number of pills prescribed was 30 (20-30) with a median total dose of 135 (113-200) Morphine Milligram Equivalents. Informal teaching was the most commonly reported primary influence on prescribing habits and a lack of formal education regarding opioid prescription was associated with a higher number of pills prescribed. A majority of respondents (91%) felt that there would be value in establishing practice guidelines for opioid prescription following cardiac surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variability exists with respect to routine opioid prescription at discharge following cardiac surgery. Education has come predominantly from informal sources and there is a desire for guidelines. Standardization in this area may have a role in combatting the opioid epidemic.

National Outcomes of Surgical Embolectomy for Acute Pulmonary Embolism.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines outlining the role of surgical embolectomy for acute pulmonary embolism remain consensus based; however, recent outcomes have improved compared with traditional experiences. This study examined contemporary outcomes of patients treated for acute pulmonary embolism on a nationwide scale. METHODS: Patients undergoing systemic thrombolysis, catheter-directed therapy, and surgical embolectomy for acute pulmonary embolism from 2010 to 2014 in the National Inpatient Sample were included. RESULTS: The study included 58,974 patients with acute pulmonary embolism; of these, 33,553 were treated with systemic thrombolysis, 22,336 with catheter-directed therapy, and 3085 underwent surgical embolectomy. Thrombolysis was the most common, with a substantial increase after 2012, while surgical volumes remained stable. Patients in the surgical group, compared with systemic thrombolysis and catheter-directed therapy, had more saddle emboli (22% vs 10% vs 10%) and were more frequently at severe risk of death (56% vs 42% vs 26%; both P < .01). Surgical embolectomy patients had higher in-hospital mortality (20% vs 16% vs 7%), stroke (7% vs 6% vs 3%), and blood transfusion (32% vs 16% vs 10%; all P < .01). Rates of major bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage were highest in the systemic thrombolysis group. Among surgical patients, age older than 60 years, atrial fibrillation and nonsaddle embolus were associated with increased odds of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this contemporary, real-world study, mortality occurred in 19.8% of patients undergoing surgical embolectomy for acute pulmonary embolism. This represents a significant improvement compared with traditional outcomes and supports the role of surgery in the multidisciplinary treatment of this high-risk condition.

Transcatheter vs surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with underlying interstitial lung disease (ILD) who undergo cardiac surgery are at high risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. It remains unclear if transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) offers any benefit over surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in ILD patients with severe aortic stenosis. METHODS: All adult patients with a diagnosis of ILD who underwent either a TAVR or isolated SAVR between January 2002 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Operative mortality, 30-day readmissions, and adjusted 1-year survival were compared between the two cohorts. RESULTS: The overall cohort included 52 TAVR and 74 SAVR patients. While TAVR patients were significantly older (77.2 vs 72.9 years) with higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality (STS-PROM) scores compared with SAVR patients (6.29 vs 4.49; all P < .02), operative mortality was similar (5.8% vs 4.1%; P = .45). Rates of postoperative stroke, permanent pacemaker implantation, reintubation, and 30-day readmissions did not differ between the two groups (all P > .46). However, TAVR was associated with significantly shorter hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, shorter ventilation times, and less requirement for ICU admission (all P < .05). Thirty-day readmissions and adjusted 1-year survival were also similar between the two groups (hazard ratio for TAVR vs SAVR = 1.34; 95% CI: 0.7-2.6). CONCLUSIONS: Among ILD patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis, TAVR was associated with comparable operative and risk-adjusted 1-year survival to SAVR. TAVR patients also had shorter ventilator times, ICU and hospital stay despite being at higher risk. Together, our findings suggest that TAVR may be a better option in this unique cohort.

Long-Term Outcomes of Right Minithoracotomy Versus Hemisternotomy for Mitral Valve Repair.

OBJECTIVE: Minimally invasive mitral valve repair has been increasingly adopted. Right minithoracotomy (RT) and lower hemisternotomy (HS) have each been associated with improved short-term outcomes; however, these approaches have not been directly compared to each other. The aim of this study was to compare long-term survival and durability of 2 minimally invasive approaches to mitral repair. METHODS: We retrospectively identified all isolated mitral repairs performed via RT or HS between October 1997 and June 2018; 100 RT cases and 719 HS cases were included. Outcomes of interest were postoperative complications, long-term survival, and freedom from mitral reoperation. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to compare RT and HS to a reference cohort of full-sternotomy cases. Total observation time was 9,901 patient-years and mean follow-up time was 12.2 years. RESULTS: Mean age was 58±12 years in the RT group and 56±13 years in the HS group (P = 0.2). The RT group had longer bypass (143 minutes vs. 112 minutes; P < 0.001) and cross-clamp times (99 minutes vs. 78 minutes; P < 0.001) compared with the HS group. There were no differences in operative mortality or 30-day outcomes. Survival at 5, 10, and 15 years was 99% (96-100), 92% (85-100), and 69% (30-100) in the RT group and 98% (97-99), 92% (90-94), and 89% (86-92) for HS (P < 0.9). There were no differences in risk-adjusted survival between RT, HS and full sternotomy. No long-term mitral reoperations occurred in the RT group and 8 (1%) occurred in the HS group (P < 0.50). CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive mitral valve repair can be performed safely through RT or HS with excellent survival and durability at 15 years.

Cardiac Surgery in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder: An Analysis of 1.7 Million Surgeries.

BACKGROUND: Adverse repercussions associated with the current opioid epidemic have been documented in many surgical specialties. This study evaluated the impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) on in-hospital cardiac surgery outcomes by using a large national database. METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample, this study isolated patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, valve repair, or valve replacement from 2009 to 2014. Patients were stratified by OUD status. Multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate the association between opioid use and postoperative outcomes. Patients were further stratified by surgery type. RESULTS: Overall, 1,743,161 patients underwent cardiac surgery, and 6960 patients had OUD (0.4%). Mean age was 47.2 and 65.8 years among those with and without OUD, respectively. Although in-hospital mortality did not differ among these groups, patients with OUD had a significantly higher incidence of stroke (8.3% vs 2.8%) and acute kidney injury (21.4% vs 16.2%), longer hospital stays (18 days vs 10 days), and higher hospitalization costs ($81,238 vs $58,654; all P < .01). However, after adjusting for patient and hospital-level factors, OUD was associated only with a longer hospital length of stay (2.2 days; 95% confidence interval, 1.19 to 3.20) compared with non-opioid users. CONCLUSIONS: OUD among cardiac surgery patients is associated with prolonged hospitalization and increased risk of postoperative morbidity, mainly driven by the patient's preoperative risk factors. Strategies to minimize these risk factors at the prehospitalization level is warranted to curb the opioid epidemic and improve overall outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Myocardial preservation methods in isolated minimal invasive mitral valve surgery: Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Minimal invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) has become a commonly used approach for mitral valve surgery. Several techniques of myocardial preservation were described in patients undergoing MIMVS. We aim to evaluate preservation technique and short term outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent isolated MIMVS and were included in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database. RESULTS: The final cohort included 4976 patients. Mean age was 63.1 years (SD, 12.5) and 42.6% were females. Antegrade delivery method (71.3% of the patients) was the most common, follow by antergrade/retrograde (19.9%). Blood, crystalloid solution, and combination of blood-crystalloid were used in 62.4%, 13.2%, and 13.7%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, cardioplegia technique was associated with mortality (P = .011), pleural effusion (P = .045), and length of ICU stay (P < .001). Antegrade-crystalloid (OR, 3.37; 95%CI, 1.70-6.68) and antegrade/retrograde-blood/crystalloid (OR, 3.28; 95%CI, 1.15-9.38) were associated with increased risk for mortality compared with antegrade-blood cardioplegia. Data on postoperative ejection fraction (EF), CPK-MB, and Troponin was available only in 30%, 9%, and 5% of the patients, respectively, and were not included in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Ante-grade-blood was the most common preservation technique in MIMVS. Ante-grade-crystalloid and ante-grade/retrograde-blood/crystalloid are associated with increased risk for mortality. The results suggest that using crystalloid solutions for cardioplegia should be carefully considered. The STS database as a source for MIMVS outcome analysis is lacking, both in detailed specification of different surgical technique aspects, and in actual data collection of already existing categories.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation versus surgical aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis in people with low surgical risk.

BACKGROUND: Severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The definitive management for severe AS is aortic valve replacement (AVR). The choice of transcatheter approach versus open-heart surgery for AVR in people with severe AS and low surgical risk remains a matter of debate. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in people with severe AS and low surgical risk. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on 29 April 2019: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection. We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. We searched all databases from inception to present and imposed no restriction on language or date of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included RCTs that compared TAVI and SAVR in adults (18 years of age or older) with severe AS and low surgical risk. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Two authors independently screened titles and abstracts for inclusion, performed data extraction, and assessed risk of bias in the studies included. We analysed dichotomous data using the risk ratio (RR) and continuous data using the mean difference (MD), with respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). We assessed the certainty of evidence for each outcome using the GRADE approach. Our outcomes of interest were assessed in the short term (i.e. during hospitalisation and up to 30 days of follow-up). Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, stroke, and rehospitalisation. Secondary outcomes were myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac death, length of hospital stay (LOS), permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation, new-onset atrial fibrillation, acute kidney injury (AKI), and any bleeding. MAIN RESULTS: We identified four studies (13 reports), with 2818 participants, and one ongoing study. Overall certainty of evidence ranged from high to very low. There is probably little or no difference between TAVI and SAVR for the following short-term outcomes: all-cause mortality (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.44; SAVR 11 deaths per 1000, TAVI 8 deaths per 1000 (95% CI 4 to 16); 2818 participants; 4 studies; moderate-certainty evidence); stroke (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.25; SAVR 21 strokes per 1000, TAVI 16 strokes per 1000 (95% CI 9 to 27); 2818 participants; 4 studies; moderate-certainty evidence); MI (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.58; SAVR 14 MI per 1000, TAVI 11 MI per 1000 (95% CI 6 to 21); 2748 participants; 3 studies; moderate-certainty evidence); and cardiac death (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.56; SAVR 10 cardiac deaths per 1000, TAVI 7 cardiac deaths per 1000 (95% CI 3 to 16); 2818 participants; 4 studies; moderate-certainty evidence). TAVI may reduce the risk of short-term rehospitalisation, although the confidence interval also includes the possibility of no difference in risk between groups (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.06; SAVR 30 cases per 1000, TAVI 19 cases per 1000 (95% CI 12 to 32); 2468 participants; 2 studies; low-certainty evidence). TAVI, compared with SAVR, probably increases the risk of PPM implantation (RR 3.65, 95% CI 1.50 to 8.87; SAVR 47 per 1000, TAVI 170 cases per 1000 (95% CI 70 to 413); number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome (NNTH) = 7; 2683 participants; 3 studies; moderate-certainty evidence). We are uncertain whether TAVI, compared with SAVR, affects the LOS in days, although it appears to be associated with shorter LOS. TAVI, compared with SAVR, reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation (RR 0.21, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.30; 2683 participants; 3 studies), AKI (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.58; 2753 participants; 4 studies), and bleeding (RR 0.31, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.62; 2753 participants; 4 studies) (all high-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates that, in the short term, TAVI probably has little or no mortality difference compared to SAVR for severe AS in individuals with low surgical risk. Similarly, there is probably little or no difference in risk of stroke, MI, and cardiac death between the two approaches. TAVI may reduce the risk of rehospitalisation, but we are uncertain about the effects on LOS. TAVI reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation, AKI, and bleeding. However, this benefit is offset by the increased risk of PPM implantation. Long-term follow-up data are needed to further assess and validate these outcomes, especially durability, in the low surgical risk population.

Significance of Interstitial Lung Disease on Outcomes Following Cardiac Surgery.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a known risk factor for noncardiac surgery due to acute pulmonary exacerbations but its impact after cardiac surgery is not known. We examined perioperative outcomes and risk factors for long-term survival in ILD patients who underwent cardiac surgery. From January 2002 to June 2017, 294 cardiac surgery patients with a previous ILD diagnosis, including 75 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), were identified. A comparison cohort of 1,481 non-ILD patients was selected based on a priori variables. Long-term survival was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard modeling. Median follow-up was 6.4 years. ILD patients had higher postoperative mortality, reintubation rates, longer intensive care unit stay, and higher 30-day readmission rates (all p <0.05). Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival at 1, 5, and 10 years were 89%, 62%, and 37% for the non-IPF ILD cohort, 89%, 50%, and 13% for the IPF cohort, and 95%, 82%, and 67% for the comparison cohort, respectively (overall p <0.001). These significant differences in survival persisted in our risk-adjusted survival analysis. Adjusted survival analysis identified IPF (hazard ratio 3.04) and ILD (non-IPF; hazard ratio 1.78) as significant contributors to all-cause mortality. However, there were no changes in pulmonary function tests after 48 months postprocedure. In conclusion, ILD patients who underwent cardiac surgery have increased operative mortality, reintubation rates, longer intensive care unit, and higher 30-day readmissions compared with non-ILD patients. Moreover, severity of ILD, especially in IPF, appears to be associated with shorter long-term survival. In these patients, pulmonary risk stratification and multidisciplinary team approach are crucial.

Debunking the July Effect in Cardiac Surgery: A National Analysis of More Than 470,000 Procedures.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies in noncardiac surgery have described worse outcomes in the first month of training. However, the "July effect" in the context of cardiac surgery outcomes is not well understood. We examined whether patient outcomes after cardiac surgery were affected by procedure month or academic year quartile. METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample, we isolated all coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR), mitral valve repair or replacement (MV), and isolated thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) replacement procedures between 2012 and 2014. For each procedure, overall trends in in-hospital mortality and hospital complications were compared by academic year quartiles (ie, between the first academic year quartile vs the fourth quartile) and by procedure month. Outcomes between teaching and nonteaching hospitals were also compared. RESULTS: Overall, 301,105 CABG, 111,260 AVR, 54,985 MV, and 2,655 TAA procedures met inclusion criteria. In-hospital mortality for each procedure did not vary by procedure month or academic year quartile, even after risk adjustment (all P > .05). Teaching status did not influence risk-adjusted mortality for CABG and isolated TAA replacement (both P > .05). However, teaching hospitals had significantly lower adjusted mortality than nonteaching hospitals for AVR and MV surgery (both P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: The July effect is not evident for cardiac surgery despite preexisting notions. Teaching hospitals performed at least equivalent, if not better, for major cardiac surgery procedures. These findings highlight the pivotal role of hospital support systems to ensure the safe transition of resident classes without compromising on patient outcomes.

Chronic opioid use after coronary bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND: Opioid dependence has become a major health care issue. Pain management of invasive surgical procedures with opioids may potentially contribute to this epidemic. We sought to determine the association of opioid-prescribing patterns with chronic opioid use. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures during 2016 at a single institution. Prescribing patterns and medication usage were compared between opioid-naïve and opioid-exposed patients (patients with reported opioid use within 30 days prior to surgery). Chronic opioid dependence was defined as opioid usage beyond 90 days after discharge. RESULTS: We included 284 opioid-naïve and 46 opioid-exposed patients. Although overall prescribing patterns were similar between groups, a higher proportion of opioid-exposed patients were prescribed a total dose >150 mg of oxycodone per discharge prescription (15.2% vs 4.9%; P = 0.024), and had a higher proportion of refills within 30 days (28.3% vs 10.9%; relative risk [RR] 3.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5-6.8]; all P < 0.05). The incidence of chronic opioid dependence was higher among opioid-exposed patients compared to opioid-naïve patients (21.7% vs 3.2%; RR 8.5 [95%CI: 3.2-22.3]; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing opioid use 3 months after CABG is present in 21.7% of opioid-exposed patients and 3.2% of opioid-naïve patients. These preliminary findings highlight the burden of prescribing patterns on the overall opioid epidemic and the need to develop alternative pain management strategies.

Minimally invasive versus full sternotomy aortic valve replacement in low-risk patients: Which will stand against transcatheter aortic valve replacement?

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement using upper-hemisternotomy has been associated with improved results compared to full sternotomy aortic valve replacement. Given the likely expansion of transcatheter aortic valve replacement to low-risk patients, we examine contemporary outcomes after full sternotomy and minimally invasive aortic valve replacement in low-risk patients using our 15-year experience. METHODS: Two thousand ninety-five low-risk patients (Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality score <4) underwent elective isolated aortic valve replacement, including 1,029 (49%) minimally invasive and 1,066 (51%) full sternotomy, from 2002 to 2015. RESULTS: Compared to minimally invasive aortic valve replacement patients, full sternotomy aortic valve replacement patients had a greater burden of comorbidities, including diabetes, stroke, congestive heart failure, and predicted risk of mortality (all P ≤ .05). Operative mortality, stroke, and reoperation rates for bleeding were similar. There was a clinical trend toward shorter median intensive care unit stay and significantly shorter hospital length of stay among minimally invasive aortic valve replacement patients. Adjusted survival analysis identified age, chronic kidney disease, prior sternotomy, and congestive heart failure as predictors of decreased survival (all P ≤ .05), while type of intervention approach was nonsignificantly different. CONCLUSION: In low-risk patients, minimally invasive aortic valve replacement results in similar mortality, stroke, reoperation rates for bleeding, and midterm survival (after adjusting for confounders), but shorter hospital length of stay and a trend (P = .075) toward shorter intensive care unit stay, compared to full sternotomy aortic valve replacement. Therefore, minimally invasive aortic valve replacement should stand as a benchmark against transcatheter aortic valve replacement in these patients.

Novel fast-track recovery protocol for alternative access transcatheter aortic valve replacement: application to non-femoral approaches.

OBJECTIVES: Although the transfemoral approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement is the preferred choice, alternative access remains indicated for inadequate iliofemoral vessels. We report the successful implementation of a novel fast-track (FT) protocol for patients undergoing alternative access transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared with conventional controls. METHODS: Between September 2014 and January 2017, 31 and 23 patients underwent alternative access transcatheter aortic valve replacement under FT and pre-fast-track (p-FT) protocols, respectively. Comparisons of outcomes (in terms of mortality, complications, readmissions and resource utilization) were made before and after the implantation of the FT protocol in September 2015. RESULTS: Overall, mean age was 78.7 years in FT and 79.6 years in p-FT patients (P = 0.71). There were no significant differences in procedural (3.2% vs 13.0%, P = 0.301) or 90-day mortality (3.2% vs 17.4%, P = 0.151) between the FT and p-FT groups, respectively. Compared with p-FT patients, FT patients had significantly shorter intensive care unit stays (12 h vs 27 h, P = 0.006) and a trend towards more discharges within 3 days (41.9% vs 17.4%, P = 0.081). Resource utilization analyses projected a 56% and 17% reduction in the mean intensive care unit time (hours) per 100 patients and the total length of stay (days) per 100 patients, respectively, with respect to the FT approach. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of the novel FT protocol for alternative access transcatheter aortic valve replacement, resulting in shorter intensive care unit stays, without increasing procedural complications or readmissions. With the expected increase in transcatheter aortic valve replacement utilization, FT protocols should be integrated with a multidisciplinary heart team approach to enhance patient recovery and optimize resource utilization.

Outcomes of surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the octogenarians-surgery still the gold standard?

BACKGROUND: Contemporary options for aortic valve replacement (AVR) include transcatheter and surgical approaches (TAVR and SAVR). As evidence accrues for TAVR in high and intermediate risk patients, some clinicians advocate that all patients aged over 80 years should only receive TAVR. Our aim was to investigate the utility of SAVR and minimally invasive AVR (mAVR) among octogenarians in the current era of TAVR. METHODS: From 2002 to 2015, 1,028 octogenarians underwent isolated AVR; 306 TAVR and 722 SAVR, of which 378 patients underwent mAVR. Logistic regression and Cox modeling were used to evaluate overall operative mortality and mid-term survival, respectively. Patients were stratified based on procedural approaches (mAVR or full sternotomy for SAVR, and transfemoral or alternate access for TAVR). Median follow-up was 35 [interquartile range (IQR) 14-65] months. RESULTS: Compared to SAVR patients, TAVR patients were relatively older (86.2 versus 84.2 years) with co-morbidities such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes mellitus (DM), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and prior myocardial infarction (MI), all P<0.05. The mean STS-PROM for the TAVR group was statistically higher, 6.81 versus 5.58 for the SAVR group (P<0.001). The median in-hospital LOS was statistically higher for the SAVR group (P<0.05). Cox proportional hazard modeling, adjusted for temporal differences in procedure and patient selection, identified age, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV, preoperative creatinine, severe chronic lung disease, prior cardiac surgery as significant predictors of decreased survival (all P<0.05), while type of intervention (approach) was non-contributory. Adjusted operative mortality stratified by procedure approaches was similar between full sternotomy SAVR and mAVR, and between alternative access and transfemoral TAVR. CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for confounders, TAVR (regardless of approach), SAVR, and mAVR had comparable operative mortality and mid-term survival. Treatment decisions should be individualized with consensus from a multi-disciplinary heart team, taking into account patient co morbidities, frailty, and quality of life. We believe certain patient groups will still benefit from SAVR even in this elderly population.

The Perceval Sutureless Aortic Valve: Review of Outcomes, Complications, and Future Direction.

Surgical aortic valve replacement with a stented prosthesis has been the standard of care procedure for aortic stenosis. The Perceval (LivaNova, London, United Kingdom) is a sutureless aortic valve bioprosthesis currently implanted in more than 20,000 patients. The purpose of this article was to review the literature available after 9 years of clinical experience of the Perceval aortic valve. PubMED, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched. A meta-analysis of summary statistics from individual studies was conducted. A total of 333 studies were identified and 84 studies were included. Thirty-day mortality and 5-year survival ranged from 0% to 4.9% and 71.3% to 85.5%, respectively. Compared with stented prosthesis, pooled analysis demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in aortic cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times (minutes) with Perceval (38.6 vs 63.3 and 61.4 vs 84.9, P < 0.00001, respectively). Compared with transcatheter aortic valve implantation, pooled analysis demonstrated a statistically significant reduction with Perceval in paravalvular leakage (1.26% vs 14.31%) and early mortality (2.3% vs 6.9%). Favorable hemodynamics, acceptable valve durability, and ease of implantation in minimally invasive cases were reported as benefits. A trend toward increased rates of permanent pacemaker implantation and low postoperative platelet count were identified. Special use and off-label procedures described included bicuspid aortic valves, valve-in-valve for homograft and stentless prosthesis failure, concomitant valvular procedures, porcelain aorta, and endocarditis. The Perceval valve has shown safe clinical and hemodynamic outcomes. Outcomes support its continued usage and potential expansion.