Pathogenic variants damage cell composition and single cell transcription in cardiomyopathies.

Pathogenic variants in genes that cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) convey high risks for the development of heart failure through unknown mechanisms. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we characterized the transcriptome of 880,000 nuclei from 18 control and 61 failing, nonischemic human hearts with pathogenic variants in DCM and ACM genes or idiopathic disease. We performed genotype-stratified analyses of the ventricular cell lineages and transcriptional states. The resultant DCM and ACM ventricular cell atlas demonstrated distinct right and left ventricular responses, highlighting genotype-associated pathways, intercellular interactions, and differential gene expression at single-cell resolution. Together, these data illuminate both shared and distinct cellular and molecular architectures of human heart failure and suggest candidate therapeutic targets.

Cells of the adult human heart.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Advanced insights into disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies require a deeper understanding of the molecular processes involved in the healthy heart. Knowledge of the full repertoire of cardiac cells and their gene expression profiles is a fundamental first step in this endeavour. Here, using state-of-the-art analyses of large-scale single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomes, we characterize six anatomical adult heart regions. Our results highlight the cellular heterogeneity of cardiomyocytes, pericytes and fibroblasts, and reveal distinct atrial and ventricular subsets of cells with diverse developmental origins and specialized properties. We define the complexity of the cardiac vasculature and its changes along the arterio-venous axis. In the immune compartment, we identify cardiac-resident macrophages with inflammatory and protective transcriptional signatures. Furthermore, analyses of cell-to-cell interactions highlight different networks of macrophages, fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes between atria and ventricles that are distinct from those of skeletal muscle. Our human cardiac cell atlas improves our understanding of the human heart and provides a valuable reference for future studies.

Hospital Volume and Outcome after Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Grafting.

BACKGROUND: Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafting largely is underutilized in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), partly because of the perceived increased complexity of the procedure. AIMS: In this study, we evaluated whether BIMA grafting can safely be performed also in centers, where this revascularization strategy infrequently is adopted. METHODS: Out of 6,783 patients from the prospective multicenter E-CABG study, who underwent isolated non- emergent CABG from January 2015 to December 2016, 2,457 underwent BIMA grafting and their outcome was evaluated in this analysis. RESULTS: The mean number of BIMA grafting per center was 82 cases/year and hospitals were defined as high or low volume, according to this cutoff value. Six hospitals were considered as centers with a high volume of BIMA grafting (no. of procedures ranging from 120 to 267/year; overall: 2,156; prevalence: 62.2%) and nine hospitals as centers with a low volume of BIMA grafting (no. of procedures ranging from 2 to 39/year; overall: 301; prevalence: 9.1%). Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis showed that the low- and high-volume cohorts had similar outcomes. Propensity score one-to-one matching analysis of 292 pairs showed that the low-volume cohort had a significantly shorter intensive care unit stay (2.2 ± 2.3 versus 2.9 ± 4.8 days, P = .020). The rates of in-hospital death (1.0% versus 0.3%, P = .625), deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis (3.8% versus 3.1%, P = .824), and 1-year survival (98.1% versus 99.7%, P = .180) as well as other outcomes were similar between the high- and low-volume cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: BIMA grafting can be safely performed also in centers in which this revascularization strategy is infrequently performed.

Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation After Surgical Repair of Type A Aortic Dissection.

Venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCS) in patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is controversial and the available evidence is confined to limited case series. We aimed to evaluate the impact of this salvage therapy in this patient population. Between January 2010 and March 2018, all TAAD patients receiving VA-ECMO for PCS were retrieved from the PC-ECMO registry. Hospital mortality and other secondary outcomes were compared with PCS patients undergoing surgery for other cardiac pathologies and treated with VA-ECMO. Among the 781 patients in the PC-ECMO registry, 62 (7.9%) underwent TAAD repair and required VA-ECMO support for PCS. In-hospital mortality accounted for 46 (74.2%) patients, while 23 (37.1%) were successfully weaned from VA-ECMO. No significant differences were observed between the TAAD and non-TAAD cohorts with reference to in-hospital mortality (74.2% vs 63.4%, p = 0.089). However, patients in the TAAD group had a higher rate of neurological events (33.9% vs 17.6%, p = 0.002), but similar rates of reoperation for bleeding/tamponade (48.4% vs 41.5%, p = 0.29), transfusion of ≥10 red blood cell units (77.4% vs 69.5%, p = 0.19), new-onset dialysis (56.7% vs 53.1%, p = 0.56), and other secondary outcomes. VA-ECMO provides a valid support for patients affected by PCS after surgery for TAAD.

Postcardiotomy Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Patients Aged 70 Years or Older.

BACKGROUND: There is uncertainty whether venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) should be used in older patients with cardiopulmonary failure after cardiac surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective multicenter study of 781 patients who required postcardiotomy VA-ECMO for cardiopulmonary failure after adult cardiac surgery from 2010 to 2018 at 19 cardiac surgery centers. A parallel systematic review with meta-analysis of the literature was performed. RESULTS: The hospital mortality in the overall Postcardiotomy Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (PC-ECMO) series was 64.4%. A total of 255 patients were 70 years old or older (32.7%), and their hospital mortality was significantly higher than in younger patients (76.1% vs 58.7%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.199; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.536 to 3.149). Arterial lactate level greater than 6 mmol/L before starting VA-ECMO was the only predictor of hospital mortality among patients 70 years old or older in univariate analysis (82.6% vs 70.4%; P = .029). Meta-analysis of current and previous studies showed that early mortality after postcardiotomy VA-ECMO was significantly higher in patients aged 70 years or older compared with younger patients (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.59 to 2.75; 5 studies including 1547 patients; I2, 5.9%). The pooled early mortality rate among patients aged 70 years or older was 78.8% (95% CI, 74.1 to 83.5; 6 studies including 617 patients; I2, 41.8%). Two studies reported 1-year mortality (including hospital mortality) of 79.9% and 75.6%, respectively, in patients 70 years old or older. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age should not be considered a contraindication for postcardiotomy VA-ECMO. However, in view of the high risk of early mortality, meaningful scrutiny is needed before using VA-ECMO after cardiac surgery in older patients.

Bleeding in Patients Treated With Ticagrelor or Clopidogrel Before Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated perioperative bleeding after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients preoperatively treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel, stratified by discontinuation of these P2Y12 inhibitors. METHODS: All patients from the prospective, European Multicenter Registry on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel undergoing isolated primary CABG were eligible. The primary outcome measure was severe or massive bleeding defined according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding, stratified by P2Y12 inhibitor discontinuation. Secondary outcome measures included four additional definitions of major bleeding. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for differences in preoperative and perioperative covariates. RESULTS: Of 2,311 patients who were included, 1,293 (55.9%) received clopidogrel and 1,018 (44.1%) ticagrelor preoperatively. Mean time between discontinuation and the operation was 4.5 ± 3.2 days for clopidogrel and 4.9 ± 3.0 days for ticagrelor. In the propensity score-matched cohort, ticagrelor-treated patients had a higher incidence of major bleeding according to Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding when ticagrelor was discontinued 0 to 2 days compared with 3 days before the operation (16.0% vs 2.7%, p = 0.003). Clopidogrel-treated patients had a higher incidence of major bleeding according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding when clopidogrel was discontinued 0 to 3 days compared with 4 to 5 days before the operation (15.6% vs 8.3%, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: In patients receiving ticagrelor 2 days before CABG and in those receiving clopidogrel 3 days before CABG, there was an increased rate of severe bleeding. Postponing nonemergent CABG for at least 3 days after discontinuation of ticagrelor and 4 days after clopidogrel should be considered.

Impact of preoperative thrombocytopenia on the outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting.

The impact of thrombocytopenia on postoperative bleeding and other major adverse events after cardiac surgery is unclear. This issue was investigated in a series of patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) from the prospective, multicenter E-CABG registry. Preoperative thrombocytopenia was defined as preoperative platelet count <150 × 109/L and it was considered moderate-severe when preoperative platelet count was <100 × 109/L. Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis was performed to adjust the effect of thrombocytopenia on outcomes for baseline and operative covariates as well as for interinstitutional differences in patient-blood management. Among 7189 patients included in this analysis, 599 (8.3%) had preoperative thrombocytopenia. Patient with preoperative thrombocytopenia had an increased chest drainage output at 12 h (mean, 519 vs. 456 mL, adjusted coeff. 39, 95%CI 18-60) and rates of severe-massive bleeding (Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding (UDPB) severity grades 3-4: 12.7% vs. 8.1%, adjusted OR 1.47, 95%CI 1.11-1.93; E-CABG bleeding severity grades 2-3: 10.4% vs. 6.1%, adjusted OR 1.78, 95%CI 1.30-2.43). Thrombocytopenia was associated with an increased risk of hospital/30-day death (3.2% vs. 1.9%, adjusted OR 2.02, 95%CI 1.20-3.42), 1-year death (5.7% vs. 3.4%, adjusted HR 1.68, 95%CI 1.16-2.44), deep sternal wound infection (3.5% vs. 2.4%, adjusted OR 1.65, 95%CI 1.02-2.66), acute kidney injury (28.1% vs. 22.2%, OR 1.45, 1.18-1.78), and prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (mean, 3.6 vs 2.8 days, adjusted coeff. 0.74, 95%CI 0.40-1.09). Similar results were observed in a subset of patients with moderate-severe thrombocytopenia (51 patients, 0.7%). In particular, these patients had a markedly higher rate of acute kidney injury (40%, adjusted OR, 1.94, 95%CI 1.05-3.57), resternotomy for bleeding (7.8%, adjusted OR 3.49, 95%CI 1.20-10.21), and severe-massive bleeding (UDPB severity grades 3-4: 23.5%, adjusted OR 3.08, 95%CI 1.52-6.22; E-CABG bleeding severity grades 2-3: 23.5%, adjusted OR 4.43, 95%CI 2.15-9.15) compared to patients with normal preoperative platelet count. Mild preoperative thrombocytopenia is associated with increased risk of severe-massive bleeding, mortality, and other major adverse events after CABG. Such risks are markedly increased in patients with moderate-severe preoperative thrombocytopenia.

Prognostic Impact of Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of untreated asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CS) in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS: This was a post hoc analysis of data from a prospective multicentre observational study. Patients without history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack from the multicentre E-CABG registry who were screened for CS before isolated CABG were included. RESULTS: Among 2813 patients screened by duplex ultrasound and who did not undergo carotid intervention for asymptomatic CS, 11.1% had a stenosis of 50-59%, 6.0% of 60-69%, 3.1% of 70-79%, 1.4% of 80-89%, 0.5% of 90-99%, and 1.1% had carotid occlusion. In the screened population post-operative stroke occurred in 25 patients (0.9%), with an incidence of 1.5% among patients with CS ≥ 50% (n = 649). Pre-operative screening had not found a relevant CS in 15 of 25 patients suffering stroke after CABG. Brain imaging identified cerebral ischaemic injury in 20 patients, which was bilateral in five patients (25%), ipsilateral to a CS ≥ 50% in six (30%), and ipsilateral to a CS ≥ 70% in three (15%). In univariable analysis, the severity of CS was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke (CS < 50%, 0.7%; 50-59%, 1.0%; 60-69%, 0.6%; 70-79%, 1.2%; 80-89%, 5.1%; 90-99%, 7.7%; occluded, 6.7%, p < .001). In multivariable analysis, a CS of 90-99% (OR 12.03, 95% CI 1.34-108.23) and the presence of an occluded internal carotid artery (OR 8.783, 95% CI 1.820-42.40) were independent predictors of stroke along with urgency of the procedure, severe massive bleeding according to the E-CABG classification, and the presence of a porcelain ascending aorta. CONCLUSIONS: Among screened patients with untreated asymptomatic patients, CS ≥ 90% was an independent predictor of post-operative stroke. As this condition has a low prevalence and when left untreated is associated with a relatively low rate of stroke, pre-operative screening of asymptomatic CS before CABG may not be justified. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02319083.

Variation in preoperative antithrombotic strategy, severe bleeding, and use of blood products in coronary artery bypass grafting: results from the multicentre E-CABG registry.

Aims: No data exists on inter-institutional differences in terms of adherence to international guidelines regarding the discontinuation of antithrombotics and rates of severe bleeding in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods and results: This is an analysis of 7118 patients from the prospective multicentre European CABG (E-CABG) registry who underwent isolated CABG in 15 European centres. Preoperative pause of P2Y12 receptor antagonists shorter than that suggested by the 2017 ESC guidelines (overall 11.6%) ranged from 0.7% to 24.8% between centres (adjusted P < 0.0001) and increased the rate of severe-massive bleeding [E-CABG bleeding grades 2-3, OR 1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-2.17; Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding (UDPB) bleeding grades 3-4, OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.16-1.93]. The incidence of resternotomy for bleeding (overall 2.6%) ranged from 0% to 6.9% (adjusted P < 0.0001), and surgical site bleeding (overall 59.6%) ranged from 0% to 84.6% (adjusted P = 0.003). The rate of the UDPB bleeding grades 3-4 (overall 8.4%) ranged from 3.7% to 22.3% (P < 0.0001), and of the E-CABG bleeding grades 2-3 (overall 6.5%) ranged from 0.4% to 16.4% between centres (P < 0.0001). Resternotomy for bleeding (adjusted OR 5.04, 95% CI 2.85-8.92), UDPB bleeding grades 3-4 (adjusted OR 6.61, 95% CI 4.42-9.88), and E-CABG bleeding grades 2-3 (adjusted OR 8.71, 95% CI 5.76-13.15) were associated with an increased risk of hospital/30-day mortality. Conclusions: Adherence to the current guidelines on the early discontinuation of P2Y12 receptor antagonists is of utmost importance to reduce excessive bleeding and early mortality after CABG. Inter-institutional variation should be considered for a correct interpretation of the results in multicentre studies evaluating perioperative bleeding and use of blood products.

Clinical frailty scale and outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of frailty on the outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and whether it may improve the predictive ability of European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE II). METHODS: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was assessed preoperatively in patients undergoing isolated CABG from the multicentre E-CABG registry, and patients were stratified into 3 classes: scores 1-2, scores 3-4 and scores 5-7. RESULTS: Of the 6156 patients enrolled, 39.2% had CFS scores 1-2, 57.6% scores 3-4, and 3.2% scores 5-7. Logistic regression adjusted for multiple covariates showed that the CFS was an independent predictor of hospital/30-day mortality [CFS scores 3-4, odds ratio (OR) 3.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.19-7.14; CFS scores 5-7, OR 5.90, 95% CI 2.67-13.05] and resulted in an Integrated Improvement Index of 1.3 (P < 0.001) and a Net Reclassification Index of 55.6 (P < 0.001) for prediction of hospital/30-day mortality. Adding the CFS classes to EuroSCORE II resulted in an Integrated Improvement Index of 0.9 (P < 0.001) and Net Reclassification Index of 59.6 (P < 0.001) for prediction of hospital/30-day mortality with a significantly larger area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (0.809 vs 0.781, P = 0.028). The CFS was an independent predictor of mid-term mortality [CFS scores 3-4, hazard ratio (HR) 2.05, 95% CI 1.43-2.85; CFS scores 5-7, HR 3.05, 95% CI 1.83-5.06]. CONCLUSIONS: The CFS predicted early- and mid-term mortality in patients undergoing isolated CABG. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether frailty may improve the estimation of the operative risk of patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery. Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02319083.

Utility of glycated hemoglobin screening in patients undergoing elective coronary artery surgery: Prospective, cohort study from the E-CABG registry.

BACKGROUND: Patients with increased glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) seem to be at increased risk of sternal wound infection (SWI) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, it is unclear whether increased baseline HbA1c levels may affect other postoperative outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data on preoperative levels of HbA1c were collected from 2606 patients undergoing elective isolated CABG from 2015 to 2016 and included in the prospective, multicenter E-CABG registry. RESULTS: The prevalence of HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) among non-diabetics was 5.3%, among non-insulin dependent diabetics was 53.5% and among insulin dependent diabetics was 67.1% (p < 0.001). The prevalence of HbA1c > 75 mmol/mol (9.0%) among non-diabetics was 0.5%, among non-insulin dependent diabetics was 5.8% and among insulin dependent diabetics was 10.6% (p < 0.001). Baseline levels of HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) was a significant predictor of any SWI (10.7% vs. 3.3%, adjusted p-value: <0.001), deep SWI/mediastinitis (3.8% vs. 1.3%, adjusted p-value: 0.001) and acute kidney injury (27.4% vs. 19.8%, adjusted p-value: 0.042). These findings were confirmed in multilevel mixed effect logistic regression adjusted for participating centers. Among patients with diabetes, HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) was predictive of SWI (11.1% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: HbA1c is increased in a significant proportion of patients undergoing elective CABG and these patients are at higher risk of SWI. Less clear is the impact of increased HbA1c on other postoperative outcomes. These results do not support screening of HbA1c in patients without history of diabetes. Preoperative screening of HbA1c is valuable only to identify diabetics at risk of SWI.

Prior Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Surgical Myocardial Revascularization: Results From the E-CABG (European Multicenter Study on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) With a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients requiring coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains unsettled. We sought to determine whether prior PCI is associated with adverse outcome after CABG. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from the prospective E-CABG (European Multicenter Study on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) conducted between January 2015 and March 2016 at 16 European centres were analyzed using propensity weighted methodology to adjust for confounding. A parallel systematic review/meta-analysis (MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library) through September 2017 was accomplished. Of a total of 3641 adult patients included in the E-CABG study, 685 (19%) patients had a history of PCI. At multivariable level, prior PCI was not associated with an increased hospital mortality in both unweighted and weighted patient groups (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-1.38; P=0.33 and odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-2.08; P=0.81, respectively). Subgroup analyses confirmed that prior PCI had no impact on hospital mortality and morbidity, including reexploration for bleeding, blood transfusion, hospital resource use, and neurological, renal, and cardiac complications. The systematic review provided a total of 71 366 individuals and showed a trend toward higher in-hospital/30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.70; I2=43.1%) in patients with prior PCI. CONCLUSIONS: Our prospective multicenter study showed that prior PCI was not associated with an increased risk of mortality or other adverse outcomes in patients undergoing CABG. In light of a trend toward increased mortality observed in the meta-analysis, further studies are needed to ascertain the prognostic impact of prior PCI in the outcome after CABG. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02319083.

Early Outcome of Bilateral Versus Single Internal Mammary Artery Grafting in the Elderly.

BACKGROUND: Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafting is increasingly used in elderly patients without evidence of its risks or benefits compared with single internal mammary artery (SIMA) grafting. METHODS: In all, 2,899 patients aged 70 years or older (855 [29.5%] underwent BIMA grafting) operated on from January 2015 to December 2016 and included in the prospective multicenter Outcome After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) study were considered in this analysis. RESULTS: One-to-one propensity matching resulted in 804 pairs with similar preoperative risk profile. Propensity score matched analysis showed that BIMA grafting was associated with a nonstatistically significant increased risk of inhospital death (2.7% versus 1.6%, p = 0.117). The BIMA grafting cohort had a significantly increased risk of any sternal wound infection (7.7% versus 5.1%, p = 0.031) as well as higher risk of deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis (4.0% versus 2.2%, p = 0.048). The BIMA grafting cohort required more frequently extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (1.0% versus 0.1%, p = 0.02), and the intensive care unit stay (mean 3.6 versus 2.6 days, p < 0.001) and inhospital stay (mean 11.3 versus 10.0 days, p < 0.001) were significantly longer compared with the SIMA grafting cohort. Test for interaction showed that urgent operation in patients undergoing BIMA grafting was associated with higher risk of inhospital death (5.6% versus 1.3%, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral internal mammary artery grafting in elderly patients seems to be associated with a worse early outcome compared with SIMA grafting, particularly in patients undergoing urgent operation. Until more conclusive results are gathered, BIMA grafting should be reserved only for elderly patients with stable coronary artery disease, without significant baseline comorbidities and with long life expectancy.

Hospital Outcome and Risk Indices of Mortality after redo-mitral valve surgery in Potential Candidates for Transcatheter Procedures: Results From a European Registry.

OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve/valve-in-ring procedures (TM-VIVoR) are increasing. The authors aimed to identify independent predictors for hospital mortality in redo mitral valve surgery as possible future selection criteria for TM-VIVoR. DESIGN: Retrospective multicenter registry. SETTING: Tertiary university and community hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Two-hundred and sixty patients (out of 920 enrolled) who are potentially candidates for TM-VIVoR undergoing redo-surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Redo mitral surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Regression analyzes and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves identified independent predictors of death. Patients potentially candidates for TM-VIVoR reported significant hospital mortality (9.2%; EuroSCORE II: 13.2 ± 13.1, Society of Thoracic Surgeons [STS] score: 6.2 ± 3.1) and major morbidity (3.8% acute myocardial infarction, 5% stroke, 16.9% perioperative respiratory failure, 16.5% acute renal insufficiency, 25% massive transfusions). EuroSCORE II (odds ration [OR] 1.06; confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.10; p = 0.005), STS score (OR 1.58; CI 1.27-1.97; p = 0.001), age at surgery (OR 1.05; CI 1.00-1.15; p = 0.05), preoperative dialysis (OR 2.5; CI 1.8-12.6; p = 0.042), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <30% (OR 4.8; CI 1.12-37.1; p = 0.021), severe pulmonary hypertension (OR 7.5; CI 1.9-29.4; p = 0.003), and previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (OR 11.8; CI 1.7-36.9; p = 0.002) were independent predictors of hospital mortality. ROC analyses reported good prediction for EuroSCORE II (AUC: 0.76; cut-off value: >13.1; 70.8% sensitivity and 68.2% specificity) and better prediction for STS score (AUC: 0.81; cut-off value: 7.4; 75.0% sensitivity and 66.2% specificity). Quintiles stratification identified EuroSCORE II ≥18.7 (5th quintile, observed mortality: 19.3%) and STS score >9.1 as strong predictors of death within each risk-categorization (OR 5.9 and 12.1, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: High EuroSCORE II and STS scores, advanced age at surgery, LVEF <30%, previous CABG, severe pulmonary hypertension or preoperative dialysis might represent in the future preferred indications for TM-VIVoR in the redo-mitral surgery scenario.

Prognostic Impact of Prolonged Cross-Clamp Time in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic impact of cross-clamp time (XCT) in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has not been thoroughly investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 2957 patients who underwent on-pump isolated CABG from the prospective multicentre E-CABG study were the subjects of this analysis. RESULTS: The mean XCT in this series was 58±25minutes Cross-clamp time was >60 minutes in 1134 patients (38.3%), >75minutes in 619 patients (20.9%) and >90minutes in 296 patients (10.0%). Multivariate analysis showed that XCT was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (p<0.0001, OR 1.027, 95%CI 1.015-1.039) along with age (p<0.0001), female gender (p=0.001), pulmonary disease (p=0.001), poor mobility (p=0.002), urgency status (p=0.007), critical preoperative status (p=0.002) and participating centres (p=0.015). Adjusted risk of 30-day mortality was highest for XCT >75minutes (2.9% vs. 1.7%, p=0.002, OR 3.479, 95%CI 1.609-7.520). Analysis of 428 propensity score matched pairs showed that XCT >75minutes was associated with significantly increased risk of early mortality, prolonged use of inotropes, postoperative use of intra-aortic balloon pump, use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, atrial fibrillation, prolonged stay in the intensive care unit and of composite major adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated CABG is currently performed with prolonged XCT in a significant number of patients and this seems to be a determinant of poor early outcome.

Meta-Analysis of the Outcome After Postcardiotomy Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adult Patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study was planned to pool existing data on outcome and to evaluate the efficacy of postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in adult patients. DESIGN: Systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. SETTING: Multi-institutional study. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with acute heart failure immediately after cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS: VA-ECMO after cardiac surgery. Studies evaluating only heart transplant patients were excluded from this analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A literature search was performed to identify studies published since 2000. Thirty-one studies reported on 2,986 patients (mean age, 58.1 years) who required postcardiotomy VA-ECMO. The weaning rate from VA-ECMO was 59.5% and hospital survival was 36.1% (95% CI 31.5-40.8). The pooled rate of reoperation for bleeding was 42.9%, major neurological event 11.3%, lower limb ischemia 10.8%, deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis 14.7%, and renal replacement therapy 47.1%. The pooled mean number of transfused red blood cell units was 17.7 (95% CI 13.3-22.1). The mean stay in the intensive care unit was 13.3 days (95% CI 10.2-16.4). Survivors were significantly younger (mean, 55.7 v 63.6 years, p = 0.015) and their blood lactate level before starting VA-ECMO was lower (mean, 7.7 v 10.7 mmol/L, p = 0.028) than patients who died. One-year survival rate was 30.9% (95% CI 24.3-37.5). CONCLUSIONS: Pooled data showed that VA-ECMO may salvage one-third of patients unresponsive to any other resuscitative treatment after adult cardiac surgery.

Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve-In-Ring and Aortic Valve-In-Valve Implantation.

Background Transcatheter heart valve (THV) therapies have shown to be an alternative to surgical valve replacement, especially in high-risk patients requiring redo surgery. However, reports of transcatheter-based interventions in tricuspid valve position are scarce. Case Description Here, we report a case of successful concomitant transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve (ViV) and tricuspid valve-in-ring (ViR) procedures using a 23-mm CoreValve Evolut R THV (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States) in aortic position and a 29-mm SAPIEN3 (Edwards Lifesciences, Inc., Irvine, California, United States) THV in tricuspid position. Conclusion This case demonstrates feasibility of concomitant transcatheter aortic ViV and tricuspid ViR procedures.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after coronary artery bypass grafting: Results of a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The evidence of the benefits of using venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is scarce. METHODS: We analyzed the outcomes of patients who received VA-ECMO therapy due to cardiac or respiratory failure after isolated CABG in 12 centers between 2005 and 2016. Patients treated preoperatively with ECMO were excluded from this study. RESULTS: VA-ECMO was employed in 148 patients after CABG for median of 5.0days (mean, 6.4, SD 5.6days). In-hospital mortality was 64.2%. Pooled in-hospital mortality was 65.9% without significant heterogeneity between the centers (I2 8.6%). The proportion of VA-ECMO in each center did not affect in-hospital mortality (p=0.861). No patients underwent heart transplantation and six patients received a left ventricular assist device. Logistic regression showed that creatinine clearance (p=0.004, OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99), pulmonary disease (p=0.018, OR 4.42, 95% CI 1.29-15.15) and pre-VA-ECMO blood lactate (p=0.015, OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18) were independent baseline predictors of in-hospital mortality. One-, 2-, and 3-year survival was 31.0%, 27.9%, and 26.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: One third of patients with need for VA-ECMO after CABG survive to discharge. In view of the burden of resources associated with VA-ECMO treatment and the limited number of patients surviving to discharge, further studies are needed to identify patients who may benefit the most from this treatment.

The impact of minor blood transfusion on the outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of minor perioperative bleeding requiring transfusion of 1-2 red blood cell (RBC) units on the outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS: Sixteen cardiac surgical centers contributed to the prospective European CABG registry (E-CABG). 1014 patients receiving 1-2 RBC units during or after isolated CABG were compared to 2264 patients not receiving RBCs. RESULTS: In 827 propensity score matched pairs, transfusion of 1-2 RBC units did not affect the risk of in-hospital/30-day death (p=0.523) or stroke (p=0.804). However, RBC transfusion was associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (p=0.008), sternal wound infection (p=0.001), postoperative use of antibiotics (p=0.001), prolonged use of inotropes (p<0.0001), use of intra-aortic balloon pump (p=0.012), length of intensive care unit stay (p<0.0001) and length of in-hospital stay (p<0.0001). Matched paired analysis excluding pre- and postoperative critical hemodynamic conditions showed that RBC transfusion was associated with an increased risk of major complications except in-hospital/30-day death. CONCLUSION: Minor perioperative bleeding and subsequent transfusion of 1-2 RBC units did not affect the risk of early death, but increased the risk of other major adverse events. Minimizing perioperative bleeding and prevention of even low-volume RBC transfusion may improve the outcome after CABG.

The value of fluorine-18 deoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans in patients with ventricular assist device specific infections†.

BACKGROUND: Infections are major complications in patients with ventricular assist devices (VAD). Positron emission tomography with deoxyglucose marked by fluorine-18 ( 18 F-FDG PET/CT) is a diagnostic tool to scan for tissue with high metabolism as present in infections. The specificity of 18 F-FDG PET/CT to discriminate between infection and an aseptic reaction of the implanted device is not defined and its evaluation is the aim of this retrospective analysis. METHODS: Until September 2015 a total of 100 patients underwent VAD implantations in our institution. Twenty-one patients (mean age 53.7 ± 14.3 years) had 29 PET-CT examinations for a suspected infection. All radiology reports were compared to clinical and intraoperative parameters. Infections were reported according to the guidelines of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Follow-up was 222 days (range 107-484 days) after PET-CT scans and was complete in all patients. RESULTS: In 7 patients PET-CT scan ruled out any VAD associated infection. Sixteen patients had a VAD specific infection. Two patients had false negative PET-CT scan results. The sensitivity of VAD-specific infections was 87.5%, the specificity 100%, the positive predictive value was 100% and the negative predictive value 86.7%. Seven patients had more than one PET-CT scans at different time points. CONCLUSIONS: PET-CT scan findings showed a high specificity and positive predictive value for VAD-specific infections. Therefore, it may have the potential to guide the clinician in handling patients with infectious complications after VAD implantation.