Utility of structured follow-up imaging after aortic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Although postoperative follow-up after aortic surgery is recommended by guidelines, its clinical utility is not well documented. We hypothesized that structured follow-up imaging by an aortic program would improve outcomes. We then documented radiologic findings on asymptomatic postoperative imaging. METHODS: All patients who survived to discharge after open thoracic aortic surgery between January 2017 and July 2021 were included, excluding endocarditis. Patients who followed at our center and received scheduled imaging were compared with patients who did not. Survival was analyzed by the method of Kaplan-Meier, and reintervention was assessed using the Fine-Gray subhazard function. Routine imaging was reviewed for aortic growth, pseudoaneurysm, and perigraft density. RESULTS: After aortic surgery, the cumulative incidence of follow-up was 38.6% at 3 years postoperatively. Patients with follow-up were more likely to have a dissection and fewer comorbidities but were similar in regards to socioeconomic factors and distance to hospital. After matching and accounting for immortal time bias, patients with follow-up had a greater reintervention rate (26.0% vs 9.0%) with similar survival (98.7% vs 95.2%, P = .110) at 4 years. The cumulative incidence of pseudoaneurysm, significant perigraft density, and growth ≥3 mm/year on routine imaging was 49.7% at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of structured follow-up imaging by an aortic program resulted in low clinical compliance. Follow-up was associated with increased rates of aortic reintervention. Clinically relevant radiologic findings were common on asymptomatic imaging and increased throughout 5-year follow-up rather than plateauing in the early postoperative period.

Correlating state-specific and national trends in breast reconstruction after Medicaid expansion: A decade-long update on the Affordable Care Act's impact.

While disparities in access to reconstruction persist, a comprehensive analysis comparing state-based outcomes and national patterns in breast reconstruction as a result of Medicaid expansion has never been examined. In this study, we investigated how breast reconstruction rates changed as a result of Medicaid expansion and compared these state-based findings to national counterparts. Patient data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project among states that chose to expand Medicaid were compared with those from states that did not expand. The difference-in-differences estimate of expansion to nonexpansion states was 7.05 (p = 0.10) for implant-based reconstruction, -11.56 (p = 0.01) for autologous reconstruction, and -7.08 (p = 0.18) for overall reconstruction. Comparing rates of nonexpansion states to national trends yielded estimates of -0.06 (p = 0.04), 0.06 (p = 0.01), and 0.004 (p = 0.90) for implant-based, autologous, and overall breast reconstruction, respectively. Similarly, comparing rates of expansion states to national trends yielded estimates of 0.02 (p = 0.38), -0.05 (p = 0.03), and -0.02 (p = 0.44) for implant-based, autologous, and overall breast reconstruction, respectively. In this study on national health policy, Medicaid expansion was associated with a significant increase in autologous rates while state-specific trends alone did not appear to predict the national outcomes of sweeping legislative changes that were differentially applied among states.

Racial disparities in surgical treatment of type A acute aortic dissection.

Objective: To determine whether there are racial disparities associated with mortality, cost, and length of hospital stay after surgical repair of type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD). Methods: Patient data from 2015 to 2018 were collected using the National Inpatient Sample. In-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. Multivariable logistical modeling was used to identify factors independently associated with mortality. Results: Among 3952 admissions, 2520 (63%) were White, 848 (21%) were Black/African American, 310 (8%) were Hispanic, 146 (4%) were Asian and Pacific Islander (API), and 128 (3%) were classified as Other. Black/African American and Hispanic admissions presented with TAAAD at a median age of 54 years and 55 years, respectively, whereas White and API admissions presented at a median age of 64 years and 63 years, respectively (P < .0001). Additionally, there were higher percentages of Black/African American (54%; n = 450) and Hispanic (32%; n = 94) admissions living in ZIP codes with the lowest median household income quartile. Despite these differences on presentation, when adjusting for age and comorbidity, there was no independent association between race and in-hospital mortality and no significant interactions between race and income on in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: Black and Hispanic admissions present with TAAAD a decade earlier than White and API admissions. Additionally, Black and Hispanic TAAAD admissions are more likely to come from lower-income households. After adjusting for relevant cofactors, there was no independent association between race and in-hospital mortality after surgical treatment of TAAAD.

Current Penetration, Completeness, and Representativeness of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

BACKGROUND: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) is the largest cardiac surgical database in the world. Linked data from STS ACSD and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) database were used to determine contemporary completeness, penetration, and representativeness of STS ACSD. METHODS: Variables common to both STS and CMS databases were used to link STS procedures to CMS data for all CMS coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) discharges between 2000 and 2018, inclusive. For each CMS CABG hospitalization, it was determined whether a matching STS record existed. RESULTS: Center-level penetration (number of CMS sites with at least 1 matched STS participant divided by total number of CMS CABG sites) increased from 45% in 2000 to 95% in 2018. In 2018, 949 of 1004 CMS CABG sites (95%) were linked to an STS site. Patient-level penetration (number of CMS CABG hospitalizations at STS sites divided by total number of CMS CABG hospitalizations) increased from 51% in 2000 to 97% in 2018. In 2018, 68,584 of 70,818 CMS CABG hospitalizations (97%) occurred at an STS site. Completeness of case inclusion at STS sites (number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites linked to STS records divided by total number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites) increased from 88% in 2000 to 98% in 2018. In 2018, 66,673 of 68,108 CMS CABG hospitalizations at STS sites (98%) were linked to an STS record. CONCLUSIONS: Linkage of the STS and CMS databases demonstrates high and increasing penetration and completeness of STS ACSD. STS ACSD now includes 97% of CABG in the United States.

Administrative Claims Measure for Profiling Hospital Performance Based on 90-Day All-Cause Mortality Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a focus of bundled and alternate payment models that capture outcomes up to 90 days postsurgery. While clinical registry risk models perform well, measures encompassing mortality beyond 30 days do not currently exist. We aimed to develop a risk-adjusted hospital-level 90-day all-cause mortality measure intended for assessing hospital performance in payment models of CABG surgery using administrative data. METHODS: Building upon Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital-level 30-day all-cause CABG mortality measure specifications, we extended the mortality timeframe to 90 days after surgery and developed a new hierarchical logistic regression model to calculate hospital risk-standardized 90-day all-cause mortality rates for patients hospitalized for isolated CABG. The model was derived from Medicare claims data for a 3-year cohort between July 2014 to June 2017. The data set was randomly split into 50:50 development and validation samples. The model performance was evaluated with C statistics, overfitting indices, and calibration plot. The empirical validity of the measure result at the hospital level was evaluated against the Society of Thoracic Surgeons composite star rating. RESULTS: Among 137 819 CABG procedures performed in 1183 hospitals, the unadjusted mortality rate within 30 and 90 days were 3.1% and 4.7%, respectively. The final model included 27 variables. Hospital-level 90-day risk-standardized mortality rates ranged between 2.04% and 11.26%, with a median of 4.67%. C statistics in the development and validation samples were 0.766 and 0.772, respectively. We identified a strong positive correlation between 30- and 90-day risk-standardized mortality rates, with a regression slope of 1.09. Risk-standardized mortality rates also showed a stepwise trend of lower 90-day mortality with higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons composite star ratings. CONCLUSIONS: We present a measure of hospital-level 90-day risk-standardized mortality rates following isolated CABG. This measure complements Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' existing 30-day CABG mortality measure by providing greater insight into the postacute recovery period. It offers a balancing measure to ensure efforts to reduce costs associated with CABG recovery and rehabilitation do not result in unintended consequences.

Serial assessment of HeartMate 3 pump position and inflow angle and effects on adverse events.

OBJECTIVES: This study analyses the position of the HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device on serial radiographs to assess positional change and possible correlation with adverse events. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 59 left ventricular assist device recipients who had serial chest radiographs at 1 month, 6 months and 12 months post-implantation between November 2014 and June 2018. We measured pump angle, pump-spine distance and pump-diaphragm depth and investigated their relationship to a composite outcome of heart failure readmission, low flow alarms, stroke or inflow/outflow occlusion requiring surgical repositioning through recurrent event survival modelling. RESULTS: Between 1 and 6 months, the absolute pump-spine distance changed by 10.00 mm (P < 0.01) and the absolute pump-diaphragm depth changed by 18.80 mm (P < 0.01). These parameters did not change significantly between 6 and 12 months post-implantation. Pump angle did not change significantly over any period. Twenty-six patients experienced the composite outcome; in these patients, the median 1-month pump angle was 66.2° (interquartile range 54.5-78.0) as compared to 59.0° (interquartile range 47.0-65.0) in the 33 patients who did not have adverse events (P = 0.04). Pump depth and pump-spine distance at 1 month were not associated with the composite outcome. Change in pump depth between 1 and 6 months [hazard ratio (HR) 1.019; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.000-1.039] and between 6 and 12 months (HR 1.020; 95% CI 1.000-1.040) were weakly associated with the composite outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Larger pump angles are associated with the composite outcome of position-related adverse events. Pump depth movement is weakly associated with the composite outcome.

Assessment of long-term outcomes: aortic valve reimplantation versus aortic valve and root replacement with biological valved conduit in aortic root aneurysm with tricuspid valve.

OBJECTIVES: We compared the long-term outcomes between aortic valve reimplantation [David V (DV)] and aortic valve and root replacement with biological valved conduit [Bentall-De Bono (BD)] for the patients with aortic root aneurysm with tricuspid valve. METHODS: Among 876 patients who underwent aortic root replacement in our institution between 2005 and 2018, 371 patients who underwent DV (n = 199) or BD (n = 172) for aortic root aneurysm with tricuspid valve were retrospectively reviewed. Exclusion criteria included aortic stenosis, infective endocarditis, previous prosthetic aortic valve, bicuspid aortic valve, aortic dissection and mechanical Bentall procedure. Propensity score matching was performed based on the patient characteristics, matching 90 patients in each group. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. Secondary end points were reoperation for any cause and specifically for aortic valve-related cause. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, DV and BD groups each had 1 in-hospital mortality (1.1%). Survival at 10 years was 95.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 85.8-98.5] in DV and 98.6% (95% CI 90.8-99.8) in BD (P = 0.345). The cumulative incidences of reoperation at 10 years in DV versus BD were 3.9% (95% CI 0.7-11.8) vs 18.1% (95% CI 6.9-33.4) for any cause (P = 0.046) and 1.9% (95% CI 0.1-8.8) vs 15.9% (95% CI 5.5-31.4) for aortic valve-related causes (P = 0.032). The reasons for valve-related reoperation were aortic insufficiency (3/5 in DV vs 5/10 in BD), aortic stenosis (0/5 vs 2/10) and infective endocarditis (2/5 vs 3/10). CONCLUSIONS: Both DV and BD procedures for patients with aortic root aneurysm with tricuspid valve resulted in excellent 10-year survival. All-cause and aortic valve-related reoperations were significantly less frequent with valve-sparing root replacement, suggesting an advantage of DV over biological BD.

The rapid transformation of cardiac surgery practice in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Insights and clinical strategies from a center at the epicenter.

BACKGROUND: The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced our cardiac surgery program and hospital to enact drastic measures that has forced us to change how we care for cardiac surgery patients, assist with COVID-19 care, and enable support for the hospital in terms of physical resources, providers, and resident training. METHODS: In this review, we review the cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 and describe our system-wide adaptations to the pandemic, including the use of telemedicine, how a severe reduction in operative volume affected our program, the process of redeployment of staff, repurposing of residents into specific task teams, the creation of operation room intensive care units, and the challenges that we faced in this process. RESULTS: We offer a revised set of definitions of surgical priority during this pandemic and how this was applied to our system, followed by specific considerations in coronary/valve, aortic, heart failure and transplant surgery. Finally, we outline a path forward for cardiac surgery for the near future. CONCLUSIONS: We recognize that individual programs around the world will eventually face COVID-19 with varying levels of infection burden and different resources, and we hope this document can assist programs to plan for the future.

The rapid transformation of cardiac surgery practice in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: insights and clinical strategies from a centre at the epicentre.

OBJECTIVES: The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced our cardiac surgery programme and hospital to enact drastic measures that has forced us to change how we care for cardiac surgery patients, assist with COVID-19 care and enable support for the hospital in terms of physical resources, providers and resident training. METHODS: In this review, we review the cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 and describe our system-wide adaptations to the pandemic, including the use of telemedicine, how a severe reduction in operative volume affected our programme, the process of redeployment of staff, repurposing of residents into specific task teams, the creation of operation room intensive care units, and the challenges that we faced in this process. RESULTS: We offer a revised set of definitions of surgical priority during this pandemic and how this was applied to our system, followed by specific considerations in coronary/valve, aortic, heart failure and transplant surgery. Finally, we outline a path forward for cardiac surgery for the near future. CONCLUSIONS: We recognize that individual programmes around the world will eventually face COVID-19 with varying levels of infection burden and different resources, and we hope this document can assist programmes to plan for the future.

The Effect of the Breast Cancer Provider Discussion Law on Breast Reconstruction Rates in New York State.

BACKGROUND: New York State passed the Breast Cancer Provider Discussion Law in 2010, mandating discussion of insurance coverage for reconstruction and expedient plastic surgical referral, two significant factors found to affect reconstruction rates. This study examines the impact of this law. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of the New York State Planning and Research Cooperative System database to examine breast reconstruction rates 3 years before and 3 years after law enactment was performed. Difference-interrupted time series models were used to compare trends in the reconstruction rates by sociodemographic factors and provider types. RESULTS: The study included 32,452 patients. The number of mastectomies decreased from 6479 in 2008 to 5235 in 2013; the rate of reconstruction increased from 49 percent in 2008 to 62 percent in 2013. This rise was seen across all median income brackets, races, and age groups. When comparing before to after law enactment, the increase in risk-adjusted reconstruction rates was significantly higher for African Americans and elderly patients, but the disparity in reconstruction rates did not change for other races, different income levels, or insurance types. Reconstruction rates were also not significantly different between those treated in various hospital settings. CONCLUSIONS: The aim of the Breast Cancer Provider Discussion Law is to improve reconstruction rates through provider-driven patient education. The authors' data show significant change following law passage in African American and elderly populations, suggesting effectiveness of the law. The New York State Provider Discussion Law may provide a template for other states to model legislation geared toward patient-centered improvement of health outcomes.

Cardiovascular outcomes among elderly patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease and without atrial fibrillation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease accelerates heart failure progression, leading to poor prognosis and a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality. This study was aimed to assess the impact of coronary artery disease on all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemic stroke (IS) among hospitalized newly-diagnosed heart failure (HF) patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included Medicare patients (aged ≥65 years) with ≥1 inpatient heart failure claim (index date = discharge date) during 01JAN2007-31DEC2013. Patients were required to have continuous enrollment for ≥1-year pre-index date (baseline: 1-year pre-index period) without a prior heart failure claim (in the 1 year pre-index prior to the index hospital admission); follow-up ran from the index date to death, disenrollment from the health plan, or the end of the study period, whichever occurred first. HF with LVSD patients, identified with diagnosis codes of systolic dysfunction (excluding baseline atrial fibrillation), were stratified based on prevalent coronary artery disease at baseline into coronary artery disease and non-coronary artery disease cohorts. Main outcomes were occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events including all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance patient characteristics. Kaplan-Meier curves of ACM and cumulative incidence distribution of MI/IS were presented. RESULTS: Of 22,230 HF with LVSD patients, 15,827 (71.2%) had coronary artery disease and were overall more likely to be younger (79.8 vs 80.9 years), male (49.6% vs. 35.6%), white (86.2% vs 81.4%), with more prevalent comorbidities including hypertension (80.7% vs 74.3%), hyperlipidemia (67.7% vs 46.7%), and diabetes (46.3% vs 35.8%) (all p < 0.0001). After propensity score matching, cohorts included 5792 patients each. The coronary artery disease cohort had significantly higher cumulative incidence of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke at the end of 7-year follow-up vs non-coronary artery disease (myocardial infarction = 50.0% vs 18.0%; ischemic stroke = 23.3% vs 18.7%; all p < 0.0001). Follow-up all-cause mortality rates were similar between the two cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: HF with LVSD patients with coronary artery disease had significantly higher incidence of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction, but similar all-cause mortality compared to those without coronary artery disease.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Versus Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Meds Matter: Impact of Adherence to Medical Therapy on Comparative Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have compared coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for coronary revascularization. There is considerable evidence that adherence to medical therapy can affect the outcomes of therapeutic interventions. However, the long-term influence of compliance with recommended medical therapy on the comparative outcomes of CABG versus PCI remains to be defined. METHODS: All non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing coronary revascularization in an 8-hospital network were followed for up to 8 years to determine medication history and major adverse cardiac events: all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and reintervention. All mortalities were checked against the Social Security Death Index. Survival curves were derived with Kaplan-Meier methods; hazard ratios were calculated with the Cox proportional hazard model; and propensity score matching was used to account for differences in patient selection. RESULTS: Among the 973 CABG and 2255 PCI patients, Kaplan-Meier major adverse cardiac event-free survival curves demonstrated a significant benefit for antiplatelet, lipid-lowering, and ß-blocker therapy in both the CABG and PCI groups (P=0.001 for all 3 medications). Cox regression identified compliance with optimal medical therapy as a more powerful predictor of major adverse cardiac event-free survival than choice of therapy (hazard ratio for noncompliance=2.79; 95% confidence limits, 2.19-3.54; P<0.001; hazard ratio for PCI versus CABG=1.68, 95% confidence limits, 138-2.04; P<0.001). In propensity-matched patients, CABG outcomes were superior to PCI outcomes in patients nonadherent to optimal medical therapy (P=0.001) but were not different in patients adherent to optimal medical therapy (P=0.574). CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of coronary revascularization strategy, medication adherence has a dramatic effect on long-term outcome. Among comparable patients who adhere to optimal medical therapy, outcomes of PCI and CABG may not differ; however, among nonadherent patients, CABG affords better major adverse cardiac event-free survival. Therefore, patient compliance with medical therapy may inform clinical decision making and should be incorporated into all future comparative studies of comparative coronary revascularization strategies.

Penetration, Completeness, and Representativeness of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

BACKGROUND: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) has been successfully linked to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Medicare database, thereby facilitating comparative effectiveness research and providing information about long-term follow-up and cost. The present study uses this link to determine contemporary completeness, penetration, and representativeness of the STS ACSD. METHODS: Using variables common to both STS and CMS databases, STS operations were linked to CMS data for all CMS coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery hospitalizations discharged between 2000 and 2012, inclusive. For each CMS CABG hospitalization, it was determined whether a matching STS record existed. RESULTS: Center-level penetration (number of CMS sites with at least one matched STS participant divided by the total number of CMS CABG sites) increased from 45% in 2000 to 90% in 2012. In 2012, 973 of 1,081 CMS CABG sites (90%) were linked to an STS site. Patient-level penetration (number of CMS CABG hospitalizations done at STS sites divided by the total number of CMS CABG hospitalizations) increased from 51% in 2000 to 94% in 2012. In 2012, 71,634 of 76,072 CMS CABG hospitalizations (94%) occurred at an STS site. Completeness of case inclusion at STS sites (number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites linked to STS records divided by the total number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites) increased from 88% in 2000 to 98% in 2012. In 2012, 69,213 of 70,932 CMS CABG hospitalizations at STS sites (98%) were linked to an STS record. CONCLUSIONS: Linkage of STS and CMS databases demonstrates high and increasing penetration and completeness of the STS database. Linking STS and CMS data facilitates studying long-term outcomes and costs of cardiothoracic surgery.