Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Low-Risk Tricuspid or Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis: The NOTION-2 Trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become the first choice to treat older patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). This study aimed to compare TAVI with surgery in low-risk patients ≤ 75 years of age, including both tricuspid and bicuspid AS. METHODS: The NOTION-2 trial enrolled and 1:1 randomized low-risk patients aged ≤ 75 years with severe symptomatic AS to TAVI or surgery. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality, stroke or rehospitalization (related to the procedure, valve or heart failure) at 12 months. RESULTS: A total of 370 patients were enrolled with a mean age of 71.1 years and a median Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score of 1.1%. A total of 100 patients had bicuspid AS. The 1-year incidence of the primary endpoint was 10.2% in the TAVI group and 7.1% in the surgery group (absolute risk difference 3.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.7% to 8.8%; hazard ratio (HR) 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7 to 2.9; p=0.3). Patients with TAVI, when compared to surgery, had lower risk of major bleeding and new-onset atrial fibrillation and higher risk of non-disabling stroke, permanent pacemaker implantation and moderate-or-greater paravalvular regurgitation. The risk of the primary composite endpoint was 8.7% and 8.3% in patients with tricuspid AS (HR 1.0, 95% CI: 0.5 to 2.3) and 14.3% and 3.9% in patients with bicuspid AS (HR 3.8, 95% CI: 0.8 to 18.5) treated with TAVI or surgery, respectively (P for interaction=0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Among low-risk patients aged ≤ 75 years with severe symptomatic AS, the rate of the composite of death, stroke, or rehospitalization at one year was similar between TAVI and surgery. TAVI outcomes in young bicuspid AS patients warrant caution and should be further investigated. (NOTION-2, ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02825134).

Predicted prosthesis-patient mismatch and long-term clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a SWEDEHEART study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is uncertain. This study was performed to investigate the risk of all-cause mortality, heart failure hospitalization, and aortic valve reintervention in patients with and without predicted PPM after TAVR. METHODS: This nationwide, population-based cohort study included all patients who underwent transfemoral primary TAVR in Sweden from 2008 to 2022 in the SWEDEHEART register. PPM was defined according to published effective orifice areas for each valve model and size. The patients were divided into those with and without PPM. Additional baseline characteristics and outcome data were obtained from other national health data registers. Regression standardization was used to adjust for intergroup differences. RESULTS: Of 8485 patients, 7879 (93%) had no PPM and 606 (7%) had PPM. The crude cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality at 1, 5, and 10 years in patients with versus without PPM was 7% versus 9%, 40% versus 44%, and 80% versus 85%, respectively. After regression standardization, there was no between-group difference in long-term mortality, and the absolute difference at 10 years was 1.5% (95% confidence interval, -2.9%-6.0%). The mean follow-up was 3.0 years (maximum, 14 years). There was no difference in the risk of heart failure hospitalization or aortic valve reintervention. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of all-cause mortality, heart failure hospitalization, or aortic valve reintervention was not higher in patients with than without predicted PPM following TAVR. Furthermore, PPM was present in only 7% of patients, and severe PPM was almost nonexistent.

Association of Preoperative Renal-Resistive Index With Long-term Renal and Cardiovascular Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of elevated preoperative renal-resistive index (RRI) with persistent renal dysfunction, major adverse kidney events (MAKE), and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-six adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS: RRI measurement the day before surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients (60%) had elevated RRI ≥0.70. Five years after surgery, persistent renal dysfunction (sustained decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥25%) had occurred in 25 patients (26%), MAKE (persistent renal dysfunction, renal replacement therapy, or death) in 34 (35%), and MACE (myocardial infarction, unstable angina, decompensated heart failure, stroke, or cardiovascular death) in 28 (29%). RRI was higher in patients who developed persistent renal dysfunction (median, 0.78 [IQR, 0.74-0.82] v 0.70 [0.66-0.77], p = 0.001), MAKE (0.77 [0.72-0.81] v 0.68 [0.65-0.76], p = 0.002), and MACE (0.77 [0.72-0.81] v 0.70 [0.66-0.77], p = 0.006). Patients with elevated RRI had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of all long-term outcomes. After adjustment for baseline renal function and heart failure, elevated RRI was associated with persistent renal dysfunction (hazard ratio [HR], 5.82 [95% CI, 1.71-19.9]), MAKE (HR, 4.21 [1.59-11.1]), and MACE (HR, 2.81 [1.03-7.65]). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated preoperative RRI is associated with persistent renal dysfunction, MAKE, and MACE after cardiac surgery. Preoperative RRI may be used for long-term risk assessment in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Dual or single antiplatelet therapy after coronary surgery for acute coronary syndrome (TACSI trial): Rationale and design of an investigator-initiated, prospective, multinational, registry-based randomized clinical trial.

The TACSI trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03560310) tests the hypothesis that 1-year treatment with dual antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and ticagrelor is superior to only ASA after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with acute coronary syndrome. The TACSI trial is an investigator-initiated pragmatic, prospective, multinational, multicenter, open-label, registry-based randomized trial with 1:1 randomization to dual antiplatelet therapy with ASA and ticagrelor or ASA only, in patients undergoing first isolated CABG, with a planned enrollment of 2200 patients at Nordic cardiac surgery centers. The primary efficacy end point is a composite of time to all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or new coronary revascularization within 12 months after randomization. The primary safety end point is time to hospitalization due to major bleeding. Secondary efficacy end points include time to the individual components of the primary end point, cardiovascular death, and rehospitalization due to cardiovascular causes. High-quality health care registries are used to assess primary and secondary end points. The patients will be followed for 10 years. The TACSI trial will give important information useful for guiding the antiplatelet strategy in acute coronary syndrome patients treated with CABG.

Extrapleural infusion of levobupivacaine versus levobupivacaine-sufentanil-adrenaline after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS): A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral blocks are increasingly used for analgesia after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). We hypothesised that addition of sufentanil and adrenaline to levobupivacaine would improve the analgesic effect of a continuous extrapleural block. METHODS: We randomised 60 patients undergoing VATS to a 5-mL h-1 extrapleural infusion of levobupivacaine at 2.7 mg mL-1 (LB group) or levobupivacaine at 1.25 mg mL-1 , sufentanil at 0.5 µg mL-1 , and adrenaline at 2 µg mL-1 (LBSA group). The primary outcome was the cumulative morphine dose administered as patient-controlled analgesia (PCA-morphine) at 48 and 72 h. The secondary outcomes were pain according to numerical rating scale (NRS) at rest and after two deep breaths twice daily, peak expiratory flow (PEF) daily, quality of recovery (QoR)-15 score at 1 day and 3 weeks postoperatively, serum levobupivacaine concentrations at 1 h after the start and at the end of the intervention, and adverse events. RESULTS: At 48 h, the median cumulative PCA-morphine dose for the LB group was 6 mg (IQR, 2-10 mg) and for the LBSA group 7 mg (IQR, 3-13.5 mg; p = .378). At 72 h, morphine doses were 10 mg (IQR, 3-22 mg) and 12.5 mg (IQR, 4-21 mg; p = .738), respectively. Median NRS score at rest and after two deep breaths was 3 or lower at all time points for both treatment groups. PEF did not differ between groups. Three weeks postoperatively, only the LB group returned to baseline QoR-15 score. The LB group had higher, but well below toxic, levobupivacaine concentrations at 48 and 72 h. The incidence of nausea, dizziness, pruritus and headache was equally low overall. CONCLUSION: For a continuous extrapleural block, and compared to plain levobupivacaine at 13.5 mg h-1 , levobupivacaine at 6.25 mg h-1 with addition of sufentanil and adrenaline did not decrease postoperative morphine consumption. The levobupivacaine serum concentrations after 48 and 72 h of infusion were well below toxic levels, therefore our findings support the use of the maximally recommended dose of levobupivacaine for a 2- to 3-day continuous extrapleural block.

The Association Between Acute Kidney Injury and Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Was Similar in Women and Men.

OBJECTIVE: To assess sex differences in short- and long-term mortality in patients who develop acute kidney injury (AKI) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). DESIGN: An observational cohort study. SETTING: A multicenter, nationwide, population-based, observational cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: All patients (n = 32,013) who underwent primary nonemergent isolated CABG in Sweden between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2013. INTERVENTIONS: AKI and its association with 90-day mortality were analyzed using logistic regression. AKI and its association with long-term mortality were analyzed using Cox regression analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: AKI was defined as an absolute increase by 26 µmol/L or a relative increase by 50% postoperatively compared with the preoperative serum creatinine concentration. Ninety-day mortality was defined as death by any cause within 90 days after surgery. Long-term mortality was defined as death by any cause from day 91 after surgery to the end of the study period. In total, 13.9% of women and 14.4% of men developed AKI after CABG. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) for death within 90 days in patients with AKI compared to those without AKI was 5.1 (3.6-7.2) and 5.2 (4.2-6.6) in women and men, respectively (p for interaction = 0.74). The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) for long-term death in those with AKI compared to those without AKI was 1.4 (1.2-1.7) and 1.3 (1.2-1.4) in women and men, respectively (p for interaction = 0.27). CONCLUSION: AKI after CABG was associated with a similar increase in 90-day and long-term mortality in both women and men.

Household disposable income and long-term survival after pulmonary resections for lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Socioeconomic disparities have been linked to survival differences in patients with lung cancer. Swedish healthcare is tax-funded and provides equal access to care, therefore, survival following lung cancer surgery should be unrelated to household income. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between household disposable income and survival following surgery for lung cancer in Sweden. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study including all patients who underwent pulmonary resections for lung cancer in Sweden 2008-2017. Individual-level record linkages between national quality and health-data registers were performed to acquire information regarding socioeconomic status and medical history. Cox regression by quintiles of household disposable income was used to estimate the adjusted risk for all-cause mortality. RESULTS: We included 5500 patients and the age-adjusted and sex-adjusted incidence rate of death per 100 person-years was 15 and 9.4 in the lowest and highest income quintile, respectively (mean follow-up time 3.2 years). Deprived patients were older, had more comorbidities and were less likely to have preoperative positron emission tomography or minimally invasive surgery, compared with patients with higher income. The adjusted HR for death was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.62 to 0.96) for the highest income quintile compared with the lowest. CONCLUSIONS: We found an association between household disposable income and survival in patients who underwent surgery for lung cancer in Sweden, despite tax-funded universal health coverage. The association remained after adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics.

No-touch saphenous vein grafts in coronary artery surgery (SWEDEGRAFT): Rationale and design of a multicenter, prospective, registry-based randomized clinical trial.

The SWEDEGRAFT study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03501303) tests the hypothesis that saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) harvested with the "no-touch" technique improves patency of coronary artery bypass grafts compared with the conventional open skeletonized technique. This article describes the rationale and design of the randomized trial and baseline characteristics of the population enrolled during the first 9 months of enrollment. The SWEDEGRAFT study is a prospective, binational multicenter, open-label, registry-based trial in patients undergoing first isolated nonemergent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), randomized 1:1 to no-touch or conventional open skeletonized vein harvesting technique, with a planned enrollment of 900 patients. The primary end point is the proportion of patients with graft failure defined as SVGs occluded or stenosed >50% on coronary computed tomography angiography at 2 years after CABG, earlier clinically driven coronary angiography demonstrating an occluded or stenosed >50% vein graft, or death within 2 years. High-quality health registries and coronary computed tomography angiography are used to assess the primary end point. The secondary end points include wound healing in the vein graft sites and the composite outcome of major adverse cardiac events during the first 2 years based on registry data. Demographics of the first 200 patients enrolled in the trial and other CABG patients operated in Sweden during the same time period are comparable when the exclusion criteria are taken into consideration. RCT# NCT03501303.

Modeling defibrillation benefit for survival among cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator recipients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure having a low expected probability of arrhythmic death may not benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). OBJECTIVE: The objective was to validate models to identify cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) candidates who may not require CRT devices with ICD functionality. METHODS: Heart failure (HF) patients with CRT-Ds and non-CRT ICDs from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry and others with no device from 3 separate registries and 3 heart failure trials were analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression for survival with the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM; estimates overall mortality) and the Seattle Proportional Risk Model (SPRM; estimates proportional risk of arrhythmic death). RESULTS: Among 60,185 patients (age 68.6 ±â€¯11.3 years, 31.9% female) meeting CRT-D criteria, 38,348 had CRT-Ds, 11,389 had non-CRT ICDs, and 10,448 had no device. CRT-D patients had a prominent adjusted survival benefit (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.50-0.55, P < .0001 versus no device). CRT-D patients with SHFM-predicted 4-year survival ≥81% (median) and a low SPRM-predicted probability of an arrhythmic mode of death ≤42% (median) had an absolute adjusted risk reduction attributable to ICD functionality of just 0.95%/year with the majority of survival benefit (70%) attributable to CRT pacing. In contrast, CRT-D patients with SHFM-predicted survival median had substantially more ICD-attributable benefit (absolute risk reduction of 2.6%/year combined; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The SPRM and SHFM identified a quarter of real-world, primary prevention CRT-D patients with minimal benefit from ICD functionality. Further studies to evaluate CRT pacemakers in these low-risk CRT candidates are indicated.

Survival after Aortic Valve Replacement with Bovine or Porcine Valve Prostheses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bovine and porcine bioprostheses are commonly used for surgical aortic valve replacement. It is unknown if the long-term survival differs between the two valve types.We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare survival in patients who underwent aortic valve replacement and received a bovine or a porcine prosthesis. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Cohort studies that compared survival between patients who underwent aortic valve replacement and received either a bovine or a porcine bioprosthesis and that reported overall long-term survival with hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were included. Two authors independently reviewed articles considered for inclusion, extracted the information from each study, and performed the quality assessment. We performed a meta-analysis using a random effects model to calculate the pooled HR (95% CI) for all-cause mortality. We did sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of our findings. RESULTS: Seven studies published between 2010 and 2015 were included, and the combined study population was 49,190 patients. Of these, 32,235 (66%) received a bovine, and 16,955 (34%) received a porcine bioprosthesis. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between patients who received a bovine compared with a porcine bioprosthesis (pooled HR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.92-1.09). Heterogeneity between studies was moderate (55.8%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest no difference in survival between patients who received a bovine versus a porcine bioprosthesis after aortic valve replacement. Our study provides valuable evidence for the continuing use of both bovine and porcine bioprosthetic valves for surgical aortic valve replacement.

Depression Screening in Cardiac Surgery Patients.

BACKGROUND: Depression is common in patients with ischaemic heart disease and preoperative depression is a risk factor following coronary artery bypass grafting. The American Heart Association recommends depression screening in all patients with heart disease. Our aim was to assess the feasibility and results of a depression screening program in cardiac surgery patients. METHODS: We introduced a depression screening project at the cardiac surgery department at Karolinska University Hospital and included patients between 2013 and 2016. Patients scheduled for elective surgery recieved the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a depression screening instrument, by mail approximately 2weeks before surgery. Urgent patients recieved the PHQ-9 on the ward. Baseline characteristics, medical history, and medications were collected from patient charts, and entered into a study database together with the results from the PHQ-9 questionaires. RESULTS: During the study period, 2,512 patients underwent cardiac sugery; 1,133 (45%) completed PHQ-9. The response-rate in patients scheduled for elective surgery was 64%, and 15% in urgent patients. Fifteen per cent (15%) had a PHQ-9 score ≥10 suggestive of major depression. Reporting a PHQ-9 score ≥10 was twice as common in women as in men (23% vs 12%). CONCLUSIONS: Systematic depression screening using PHQ-9 in cardiac surgery patients was feasible and not very resource-intensive. The project showed a satisfactory response-rate in elective patients, but adjustments to increase the response-rate in urgent patients are needed. Future studies should investigate if and how patients with symptoms of depression would benefit from depression management.

Estimated glucose disposal rate predicts mortality in adults with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the association between insulin resistance as determined by the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), and survival in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Sweden. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using the Swedish National Diabetes Register, indviduals with T1D were included from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2012. Outcomes were retrieved from National healthcare registers. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the associations between eGDR (mg/kg/min) categorized into <4, 4 to 5.99, 6 to 7.99, and ≥8 (reference) and outcomes. Relative survival methods were used to compare survival to a matched Swedish reference population. RESULTS: Among 17 050 included individuals with T1D, 10.5%, 20.2%, 20.5% and 48.9% had an eGDR of <4, 4 to 5.99, 6 to 7.99, and ≥8, respectively. Individuals with an eGDR <8 were older and had more comorbidities. During a median follow-up of 7.1 years, there were 946 (6%) deaths; 264 (15%), 367 (11%), 195 (6%) and 120 (1%) deaths occurred in individuals with an eGDR of <4, 4 to 5.99, 6 to 7.99 and ≥8, respectively. After adjustment for a wealth of different covariates including diabetes duration, age, sex and renal function, individuals with an eGDR <4, 4 to 5.99, and 6 to 7.99 had an increased risk of death compared to those with an eGDR ≥8 (adjusted HRs, 95% CIs, P values: 2.78, 2.04 to 3.77, <.001; 1.92, 1.49 to 2.46, <.001; 1.73, 1.34 to 2.21, <.001). Survival in individuals with an eGDR ≥8 was equal to a matched general population. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong association between eGDR and all-cause mortality, as well as cardiovascular mortality, in individuals with T1D. Our findings may guide preventive measures by improving risk assessment in individuals with T1D.

Bilateral Versus Single Internal Thoracic Artery Grafts.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several advances have been made in recent years to improve outcome for patients with coronary artery disease. One of the most debated topics regarding surgical treatment with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is graft selection. This review aims to present the current status and scientific evidence for bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting. RECENT FINDINGS: Observational studies and pooled analyses suggest that BITA grafting is associated with improved survival. Early results from a large randomized controlled trial report safety and efficacy of the method. The improved survival might be amplified in select groups, but with an increase in sternal wound-related complications. The benefit of BITA grafts seems to remain to an approximate age of 69 years at surgery. CABG with BITA grafts is likely associated with improved long-term survival at a cost of an increase in sternal wound infections. Ten-year results from the Arterial Revascularization Trial are expected in 2018, providing the best evidence regarding the method yet. Early results show it is a safe method in most patient categories considerable for CABG.

Recurrence rate after thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

OBJECTIVES: There is an on-going discussion regarding the recurrence rate after surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax by video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or by thoracotomy access. This study aimed to describe the recurrence rate, and to identify a possible learning curve, following surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax by VATS. DESIGN: All patients who underwent surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax by VATS at Karolinska University Hospital 2004-2013 were reviewed. Preoperative and operative characteristics were obtained from medical records. Patients were followed-up through telephone interviews or questionnaires and by review of medical records. The primary outcome of interest was time to recurrence of pneumothorax requiring intervention. Outcomes were compared between patients operated during 2004-June 2010 and July 2010-2013. RESULTS: 219 patients who underwent 234 consecutive procedures were included. The mean follow-up times were 6.3 and 2.9 years in the early and late period, respectively. The postoperative recurrence rate in the early period was 16% (11%-25%), 18% (12%-27%), and 18% (12%-27%), at 1, 3 and 5 years, compared to 1.7% (0.4%-6.8%), 7.6% (3.7%-15%), and 9.8% (4.8%-19%) at 1, 3 and 5 years, in the late period (p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the recurrence rate after thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax decreased significantly during the study period. Our results strongly suggest that thoracoscopic surgery for pneumothorax involve a substantial learning curve.

Estimated glucose disposal rate and long-term survival in type 2 diabetes after coronary artery bypass grafting.

We performed a nationwide population-based cohort study to investigate the association between estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) and long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with type 2 diabetes. All patients who underwent primary CABG in Sweden from 2006 to 2013 were identified from the SWEDEHEART register and by record linkage to the National Diabetes Register; all patients with type 2 diabetes were included and formed the study population. Patients were followed until 2013 through national registers for major adverse cardiovascular events and death from any cause. eGDR was calculated using waist circumference, hemoglobin A1c, and presence or the absence of hypertension. The association between eGDR and death was estimated using multivariable Cox regression. A total of 3256 patients were included. During a mean follow-up of 3.1 years (10,227 person-years), in total, 14 % patients died: 17 % (n = 186) in the 1st tertile (lowest eGDR), 14 % (n = 145) in the 2nd tertile, and 13 % (n = 133) in the 3rd tertile (highest eGDR). There was a significant association between eGDR and increased risk of death: adjusted hazard ratio (95 % confidence interval): 1.46 (1.12-1.90) for the 1st eGDR tertile compared to the 3rd and highest eGDR tertile. In conclusion, patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent CABG, a low eGDR, were associated with an increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality that was independent of other cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. Insulin resistance measured by eGDR could be a useful risk marker in patients with type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease.

Venous Cannula Positioning in Arterial Deoxygenation During Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-A Simulation Study and Case Report.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is indicated in reversible life-threatening circulatory failure with or without respiratory failure. Arterial desaturation in the upper body is frequently seen in patients with peripheral arterial cannulation and severe respiratory failure. The importance of venous cannula positioning was explored in a computer simulation model and a clinical case was described. A closed-loop real-time simulation model has been developed including vascular segments, the heart with valves and pericardium. ECMO was simulated with a fixed flow pump and a selection of clinically relevant venous cannulation sites. A clinical case with no tidal volumes due to pneumonia and an arterial saturation of below 60% in the right hand despite VA-ECMO flow of 4 L/min was described. The case was compared with simulation data. Changing the venous cannulation site from the inferior to the superior caval vein increased arterial saturation in the right arm from below 60% to above 80% in the patient and from 64 to 81% in the simulation model without changing ECMO flow. The patient survived, was extubated and showed no signs of hypoxic damage. We conclude that venous drainage from the superior caval vein improves upper body arterial saturation during veno-arterial ECMO as compared with drainage solely from the inferior caval vein in patients with respiratory failure. The results from the simulation model are in agreement with the clinical scenario.

Preoperative Renal Resistive Index Predicts Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether an elevated preoperative renal resistive index (RRI) predicts acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Cohort of 96 adult cardiac surgical patients. INTERVENTIONS: Resistive index was measurement the day before surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Renal Doppler was used to measure the resistive index in renal cortical or arcuate arteries the day before surgery. An elevated RRI was defined as≥0.7. AKI was defined as an absolute increase in postoperative compared with preoperative serum creatinine levels by≥26 µmol/L or a relative increase by≥50% or a postoperative urine output<0.5 mL/kg for 6 hours or longer. The relative risk of AKI in patients with an elevated RRI compared with those without an elevated RRI was analyzed using logistic regression. Among patients with an RRI<0.7, 6 (16%) developed AKI compared with 21 (36%) with an RRI≥0.7. The mean increases in postoperative serum creatinine levels were 12 µmol/L in those with an RRI<0.7 and 30 µmol/L in those with an RRI≥0.7. The crude odds ratio for AKI in patients with an RRI≥0.7 was 3.03 (1.09-8.42) compared with those with an RRI<0.7. After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratio was 2.95 (0.97-9.00). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with an elevated preoperative RRI have an increased risk of developing AKI after cardiac surgery. In combination with other markers, the RRI might be a tool for identifying patients with an increased risk of developing AKI.

Aortic valve replacement with mechanical vs. biological prostheses in patients aged 50-69 years.

AIMS: The objective was to investigate the long-term all-cause mortality in patients aged 50-69 years after aortic valve replacement (AVR) with bioprosthetic or mechanical valves. METHODS AND RESULTS: All patients aged 50-69 years who had undergone AVR in Sweden 1997-2013 were identified from the Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies register. Subsequent patient-level record linkage with national health-data registers provided patient characteristics, vital status, and clinical outcomes. Of the 4545 patients, 60% (2713/4545) had received mechanical valves and 40% (1832/4545) bioprostheses. In 1099 propensity score-matched patient pairs, 16% (180/1099) had died in the mechanical valve group and 20% (217/1099) in the bioprosthetic group; mean follow-up 6.6 (maximum 17.2) years. Survival was higher in the mechanical than in the bioprosthetic group: 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival 92, 79, and 59% vs. 89, 75, and 50%; hazard ratio 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.66; P = 0.006. There was no difference in stroke [subdistribution hazard ratio (sHR) 1.04; 95% CI 0.72-1.50, P = 0.848]; however, the risk for aortic valve reoperation was higher (sHR 2.36; 95% CI 1.42-3.94, P = 0.001), and for major bleeding lower (sHR 0.49; 95% CI 0.34-0.70, P < 0.001), in patients who had received bioprostheses than in those with mechanical valves. CONCLUSION: Patients aged 50-69 years who received mechanical valves had better long-term survival after AVR than those with bioprostheses. The risk of stroke was similar; however, patients with bioprostheses had a higher risk of aortic valve reoperation and a lower risk of major bleeding. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02276950. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT02276950.

Coronary artery bypass grafting in patients 50 years or younger: a Swedish nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data regarding long-term results after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in young adults. We performed a nationwide population-based cohort study to analyze long-term survival, major adverse cardiovascular events, and factors associated with elevated risk in young adults undergoing CABG. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included all adult patients ≤50 years of age who underwent primary isolated CABG in Sweden between 1997 and 2013 from the Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART) register. Patient data were linked from national Swedish health data registers to create a study database. We identified 4086 young adults with a mean age of 46 years and 18% women. During a median follow-up time of 10.9 years (interquartile range, 6.4-14.1) 490 (12%) patients died. Survival at 5, 10, and 15 years was 96% (95% CI, 95-96), 90% (95% CI, 89-91), and 82% (95%CI, 80-83), respectively, which was significantly better in comparison with patients aged 51 to 70 years and >70 years who underwent CABG during the same period. The cumulative incidence of death or a major adverse cardiovascular event during 17 years after CABG was mainly driven by myocardial infarction or the need for repeat revascularization. The most important risk factors for all-cause mortality were chronic kidney disease, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, peripheral vascular disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survival and freedom from major cardiovascular events after CABG was better in young adults than in older patients. Factors significantly associated with an elevated long-term risk of death or adverse outcome were similar to well-known risk factors for older age groups following CABG. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02276950.

Immediate outcome after sutureless versus transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

The aim of this study was to compare the immediate outcome of patients undergoing transcatheter (TAVI) versus surgical aortic valve replacement with the sutureless Perceval bioprosthesis (SU-AVR). This is a retrospective multicenter analysis of 773 patients who underwent either TAVI (394 patients, mean age, 80.8 ± 5.5 years, mean EuroSCORE II 5.6 ± 4.9 %) or SU-AVR (379 patients, 77.4 ± 5.4 years, mean EuroSCORE II 4.0 ± 3.9 %) with or without concomitant myocardial revascularization. Data on SU-AVRs were provided by six European institutions (Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy and Sweden) and data on TAVIs were provided by a single institution (Catania, Italy). In-hospital mortality was 2.6 % after SU-AVR and 5.3 % after TAVI (p = 0.057). TAVI was associated with a significantly high rate of mild (44.0 vs. 2.1 %) and moderate-severe paravalvular regurgitation (14.1 vs. 0.3 %, p < 0.0001) as well as the need for permanent pacemaker implantation (17.3 vs. 9.8 %, p = 0.003) compared with SU-AVR. The analysis of patients within the 25th and 75th percentiles interval of EuroSCORE II, i.e., 2.1-5.8 %, confirmed the findings of the overall series. One-to-one propensity score-matched analysis resulted in 144 pairs with similar baseline characteristics and operative risk. Among these matched pairs, in-hospital mortality (6.9 vs. 1.4 %, p = 0.035) was significantly higher after TAVI. SU-AVR with the Perceval prosthesis in intermediate-risk patients is associated with excellent immediate survival and is a valid alternative to TAVI in these patients.