Aortic Valve Replacement in Redo-Scenarios: A Comparison Between Traditional Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Transapical-TAVR from Two Real-World Multicenter Registries.

BACKGROUND: The study aim was to compare the outcome of transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TaTAVR) and traditional aortic valve replacement (AVR) in redo from two real-world registries. METHODS: The 30-day and follow up outcome of 462 patients enrolled in two multicenter redo registries, treated with redo-AVR (RAVR; n = 292 patients) or TaTAVR (n = 170 patients), were analyzed according to VARC-2 criteria, stratified also by propensity-matching analysis. RESULTS: TaTAVR-patients were older and sicker than RAVR patients, and reported a higher all-cause 30-day mortality (p <0.01), a higher risk for all-cause mortality (p = 0.006) and cardiovascular mortality (p = 0.05) at follow up, but similar 30-day cardiovascular mortality (p = 0.12). Prolonged intubation (p <0.01) and Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) 2/3 p = 0.02) prevailed in RAVR. TaTAVR patients reported a higher level of major/life-threatening/disabling bleeding (p <0.01) and 'early safety-events' (ES) (p = 0.04). Thirty-day acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, and follow up freedom from acute heart failure (AHF), from stroke and from reinterventions were similar (p = NS). The NYHA class was better after RAVR (p <0.01). The intermediate-to-high risk (Logistic EuroSCORE RAVR 17.1 ± 8.5; TaTAVR 16.0 ± 17.0) propensity-matched population demonstrated comparable 30-day and follow up all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, ES, AMI, stroke, prolonged intubation, follow up freedom from AHF, from stroke and from reinterventions and NYHA class. TaTAVR still reported lower levels of AKIN 2/3 (2.2% versus 15.6%, p = 0.03) and shorter hospitalization (9.5 ± 3.4 days versus 12.0 ± 7.0 days, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Outcome differences between RAVR and TaTAVR in redo-scenarios reflect methodological differences and different baseline risk profiles. Propensity-matched patients showed a better renal outcome after TaTAVR. *Drs. Onorati and D'Onofrio contributed equally to this article and should both be considered as first authors.

Aortic valve regurgitation secondary to ectopia and atresia of the left main coronary artery.

Congenital atresia of the LMCA is an extremely rare anomaly which is often clinically complicated by silent angina, myocardial infarction, failure to thrive, or sudden cardiac death. Moreover, the atretic and ectopic origin of the LMCA associated with aortic valve anomalies is an even rarer condition. Herein, the case is described of a patient with a very rare association between the ectopic and atretic left main coronary artery (LMCA) and severe aortic valve regurgitation.

CABG versus PCI in the treatment of diabetic patients affected by coronary artery disease.

Surgical coronary revascularization and percutaneous coronary intervention were demonstrated to be effective treatments for coronary artery disease. However, the optimal revascularization strategy remains unclear in certain patient subsets. The recently published Future Revascularization Evaluation in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Optimal Management of Multivessel Disease (FREEDOM) trial is a randomized study evaluating the use of CABG versus PCI in diabetic patients with multivessel coronary disease. The purpose of this study was to review the available literature based on randomized trials and observational studies in order to allow clinicians to make evidence-based decisions when treating diabetic patients with multivessel coronary disease. The current evidence suggests that CABG should remain the standard of care for this patient population.

Current trends in surgical revascularization of multivessel coronary artery disease with arterial grafts.

It is well known that graft patency determines prognosis in coronary artery bypass grafting. Numerous reports over the past 20 years have documented superior patency and prognosis when multiple arterial grafts are used. The use of the left internal thoracic artery to graft the left anterior descending artery has been widely accepted as the gold standard for surgical treatment of coronary disease for over 40 years. A considerable body of evidence suggests that the right internal thoracic artery behaves in the same way. Radial artery grafts are being studied in several randomized trials, but observational studies suggest a performance comparing favorably with the saphenous vein. The right gastroepiploic artery has been recognized as a suitable and reliable conduit for coronary bypass surgery. However, the use of multiple other arterial grafts is performed in less than 10% of surgical procedures, probably because of perceptions of technical complexity, prolonged time for conduit harvesting, and increased perioperative complications. As a result, most patients with multivessel coronary artery disease do not benefit from extensive revascularization with arterial conduits. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence for the extensive use of arterial conduits in the revascularization of multivessel coronary artery disease.

Early neurological injury after cardiac surgery: insights from a single centre prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: The aim of this study was to report the incidence of early neurological complications after heart surgery, to identify preoperative and procedural risk factors for these complications and to assess their influence on postoperative outcome. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected from 954 procedures: 520 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 233 valve surgery, 100 combined CABG and valve surgery, 88 major aortic surgery, and 13 other procedures. Independent risk factors were analyzed by multivariate stepwise logistic regression model. RESULTS: Early cerebral complications occurred in 94 patients (9.85%). Eleven patients (11.7%) had permanent cerebral symptoms and 83 (88.3%) had transient neurological symptoms only. Risk factors for early neurological complications were older age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, open cardiac chambers procedures, higher end-cardiopulmonary bypass lactate levels, blood transfusion, and the use of insulin in ICU. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest a relationship between metabolic and technical aspects of cardiopulmonary bypass management and early occurrence of neurological injury. Preoperative screening and intraoperative measures that ensure adequate cerebral perfusion, minimize embolization and improve systemic inflammatory response and hemodynamic performance appear mandatory in these patients. Future efforts will be necessary to strongly validate surrogate markers of early neurologic damage to predict neuropsychological dysfunction after cardiac surgery.

Transapical combined transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implant and ascending aorta endovascular repair.

We report the case of a 64-year-old patient who previously had an aortic valve replacement with a stentless aortic valve and an ascending aorta replacement for a DeBakey type II aortic dissection. The patient was referred to us for symptomatic aortic regurgitation related to bioprosthesis degeneration and a pseudoaneurysm at the distal anastomotic site of the vascular graft. Due to the presence of several comorbidities, the patient had a combined transapical transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implant and an ascending aorta endovascular repair.

Heart surgery in patients on chronic dialysis: is there still room for improvement in early and long-term outcome?

The purpose of this study was to review the outcome of dialysis-dependent patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We retrospectively reviewed 81 dialysis-dependent patients with a mean age of 62.5 ± 9.4 years who underwent cardiac operations. Mean EuroScore was 7.1 ± 3.9 (>9 in 18 patients). Surgery included coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in 43 patients (53.1%), valve surgery in 16 (19.7%), combined CABG plus valve surgery in 19 (23.5%) and major aortic surgery in three patients. In-hospital mortality rate was 13.6%. Most of the deaths occurred in patients who underwent valve procedures or combined surgery. Preoperative New York Heart Association class IV, previous acute myocardial infarction, combined surgical procedures, major aortic surgery, age >70 years, history of heart failure, female gender, the duration of dialysis ≥ 5 years and urgent/emergent surgery were associated with high relative risk for perioperative death. The actuarial survival was 72.2% at 5 years. Predictors of increased late mortality were heart failure, urgent/emergent surgery, the complexity of the surgical procedures (valve surgery, combined CABG + valve and major aortic surgery) and postoperative low cardiac output syndrome. In dialysis-dependent patients, CABG has an acceptable risk. Results in patients affected by valve lesions associated or not with coronary artery disease are improved by an early referral to surgery, before the onset of symptoms of heart failure.

Left Ventricular Apex: A "Minimally Invasive Motorway" for Safe Cardiovascular Procedures.

Since the advent of TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement), the transapical surgical approach has been affirmed as a safe and effective alternative access for patients with unsuitable peripheral arteries. With the improvement of devices for transfemoral approach and the development of other alternative accesses, the number of transapical procedures has decreased significantly worldwide. The left ventricular apex, however, has proved to be a safe and valid alternative access for various other structural heart procedures such as mitral valve repair, mitral valve-in-valve or valve-in-ring replacement, transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR), transcatheter mitral paravalvular leak repair, and thoracic aorta endovascular repair (TEVAR). We review the literature and our experience of various hybrid transcatheter structural heart procedures using the transapical surgical approach and discuss pros and cons.

Aortic valve replacement in octogenarians: analysis of risk factors for early and late mortality.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Cardiac surgery can be performed on elderly patients in good physical and mental health, thus improving their mortality, morbidity, and quality of life. Nevertheless, for some elderly patients aortic valve replacement (AVR) is still denied because of the presence of preoperative characteristics, such as older age and left ventricular dysfunction. The study aim was to review early and long-term results in patients aged > or = 80 years who underwent AVR for severe aortic stenosis, and to identify risk factors for in-hospital and late mortality. METHODS: A total of 165 patients (mean age 82 +/- 2.1 years) underwent AVR for severe aortic stenosis, with or without concomitant coronary revascularization, at the authors' institution. The mean aortic valve area was 0.61 +/- 0.2 cm2. Preoperatively, 20 patients (12%) had a left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%. The mean EuroSCORE was 9.45 +/- 1.52. RESULTS: Seven patients (4%) experienced low cardiac output syndrome, and acute renal failure occurred in 24. No perioperative myocardial infarction, stroke or sternal wound infection was detected. In total, 23 patients (14%) required prolonged ventilatory support. The in-hospital mortality was 3%. After a mean follow up of 43 +/- 35.6 months there were 18 late deaths: the cardiac-related mortality was 7%. The mean NYHA class was improved from 2.86 +/- 0.67 to 1.44 +/- 0.57 (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Conventional AVR remains the standard of care, and can be performed with satisfactory in-hospital mortality, long-term life expectancy and quality of life in high-risk elderly patients. Although the transcatheter aortic valve technique seems to be a promising option, its long-term value must be established in prospective, randomized trials.

Aortic valve replacement with right thoracotomy in a patient with sternal metastasis from renal carcinoma.

We present a clinical case of severe aortic stenosis in a 73-year-old patient symptomatic for dispnoea class NYHA III-IV. At the physical examination the patient presented a single sternal metastasis of renal carcinoma involving the sternum. Oncological stability prompted us to perform aortic valve replacement. In order to avoid median sternotomy and its complications due to the presence of sternal metastasis we successfully performed aortic valve replacement through a right minithoracotomy.

A Case of Type I Debranching Complicated by Anastomotic Pseudoaneurysm: Do Not Ask Too Much of the Ascending Aorta.

Treatment of aortic arch aneurysm with standard open surgery is technically demanding, and associated morbidity and mortality are not insignificant. In high-risk patients, hybrid procedures with debranching and reimplantation or bypass of the aortic arch vessel followed by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in the aortic arch represent a valid alternative to open surgery. However, when the ascending aorta is mildly dilated, the risk of retrograde dissection increases sharply. Here, we report a case of thoracic aortic aneurysm, with normal ascending aorta diameter, treated with Type I debranching and anterograde TEVAR complicated by anastomotic pseudoaneurysm and acute endocarditis, treated ultimately with ascending aortic repair and aortic valve replacement.

Blunt traumatic injury to the thoracic aorta treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair: a single-centre 20-year experience.

OBJECTIVES: Blunt thoracic aortic injury can be treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with excellent short and mid-term outcomes. However, few data are available about the long-term results. Our goal was to report our single-centre, 20-year experience using TEVAR to treat blunt thoracic aortic injury. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our institutional database to identify all patients treated with TEVAR for traumatic lesions of the aortic isthmus. We identified 35 patients since 1998. Patients' charts were analysed for preoperative characteristics, intraoperative variables and short-term outcomes. Information about the long-term follow-up was collected by analysing cross-sectional images and via phone calls. Follow-up was 100% complete. Rates of survival and of freedom from aortic redo were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were men (82%). The median age was 42 years (range 22-79 years) and the mean injury severity score was 38 (±13). The endovascular procedure was successfully carried out in all patients. The left subclavian artery was intentionally overstented in 11 patients (31%). Two patients died perioperatively (5.7%). The estimated survival was 92% and 87% at 5 and 10 years, respectively, with no aorta-related deaths. The estimated freedom from aortic redo was 96% and 91% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data corroborate the excellent results of the endovascular treatment of blunt thoracic aortic injury when follow-up is extended to 20 years. New-generation devices, which are more comfortable and have smaller diameters, may further improve the results of TEVAR in treating traumatic aortic injury. Surveillance with cross-sectional imaging remains mandatory.

Non-A non-B aortic dissection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Non-A non-B aortic dissections are rare, and little is known about their natural history, indications for surgery and operative results. We aim to examine the literature to summarize what is known of the natural history of non-A non-B dissections and evaluate the outcomes of the therapeutic options available. METHODS: An extensive literature search was performed using MEDLINE to find all published studies that report data on the natural history and outcomes of patients with non-A non-B aortic dissection. Data on patients treated with medical therapy were extracted to characterize the natural history. Primary end points included 30-day mortality, stroke and retrograde type A dissection. RESULTS: Of the 423 studies found, 14 articles (433 patients) fulfilled the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis. The proportion of medically treated patients ranged from 5 to 54% with a pooled rate of 36% (50/138). The 30-day mortality of patients treated with medical therapy was 14% (7/50). The overall estimated proportion of 30-day mortality for patients who underwent intervention was 3.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-5.6%], retrograde type A dissection was 2.6% (95% CI 0.8-4.4%) and stroke was 2.8% (95% CI 1.0-4.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the likelihood of reporting and selection bias, patients with non-A non-B dissection often have a complicated course requiring some form of intervention. The 30-day mortality of patients treated with medical therapy seems higher than surgical or endovascular therapy. Ideally, further large prospective studies are necessary to confirm our suggestion that early intervention may be indicated in non-A non-B dissections.

Transapical access for thoracic endovascular aortic repair to elephant trunk completion.

The 2-stage elephant trunk procedure is widely used to treat extensive disease of the aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta. The 2nd stage of the procedure can be accomplished with both a standard surgical procedure and a retrograde transfemoral endovascular approach using the dangling graft as proximal landing zone. However, in some patients, severe disease of iliofemoral vessels can prevent standard retrograde thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). In such cases, an alternative route to gain endovascular access must be used. Herein, we report a case of anterograde cardiac transapical approach for TEVAR as a 2nd stage of an elephant trunk procedure.

A rare case of gint lipomatous hypertrophy of the atrial septum.

Benign lipomatous lesion of the heart includes  an heterogeneous group of entities including neoplastic, congenital and reparative phenomena. Among these lipomas and lipomatous hypertrophy of the atrial septum ( LHIS) represent the most common lesion. Patients suffering from LHIS are often asymptomatic, however atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure and supraventricular tachycardia are typical findings. Here we present a rare case of LHIS symptomatic  for asthenia and dyspnea.

The role of genetic testing in the prevention of acute aortic dissection.

Although much has been learned about disease of the thoracic aorta, most diagnosis of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is still incidental. The importance of the genetic aspects in thoracic aortic disease is overwhelming, and today different mutations which cause TAA or alter its natural history have been discovered. Technological advance has made available testing which detects genetic mutations linked to TAA. This article analyses the genetic aspects of TAA and describes the possible role of genetic tests in the clinical setting in preventing devastating complications of TAA.

Primary Endovascular Repair of the Ascending Aorta.

Different case series have been published demonstrating the feasibility of endovascular repair of the ascending aorta in selected patients deemed unfit for open surgery. However, the use of commercially available stent graft in the ascending aorta remains off-label, and their excessive length often prevents their deployment in the ascending aorta. Here we report a case of successful primary endovascular repair of the ascending aorta using a physician modified off-the-shelf device.

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair Through Cardiac Apex in the Setting of Thoracic Aortic Rupture.

Treatment of thoracic aortic rupture poses a substantial challenge for the aortic surgeon. The advent of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) revolutionized the treatment of this heterogeneous group of diseases. Some patients suitable for TEVAR, however, present severe peripheral vascular diseases that can prevent standard retrograde delivery of the stent graft through the femoral artery. In this report, we present a case series of 5 patients with thoracic aortic rupture successfully treated with cardiac transapical TEVAR.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease.

Advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with poor outcomes in patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement, whereas its prognostic role in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate outcomes in patients with advanced CKD who underwent TAVI. A total of 1,904 consecutive patients who underwent balloon-expandable TAVI in 33 centers between 2007 and 2012 were enrolled in the Italian Transcatheter Balloon-Expandable Valve Implantation Registry. Advanced CKD was defined according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate: 15 to 29 ml/min/1.73 m2 stage 4 (S4), <15 ml/min/1.73 m2 stage 5 (S5). Edwards Sapien or Sapien-XT prosthesis were used. The primary end point was all-cause mortality during follow-up. Secondary end points were major adverse cardiac events at 30 days and at follow-up, defined with Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 criteria. A total of 421 patients were staged S5 (n = 74) or S4 (n = 347). S5 patients were younger and had more frequently porcelain aorta and a lower incidence of previous stroke. Periprocedural and 30-day outcomes were similar in S5 and S4 patients. During 670 (±466) days of follow-up, S5 patients had higher mortality rates (69% vs 39%, p <0.01) and cardiac death (19% vs 9%, p = 0.02) compared with S4 patients. Male gender (hazard ratio [HR] 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 2.2), left ventricular ejection fraction <30% (HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3 to 4), atrial fibrillation (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.9), and S5 CKD (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.1) were independent predictors of death. In conclusion, TAVI in predialytic or dialytic patients (i.e., S5) is independently associated with poor outcomes with more than double risk of death compared with patients with S4 renal function. Conversely, in severe CKD (i.e., S4) a rigorous risk stratification is required to avoid the risk of futility risk.