Cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had several specific as well as general implications on cardiac surgery. Acute respiratory distress made extracorporeal oxygenation necessary in a significant number of patients and accordingly many patients were treated in anesthesiological and even more in cardiac surgical intensive care units, which left only a limited number of beds in the intensive care units available for elective surgery cases. Moreover, the necessary availability of intensive care beds for severely diseased COVID-19 patients in general posed a further limit, as did the relevant number of diseased personnel. Specific emergency plans were developed for many heart surgery units, limiting the number of elective cases. Increasing waiting lists were of course stressful for numerous elective-surgery patients and the decreased number of heart operations also meant a financial burden for many units.

Pre-surgery optimization of patients' expectations to improve outcome in heart surgery: Study protocol of the randomized controlled multi-center PSY-HEART-II trial.

The PSY-HEART-I trial indicated that a brief expectation-focused intervention prior to heart surgery improves disability and quality of life 6 months after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). However, to investigate the clinical utility of such an intervention, a large multi-center trial is needed to generalize the results and their implications for the health care system. The PSY-HEART-II study aims to examine whether a preoperative psychological intervention targeting patients' expectations (EXPECT) can improve outcomes 6 months after CABG (with or without heart valve replacement). EXPECT will be compared to Standard of Care (SOC) and an intervention providing emotional support without targeting expectations (SUPPORT). In a 3-arm multi-center randomized, controlled, prospective trial (RCT), N = 567 patients scheduled for CABG surgery will be randomized to either SOC alone or SOC and EXPECT or SOC and SUPPORT. Patients will be randomized with a fixed unbalanced ratio of 3:3:1 (EXPECT: SUPPORT: SOC) to compare EXPECT to SOC and EXPECT to SUPPORT. Both psychological interventions consist of 2 in-person sessions (à 50 minute), 2 phone consultations (à 20 minute) during the week prior to surgery, and 1 booster phone consultation post-surgery 6 weeks later. Assessment will occur at baseline approx. 3-10 days before surgery, preoperatively the day before surgery, 4-6 days later, and 6 months after surgery. The study's primary end point will be patients' illness-related disability 6 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes will be patients' expectations, subjective illness beliefs, quality of life, length of hospital stay and blood sample parameters (eg, inflammatory parameters such as IL-6, IL-8, CRP). This large multi-center trial has the potential to corroborate and generalize the promising results of the PSY-HEART-I trial for routine care of cardiac surgery patients, and to stimulate revisions of treatment guidelines in heart surgery.

Baseline depressive symptoms, personal control, and concern moderate the effects of preoperative psychological interventions: the randomized controlled PSY-HEART trial.

This study examined whether baseline (3-14 days pre-surgery) levels of (i) depressive or (ii) anxiety symptoms and (iii) illness beliefs moderate the effects of additional preoperative interventions before coronary artery bypass graft surgery on (i) depressive or (ii) anxiety symptoms and (iii) illness beliefs 1 day before surgery, 1 week and 6 months after surgery. In the PSY-HEART trial, 115 patients were assessed. They were randomized into one of three groups: 1. receiving standard medical care only (SMC), additional psychological interventions: 2. aiming to optimize patients' expectations (EXPECT), or 3. focusing on emotional support. Patients with a higher baseline level of depressive symptoms receiving a preoperative psychological intervention indicated lower depressive symptoms 6 months after surgery compared to SMC. EXPECT increased personal control and concern levels in patients with low baseline personal control/concern 1 day before surgery. Brief preoperative psychological interventions can improve psychological outcomes in heart surgery patients. Baseline status may moderate these effects. The study has been approved by the medical ethics committee of the Philipps University of Marburg and has been pre-registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01407055) on August 1, 2011.

IL-8 and CRP moderate the effects of preoperative psychological interventions on postoperative long-term outcomes 6 months after CABG surgery - The randomized controlled PSY-HEART trial.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation has been related to several somatic and psychological disorders and may moderate effects of psychological interventions. In the PSY-HEART trial patients benefitted from preoperative psychological interventions before undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and, if necessary, concomitant valvular surgery, compared to standard medical care. In this study we examined whether patients' baseline inflammatory status moderated the intervention effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a prospective three-arm randomized clinical trial with 6-months follow-up, 124 patients scheduled for CABG surgery alone or concomitant with valvular surgery were randomized to (i) standard medical care only (SMC) or two preoperative psychological interventions: (ii) CBT-based optimizing expectations (EXPECT) and an (iii) an active control group focusing on emotional support (SUPPORT). Available baseline CRP- (n = 79), IL-6- (n = 78), IL-8- (n = 78) and TNF-alpha-(n = 80) parameters were considered as potential moderators (CRP as a categorical and continuous moderator). Linear mixed model analyses were calculated to test whether baseline inflammatory levels moderated intervention effects on disability, mental and physical quality of life at 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: IL-8 moderated intervention effects on patients' disability and categorical CRP moderated intervention effects on mental quality of life. Follow-up tests indicated that EXPECT (and in part SUPPORT) led to lower postoperative disability and higher mental quality of life compared to SMC in patients with low baseline inflammatory markers. EXPECT indicated higher mental quality of life compared to SUPPORT in the high CRP subgroup. Patients in the SMC group had higher mental quality of life in the high CRP subgroup compared to the low CRP subgroup. CONCLUSION: Especially for patients with a lower inflammatory baseline status preoperative psychological interventions might be helpful to optimize long-term CABG surgery outcomes.

Patients' pre- and postoperative expectations as predictors of clinical outcomes six months after cardiac surgery.

The aim of this study was to investigate not only preoperative expectations (as shown previously), but also postoperative expectations of patients predict clinical outcomes six months after cardiac surgery. Furthermore, the study sought to examine illness behavior as a possible pathway through which expectations may affect postoperative well-being. Seventy patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were examined one day before surgery, ~7-10 days after surgery, and six months after surgery. Regression analyses indicated that disability at follow-up (primary outcome) was significantly predicted by postoperative (ß = -.342, p = .008), but not by preoperative expectations (ß = -.213, p = .069). Similar results were found for the secondary outcomes, i.e. quality of life and depressive symptoms. A bootstrapped mediation analysis showed that although both postoperative expectations and illness behavior had significant unique effects on disability, there was no significant mediation effect. While previous studies have mainly focused on patients' preoperative expectations, the present is the first to emphasize the predictive value of patients' expectations a few days after surgery, pointing to the potential of interventions targeting postoperative expectations. However, given the non-significant results of the mediation analysis, it remains unclear how exactly patients' expectations affect clinical outcomes in cardiac surgery.

Early Results of Surgical Simultaneous Therapy for Significant Carotid Artery Stenosis and Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this single-center, retrospective study was to review the early outcome with defined endpoints of myocardial infarction, brain injury, and death after coronary bypass grafting and simultaneous carotid endarterectomy with or without combined valve replacement. METHODS: During the preoperative investigation 52 (44 males, 8 females) patients were examined by cardiac catheterization within the scope of their coronary status. In addition, all patients underwent echocardiography, CT angiography of the supra-aortic vessels, and full description of their neurologic status. Included were all patients with the need of coronary revascularization, valve disease, and either symptomatic or asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis with a maximal narrowing of >70%. RESULTS: There was one (2%) patient with a perioperative stroke and paresis of the upper limb. One (2%) patient experienced PRIND (2%). Eighteen (35%) patients suffered symptomatic transitory psychotic syndrome that fully recovered in all patients. One (2%) patient incurred a perioperative myocardial infarction that could be cured by percutaneous coronary stent implantation. Overall mortality was 4%. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous coronary bypass grafting as a single procedure or in combination with valve replacement and endarterectomy of severe carotid lesions with or without patients' history of previous stroke can be performed with a calculated low surgical risk. The complication rate for neurologic and myocardial events is low compared with the hazard of a single surgical repair. The in-hospital mortality is not significantly different to isolated procedures. The concomitant appearance of coronary stenosis and carotid artery disease is reasonable due to the nature of arteriosclerosis. In our opinion these patients benefit from a combined surgical approach.

Preoperative optimization of patient expectations improves long-term outcome in heart surgery patients: results of the randomized controlled PSY-HEART trial.

BACKGROUND: Placebo effects contribute substantially to outcome in most fields of medicine. While clinical trials typically try to control or minimize these effects, the potential of placebo mechanisms to improve outcome is rarely used. Patient expectations about treatment efficacy and outcome are major mechanisms that contribute to these placebo effects. We aimed to optimize these expectations to improve outcome in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: In a prospective three-arm randomized clinical trial with a 6 month follow-up, 124 patients scheduled for CABG surgery were randomized to either a brief psychological pre-surgery intervention to optimize outcome expectations (EXPECT); or a psychological control intervention focusing on emotional support and general advice, but not on expectations (SUPPORT); or to standard medical care (SMC). Interventions were kept brief to be feasible with a heart surgery environment; "dose" of therapy was identical for both pre-surgery interventions. Primary outcome was disability 6 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes comprised further clinical and immunological variables. RESULTS: Patients in the EXPECT group showed significantly larger improvements in disability (-12.6; -17.6 to -7.5) than the SMC group (-1.9; -6.6 to +2.7); patients in the SUPPORT group (-6.7; -11.8 to 1.7) did not differ from the SMC group. Comparing follow-up scores and controlling for baseline scores of EXPECT versus SUPPORT on the variable disability only revealed a trend in favor of the EXPECT group (P = 0.09). Specific advantages for EXPECT compared to SUPPORT were found for mental quality of life and fitness for work (hours per week). Both psychological pre-surgery interventions induced less pronounced increases in pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations reflected by decreased interleukin-8 levels post-surgery compared to changes in SMC patients and lower interleukin-6 levels in patients of the EXPECT group at follow-up. Both pre-surgery interventions were characterized by great patient acceptability and no adverse effects were attributed to them. Considering the innovative nature of this approach, replication in larger, multicenter trials is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Optimizing patients' expectations pre-surgery helps to improve outcome 6 months after treatment. This implies that making use of placebo mechanisms has the potential to improve long-term outcome of highly invasive medical interventions. Further studies are warranted to generalize this approach to other fields of medicine. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the IRB of the Medical School, University of Marburg, and the trial was registered at ( NCT01407055 ) on July 25, 2011.

Effects of Preoperative Psychological Interventions on Catecholamine and Cortisol Levels After Surgery in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients: The Randomized Controlled PSY-HEART Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine whether preoperative psychological interventions targeting patients' expectations are capable of influencing the biological stress response after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and could thus improve recovery after heart surgery. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial with assessments 10 days before surgery, after psychological intervention (day of hospital admission, but before surgery), postoperative (6-8 days later), and at follow-up (6 months after surgery). Eligible patients (N = 124) scheduled for elective on-pump CABG or CABG with valve replacement surgery were approached before hospital admission. Standard medical care (SMC) was compared with two additional preoperative psychological interventions: (a) an expectation manipulation intervention to optimize patients' expectations about course and outcomes or (b) supportive therapy, containing the same amount of therapeutic attention, but without specifically focusing on expectations. Postoperative plasma adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol levels were a secondary outcome of our study (primary outcome patients' disability 6 months after surgery and other secondary patient-reported or clinical outcomes were reported elsewhere). RESULTS: Expectation manipulation intervention (3.68 ln pg/mL, 95% confidence interval = 3.38-3.98, p = .015) and supportive therapy (3.70 ln pg/mL, 95% confidence interval = 3.38-4.01, p = .026) led to significantly lower postoperative adrenaline levels compared with SMC (4.26 ln pg/mL, 95% confidence interval = 3.99-4.53) only. There were no treatment effects of the preoperative intervention for noradrenaline (p = .90) or cortisol (p = .30). Higher postoperative adrenaline levels predicted disability 6 months after surgery (r = .258, p = .018). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to SMC, preoperative psychological interventions seem to buffer psychobiological stress responses and could thus facilitate recovery from CABG surgery. Patients' postoperative stress responses could be an important factor for explaining trajectories of long-term outcomes. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov(NCT01407055).

Optimizing preoperative expectations in cardiac surgery patients is moderated by level of disability: the successful development of a brief psychological intervention.

Patients' expectations have shown to be a major psychological predictor of health outcome in cardiac surgery patients. However, it is unclear whether patients' expectations can be optimized prior to surgery. This study evaluates the development of a brief psychological intervention focusing on the optimization of expectations and its effect on change in patients' expectations prior to cardiac surgery. Ninety patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft were randomly assigned to (1) standard medical care, (2) additional expectation manipulation intervention (EMI), and (3) additional attention control group. Therapists' fidelity to intervention manuals and patients satisfaction with the intervention were assessed for both active intervention conditions. Patients' expectations about post-surgical disability, treatment control, personal control, and disease duration were assessed before and after the psychological intervention. Demographical, medical, and psychosocial characteristics and disability were assessed at baseline. Treatment fidelity and patient satisfaction was very high in both intervention conditions. Only patients receiving EMI developed higher personal control expectations and longer (more realistic) expectations of disease duration. The effect of intervention group on patients' disability expectations and patients' personal control expectations was moderated by patient's level of disability. EMI patients with low to moderate disability developed positive expectations whereas patients with high disability did not. This study shows the successful development of a short psychological intervention that was able to modify patients' expectations, especially in those with low to moderate disability. Given the robust association of expectations and surgery outcome, such an intervention might offer the opportunity to enhance patients' health following cardiac surgery.

TASK-1 and TASK-3 may form heterodimers in human atrial cardiomyocytes.

TASK-1 channels have emerged as promising drug targets against atrial fibrillation, the most common arrhythmia in the elderly. While TASK-3, the closest relative of TASK-1, was previously not described in cardiac tissue, we found a very prominent expression of TASK-3 in right human auricles. Immunocytochemistry experiments of human right auricular cardiomyocytes showed that TASK-3 is primarily localized at the plasma membrane. Single-channel recordings of right human auricles in the cell-attached mode, using divalent-cation-free solutions, revealed a TASK-1-like channel with a single-channel conductance of about 30pS. While homomeric TASK-3 channels were not found, we observed an intermediate single-channel conductance of about 55pS, possibly reflecting the heteromeric channel formed by TASK-1 and TASK-3. Subsequent experiments with TASK-1/TASK-3 tandem channels or with co-expressed TASK-1 and TASK-3 channels in HEK293 cells or Xenopus oocytes, supported that the 55pS channels observed in right auricles have electrophysiological characteristics of TASK-1/TASK-3 heteromers. In addition, co-expression experiments and single-channel recordings suggest that heteromeric TASK-1/TASK-3 channels have a predominant surface expression and a reduced affinity for TASK-1 blockers. In summary, the evidence for heteromeric TASK-1/TASK-3 channel complexes together with an altered pharmacologic response to TASK-1 blockers in vitro is likely to have further impact for studies isolating ITASK-1 from cardiomyocytes and for the development of drugs specifically targeting TASK-1 in atrial fibrillation treatment.

Factors associated with disability expectations in patients undergoing heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: Heart surgery patients' expectations have been shown to be related to surgery outcome, independent of medical status. However, it is unclear which factors determine patients' expectations about disability following heart surgery. PURPOSE: Investigating the associations of patients' disability expectations with demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors as well as other aspects of patients' expectations might help to tailor psychological interventions more specifically to optimize patient's expectations. METHODS: Eighty-three patients were invited to a psycho-educational intervention to optimize expectations prior to elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Before the psychological intervention and before surgery, disability expectations, demographical, medical, psychosocial variables as well as patient and treatment related expectations were collected via questionnaires and patients' files. Associations with disability expectations were assessed using hierarchical linear multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients self-rated disability (ß = 0.50; p < 0.001) and beliefs about treatment efficacy (ß = -0.42; p < 0.001) was independently associated with disability expectations. Expectations about the efficacy of patients' own health behavior as well as demographical variables, psychological distress, perceived social support, and measures of medical morbidity did not explain any additional variance in patients' disability expectations. CONCLUSION: CABG patients seem to form their disability expectations upon their perceptions about their current disability and their expectations about the efficacy of treatment. Patients' disability expectations appear to be independent from scientifically established risk factors and other psychosocial patient characteristics in heart surgery. Future research is necessary to further determine what factors psychological interventions should focus on to modify patients' disability expectations.

Enhancing the efficacy of heart surgery by optimizing patients' preoperative expectations: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

In coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart surgery, there is sound evidence for the relationship between patients' expectations and treatment outcome, especially for outcome variables such as disability and quality of life. In addition, patients' expectations have been shown to be modifiable through psychological interventions. Therefore, targeting patients' expectations might offer a promising opportunity to enhance heart surgery outcome. However, few studies have tried to actively change patients' expectations before surgery. The purpose of this clinical trial is to optimize patients' outcome expectations before undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) through a brief psychoeducational program. The present article describes the study protocol and reports preliminary data on feasibility. Using a randomized controlled design, 180 patients who are scheduled to undergo elective CABG are randomly assigned to either (1) standard medical care (SMC) alone, (2) to an additional expectation manipulation intervention during the 2 weeks before surgery, and (3) to an additional attention-control group ("supportive therapy"). The main goal is to test (a) whether expectation manipulation intervention can optimize patients' expectations and (b) whether optimized expectations lead to enhanced surgery efficacy. The primary outcome variable is illness-related disability 6 months after surgery, whereas secondary outcome variables will be quality of life, return to work, physical activity, and medical outcome variables. First, feasibility data of 36 patients show that the patients appreciated the additional psychological intervention before CABG. Satisfaction of those who received psychological interventions was very high.

Pericardial cytokines in neoplastic, autoreactive, and viral pericarditis.

Pericardial cytokine patterns in various diseases are not well established. We have analyzed pericardial proinflammatory (interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha) and immunoregulatory cytokines (transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and interferon (IFN)-gamma) in patients with pericarditis, myocarditis, and ischemic heart disease. Pericardial fluid was obtained in 30 subsequent patients undergoing pericardiocentesis (Group 1: 60 % males, 52.4 ± 14.2 years) and in 21 patients during aortocoronary bypass surgery (Group 2: 42.9 % males, age 67.2 ± 7.4 years). After clinical, laboratory, echocardiography examination, fiberoptic pericardioscopy (Storz-AF1101Bl, Germany) and pericardial/epicardial biopsy Group 1 was subdivided to 40 % neoplastic, 36.6 % autoreactive, 10 % iatrogenic, and 13.3 % viral pericarditis. Samples were promptly aliquoted, frozen, and stored at -70 °C. The cytokines were estimated using quantikine enzyme amplified-sensitivity immuno-assays (R&D Systems, USA) and the results compared between neoplastic, viral, iatrogenic, and autoreactive pericarditis and surgical groups. IL-6 was significantly increased in PE versus serum in all forms of pericarditis (except in autoreactive) and increased in comparison with pericardial fluid of surgical patients. TNF-alpha was increased only in PE of patients with viral pericarditis in comparison with Group 2. TGF-beta1 was strikingly lower in the PE than in the serum of all pericarditis patients. However, TGF-beta1 levels in PE were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2, except in viral pericarditis. IFN-gamma levels did not significantly differ between PE and serum or in comparison with Group 2. The cytokine pattern "high TNF-alpha/low TGF-beta1" was found in viral pericarditis and low IL-6 in autoreactive PE. Different etiologies of pericardial inflammation did not influence the IFN-gamma levels. IL-6 pericardial to serum ratio was significantly higher in autoreactive PE than in viral and neoplastic forms. However, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma pericardial to serum ratios were significantly higher in viral than in autoreactive and neoplastic PE.

ECMO During COVID-19: A Society of Thoracic Surgeons/Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Survey.

Background: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Critical Care and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization sought to identify how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the practice of venoarterial (VA) and venovenous (VV) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programs across North America. Methods: A 26-question survey covering 6 categories (ECMO initiation, cannulation, management, anticoagulation, triage/protocols, and credentialing) was emailed to 276 North American Extracorporeal Life Support Organization centers. ECMO practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were compared. Results: Responses were received from 93 (34%) programs. The percentage of high-volume (>20 cases per year) VV ECMO programs increased during the pandemic from 29% to 41% (P < .001), as did institutions requiring multiple clinicians for determining initiation of ECMO (VV ECMO, 25% to 43% [P = .001]; VA ECMO, 20% to 32% [P = .012]). During the pandemic, more institutions developed their own protocols for resource allocation (23% before to 51%; P < .001), and more programs created sharing arrangements to triage patients and equipment with other centers (31% to 57%; P < .001). Direct thrombin inhibitor use increased for both VA ECMO (13% to 18%; P = .025) and VV ECMO (12% to 24%; P = .005). Although cardiothoracic surgeons remained the primary cannulating proceduralists, VV ECMO cannulations performed by pulmonary and critical care physicians increased (13% to 17%; P = .046). Conclusions: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/Extracorporeal Life Support Organization collaborative survey indicated that the pandemic has affected ECMO practice. Further research on these ECMO strategies and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be useful in future global situations.

Microvascular tissue oxygenation and oxidative metabolism changes in the pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle during graded hypoxia: correlation between near infrared and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the microvascular tissue oxygenation and oxidative muscle metabolism during graded hypoxia and reoxygenation were examined in a rabbit model by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and correlated with high-energy phosphates measured by (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Graded hypoxia was performed in a New Zealand rabbit model (n = 20, 2.0 ± 0.4 kg) by a stepwise reduction of the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO(2)) from 0.3 to 0.05 (intervention group versus control group). Recovery and reoxygenation were achieved using FiO(2) of 0.3. A noninvasive NIR spectroscopy sensor and NMR probe was positioned on the surface of the prepared pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle. Microvascular tissue oxygenation (oxyhemoglobin, HbO(2); deoxyhemoglobin, HHb) and redox state of cytochrome oxidase (CytOx) were measured by NIR spectroscopy and correlated with standard values of oxidative muscle metabolism (phosphocreatine, PCr; adenosine triphosphate, ATP) measured by time-resolved (31)P NMR spectroscopy (4.7T). RESULTS: Significant correlation was found between PCr and HbO(2) (r = 0.85, P < 0.001) and HHb (r = -0.75, P < 0.001). ß-ATP levels correlated significantly with CytOx (r = 0.87, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that changes in high-energy phosphates (PCr- and ATP-levels) correlate closely with microvascular tissue oxygenation (HbO(2), HHb, CytOx) measured by NIR spectroscopy.

Cytokines in pericardial effusion of patients with inflammatory pericardial disease.

BACKGROUND: The role of inflammatory and angiogenic cytokines in patients with inflammatory pericardial effusion still remains uncertain. METHODS: We assessed pericardial and serum levels of VEGF, bFGF, IL-1ß and TNF-α by ELISA in patients with inflammatory pericardial effusion (PE) of autoreactive (n = 22) and viral (n = 11) origin, and for control in pericardial fluid (PF) and serum (n = 26) of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. RESULTS: VEGF levels were significantly higher in patients with autoreactive and viral PE than in patients with CAD in both PE (P = 0.006 for autoreactive and P < 0.001 for viral PE) and serum (P < 0.001 for autoreactive and P < 0.001 for viral PE). Pericardial bFGF levels were higher compared to serum levels in patients with inflammatory PE and patients with CAD (P ≤ 0.001 for CAD; P ≤ 0.001 for autoreactive PE; P = 0, 005 for viral PE). Pericardial VEGF levels correlated positively with markers of pericardial inflammation, whereas pericardial bFGF levels showed a negative correlation. IL-1ß and TNF-α were detectable only in few PE and serum samples. CONCLUSIONS: VEGF and bFGF levels in pericardial effusion are elevated in patients with inflammatory PE. It is thus possible that VEGF and bFGF participate in the pathogenesis of inflammatory pericardial disease.

Surgical Triage and Timing for Patients With Coronavirus Disease: A Guidance Statement from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to disrupt the provision of cardiac procedural services due to overwhelming interval surges in COVID-19 cases and the associated crisis of cardiac intervention deferment. Despite the availability of widespread testing, highly efficacious vaccines, and intensive public health efforts, the pandemic is entering its third year, where new severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 variants have increased the likelihood that patients scheduled for a cardiac intervention will contract COVID-19 in the perioperative period. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on Critical Care, the STS Workforce on Adult Cardiac and Vascular Surgery, and the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons have developed this document, endorsed by the STS and affirmed by the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology, to provide guidance for cardiac procedure deferment and intervention timing for preoperative patients diagnosed with COVID-19. This document is intended for the perioperative cardiac surgical team and outlines the present state of the pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 on intervention outcome, and offers a recommended algorithm for individualized cardiac procedure triage and timing.

TASK-1 channels may modulate action potential duration of human atrial cardiomyocytes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the elderly, and potassium channels with atrium-specific expression have been discussed as targets to treat atrial fibrillation. Our aim was to characterize TASK-1 channels in human heart and to functionally describe the role of the atrial whole cell current I(TASK-1). METHODS AND RESULTS: Using quantitative PCR, we show that TASK-1 is predominantly expressed in the atria, auricles and atrio-ventricular node of the human heart. Single channel recordings show the functional expression of TASK-1 in right human auricles. In addition, we describe for the first time the whole cell current carried by TASK-1 channels (I(TASK-1)) in human atrial tissue. We show that I(TASK-1) contributes to the sustained outward current I(Ksus) and that I(TASK-1) is a major component of the background conductance in human atrial cardiomyocytes. Using patch clamp recordings and mathematical modeling of action potentials, we demonstrate that modulation of I(TASK-1) can alter human atrial action potential duration. CONCLUSION: Due to the lack of ventricular expression and the ability to alter human atrial action potential duration, TASK-1 might be a drug target for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Importance of real-time tissue oximetry: relationship to muscle oxygenation and tissue viability.

BACKGROUND: There is currently no efficient and reliable clinical means of assessing the degree of ischemia- and reperfusion-associated damage in microvascular transplants. The objective was to study correlation of tissue oxygen tension measurements with tissue oxygen saturation, cytochrome oxidase redox state, and tissue viability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Latissimus dorsi muscle was dissected and mobilized in New Zealand white rabbits (n = 30, 2.5 ± 0.5 kg). Muscles were exposed to warm ischemia in two groups with either 4 or 6 h, followed by reperfusion. Tissue PO(2) was measured with a miniature intramuscular oxygen sensor (Licox microprobe; Integra Neurosciences, Ratingen, Germany) all along with tissue hemoglobin saturation (rSO(2)) and cytochrome oxidase aa3 redox state (CytOx) by in vivo near-infrared spectroscopy. Linear correlation was performed between tissue PO(2) and rSO(2), CytOx and tissue viability. RESULTS: After ischemia and reperfusion, tissue PO(2) and CytOx recovery was significantly decreased in both groups compared with control (4 h: P < 0.05; 6 h: P < 0.01). Significant correlations between changes in tissue PO(2) and rSO(2) (r = 0.92; P < 0.01), CytOx (r = 0.90; P < 0.01), wet-to-dry ratio (r = -0.97; P < 0.01), and mitochondrial viability index (r = 0.97; P < 0.01) were found. CONCLUSIONS: Tissue oxygen tension measured with microprobes correlated closely with tissue oxygenation, cellular oxygen utilization, and the extent of ischemia reperfusion injury.

Perioperative Coronavirus Vaccination-Timing and Implications: A Guidance Document.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Cardiothoracic surgical patients are at risk of increased coronavirus disease severity. Several important factors influence the administration of the coronavirus disease vaccine in the perioperative period. This guidance statement outlines current information regarding vaccine types, summarizes recommendations regarding appropriate timing of administration, and provides information regarding side effects in the perioperative period for cardiac and thoracic surgical patients.