Survival After Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Based on In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Cannulation Location: An Analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry.

OBJECTIVES: Explore whether extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) mortality differs by in-hospital cardiac arrest location and whether moving patients for cannulation impacts outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: ECPR hospitals that report data to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). PATIENTS: Patients having ECPR for in-hospital cardiac arrest between 2020 and 2023 with data in the ELSO registry. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patient demographics, comorbidities, pre-cardiac arrest conditions, pre-ECPR vasopressor use, cardiac arrest details, ECPR cannulation information, major complications, and in-hospital mortality were recorded. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the associations between in-hospital mortality and 1) cardiac arrest location and 2) moving a patient for ECPR cannulation. A total of 2515 patients met enrollment criteria. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for mortality was increased in patients who had a cardiac arrest in the ICU (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.45-2.38; p < 0.001) and in patients who had a cardiac arrest in an acute care bed (aOR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.09-2.58; p = 0.02) compared with the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Moving a patient for cannulation had no association with mortality (aOR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.18-2.81; p = 0.62). Advanced patient age was associated with increased mortality. Specifically, patients 60-69 and patients 70 years old or older were more likely to die compared with patients younger than 30 years old (aOR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.17-2.50; p = 0.006 and aOR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.49-3.48; p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: ECPR patients who experienced cardiac arrest in the ICU and in acute care hospital beds had increased odds of mortality compared with other locations. Moving patients for ECPR cannulation was not associated with improved outcomes.

Iatrogenic blood loss from phlebotomy during adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients are at high risk for allogeneic blood transfusion. Few studies have characterized iatrogenic blood loss from phlebotomy in adult ECMO patients. We hypothesized that iatrogenic phlebotomy would be a significant source of blood loss during ECMO. METHODS: Adults who had their entire ECMO run at our medical center between 2020 and 2022 were included. Average daily phlebotomy volume and total phlebotomy volume during ECMO were estimated based on the total number of laboratory tests that were processed. In addition, the crude and adjusted association between total phlebotomy volume during ECMO and RBC transfusion during ECMO was evaluated using linear regression and Loess curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 161 patients who underwent 162 ECMO runs were included. Of the 162 ECMO runs, 88 (54.3%) were veno-arterial and 74 (45.7%) were veno-venous ECMO. Median duration of ECMO was 5 days [25th, 75th percentile = 2, 11]. Median daily phlebotomy volume was 130 mLs [25th, 75th percentile = 94, 170] and median total phlebotomy volume during ECMO was 579 mLs [25th, 75th percentile = 238, 1314]. There was a significant crude and adjusted association between total phlebotomy volume and RBC transfusion during ECMO (beta coefficient = 0.0023 and 0.0024 respectively, both p < .001) based on linear regression analysis. DISCUSSION: Phlebotomy for laboratory testing is a significant source of blood loss during ECMO in adults. Comprehensive patient blood management for adult ECMO patients should include strategies to reduce laboratory testing and/or phlebotomy volume during ECMO.

Rodent Model of Cardiopulmonary Bypass Demonstrates Systemic Inflammation and NeuroMarker Changes.

INTRODUCTION: The physiologic derangements imposed by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can result in complications such as postoperative delirium. We aim to validate a rodent survival model of CPB demonstrating a systemic inflammatory response and hypothesize that this contributes to post-CPB delirium. METHODS: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to three groups: 1) Sham peripheral surgical cannulation, 2) CPB followed by acute phase harvest, or 3) CPB followed by 24-h survival. CPB was carried out for 60 min before decannulation and weaning from mechanical ventilation. Physiological and biochemical endpoints were compared between groups. Gene expression analysis of hippocampal tissue was performed using quantitative RT-PCR panels and protein expression levels were confirmed with Western blot. RESULTS: Sixteen animals underwent cannulation and were successfully decannulated without transfusion requirement or inotrope use with one procedure-related mortality. Serum acute phase proinflammatory chemokines cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant 1, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant 3, fractalkine, and lipopolysaccharide-induced CXC chemokine as well as interleukin (IL)-10 were increased 1 h following CPB compared to sham (P < 0.05). Significant changes in hippocampal expression of biomarkers apolipoprotein 1, vascular epithelial growth factor A, and synapsin 1 were demonstrated following CPB. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated a model of CPB that captures the resultant systemic inflammatory response, and identified differentially expressed proteins that may be associated with brain injury. Modulation of the CPB-induced inflammatory response may be a promising therapeutic target to attenuate post-CPB delirium, and this survival rat model of CPB with low surgical attrition will allow for more comprehensive evaluations of the short- and long-term effects of both CPB and potential therapeutic interventions.

Machine Learning on 50,000 Manuscripts Shows Increased Clinical Research by Academic Cardiac Surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: Academic cardiac surgeons are productive researchers and innovators. We sought to perform a comprehensive machine learning (ML)-based characterization of cardiac surgery research over the past 40 y to identify trends in research pursuits. METHODS: US-based academic websites were queried for surgeon profiles. Publications since 1980 were obtained from Web of Science, and publication classifications (e.g., "human", "animal") were collected through the National Institutes of Health iCite tool. Publications were deemed "basic or translational" if >50% of their classification was under "animal" or "molecular or cell", and "clinical" if otherwise. ML-based clustering was performed on publication titles and Medical Subject Heading terms to identify research topics. RESULTS: A total of 944 cardiac surgeons accounted for 48,031 unique publications. Average citations per year have decreased since 1980 (P < 0.001). The percentage of basic or translational publications by cardiac surgeons has decreased over time (P < 0.001), comprising of only 8% of publications in 2022. Adult cardiac surgeons, those who received an F32, K08, or R01, and those with a PhD were more likely to publish basic or translational research. Top areas of basic or translational research were myocardial reperfusion, aortic aneurysms or remodeling, and transplant immunology. Major areas of clinical research included aortic disease, aortic valve disease, and mechanical circulatory support. Collaboration analysis revealed that 55% of publications were single-center, and the yearly percentage of these publications has decreased over time (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac surgeons are performing less basic or translational research relative to clinical research than ever before. The majority of publications over the past 40 y did not involve cross-center collaboration. Continued support for clinical research is needed, while also encouraging collaborative basic or translational science to foster innovation in patient care.

Trends in the Use of Recombinant Activated Factor VII and Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in Heart Transplant Patients in Virginia.

OBJECTIVES: To explore trends in intraoperative procoagulant factor concentrate use in patients undergoing heart transplantation (HTx) in Virginia. Secondarily, to evaluate their association with postoperative thrombosis. DESIGN: Patients who underwent HTx were identified using a statewide database. Trends in off-label recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) use and on-label and off-label prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) use were tested using the Mantel-Haenszel test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test for an association between procoagulant factor concentrate administration and thrombosis. SETTING: Virginia hospitals performing HTx. PARTICIPANTS: Adults undergoing HTx between 2012 and 2022. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 899 patients who required HTx, 100 (11.1%) received off-label rFVIIa, 69 (7.7%) received on-label PCC, and 80 (8.9%) received off-label PCC. There was a downward trend in the use of rFVIIa over the 10-year period (p = 0.04). There was no trend in on-label PCC use (p = 0.12); however, there was an increase in off-label PCC use (p < 0.001). Patients who received rFVIIa were transfused more and had longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (p < 0.001). Receipt of rFVIIa was associated with increased thrombotic risk (odds ratio [OR] 1.92; 95% CI 1.12-3.29; p = 0.02), whereas on-label and off-label PCC use had no association with thrombosis (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.49-1.96, p = 0.96 for on-label use; and OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.29-1.30, p = 0.20 for off-label use). CONCLUSIONS: Use of rFVIIa in HTx decreased over the past decade, whereas off-label PCC use increased. Receipt of rFVIIa was associated with thrombosis; however, patients who received rFVIIa were more severely ill, and risk adjustment may have been incomplete.

Outcomes of heparinized adult veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients managed with low and high activated partial thromboplastin time targets: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There are no randomized controlled trials comparing low and high activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) targets in heparinized adult veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. Our systematic review and meta-analysis summarized complication rates in adult VA ECMO patients treated with low and high aPTT targets. METHODS: Studies published from January 2000 to May 2022 were identified using Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature). Studies were included if aPTT was primarily used to guide heparin anticoagulation. For the low aPTT group, we included studies where aPTT goal was ≤60 seconds and for the high aPTT group, we included studies where aPTT goal was ≥60 seconds. Proportional meta-analysis with a random effects model was used to calculate pooled complication rates for patients in the two aPTT groups. RESULTS: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria (5 in the low aPTT group and 7 in the high aPTT group). The pooled bleeding complication incidence for low aPTT studies was 53.6% (95% CI = 37.4%-69.4%, I2 = 60.8%) and for high aPTT studies was 43.8% (95% CI = 21.7%-67.1%, I2 = 91.8%). No studies in the low aPTT group reported overall thrombosis incidence, while three studies in the high aPTT group reported overall thrombosis incidence. The pooled thrombosis incidence for high aPTT studies was 16.1% (95% CI = 9.0%-24.5%, I2 = 13.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Adult ECMO patients managed with low and high aPTT goals appeared to have similar bleeding and other complication rates further highlighting the need for a randomized controlled trial.

Temporal Cluster Analysis of Deep Sternal Wound Infection in a Regional Quality Collaborative.

INTRODUCTION: Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a rare complication associated with high mortality. Seasonal variability in surgical site infections has been demonstrated, however, these patterns have not been applied to DSWI. The purpose of this study was to assess temporal clustering of DSWIs. METHODS: All cardiac surgery patients who underwent sternotomy were queried from a regional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database from 17 centers from 2001 to 2019. All patients with the diagnosis of DSWI were then identified. Cluster analysis was performed at varying time intervals (monthly, quarterly, and yearly) at the hospital and regional level. DSWI rates were calculated by year and month, and compared using mixed-effects negative binomial regression. RESULTS: A total of 134,959 patients underwent a sternotomy for cardiac surgery, of whom 469 (0.35%) developed a DSWI. Rates of DSWI per hospital across all years ranged from 0.12% to 0.69%. Collaborative-level rates of DSWIs were the greatest in September (0.44%) and the lowest in January (0.30%). Temporal clustering was not seen across seasonal quarters (high rate in preceeding quarter was not associated with a high rate in the next quarter) (P = 0.39). There were yearly differences across all institutions in the DSWI rates. A downward trend in DSWI rates was seen from 2001 to 2019 (P < 0.001). A difference among hospitals in the cohort was observed (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DSWI are a rare event within our region. Unlike other surgical site infection, there does not appear to be a seasonal pattern associated with DSWI.

Zen and the Art of Thriving in the Clerkship Year of Medical School.

You, as third year medical students, are all among the best learners on the planet. You had to be to get into this, or any other, medical school. Your academic prowess has been put to good use both prior to and in the first couple of years of med school. However, you are getting ready to start into the rest of your careers, when many, if not most, of those finely tuned academic and personal skills will not be as applicable to learning and working as clinical trainees nor, eventually, medical practitioners, as those skills have been in most of your prior educational experiences. Candidly, when I was making this same transition myself, over four decades ago, it took me a while, probably quite a while, to really come to grips with this transition. Between those days and now, I have spent quite a lot of time immersed in medical education, at every level from younger medical students to chief residents training in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. At each level of your education and training, you will have to sort out the best educational strategies for yourself.

Discordance among assays for monitoring? Anticoagulation during extracorporeal life support.

OBJECTIVES: The optimal method for monitoring of anticoagulation in patients on extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between anti-factor Xa level (anti-Xa; IU/mL) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT; seconds) for monitoring intravenous unfractionated heparin anticoagulation in adult ECLS patients. METHODS: Charts of all adult patients cannulated for ECLS from 2015 through 2017 were reviewed and laboratory and heparin infusion data were extracted for analysis. Time matched pairs of anti-Xa and aPTT were considered concordant if both laboratory values were within the same clinically utilized range. A hierarchical logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with discordance while accounting for patient level effects. RESULTS: A total of 1016 paired anti-Xa and aPTT values from 65 patients were evaluated. 500 (49.2%) paired samples were discordant with a degree of variability on linear regression (r2 = 0.315). The aPTT fell into a higher therapeutic range compared to the anti-Xa in 31.6% and lower in 17.3%. Logistic regression demonstrated that discordance was independently associated with time from initiation of ECLS (OR 1.17 per day, p < 0.001), average heparin infusion rate (OR 1.25 per U/kg/hr, p < 0.001), and INR (OR 3.22, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of all aPTT and anti-Xa values were in discordant ranges and discordance is more likely as the time on ECLS and the INR level increase. The use of either assay in isolation to guide heparin anticoagulation may lead to misestimation of the degree of anticoagulation in complex ECLS patients.

Access to Left Ventricular Assist Device: Travel Time Does Not Tell The Whole Story.

BACKGROUND: Negative health effects of traveling longer distances for surgical services have been reported. Given the high complexity of multidisciplinary care required for management of Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implantation, only 4 of 18 centers in our state perform these operations. Given the limited access we hypothesized increased travel time would adversely affect postoperative outcomes and 30-d mortality. METHODS: A statewide Society of Thoracic Surgeons database was queried to identify patients undergoing Heartmate II/III and HVAD implantation, and 725 patients were identified. Travel time was calculated by zip code. Patients were stratified into regional and distant groups by the upper quartile of travel time (1-h). Preoperative variables and outcomes were compared between the groups. Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of travel time in risk-adjusted models of 30-d mortality. RESULTS: Median patient travel time to their LVAD center in our state is 32 min (mean 53 ± 65 min, 46 ± 71 miles). Patients in the distant group (n = 191) had lower median incomes, higher self-pay status, higher rates of medical comorbid disease. Despite these differences there was no difference between the groups in ICU and/or hospital length of stay, readmission, postoperative complications, or 30-d mortality. Multivariate regression demonstrated insurance status, age, and prior surgery predicted 30-d mortality, but not travel time. CONCLUSIONS: Despite only four centers in the state performing LVAD implantation, travel time was strongly associated with preoperative risk, and socioeconomic status but not postoperative outcomes or 30-d mortality. Therefore, increasing access should focus on insurance, and patient characteristics not travel time.

Gastric Aspiration and Ventilator-Induced Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Swine.

INTRODUCTION: Mainstays of current treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) focus on supportive care and rely on intrinsic organ recovery. Animal models of ARDS are often limited by systemic injury. We hypothesize that superimposing gastric aspiration and ventilator-induced injury will induce a lung-specific injury model of severe ARDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult swine (n = 8) were subject to a 12 h injury development period followed by 24 h of post-injury monitoring. Lung injury was induced with gastric secretions (3 cc/kg body weight/lung, pH 1-2) instilled to bilateral mainstem bronchi under direct bronchoscopic vision. Ventilator settings within the injury period contradicted baseline settings using high tidal volumes and low positive end-expiratory pressure. Baseline settings were restored following the injury period. Arterial oxygenation and lung compliance were monitored. RESULTS: At 12 h, PaO2/FiO2 ratio and static and dynamic compliance were significantly reduced from baseline (P < 0.05). During the postinjury period, animals showed no signs of recovery in PaO2/FiO2 ratio and lung compliance. Lung edema (wet/dry weight ratio) of injured lungs was significantly elevated versus noninjured lungs (8.5 ± 1.7 versus 5.6 ± 0.3, P = 0.009). Expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly elevated in injured lungs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Twelve hours of high tidal volume and low positive end-expiratory pressure in conjunction with low-pH gastric content instillation produces significant acute lung injury in swine. This large animal model may be useful for testing severe ARDS treatment strategies.

Aortic valve biologic protheses: A cohort comparison of premature valve failure.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports suggest an increased rate of early structural valve degeneration (SVD) in the Trifecta bioprosthesis (Abbott Cardiovascular). We sought to compare the intermediate-term outcomes of the Magna (Edwards Life Sciences) and Trifecta valves. METHODS: All surgical aortic valve replacements (SAVRs) with Trifecta or Magna/Magna Ease bioprostheses at an academic medical center were extracted from an institutional database. Patients who survived until after discharge (2011-2019) were included. The primary outcome was valve failure for any reason requiring reintervention or contributing to death, identified by reintervention or review of cause of death. Time to failure was estimated with Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox Proportional Hazards Modeling. RESULTS: Out of 1444 patients, 521 (36%) underwent Trifecta and 923 (64%) underwent Magna implantation with a median follow-up of 27.6 months. Trifecta patients had larger median valve size (25 vs. 23 mm, p < .001) and lower median gradient (8.0 vs. 10.9 mmHg, p < .001). Trifecta patients had higher 48-month estimated failure rates (20.2 ± 7.6% vs. 2.6 ± 0.7%, p < .0001), with failure rates of 21.4 versus 9.2 failures per 1000 person-years (p < .001). After risk-adjustment, Trifecta patients had a 5.3 times hazard of failure (95% confidence interval: 2.78-12.34, p < .001) compared to Magna patients. Only Trifecta valves failed due to sudden aortic regurgitation, 8 out of 521 (1.5%). CONCLUSION: Despite lower postoperative mean gradients, the Trifecta bioprosthesis may have an increased risk of intermediate-term SVD. Further research is warranted to confirm the potential for sudden valve failure.

Give Me a Shot of Holy Water: Critical Elements in Myocardial Protection during Cardiac Surgery.

There is a surprising paucity of information on myocardial protection during cardiac surgery in the popular techniques books on cardiac surgery. For instance, Khonsari's otherwise superb book, Cardiac Surgery: Safeguards and Pitfalls in Operative Technique, has only three of its 300 pages that address myocardial protection, while Cooley's book, Techniques in Cardiac Surgery, has none at all. Similarly, the major textbooks of cardiothoracic surgery (Kirklin & Barrett-Boyes, Sabiston & Spencer, and Cohn & Edmunds) all tend to dwell on basic science and pharmacology, while barely addressing the actual techniques and strategies of myocardial protection during cardiac surgical operations. [Khonsari, Cooley, Kouchoukos, Selke, Cohn].

All Bleeding Stops, Eventually (But: The Sooner The Better!).

It's your first day as the surgery resident working in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (ICU) and you are accepting the hand-off of a cardiac surgery patient that your senior resident has brought up from the operating room for admission to the ICU. During the handoff, your resident colleague tells you that the patient is 'oozing a lot and that the operating team, after a diligent search for bleeding sites, does not believe that the oozing is 'surgical.' She announces that your job will, therefore, be to stop the ongoing oozing, while, of course, being alert to the possible development of tamponade physiology.

Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Thrombectomy for Massive Pulmonary Embolism.

Massive pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high mortality rates. Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) collaboration with prompt access to veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) during mechanical or aspiration thrombectomy for massive PE can be life-saving; ECMO stand-by should be considered for high-risk cases. We describe a case of massive PE treated with intraprocedural VA ECMO during the catheter-directed intervention.

Early Versus Delayed Pacemaker for Heart Block After Valve Surgery: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

BACKGROUND: A significant percentage of patients who acutely develop high-grade atrioventricular block after valve surgery will ultimately recover, yet the ability to predict recovery is limited. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of two different management strategies for the timing of permanent pacemaker implantation for new heart block after valve surgery. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness model was developed using costs and probabilities of short- and long-term complications of pacemaker placement, short-term atrioventricular node recovery, intensive care unit stays, and long-term follow-up. We aggregated the total expected cost and utility of each option over a 20-y period. Quality-adjusted survival with a pacemaker was estimated from the literature and institutional patient-reported outcomes. Primary decision analysis was based on an expected recovery rate of 36.7% at 12 d with timing of pacemaker implantation: early placement (5 d) versus watchful waiting for 12 d. RESULTS: A strategy of watchful waiting was more costly ($171,798 ± $45,695 versus $165,436 ± $52,923; P < 0.0001) but had a higher utility (9.05 ± 1.36 versus 8.55 ± 1.33 quality-adjusted life years; P < 0.0001) than an early pacemaker implantation strategy. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of watchful waiting was $12,724 per quality-adjusted life year. The results are sensitive to differences in quality-adjusted survival and rates of recovery of atrioventricular node function. CONCLUSIONS: Watchful waiting for pacemaker insertion is a cost-effective management strategy compared with early placement for acute atrioventricular block after valve surgery. Although this is cost-effective from a population perspective, clinical risk scores predicting recovery will aid in personalized decision-making.

We Were Residents Once And Young.

Each transition in the trajectory of a career comes with changes, some good, some challenging, and some changes are both. As you prepare to enter a Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Residency (TCV Surgery), or the last few years of an Integrated Six Residency, you are well aware that you are likely embarking on one of the most demanding and challenging eras of your professional life. And, you are likely also aware that, as a TCV Surgery resident, you will have a limited amount of time to approximately double what you know about medicine and surgery. In fact, in these last few years of your formal training you will likely have fewer than 700 days to accumulate this necessary medical and surgical knowledge.

The Venerable Subclavian Line.

In this treatise, we will address one of the higher-risk procedures, subclavian vein cannulation, that a practitioner may undertake in the care of complex patients. All cardiothoracic surgeons and their trainees will need, on occasion, to put in central lines in a variety of circumstances, including in the operating room, in the intensive care unit, in emergency circumstances, and, occasionally, when other practitioners have been unsuccessful in their attempts to place a central line. We will describe, in detail, the anatomy of the subclavian vein, the preparation of the patient for subclavian vein cannulation, the infraclavicular approach to cannulation of the vein, and a few notes about the supraclavicular approach to the subclavian vein. It is self-evident that the priorities of central venous cannulation include safety of insertion, minimizing clot formation, and avoiding infection. We will dwell primarily on the principles of safe subclavian line insertion.

Adoption of a dedicated multidisciplinary team is associated with improved survival in acute pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: Acute pulmonary embolism remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Benefit of recently developed multidisciplinary PE response teams (PERT) with higher utilization of advanced therapies has not been established. METHODS: To evaluate patient-centered outcomes and cost-effectiveness of a multidisciplinary PERT we performed a retrospective analysis of 554 patients with acute PE at the university of Virginia between July 2014 and June 2015 (pre-PERT era) and between April 2017 through October 2018 (PERT era). Six-month survival, hospital length-of-stay (LOS), type of PE therapy, and in-hospital bleeding were assessed upon collected data. RESULTS: 317 consecutive patients were treated for acute PE during an 18-month period following institution of a multidisciplinary PE program; for 120 patients PERT was activated (PA), the remaining 197 patients with acute PE were considered as a separate, contemporary group (NPA). The historical, comparator cohort (PP) was composed of 237 patients. These 3 groups were similar in terms of baseline demographics, comorbidities and risk, as assessed by the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI). Patients in the historical cohort demonstrated worsened survival when compared with patients treated during the PERT era. During the PERT era no statistically significant difference in survival was observed in the PA group when compared to the NPA group despite significantly higher severity of illness among PA patients. Hospital LOS was not different in the PA group when compared to either the NPA or PP group. Hospital costs did not differ among the 3 cohorts. 30-day re-admission rates were significantly lower during the PERT era. Rates of advanced therapies were significantly higher during the PERT era (9.1% vs. 2%) and were concentrated in the PA group (21.7% vs. 1.5%) without any significant rise in in-hospital bleeding complications. CONCLUSIONS: At our institution, all-cause mortality in patients with acute PE has significantly and durably decreased with the adoption of a PERT program without incurring additional hospital costs or protracting hospital LOS. Our data suggest that the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach at some institutions may provide benefit to select patients with acute PE.

Gastrointestinal Complications After Cardiac Surgery: Highly Morbid but Improving Over Time.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery are associated with high morbidity and mortality. We sought to determine the granular impact of individual gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery and assess contemporary outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery from 2010 to 2017 (6070 patients) were identified from an institutional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. Records were paired with institutional data assessing gastrointestinal complications and cost. Patients were stratified by early (2010-2013) and current (2014-2017) eras. RESULTS: A total of 280 (4.6%) patients experienced gastrointestinal complications including Clostridiumdifficile infection (94, 33.6%), gastrointestinal bleed (86, 30.7%), hepatic failure (66, 23.6%), prolonged ileus (59, 21.1%), mesenteric ischemia (47, 16.8%), acute cholecystitis (17, 6.0%), and pancreatitis (14, 5.0%). Gastrointestinal complications were associated with higher rates of early postoperative major morbidity [206 (73.6%) versus 773 (13.4%), P < 0.0001], mortality [78 (27.9%) versus 161 (2.8%), P < 0.0001], length of stay (23 versus 6 d, P < 0.0001), and discharge to a facility [115 (41.1%) versus 1395 (24.1%), P < 0.0001]. Patients suffering gastrointestinal complications had worse risk-adjusted long-term survival (hazard ratio: 3.0, P < 0.0001) and higher adjusted cost ($9,173, P = 0.05). Between eras, there was no difference in incidence of gastrointestinal complications [139 (4.4%) versus 141 (4.8%), P = 0.51] or rate of specific complications (all P > 0.05). However, long-term survival increased in modern era (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Although incidence of gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery has not changed over time, long-term survival has improved. Gastrointestinal complications remain associated with high resource utilization and major morbidity, but patients are now more likely to recover, highlighting the benefit of quality improvement efforts.