Surgery for secondary aorto-enteric fistula or erosion (SAEFE) complicating aortic graft replacement: a retrospective analysis of 32 patients with particular focus on digestive management.

BACKGROUND: Optimal management of patients with abdominal secondary aorto-enteric fistula or erosion (SAEFE) complicating aortic graft replacement is controversial. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to report on the postoperative and long-term outcomes of patients operated on for SAEFE. METHODS: From 2002 to 2012, consecutive patients operated on for SAEFE were identified. All were managed with in situ revascularization by cryopreserved allograft associated with the treatment of the digestive tract involved. Postoperative and long-term outcomes were collected prospectively and analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients (median age 65 years) underwent an aortic replacement for SAEFE after a median of 5 years after the initial aortic surgery. Fistula location was duodenal (n = 20), small bowel (n = 6), colonic (n = 5), or gastric (n = 1). Digestive treatment included suture (n = 16), resection with anastomosis (n = 13), and Hartmann's procedure (n = 3). An omentoplasty was performed in 18 patients (56 %), and 17 patients (53 %) had a feeding jejunostomy. Postoperative mortality was 25 %. Among perioperative risk factors, preoperative shock was associated with postoperative mortality (p = 0.009). Among the 24 patients who survived, 15 patients developed 27 postoperative complications (overall morbidity rate of 62.5 %), including six (25 %) patients with severe morbidity (Dindo III-IV). Reoperation was required in five (21 %) patients. During follow-up (median 31 months), no patient developed a recurrent aorto-enteric fistula. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for SAEFE is a major undertaking, with high mortality and morbidity. Excision of the prosthetic graft with cryopreserved allograft replacement and management in a tertiary referral centre with expertise in both vascular and digestive surgery allows good long-term results.

[Abdominal secondary aorto-enteric fistulae complicating aortic graft replacement: postoperative and long-term outcomes in 32 patients]. / Fistules aorto-intestinales après remplacement prothétique de l'aorte abdominale : résultats chirurgicaux et suivi à long terme chez 32 patients.

Management of patients with abdominal secondary aorto-entericfistulae (SAEF) complicating aortic graft replacement is controversial. We retrospectively analyzed the postope- rative and long-term outcomes of all consecutive patients operated on for SAEF betwveen 2002 and2012. All were managed by in situ replacement with a cryopreserved allograft and treatment of the affected digestive tract. Thirty-two patients (median age 65 years) underwent aortic replacement for SAEFa median of 5 years after initial aortic surgery. The fistulae were located in the duodenum (n = 20), small bowel (n = 6), colon (n = 5) or stomach (n = 1). Treatment of the digestive tract included suture (n = 16), resection with anastomosis (n = 12) covered by a defunctioning stoma (n = 1), and Hartmann's procedure (n = 3). Omentoplasty was performed in 18 patients (56 %), and 17 patients (53 %) had afeedingjejunostomy. Eight patients (25 %) died post-operatively, 3 with a recurrent aorto-enteric fistula. Fifteen (62.5 %) of the remaining patients developed 27 complications, including 6 patients (19 %) with severe morbidity (Dindo III-IV). The reoperation rate was 21 %. The median hospital stay was 33 days. During follow-up (median 15 months), no further patients had a recurrent aorto-enteric fistula. We conclude that surgery for SAEF is a major procedure associated with high mortality and morbidity. Good long-term results can be obtained by excision of the prosthetic graft with cryopreserved allograft replacement, and by management in a tertialy referral center with expertise in both vascular and digestive surgery.

Efficacy of maintaining low-tidal volume mechanical ventilation as compared to resting lung strategy during coronary artery bypass graft cardiopulmonary bypass surgery: A post-hoc analysis of the MECANO trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare a low-tidal-volume with positive end-expiratory pressure strategy (VENT strategy) to a resting-lung-strategy (i.e., no-ventilation (noV) strategy) during cardiopulmonary bypass for coronary artery bypass graft surgery on the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. DESIGN: Post-hoc analysis of the MECANO trial which was a prospective single-center, blind, randomized, parallel-group controlled trial. SETTING: Tertiary care cardiac surgery center. PATIENTS: Patients who underwent isolated on-pump coronary bypass surgery were randomized either to VENT or noV group. INTERVENTION: During the cardiopulmonary bypass phase of the cardiac surgery procedure, mechanical ventilation in the VENT group consisted of a tidal volume of 3 mL/kg, a respiratory rate of 5 per minute and a positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cmH2O. Patients in the noV group received no ventilation during this phase. MEASUREMENTS: Primary composite outcome combining death, early respiratory failure, ventilation support beyond day 2 and reintubation. MAIN RESULTS: In this post-hoc analysis, we retained 725 patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery, from the 1501 patients included in the original study. There were 352 in the VENT group and 373 patients in the noV group. Post-hoc comparison yielded no differences in baseline characteristics between these two groups. The primary outcome occurred less frequently in the VENT group than in the noV group, with 44 (12.5%) and 76 (20.4%) respectively (odds-ratio (OR) = 0.56 (0.37-0.84), p = 0.004). There were fewer early respiratory dysfunctions and prolonged respiratory support in the VENT group (respectively, OR = 0.34 (0.12-0.96) p = 0.033 and OR = 0.51 (0.27-0.94) p = 0.029). Complications related to mechanical ventilation were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this post-hoc analysis, maintaining low-tidal ventilation compared to a resting-lung strategy was associated with fewer pulmonary postoperative complications in patients who underwent isolated CABG procedures.

Low Tidal Volume Mechanical Ventilation Against No Ventilation During Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Heart Surgery (MECANO): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications are common after cardiac surgery and have been related to lung collapse during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). No consensus exists regarding the effects of maintaining mechanical ventilation during CPB to decrease these complications. RESEARCH QUESTION: To determine whether maintaining low-tidal ventilation (3 mL/kg 5 times/min, with positive end expiratory pressure of 5 cm H2O) during CPB (ventilation strategy) was superior to a resting-lung strategy with no ventilation (no ventilation strategy) regarding postoperative pulmonary complications, including mortality. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, patients undergoing cardiac surgery at a single center from May 2017 through August 2019 were randomized to the ventilation or no ventilation strategy during CPB (1:1 ratio). Apart from the CPB phase, perioperative ventilation procedures were standardized. RESULTS: The study included 1,501 patients (mean age, 68.8 ± 10.3 years; 1,152 (76.7%) men; mean EuroSCORE II, 2.3 ± 2.7). Seven hundred fifty-six patients were in the ventilation strategy group, and no differences existed in baseline characteristics and types of procedures between the two groups. An intention-to-treat analysis yielded no significant difference between the ventilation and no ventilation groups regarding incidence of the primary composite outcome combining death, early respiratory failure, ventilation support beyond day 2, and reintubation, with 112 of 756 patients (14.8%) in the ventilation group vs 133 of 745 patients (17.9%) in the no ventilation group (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.61-1.05; P = .11). Strict per-protocol analyses of 1,338 patients (89.1%) with equally distributed preoperative characteristics yielded similar results (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.60-1.09; P = .16). Post hoc analysis of the subgroup who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft procedures (n = 725) showed that the ventilation strategy was superior to the no ventilation strategy regarding the primary outcome (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.37-0.84; P = .005). INTERPRETATION: Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB, continuation of low tidal volume ventilation was not superior to no ventilation during CPB with respect to postoperative complications, including death, early respiratory failure, ventilation support beyond day 2, and reintubation. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT03098524; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Efficacy of parasternal block to decrease intraoperative opioid use in coronary artery bypass surgery via sternotomy: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the effect of a preoperative parasternal plane block (PSB) on opioid consumption required to maintain hemodynamic stability during sternotomy for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial prospectively enrolled 35 patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft surgery under general anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil. Patients were randomized to receive preoperative PSB using either ropivacaine (PSB group) or saline solution (placebo group) (1:1 ratio). The primary endpoint was the maximal effect-site concentration of remifentanil required to maintain heart rate and blood pressure within the recommended ranges during sternotomy. RESULTS: Median maximum concentration of remifentanil necessary to maintain adequate hemodynamic status during sternotomy was significantly reduced in PSB group (4.2 (2.5-6.0) ng/mL) compared with placebo group (7.0 (5.2-8.0) ng/mL) (p=0.02). Mean maximum concentration of propofol used to control depth of anesthesia was also reduced (3.9±1.1 µg/mL vs 5.0±1.5 µg/mL, PSB vs placebo, respectively; p=0.02). This reduction in propofol consumption during sternotomy enabled a more adequate level of sedation to be maintained in patients (minimum patient state index was 11.7±8.7 in placebo group and 18.3±6.8 in PSB group; p=0.02). PSB reduced postoperative inflammatory response by limiting concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines IL-8, IL-18, IL-23, IL-33 and MCP-1 measured in the first 7-day after surgery (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative PSB reduced the maximum concentrations of remifentanil and propofol required to maintain hemodynamic stability and depth of anesthesia during sternotomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03734159.Sébastien Bloc, M.D.1,2; Brieuc P. Pérot, Ph.D.3; Hadrien Gibert, M.D.1; Jean-Dominique Law Koune, M.D.1; Yannick Burg, M.D.1; Didier Leclerc, M.D.1; Anne-Sophie Vuitton, M.D.1; Christophe De La Jonquière, M.D.1; Marine Luka, L.S.3; Thierry Waldmann, M.D.4; Nicolas Vistarini, M.D.4; Stéphane Aubert, M.D.4; Mickaël M. Ménager, Ph.D.3; Messaouda Merzoug, Ph.D.2; Cécile Naudin, Ph.D.2; Pierre Squara, M.D.2,5.

Low tidal volume mechanical ventilation against no ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass heart surgery (MECANO): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery. There are no recommendations on mechanical ventilation associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) during surgery and anesthesiologists perform either no ventilation (noV) at all during CPB or maintain low tidal volume (LTV) ventilation. Indirect evidence points towards better pulmonary outcomes when LTV is performed but no large-scale prospective trial has yet been published in cardiac surgery. DESIGN: The MECANO trial is a single-center, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial comparing two mechanical ventilation strategies, noV and LTV, during cardiac surgery with CPB. In total, 1500 patients are expected to be included, without any restrictions. They will be randomized between noV and LTV on a 1:1 ratio. The noV group will receive no ventilation during CPB. The LTV group will receive 5 breaths/minute with a tidal volume of 3 mL/kg and positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cmH2O. The primary endpoint will be a composite of all-cause mortality, early respiratory failure defined as a ratio of partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen <200 mmHg at 1 hour after arrival in the ICU, heavy oxygenation support (defined as a patient requiring either non-invasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation or high-flow oxygen) at 2 days after arrival in the ICU or ventilator-acquired pneumonia defined by the Center of Disease Control. Lung recruitment maneuvers will be performed in the noV and LTV groups at the end of surgery and at arrival in ICU with an insufflation at +30 cmH20 for 5 seconds. Secondary endpoints are those composing the primary endpoint with the addition of pneumothorax, CPB duration, quantity of postoperative bleeding, red blood cell transfusions, revision surgery requirements, length of stay in the ICU and in the hospital and total hospitalization costs. Patients will be followed until hospital discharge. DISCUSSION: The MECANO trial is the first of its kind to compare in a double-blind design, a no-ventilation to a low-tidal volume strategy for mechanical ventilation during cardiac surgery with CPB, with a primary composite outcome including death, respiratory failure and postoperative pneumonia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03098524 . Registered on 27 February 2017.