Redo surgical aortic valve replacement for prosthetic valve valve-in-valve dysfunction.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become the preferred intervention for patients with severe aortic stenosis and significant comorbidities. This technique can also be used for failed bioprosthetic valves and is known as the valve-in-valve (ViV) procedure. Placing TAVR in a small bioprosthesis (<23 mm) can lead to delayed dysfunction of the prosthetic valve. We present a case of a late explanted ViV 8 years post-initial aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting, and 3 years post-ViV procedure in a 76-year-old female. A video of the surgical procedure is provided.

Off-pump myocardial revascularization with Impella 5.5-assisted for cardiogenic shock.

We report a case of Impella 5.5-assisted off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting for acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock. The Impella 5.5 was placed in the left ventricle during the emergent procedure, and an off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting was successfully performed with exposure of all three walls of the heart. Our findings demonstrated the feasibility of off-pump coronary revascularization in three-vessel disease in a patient assisted with an Impella 5.5 percutaneous left ventricular assist device without displacement of the device during the entire perioperative period.

Use of a novel bicarbonate-based Impella 5.5 purge solution in a coagulopathic patient.

The Impella 5.5 with Smart Assist (Abiomed) is a life-saving treatment option in acute heart failure which utilizes a continuous heparin purge solution to prevent thrombosis. In patients with contraindications to heparin, alternative anticoagulation strategies are required. We describe the stepwise management of anticoagulation in a coagulopathic patient with persistent cardiogenic shock following a coronary artery bypass procedure who underwent Impella 5.5 placement. A direct thrombin inhibitor-based purge solution was utilized while evaluating for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. The use of a novel bicarbonate-based purge solution (BBPS) was successfully used due to severe coagulopathy. There were no episodes of pump thrombosis or episodes of severe bleeding on the BBPS and systemic effects of alkalosis and hypernatremia were minimal.

Placement of Simultaneous Inferior Vena Cava Filter During Emergent Open Pulmonary Thromboembolectomy.

BACKGROUND: This study retrospectively reviewed results of simultaneous (SIM) inferior vena cava (IVC) filter and separate (SEP) IVC filter placement with open pulmonary thromboembolectomy (PTE) in pulmonary embolism and its clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2006 to May 2014, 23 patients (14 females and 9 males; median age 58 years; range, 21-88 years) underwent emergent PTE for submassive (12) or massive (11) pulmonary embolism (PE). All had a preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan and echocardiography consistent with right ventricular (RV) strain. Mean cardiopulmonary bypass times and temperatures; chest tube outputs; length of stay; perioperative complications; and survival were compared between groups. RESULTS: There were 13 patients in the SIM group and 10 in the SEP group. PE consisted of 14 acute (60.9%) and nine acute on chronic (39.1%). There were seven deaths (30.4%). Median follow up was 44 days (range, 2-2204 days). Follow up was 81% complete in surviving patients. Actuarial survival at one and three years was 83% for the SIM group and 43% for the SEP group, respectively. There were no differences in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) times and temperatures, chest tube outputs, or length of stay between groups. Using multivariable logistic regression, we found SIM was associated with increased survival (p=0.09). Further analysis showed patients >55 years in the SEP group were at significantly higher risk of death (hazard ratio [HR]=7.1:1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55, 32.5, p=0.011). CONCLUSION: IVC filter placement can be performed simultaneously and safely at PTE. Age >55 years and PTE with IVC filter placed separately were at significantly higher risk of death. A larger cohort is needed to evaluate efficacy of simultaneous IVC filter placement and PTE.

Occlusion following the deployment of MANTA VCD after TAVR.

BACKGROUND: We present a complication following the deployment of the MANTA vascular closure device (VCD) following a transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure which resulted in occlusion of the common femoral artery. AIMS: To address possible complications associated with MANTA VCD. RESULTS: This was addressed by ballooning the site from the contralateral side which re-established flow. CONCLUSION: We believe this is the first report to address this kind of complication and may prove useful as more of the MANTA devices are being used in multiple procedures.

Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass for the management of Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Right Coronary Sinus.

OBJECTIVE: Anomalous left coronary artery from the right coronary sinus (ALCA) is a known cause of sudden death. Surgical correction is recommended for all patients with interarterial course. We describe two patients who underwent surgical correction through an off pump- minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) approach with good short- and mid-term results.

Vascular Injuries to the Neck After Penetrating Trauma: Diagnostic Performance of 40- and 64-MDCT Angiography.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to assess the diagnostic performance of 40- and 64-MDCT angiography with digital subtraction angiography as the reference standard in the detection of arterial injuries in patients at high risk after penetrating neck trauma and to perform a separate analysis of injuries to the external carotid artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective evaluation of 53 sets of angiograms from 51 patients with penetrating neck injury, three reviewers unaware of the digital subtraction angiographic findings reviewed the CT angiographic (CTA) images to discern the presence or absence of arterial injuries. Sensitivity and specificity of CTA were calculated per injury, and a separate analysis of external carotid artery injuries was performed. RESULTS: Sensitivity of CTA for detecting arterial injuries ranged from 75.7% (95% CI, 62.3-86.9%) to 82.2% (95% CI, 69.5-92.1%). Specificity ranged from 96.4% (95% CI, 94.0-98.4%) to 98.4% (95% CI, 96.0-100%). CTA was highly sensitive for detection of the subgroup of injuries involving the large-caliber vessels that contribute to cerebral circulation. These sensitivities ranged from 92.8% (95% CI, 66-98.8%) to 100% (95% CI, 76.6-100%) for internal carotid artery injuries and from 88.9% (95% CI, 65.2-98.3%) to 94.4% (95% CI, 72.6-99.0%) for vertebral artery injuries. In contrast, sensitivity of CTA was limited for external carotid artery injuries, ranging from 63.4% (95% CI, 45.5-79.5%) to 70.0% (95% CI, 52.0-85.0%). CONCLUSION: CTA can be used for initial evaluation and may help guide management decisions if an external carotid artery injury is detected. Negative findings should not preclude close clinical follow-up, repeat CTA evaluation, or, in the presence of high suspicion of arterial injury due to clinical findings or wound trajectory, evaluation with digital subtraction angiography.

Traumatic optic neuropathy: facial CT findings affecting visual acuity.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between admission visual acuity (VA) and facial computed tomographic (CT) findings of traumatic optic neuropathy (TON). We retrospectively evaluated CT findings in 44 patients with TON. Mid-facial fractures, extraconal and intraconal hematomas, hematomas along the optic nerve and the posterior globe, optic canal fracture, nerve impingement by optic canal fracture fragment, and extraconal and intraconal emphysema were evaluated. CT variables of patients with and without available VA were compared. VA was converted into logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) to provide a numeric scale for the purpose of statistical analysis. The risk factors related to poor VA on univariate analysis were as follows: intraconal hematoma [median logMAR -4.7 versus -1.15, p = 0.016] and hematoma along the optic nerve [median -4.7 versus -1.3, p = 0.029]. Intraconal hematoma was the best predictor of poor VA (coefficient, 1.01; SE, 0.34; and p = 0.008). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the presence of intraconal hematoma and hematoma along the optic nerve predicted poor VA (logMAR of -3.7 or lower) with an area under the curve of 0.8 and 0.85, respectively. TON patients at higher risk of severe visual impairment may be identified based on admission facial CT.

Intracardiac migration of vena caval stent: decision-making and treatment considerations.

Migration and embolization of intravenously placed devices has been described previously with inferior vena cava (IVC) filters but not stents. While patients with intracardiac embolization of venous devices may be asymptomatic, we present a patient with symptomatic migration of an IVC stent to the heart and discuss the treatment considerations and decision-making involved.

Predominant Use of Bilateral Internal Mammary Arteries in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been shown to provide long-term clinical benefits over single internal mammary artery (SIMA) grafting. Nevertheless, the perceived technical complexity of the procedure and concerns about potential early postoperative complications, particularly, sternal wound infections, have led to a utilization rate of BIMA grafting of less than 5% in the United States. We systematically compared early (30-day) postoperative outcomes between the BIMA and SIMA cohorts in patients with similar baseline characteristics. A retrospective single-center study was conducted on matched patients, using stabilized inverse probability treatment weighting to mitigate bias between the 2 study cohorts. From 546 patients who underwent off-pump CABG initially identified, we examined 328 B.M. and 213 SIMA grafts from the matched samples. Despite using 60.4% BIMA grafts, we observed similar rates of 30-day overall and cardiac mortality between the BIMA and SIMA groups. The rates of 30-day postoperative complications, including superficial and deep sternal wound infections, stroke, sepsis, acute kidney injury, and cardiac arrest, were similar between the 2 groups. The rates of 30-day overall and cardiac readmission were also similar. In addition, the median length of hospital stays, intensive care unit stay, and ventilation times were similar between the 2 groups. In conclusion, our data suggest that a BIMA utilization rate of 60.4% in off-pump CABG procedures is achievable without causing any significant increment in early postoperative complications, including deep sternal wound infection.

Selection and maturation of antibodies by phage display through fusion to pIX.

Antibody discovery and optimization by M13 phage display have evolved significantly over the past twenty years. Multiple methods of antibody display and selection have been developed - direct display on pIII or indirect display through a Cysteine disulfide linkage or a coiled-coil adapter protein. Here we describe display of Fab libraries on the smaller pIX protein at the opposite end of the virion and its application to discovery of novel antibodies from naive libraries. Antibody selection based on pIX-mediated display produces results comparable to other in vitro methods and uses an efficient direct infection of antigen-bound phages, eliminating any chemical dissociation step(s). Additionally, some evidence suggests that pIX-mediated display can be more efficient than pIII-mediated display in affinity selections. Functional assessment of phage-derived antibodies can be hindered by insufficient affinities or lack of epitopic diversity. Here we describe an approach to managing primary hits from our Fab phage libraries into epitope bins and subsequent high-throughput maturation of clones to isolate epitope- and sequence-diverse panels of high affinity binders. Use of the Octet biosensor was done to examine Fab binding in a facile label-free method and determine epitope competition groups. A receptor extracellular domain and chemokine were subjected to this method of binning and affinity maturation. Parental clones demonstrated improvement in affinity from 1-100nM to 10-500pM.

Concurrent Occurrence of Ear Tag With Posterior Talon Cusp, Fissured Tongue, and Ankyloglossia: A Case Report.

Ear tags or accessory auricles are branchial cleft remnants that clinically appear as asymptomatic nodules or papules in the preauricular region. They occur in various syndromes affecting the first and branchial arches during embryogenesis. The presence of an ear tag can have a psychological impact on one's life due to its unesthetic appearance, thereby affecting their quality of life. Talon cusp usually occurs in the maxillary central or lateral incisor. A fissured tongue or cerebriform tongue is characterized by the presence of horizontal or vertical grooves, usually affecting the dorsum of the tongue. Ankyloglossia or tongue-tie is a developmental anomaly in which the lingual frenum is abnormally attached to the ventral surface of the tongue. It can cause difficulties in breastfeeding in infants and in the pronunciation of certain vowels in adults. The concurrent occurrence of the ear tag along with the talon cusp in the mandibular second molar has not been reported in previous literature. We present a unique case of a 24-year-old non-syndromic individual with the concurrent occurrence of the ear tag along with a rare clinical occurrence of talon cusp in the mandibular second molar, fissured tongue, and ankyloglossia.

Three-Dimensional Evaluation of Bifid Condyle by Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

Bifid condyle is a rare developmental anomaly that results from an obstructed blood supply during its development. Bifid condyle is more often unilateral, although bilateral. A case of a bifid condyle is evaluated three-dimensionally in three orthogonal planes namely coronal, sagittal and axial sections. The etiology, clinical features, diagnostic, non-surgical and surgical treatment modalities of bifid condyle are discussed.

Acute Presentation of Critical Aortic Stenosis, Cardiogenic Shock, and the "Heart Team" Approach to Management.

A 65-year-old male was admitted for cardiogenic shock (ejection fraction: 15%) with severe aortic stenosis and regurgitation. He underwent emergency angiography and mechanical circulatory support. A multidisciplinary heart team discussed treatment options. Ultimately, he underwent successful emergency surgical aortic valve replacement with recovery on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Mild Clinical Course of COVID-19 in 3 Patients Receiving Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting C5 Complement for Hematologic Disorders.

BACKGROUND Patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies might be more susceptible to COVID-19. Conversely, an exaggerated inflammatory response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection might be blunted by certain forms of immunosuppression, which could be protective. Indeed, there are data from animal models demonstrating that complement may be a part of the pathophysiology of coronavirus infections. There is also evidence from an autopsy series demonstrating complement deposition in the lungs of patients with COVID-19. This raises the question of whether patients on anti-complement therapy could be protected from COVID-19. CASE REPORT Case 1 is a 39-year-old woman with an approximately 20-year history of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), who had recently been switched from treatment with eculizumab to ravulizumab prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Case 2 is a 54-year-old woman with a cadaveric renal transplant for lupus nephritis, complicated by thrombotic microangiopathy, who was maintained on eculizumab, which she started several months before she developed the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Case 3 is a 60-year-old woman with a 14-year history of PNH, who had been treated with eculizumab since 2012, and was diagnosed with COVID-19 at the time of her scheduled infusion. All 3 patients had a relatively mild course of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS We see no evidence of increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in these patients on anti-complement therapy, which might actually have accounted for the mild course of infection. The effect of anti-complement therapy on COVID-19 disease needs to be determined in clinical trials.