[Profuse Hemorage During Open Heart Surgery in a Patient Late After Liver Transplantation and Remission Stage Acquired Hemophilia].

A 72-year-old male presented with severe mitral regurgitation, moderate tricuspid regurgitation, and chronic atrial fibrillation. One month prior, he encountered difficulties with dialysis and was subsequently referred to our department for cardiac surgery. The patient's medical history includes living-donor liver transplantation for type C cirrhosis associated with acquired hemophilia A. The preoperative liver function was categorized as Child-Pugh grade B, with a model for end-stage liver disease( MELD) score of 23. His factor Ⅷ activity was close to the lower limit of the normal range. The patient underwent mitral valve replacement, tricuspid valve repair, and left atrial appendage closure. Initially, he experienced intractable bleeding, but hemostasis was easily achieved after administrating a factor Ⅷ preparation. Upon admission to the intensive care unit, his factor Ⅷ clotting activity was slightly below the normal range. Therefore, in cases where a patient with remission stage hemophilia A resulting in liver transplantation undergoes open heart surgery, it is crucial to have coagulation factor medication readily available, regardless of normal preoperative factor Ⅷ levels.

Rheocarna® therapy after distal bypass surgery.

Objectives: Rheocarna® therapy has recently been reported to improve peripherally measured blood flow as an adjuvant treatment after revascularization in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia. We investigated whether skin perfusion pressure and continuous walking distance were improved by performing Rheocarna® therapy after distal bypass surgery. Methods: This study included 10 patients who underwent Rheocarna® therapy after distal bypass surgery between June 2022 and March 2023. Rheocarna® therapy was performed five times after distal bypass surgery, and the skin perfusion pressure and continuous walking distance after distal bypass surgery were compared with those after Rheocarna® therapy. Results: The average age was 74.7 years, and nine patients (90%) were male. All patients were undergoing dialysis, with an average of 14.5 years of dialysis history. There were six patients (60%) with diabetes mellitus and five (50%) with hyperlipidemia. The ankle-brachial index was 0.62 ± 0.36 before distal bypass surgery and 0.936 ± 0.16 after Rheocarna® therapy, indicating a significant increase (p = 0.0117). Skin perfusion pressure dorsalis pedis was 71.5 ± 27.0 mmHg after Rheocarna® therapy, showing a marked increase from the preoperative value (p = 0.0020). Skin perfusion pressure planta pedis was 65.0 ± 26.3 mmHg after Rheocarna® therapy, which was a significant increase from the preoperative value (p = 0.0293). The continuous walking distance was 78.5 ± 102.7 m after the Rheocarna® therapy, which was a significant increase from the preoperative value (p = 0.0039). Conclusion: The skin perfusion pressure and continuous walking distance were significantly improved by Rheocarna® therapy after distal bypass surgery.

Extra-Anatomical Bypass for Chronic Mesenteric Ischemia with Saphenous Vein Grafts from a Previous Axillofemoral Artery Bypass Graft: A Case Report.

A 74-year-old woman who was diagnosed with chronic mesenteric ischemia was under hemodialysis maintenance and had previously undergone axillobifemoral bypass surgery because of abdominal aortoiliac occlusion. Endovascular and antegrade or retrograde surgical revascularizations from the aortoiliac artery were contraindicated because of a severely calcified arteriosclerotic lesion, which included aortoiliac occlusion. During median laparotomy, revascularization consisting of bypass grafting from a previous prosthetic graft to the mesenteric arteries was performed using saphenous vein grafts. Although extra-anatomical bypass for chronic mesenteric ischemia is challenging, it provides a feasible option in cases where conventional endovascular or surgical revascularization is contraindicated.

Combined Prognostic Value of Preprocedural Protein-Energy Wasting and Inflammation Status for Amputation and/or Mortality after Lower-Extremity Revascularization in Hemodialysis Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Protein-energy wasting is associated with inflammation and advanced atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients. We enrolled 800 patients who had undergone successful lower-extremity revascularization, and we investigated the association among the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) as a surrogate marker of protein-energy wasting, C-reactive protein (CRP), and their joint roles in predicting amputation and mortality. They were divided into lower, middle, and upper tertiles (T1, T2, and T3) according to GNRI and CRP levels, respectively. Regarding the results, the amputation-free survival rates over 8 years were 47.0%, 56.9%, and 69.5% in T1, T2, and T3 of the GNRI and 65.8%, 58.7%, and 33.2% for T1, T2, and T3 of CRP, respectively (p < 0.0001 for both). A reduced GNRI [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-2.59, p = 0.0016 for T1 vs. T3] and elevated CRP (aHR 1.86, 95% CI 1.30-2.70, p = 0.0007 for T3 vs. T1) independently predicted amputation and/or mortality. When the two variables were combined, the risk was 3.77-fold higher (95% CI 1.97-7.69, p < 0.0001) in patients who occupied both T1 of the GNRI and T3 of CRP than in those who occupied both T3 of the GNRI and T1 of CRP. In conclusion, patients with preprocedurally decreased GNRI and elevated CRP levels frequently experienced amputation and mortality, and a combination of these two variables could more accurately stratify the risk.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for chronic aortic dissection after total arch replacement for aberrant right subclavian artery: A case report.

An aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) is an extremely rare congenital anomaly that forms during aortic arch development. Most reports of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) described an ARSA in the right aortic arch, but it is rare in the left aortic arch. We present the case of a 66-year-old man who underwent total arch replacement because of acute type A aortic dissection. An outpatient follow-up examination revealed that the aortic diameter enlargement exceeded 60 mm because of false lumen entry from the ARSA. Therefore, surgical intervention was planned. TEVAR, ARSA embolization, and bilateral axillary bypass surgery were successfully performed for a chronic dissecting aortic aneurysm for which the ARSA was the inflow route. He was discharged 12 days after surgery. Four years later, no enlargement of the aneurysm diameter was observed. TEVAR is a minimally invasive and useful treatment option for chronic type B dissections with an ARSA associated with the left aortic arch; however, patients with an ARSA have fragile blood vessels and require careful follow-up.

Rare epithelioid hemangioendothelioma in the brachiocephalic vein for long-term survival after surgery: A case report.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular tumor. In this report, we describe the case of a 62-year-old man who presented with pain in the left clavicle and swelling of the left upper limb. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed an intravascular tumor, which was completely resected surgically. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining revealed that it was epithelioid hemangioendothelioma with occurrence in the left brachiocephalic vein. It has been 6 years since the surgery was performed, and no recurrence has been observed. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma may recur or metastasize and therefore requires careful follow-up.

[Huge Tricuspid Pouch with Heart Failure:Report of a Case].

Tricuspid pouch forms during the spontaneous closure of a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Cases have been reported in which the tricuspid pouch was discovered for the first time during surgery and could not be distinguished from an aneurysm of the membranous septum( AMS). A 58-year-old woman had a heart murmur. Transthoracic echocardiography showed an aneurysm-like pouch protruding into the right ventricle. Magnetic resonance imaging could not distinguish between AMS and tricuspid pouch;however, contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a VSD. The membranous structure comprised multiple lobules, and the tendon of the papillary muscles was continuous with the tricuspid valve. Intraoperatively, the tricuspid valve septal leaflet was adhered to the defect hole. It was incised along the annulus, the VSD was closed with a bovine pericardial patch, and the annulus of the tricuspid valve septal leaflet was suture closed. The patient was discharged after a good postoperative course.

Impact of Hemodialysis on Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Lower Extremity Bypass Surgery for Peripheral Artery Disease-10-year Follow-Up Study.

We investigated the clinical impact of hemodialysis on long-term outcomes of bypass surgery in patients with peripheral artery disease. We evaluated 660 consecutive patients who underwent successful bypass surgery (392 hemodialysis and 268 non-hemodialysis). The endpoint was amputation-free survival (AFS). To minimize differences in clinical characteristics between the 2 groups, propensity score matching was performed. The AFS rates for 10-year follow-up were 39.3% and 67.7% in hemodialysis and non-hemodialysis patients [hazard ratio (HR) 2.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65-3.01, P < .0001]. Cumulative incidence of amputation was higher in the hemodialysis group than in the non-hemodialysis group [(19.4 vs 8.4%, HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.29-3.74, P = .0027). In a matched cohort (n = 210 each), AFS was still lower in the hemodialysis patients (53.1 vs 66.3%, HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.36-2.82, P = .0003). However, there was no significant difference in amputation rate between the groups (10.5 vs 10.6%, HR .97, 95% CI 0.49-1.87, P = .93). In a sub-analysis of patients with critical limb ischemia, similar results were obtained. The 10-year AFS was consistently lower in the hemodialysis group than in the non-hemodialysis group. However, the amputation rate was comparable between the groups when matched for the differences in clinical characteristics.

Case of persistent sciatic artery in a dialysis patient with critical limb ischemia.

Persistent sciatic artery is a rare congenital malformation (incidence rate, 0.03%-0.06%). We report the case of a 72-year-old male patient with persistent sciatic artery suffering from pain at rest and an ulcer on the left first toe. Angiography findings showed 90% stenosis in the distal persistent sciatic artery. Endovascular therapy was considered difficult because of a long stenotic lesion from the persistent sciatic artery to the popliteal artery and extremely high calcification of the whole body. Because of poor blood flow to the lower leg, vascular prosthesis would have increased the risk of thrombotic occlusion. Therefore, below-knee femoropopliteal bypass using the great saphenous vein graft was performed, which led to the healing of the ulcer on the left first toe. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the lower limbs was performed to confirm that the bypass blood flow was good. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 5.

Association of protein-energy wasting and inflammation status with mortality after coronary revascularisation in patients on haemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: Protein-energy wasting is associated with chronic inflammation and advanced atherosclerosis in haemodialysis (HD) patients. We investigated association of geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), C reactive protein (CRP) with prediction of mortality after coronary revascularisation in chronic HD patients. METHODS: We enrolled 721 HD patients electively undergoing coronary revascularisation. They were divided into tertiles according to preprocedural GNRI levels (tertile 1 (T1):<91.5, T2: 91.5-98.1 and T3:>98.1) and CRP levels (T1:≤1.4 mg/L, T2: 1.5-7.0 mg/L and T3:≥7.1 mg/L). RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier 10 years survival rates were 32.3%, 44.8% and 72.5% in T1, T2 and T3 of GNRI and 60.9%, 49.2% and 23.5% in T1, T2 and T3 of CRP, respectively (p<0.0001 in both). Declined GNRI (HR 2.40, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.74, p<0.0001 for T1 vs T3) and elevated CRP (HR 2.31, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.43, p<0.0001 for T3 vs T1) were identified as independent predictors of mortality. In combined setting of both variables, risk of mortality was 5.55 times higher (95% CI 2.64 to 13.6, p<0.0001) in T1 of GNRI with T3 of CRP than in T3 of GNRI with T1 of CRP. Addition of GNRI and CRP in a model with established risk factors improved C-statistics (0.648 to 0.724, p<0.0001) greater than that of each alone. CONCLUSION: Preprocedural declined GNRI and elevated CRP were closely associated with mortality after coronary revascularisation in chronic HD patients. Furthermore, combination of both variables not only stratified risk of mortality but also improved the predictability.

Perigraft Abscess Subsequent to Aortoesophageal Fistula.

A 79-year-old man with appetite loss and nausea for 1 month was admitted to our hospital. His thoracic aortic aneurysm had gradually increased in size due to perigraft endoleak after the previous aneurysm repair surgery. Although he showed no hematemesis, melena, or a fever, gastrointestinal endoscopy and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed an aortoesophageal fistula (AEF). He developed septic shock due to a perigraft abscess and eventually died, although aortic graft replacement and esophageal transection were performed. Clinical suspicion is the most important factor for obtaining an accurate diagnosis and improving the prognosis in cases of AEF.

[Tricuspid Valve Infective Endocarditis with Ventricular Septal Defect].

Right-sided infective endocarditis (IE) accounts for 3-14% of all cases of IE. Compared with leftsided IE, its antibiotic treatment is more effective. Therefore, the timing of its surgical treatment is still controversial. We report 2 cases of tricuspid valve IE and ventricular septal defect (VSD) associated with multiple lung abscesses and infarctions. After successful antibiotic treatment, they underwent vegetectomy, tricuspid valve plasty and VSD patch closure. Antibacterial treatment preceding surgical treatment is effective for tricuspid endocarditis complicated with multiple lung abscesses.

Long-term clinical outcomes after coronary artery bypass graft versus everolimus-eluting stent implantation in chronic hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: It remains controversial whether coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should be optimized to treat coronary artery disease in patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD). Recently, further refinement of drug-eluting stents, such as the everolimus-eluting stent (EES), has led to marked development in this field. We compared long-term clinical outcomes after CABG versus PCI with EES implantation in patients on chronic HD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared 138 patients undergoing CABG and 187 patients treated with EES implantation. The endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) as a composite outcome, including any revascularization, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or mortality. To reduce the selection bias for the two procedures, propensity score-matching was performed. RESULTS: During the follow-up period (43 months), 95 (29.2%) MACEs, including 43 (13.2%) revascularizations, 14 (4.3%) nonfatal myocardial infarctions, and 63 (19.4%) deaths, occurred. The freedom rate from MACE and mortality at 5 years were comparable between groups (69.7 vs. 66.7%, P=0.82 and 75.0 vs. 80.6%, P=0.10, respectively); however, those from revascularization at 5 years was higher in the CABG group than the EES group (89.4 vs. 81.0%, P=0.030). In propensity score-matched patients (n=92), the freedom rate from revascularization at 5 years was still higher in the CABG group than in the EES group (93.4 vs. 79.1%, P=0.013). Similarly, the freedom rates from MACE and mortality were comparable (70.0 vs. 66.3%, P=0.69 and 73.8 vs. 79.7%, P=0.30, respectively). CONCLUSION: Even in the second-generation drug-eluting stent era, CABG is still superior for preventing revascularization in patients on chronic HD. However, PCI with EES implantation might not have disadvantages compared with CABG in terms of MACE.

Clinical Outcomes after Isolated Infrapopliteal Revascularization in Hemodialysis Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia: Endovascular Therapy versus Bypass Surgery.

AIM: To investigate the long-term clinical outcome of endovascular therapy (EVT) or bypass surgery in patients on hemodialysis (HD) with critical limb ischemia due to isolated infrapopliteal disease. METHODS: We enrolled 254 consecutive HD patients successfully undergoing infrapopliteal revascularization by EVT (126 patients) and bypass surgery (128 patients). They were followed up for five years. Amputation-free survival (AFS) and incidence of any re-intervention were evaluated. A propensity score from all baseline variables was incorporated into Cox analysis. RESULTS: In the EVT group, age was higher (p=0.039), diabetes and coronary artery disease were more frequent (p=0.004 and p=0.0052, respectively), and tissue loss was more rarely observed (p＜ 0.0001) than in the bypass group. During the follow-up period, 21 major amputations and 64 deaths occurred. The propensity score-adjusted AFS rate at 5 years was comparable between groups (61.0% in EVT group vs. 55.1% in the bypass group, adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-1.42, p=0.58). The adjusted survival rates were also similar between groups for amputation and all-cause mortality. However, freedom from any re-intervention was markedly lower in the EVT than in the bypass group (48.6% vs. 84.6%, adjusted-HR, 3.56, 95% CI 1.95-6.75, p＜ 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of AFS was broadly comparable between the two strategies, although compared with bypass surgery, EVT had much higher rates for re-intervention.

The Association of Ankle Brachial Index, Protein-Energy Wasting, and Inflammation Status with Cardiovascular Mortality in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis.

Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is highly prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We investigated the association of abnormal ankle brachial index (ABI), PEW, and chronic inflammation status with clinical prognosis in HD patients. A total of 973 HD patients were enrolled and were followed-up for 8 years. As a marker of the PEW, geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) was used. Cut-off levels were 91.2 for GNRI defined from previous studies and 1.9 mg/L for C-reactive protein (CRP) as median value, respectively. Abnormal ABI was seen in 332 (34.1%) patients. Declined GNRI and elevated CRP levels were independently associated with abnormal ABI (odds ratio (OR) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-0.99, p = 0.0009 and OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.07-1.83, p = 0.013, respectively). GNRI levels were also independently correlated with CRP levels (ß = -0.126, p < 0.0001). During follow-up period, 283 (29.1%) patients died, including 123 (12.6%) due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Abnormal ABI (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.62, 95% CI 1.13-2.32, p = 0.0096), GNRI < 91.2 (adjusted HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.06-2.33, p = 0.023) and CRP > 1.9 mg/L (adjusted HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.31-2.77, p = 0.0007) independently predicted mortality due to CVD, respectively. In conclusion, abnormal ABI, GNRI, and CRP levels were closely associated with each other, and the combination of these variables increase their predictive values for the risk of mortality due to CVD and all-cause mortality in HD patients.

Treatment with cilostazol improves clinical outcome after endovascular therapy in hemodialysis patients with peripheral artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Cilostazol has been reported to prevent atherosclerotic events in the general population. However, data have been limited whether there are beneficial effects of cilostazol use on long-term clinical outcomes after endovascular therapy in hemodialysis (HD) patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: This study consisted of 595 HD patients undergoing endovascular therapy for a clinical diagnosis of PAD. They were divided into two groups: patients receiving 100mg cilostazol twice daily in conjunction with standard therapy (n=249 patients, cilostazol group) and those not administered cilostazol (n=346 patients, control group). A propensity score analysis was performed to adjust for baseline differences between the two groups. The propensity score-adjusted 10-year event-free survival rate from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was significantly higher in the cilostazol group than in the control group [58.6% vs. 43.7%, hazard ratio (HR) 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.79; p=0.0010]. Notably, the adjusted stroke-free rate was significantly higher in the cilostazol group than in the control group (81.6% vs. 74.7%; HR=0.48; 95% CI, 0.25-0.92, p=0.028). Even after adjusting for other confounders, treatment with cilostazol was an independent predictor for prevention of MACE and stroke (p=0.0028 and p=0.039, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cilostazol administration improves long-term clinical outcomes including prevention of MACE and stroke after endovascular therapy in HD patients with PAD.

Clinical outcome after infrapopliteal bypass surgery in chronic hemodialysis patients with critical limb ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: Lower extremity bypass surgery has been widely performed to treat critical limb ischemia (CLI) in patients on hemodialysis (HD). However, the clinical outcome still remains unclear. We investigated the limb salvage rate after infrapopliteal bypass surgery in HD patients with CLI. METHODS: From April 2006 to January 2013, 226 patients with 236 limbs who electively underwent bypass surgery for treatment of CLI due to infrapopliteal disease were enrolled. Patients were grouped by those who were on HD (n = 177) and those who were not (n = 49). They were monitored for 5 years or until December 2013 if the follow-up period was <5 years. Amputation-free survival, defined as freedom from major amputation or all-cause death, was primarily evaluated. Incidence of reintervention was also analyzed. RESULTS: Ulcer/gangrene was present in 206 patients (91.2%), and 233 limbs (98.7%) were treated using autogenous vein. Age was younger (67 ± 9 vs 72 ± 9 years; P = .0011) and ulcer/gangrene was more prevalent (93.8% vs 81.6%, P = .0080) in HD patients than in non-HD patients. During the follow-up period (median, 28 months), 33 (14.6%) major amputations and 28 reinterventions (12.4%) occurred, and 65 patients (28.8%) died. The 5-year amputation-free survival rate was significantly lower in HD patients than in non-HD patients (43.6% vs 78.8%, P = .0033), and the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for amputation or death for HD patients was 2.36 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-4.92; P = .022). Compared with non-HD patients, the status of HD was similarly an independent risk of major amputation (72.4% vs 92.5%; adjusted HR, 4.36; 95% CI, 1.04-18.3; P = .045) and mortality (56.9% vs 83.2%; adjusted HR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.30-6.09; P = .0085). However, freedom from reintervention was comparable between the two groups (84.3% vs 86.8%; P = .89). In HD patients, body mass index (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76-0.96; per 1 kg/m(2) increase; P = .014) and C-reactive protein (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.11; P = .014) independently predicted major amputation. Elevated C-reactive protein levels were also associated with death (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.09; P = .047). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical outcome after infrapopliteal bypass surgery was poorer in HD patients with CLI compared with non-HD patients. Malnutrition or chronic inflammation was associated with poor outcome in HD patients with CLI due to infrapopliteal occlusive disease.

Long-term clinical outcome after surgical or percutaneous coronary revascularization in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Although revascularization via coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been widely performed, there are limited data on which procedure is best in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This 10-year follow-up study consisted of 997 HD patients electively undergoing coronary revascularization (CABG, n=210; PCI, n=787). With an adjustment for propensity scores with all baseline covariates, the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was evaluated as a composite endpoint including all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and any revascularization. During the follow-up period, 465 MACE (death, n=325; non-fatal MI, n=45; revascularization, n=274) occurred. The 10-year freedom from MACE was higher in the CABG group compared to the PCI group (51.0% vs. 34.8%, adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49-0.82, P=0.0003). On landmark analysis, adjusted HR of death was higher during the first 6 months after CABG compared to PCI (1.72; 95% CI: 1.04-2.79, P=0.036), but lower from 6 months onward (0.69; 95% CI: 0.48-0.97, P=0.033). When compared to patients treated with drug-eluting stent alone (n=345) in the PCI group, the CABG group still had an advantage for any revascularization (adjusted HR, 0.38; 95% CI: 0.22-0.62, P<0.0001), but not for MACE (adjusted HR, 0.86; 95% CI: 0.64-1.15, P=0.33). CONCLUSIONS: CABG was totally clinically advantageous compared to PCI in HD patients.