Diagnostic performance of White Blood Cell SPECT imaging against intra-operative findings in patients with a suspicion of prosthetic valve endocarditis.

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of white blood cells (WBC)-SPECT imaging in patients with suspicion of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) against intra-operative findings. METHODS: 36 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery 30 days after WBC-SPECT imaging were identified retrospectively. Clinical, imaging, and biological results were collected from reports. WBC-SPECT results were classified as positive or negative and, if positive, the intensity of signal graded as intense or mild. Lesions observed during cardiac surgery were collected from surgeons' reports. RESULTS: The 20 patients with positive WBC-SPECT study had confirmed PVE intra-operatively. Patients with intense signal on WBC-SPECT had high prevalence of abscesses (83%) compared to patients with only mild signal (12%). The three patients with negative WBC-SPECT but confirmed PVE had longer duration of antibiotic treatment before imaging and had no perivalvular abscess. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative values, and accuracy of WBC-SPECT were measured at 87%, 100%, 100%, 81%, and 92%, respectively. Addition of WBC-SPECT results to the modified Duke score helped re-classify correctly 25% of patients from possible to definite PVE. CONCLUSION: In patients with suspicion of PVE, WBC-SPECT imaging provides excellent diagnostic performance against intra-operative findings.

Cardioband removal for secondary mitral valve regurgitation: pitfall and surgical technique.

Mitral regurgitation is a challenging condition, especially in patients at high risk for open heart surgery. Nowadays, trans-catheter procedures for treatment of valvular disorders represent a valid alternative to traditional surgical techniques. These include not only the trans-catheter valve implants but also other percutaneous devices used to repair native valves, notably mitral valve. However, in case of failure, mis-placement, or unsatisfactory results of percutaneous devices, explant and correction of the valvular disease may be required. In such scenarios, only traditional surgery techniques can be efficacious. A case of Cardioband System (Edwards Lifescience, Irvine, CA, USA) surgical explant and valve replacement for persisting mitral valve regurgitation is reported. The technical details and pitfalls of the surgical removal procedure are discussed.

Coronary stent infection: Are patients amenable to surgical treatment? A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary stent infection is a fearsome complication with high mortality rate. Since antibiotics may have only partial efficacy, invasive surgery may be needed. We present a systematic review about outcomes achieved by surgical versus medical treatment in this scenario. METHODS: A literature search through Medline and Google Scholar was performed over a 30-years period according to PRISMA guidelines. Demographics, clinical data, imaging findings and treatment modalities were collected. Outcomes were analysed according to treatment. RESULTS: Among 1727 articles identified, after duplicate removal the title/abstract screening excluded 821 articles. After full-text screening, 31 studies were included totalling 34 patients (n 28, 82.4% male, mean age 61.7 SD +/- 10 years old). The majority of infection were sustained by S. Aureus (n 28, 82.4%), occurred within one month (median 7 days, range 1-1440) from stenting and mostly over drug-eluting stents (n21, 61.8%). The majority of patients (n30, 88.2%) underwent antibiotics at first: 12 patients (35.3%) didn't undergo additional treatment because they died, were unfit or refused major surgery or responded favorably to medical treatment; surgery was scheduled in a total of 20 patients (58.8%), as an emergent approach (n2) or after failure of antibiotics (n18). More than half of patients medically treated died (n6/11, 54.5%) versus 35% (n7/20) in surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary stent infections are associated with high morbi-mortality rate. Medical treatment may be the only possible approach in extremely fragile patients, however timely surgical referral is the only definitive treatment, and it is recommended whenever possible.

Right axillary artery cannulation for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a retrospective single centre observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to assess the safety, outcomes and complication rate of axillary artery cannulation for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data obtained from the review of medical charts of all consecutive patients undergoing VA-ECMO implantation between January 2013 and December 2017 at a teaching hospital. Only patients with right axillary VA-ECMO implantation in a non-emergency setting were included. Post-procedural outcomes and local and systemic complications were analysed. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-four [131 male (75.3%), 43 female (24.7%); mean age 56.8 ± 15.1 years] patients underwent femoral-axillary VA-ECMO. Indications were cardiogenic shock from any cause (n = 78, 44.8%) or post-cardiotomy syndrome (n = 96, 55.2%). Fifty-three (30.5%) patients died while on VA-ECMO support. At the time of VA-ECMO ablation, 89 (51.1%) patients had recovered; 13 (7.5%) patients were bridged to a long-term mechanical support device and 19 (10.9%) patients underwent heart transplants. Thirty-day and 1-year mortality was 36.2% (n = 63) and 49.4% (n = 86), respectively. The 1-year survival rate of patients who were weaned from VA-ECMO support was 72.7% (n = 88). The complications of axillary cannulation were bleeding (n = 7, 4%), local infection (n = 3, 1.7%), upper limb ischaemia (n = 2, 1.1%) and brachial plexus injury (n = 1, 0.6%). Left ventricle unloading was required for 9 (5.2%) patients. The median duration of VA-ECMO support was 7 (range 1-26) days. CONCLUSIONS: Right axillary artery cannulation is a safe and reliable method for VA-ECMO support with a low rate of local complications. In the absence of a control group with femoro-femoral cannulation, no definitive conclusion about the superiority of axillary over femoral cannulation can be drawn.

Neuron-Specific Enolase Levels in Adults Under Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine if elevations in serum neuron-specific enolase are associated with brain injury and outcomes in adults who require venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Two ICUs of a university hospital, Paris, France. PATIENTS: Consecutive adult patients treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory cardiogenic shock or in-hospital refractory cardiac arrest. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Serum sampled 1, 3, and 7 days after venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation was stored at -80°C and neuron-specific enolase concentrations were measured in batches at the end of the study. The association between neuron-specific enolase concentrations and outcomes (28-d mortality and poor outcome, defined by a score of 4-6 on the modified Rankin scale at 90 d) were explored by multivariable logistic regression, with neuron-specific enolase concentrations dichotomized according to median values. One-hundred three patients were included, of whom 26 (25%) received preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Median (interquartile range) day-1, day-3, and day-7 neuron-specific enolase serum concentrations were 37 µg/L (26-51 µg/L), 25 µg/L (19-37) µg/L, and 22 µg/L (17-31 µg/L). After adjustment for Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and Sepsis Organ Failure Assessment score at time of cannulation, a day-3 neuron-specific enolase greater than 25 µg/L remained independently associated with 28-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 4.98; 95% CI, 1.86-13.32) and poor outcome at 90 days (adjusted odds ratio, 4.63; 95% CI, 1.81-11.84). A day-3 neuron-specific enolase threshold greater than 80 µg/L had a 100% specificity for prediction of both mortality (95% CI, 92-100%) and poor functional outcome (95% CI, 89-100%). In a subset of patients who underwent brain CT, neuron-specific enolase concentrations were significantly higher in patients diagnosed with stroke, as compared with those without stroke. CONCLUSIONS: In adult patients under venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, day-3 serum neuron-specific enolase concentrations are independently associated with short-term mortality and poor functional outcomes. These findings deserve validation in a multicenter setting.

Surgical management of iatrogenic coronary artery perforations: when percutaneous treatment fails.

Coronary perforation is a rare complication of percutaneous coronary interventions and a challenging scenario which imposes prompt recognition and treatment. Although it may be successfully managed percutaneously, a surgical treatment may be preferable in some cases. We report the case of a patient with a coronary perforation with initial percutaneous treatment complicated with extravascular implantation of a covered stent and liver laceration, who was succesfully treated by cardiac surgery. This case suggests the importance of the proximity of an onsite cardiac surgery center when complex coronary artery percutaneous interventions are performed in hospitals with offsite surgical support.

Early EEG for Prognostication Under Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Tools for prognostication of neurologic outcome of adult patients under venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) have not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to determine whether early standard electroencephalography (stdEEG) can be used for prognostication in adults under VA-ECMO. METHODS: Prospective single-center observational study conducted in two intensive care units of a university hospital, Paris, France. Early stdEEG was performed on consecutive adult patients treated with VA-ECMO for refractory cardiogenic shock or refractory cardiac arrest. The association between stdEEG findings and unfavorable outcome was investigated. The primary endpoint was 28-day mortality. The secondary endpoint was severe disability or death at 90 days, defined by a score of 4-6 on the modified Rankin scale. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients were included, of whom 35 (29%) received cardiopulmonary resuscitation before VA-ECMO cannulation. Main stdEEG findings included low background frequency ≤ 4 Hz (n = 27, 22%) and background abnormalities, i.e., a discontinuous (n = 20, 17%) and/or an unreactive background (n = 12, 10%). Background abnormalities displayed better performances for prediction of unfavorable outcomes, as compared to clinical parameters at time of recording. An unreactive stdEEG background in combination with a background frequency ≤ 4 Hz had a false positive rate of 0% for prediction of unfavorable outcome at 28 days and 90 days, with sensitivities of 8% and 6%, respectively. After adjustment for confounders, a lower background frequency was independently associated with unfavorable outcome at 28 days (adjusted odds ratio per 1-Hz increment, 95% CI 0.71, 0.52-0.97), whereas no such independent association was observed at 90 days. CONCLUSION: Standard EEG abnormalities recorded at time of VA-ECMO initiation are predictive of unfavorable outcomes. However, the low sensitivity of these parameters highlights the need for a multimodal evaluation for improving management of care and prognostication.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation to Support Life-Threatening Drug-Refractory Electrical Storm.

OBJECTIVES: Despite rapid implementation of anti-arrhythmic treatment and sedation and controlling the triggering event, rare patients develop treatment-refractory electrical storm and their hemodynamic instability prevents emergency catheter ablation. In that context, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation could rapidly restore hemodynamics and tissue perfusion and reduce myocardial oxygen consumption, until adequate anti-arrhythmic drug levels are reached to safely perform catheter ablation. DESIGN: Retrospective, multicenter study over an 8-year period. SETTING: Two French tertiary care centers. PATIENTS: Eighty-three consecutive adults with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-supported treatment-refractory electrical storm (median [interquartile range] age, 55 yr [48-63 yr]). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-nine percent of these patients had acute ischemic cardiomyopathy and 66% underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation prior to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation initiation, with 18% cannulated during it. Fifty patients (60%) had ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation alternating with short periods of sinus rhythm and 33 (40%) had refractory ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation. Twelve patients (15%) underwent safe catheter ablation under venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. After a median of 3 days (1-13 d) on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, 37 patients (45%) were successfully weaned off and 42% were alive 6 months post-ICU admission. Multivariable analysis retained ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation episodes alternating with short periods of sinus rhythm (odds ratio, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.06-0.52; p = 0.002) and age less than 50 years (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.18-0.89; p = 0.002) as being independent protective factors with 6-month survival, regardless of the underlying electrical storm cause. CONCLUSIONS: Among venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-supported drug-refractory electrical storm patients, 42% survived 6 months post-ICU admission. Ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation episodes alternating with short periods of sinus rhythm and age less than 50 years were independently associated with better survival.

Primary cardiac synovial sarcoma: an asymptomatic patient 8 years after the primary surgery.

Primary cardiac synovial sarcoma is an extremely rare disease. Its prognosis is poor with a median survival time of 24 months, even when adequate and timely treatment is given. This case reports a 61-year-old woman presenting with primary cardiac synovial sarcoma with an 8-year survival time following surgical and adjuvant chemotherapy.