Outcomes of Solo Smart valve in a single-center experience of 270 patients.

BACKGROUND: The Solo Smart pericardial aortic valve has been widely used in Europe as an option for aortic valve replacement (AVR). We are reporting early and midterm clinical outcomes of AVR with the Solo Smart valve in a single North America center. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 270 consecutive patients who had AVR at Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute from February 2011 to March 2015. Follow-up and echocardiographic data were collected retrospectively from electronic and paper charts. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the results. RESULTS: The mean age was 71.2±10.0 years, 67.4% were male, and 79.3% had combined procedures. Mean STS Score was 4.18±3.91. Early mortality was 3.7% for the entire group and 0% for isolated AVR group. Mean cross-clamp time for isolated AVR and AVR with concomitant procedure was 70.8±12.7 min and 117.0±45.0 min, respectively. Permanent pacemaker implantation was necessary in 2.2% of patients. Echocardiography demonstrated a reduction in mean gradients from 40.8±17.4 mmHg to 7.6±3.7 mmHg and peak gradient from 72.5±48.8 mmHg to 15.5±7.5 mmHg. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival was 93.0%, 86.5% and 75.9%, respectively. At 5 years, freedom from valve-related death was 92.4%, freedom from structural valve deterioration and freedom from aortic valve reoperation were 96.4% and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Solo Smart valve is safe and has excellent hemodynamic performance. Aortic valve reoperation and rates of valve-related adverse events during midterm follow-up were low.

Cardiopulmonary bypass standby avoids fatality due to vascular laceration in laser-assisted lead extraction.

OBJECTIVES: Vascular laceration is a rare but potentially fatal complication with excimer laser-assisted pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead extraction. We report our experience on management of vascular laceration during laser-assisted lead extraction. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 140 consecutive patients undergoing laser-assisted lead extraction from May 2004 to March 2011. Clinical outcomes were compared in patients with and without intraoperative vascular laceration. Risk factors were identified by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: All cases were performed in the operating room with cardiopulmonary bypass standby. Complete lead removal was achieved in 118 (84.3%) patients. Potentially fatal complications occurred in five patients (3.6%) who had superior vena cava and/or innominate vein laceration. Lacerated veins were repaired under emergency sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. The mean time from vascular laceration to establishment of cardiopulmonary bypass was 6.0 ± 3.6 minutes. All five patients survived without neurological sequelae. The rates of dual-coil leads (80.0% vs. 31.9%, p=0.025) and history of lead revision (100.0% vs. 40.0%, p=0.008) were significantly higher in the five patients who had major vascular laceration than those who did not. Logistic regression showed that dual-coil implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead was an independent risk factor for vascular laceration (odds ratio 11.264, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: Cardiopulmonary bypass standby is helpful when performing laser-assisted lead extraction to treat potentially fatal vascular laceration. Dual-coil lead is an independent risk factor to predict intraoperative vascular laceration.

Lung and heart lung transplantation at the University of Alberta 1986-2010.

The lung transplantation program at the University of Alberta has been in existence for 25 years. The current volume is 35-40 new lung transplants per year. We offer single-lung, bilateral lung, heart/lung and bilateral living lobar transplantation as options. Experience has allowed for widening of the indications and acceptance of patients with more risk. Donor evaluation and management has allowed for extended donors to be included in the donor pool. Results will likely continue to improve with increased understanding of the mechanisms and management of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. Our research interests have been in the areas of risk analysis, outcome assessment, and quality of life changes from transplantation.

Extracorporeal life support for the control of life-threatening pulmonary hemorrhage.

Pulmonary hemorrhage is a dreadful complication after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. We describe a novel management in which the patient is supported with active venting of the pulmonary vascular bed while on veno-arterial extracorporeal life support.

Ex vivo bilateral pulmonary embolectomy for donor lungs prior to transplantation.

Pulmonary arterial embolic disease of donor lungs is a known entity. Its implications on the technicality, the perioperative management, and the outcome of lung transplantation depend on the extent of the embolic disease and the indicators of lung function at the time of procurement. We report a case of lung transplantation from a donor who was known to have significant acute pulmonary embolic disease and the perioperative management used to optimize the outcome.

Prevalence and Outcome of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Post-coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

BACKGROUND: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), a potentially fatal occurrence, can sometimes follow coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. However, little has been published about its prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes. AIM: This study aimed to determine the rate, etiologies, predisposing factors, and outcomes of UGIB following CABG. METHOD: The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of all UGIBs which followed CABGs performed at the University of Alberta Hospital from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2002. RESULTS: During the study period, 4,502 CABGs were performed at the UAH. Eighteen patients (0.4%) had a documented major UGIB (defined as evidence of melena, red or coffee-grounds emesis, blood per NG tube, or a decrease of Hgb by > 20 g/l and requiring a confirmation by endoscopy or radiological study). Two of these 18 patients (11%) had a past history of peptic ulcer disease, and one of these patients had had previous UGIB. Three patients (17%) had been taking proton pump inhibitors (PPI) before the UGIB occurred. At the time of UGIB, PPIs were prescribed for 16 patients (89%), and the PPIs achieved effective hemostasis as a single agent for 10 (62.5%). Of the 18 patients, 16 (89%) underwent upper GI endoscopy. Bleeding was found to be due to duodenal ulceration in 9 (56%), esophagitis in 4 (22%) and gastritis in 6 cases (33%); fifty percent of these patients had multiple sites of bleeding. Endoscopic therapeutic intervention was needed by 6 patients (37.5%), and successful hemostasis was achieved for 5 of these patients (83%). One patient had a recurrence of bleeding and required surgery. One patient underwent surgery as the primary hemostatic therapy after a diagnostic endoscopy. The overall surgical rate was 11.1% for this patient cohort. In this cohort, three patients died, two from multi-organ failure, and the third, a surgically managed patient, had a cardiac arrest 72 hours post-surgery. The number of complication increased as both cardiopulmonary bypass and cross clamp time increased. There were no endoscopy-related complications. CONCLUSIONS: UGI bleeding following CABGs is relatively infrequent, occurring at a rate of 0.4% in this study. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding post-CABG is most frequently related to a duodenal ulcer, though 50% of the patients had multiple bleeding sites. prolonged bypass and cross clamp time associated with more complications.

A randomized, controlled trial of daclizumab vs anti-thymocyte globulin induction for lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Rejection remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy and safety of daclizumab (DZM) vs anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as a component of induction therapy. METHODS: Fifty adults undergoing lung transplantation were randomized to receive either ATG or DZM during induction therapy. Patients were followed for 1 year after transplant. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference in the number of acute or chronic rejections between groups, there was a trend toward a delay in time to first acute rejection with DZM induction. Average absolute lymphocytes and average platelet count were significantly higher in the DZM group. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) serology mismatch was higher in the DZM group (7 vs 1, p = 0.05). The DZM group had a greater number of infections (83 vs 47, p = 0.02); however, the number of CMV infections was also significantly greater (18 vs 6, p = 0.03), corresponding to a higher incidence of CMV mismatch. A cost analysis revealed no difference between total drug costs, intensive-care unit (ICU) costs and total hospital costs. One-year survival was 96% in the DZM group and 88% in the ATG group. CONCLUSIONS: DZM is a safe component of induction therapy in lung transplantation. In addition, DZM may prolong freedom from acute rejection. Significant infections were more frequent in the DZM group, but this was likely due to a higher incidence of CMV mismatch. Both methods of induction therapy worked well, with excellent 1-year survival.

Pretransplant diabetes, not donor age, predicts long-term outcomes in cardiac transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Accepting donors of advanced age may increase the number of hearts available for transplantation. Objectives were to review the outcomes of using cardiac donors 50 years of age and older and to identify predictors of outcome at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all adult cardiac transplants (n = 338) performed at our institution between 1988 and 2002 was conducted. RESULTS: Of these, 284 patients received hearts from donors <50 years old and 54 received hearts from donors > or =50 years old. Recipients of hearts from older donors had a greater frequency of pretransplant diabetes (19% vs 33%), renal failure (16% vs 30%), and dialysis (3% vs 9%). There were no differences in ICU or postoperative length of stay, days ventilated, or early rejection episodes. Recipients of older donor hearts, however, had increased perioperative mortality (7% vs 17%; p = 0.03). Multivariate analysis identified older donors (OR 2.599; p = 0.03) and donor ischemia time (OR 1.006; p = 0.002) as significant predictors of perioperative mortality. Actuarial survival at 1 (87% vs 74%), 5 (76% vs 69%), and 10 (59% vs 58%) years was similar (p = 0.08) for the two groups. Separate multivariate analyses identified pretransplant diabetes as the sole predictor of long-term survival (HR 1.659; p = 0.02) and transplant coronary disease (HR 2.486; p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Despite increased perioperative mortality, donors > or =50 years old may be used with long-term outcomes similar to those of younger donor hearts. This has potential to expand the donor pool. Pretransplant diabetes has a significant impact on long-term outcomes in cardiac transplantation and requires further investigation.

Saphenous vein harvest with SaphLITE system versus conventional technique: a prospective, randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive saphenous vein harvest (MIVH) techniques have been evaluated and reported with heterogeneous results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of MIVH on the outcomes of postoperative leg wound healing and pain using the SaphLITE retractor system. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-five patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were randomized to receive either SaphLITE vein harvest (SVH) or conventional open vein harvest (OVH). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in demographics, postoperative mortalities and major complications. For SVH group and OVH group, total leg wound length was 18.33 +/- 7.93 cm vs 46.10 +/- 15.63 cm (p < 0.001), and vein harvest time was 50.70 +/- 16.55 minutes vs 40.35 +/- 16.43 minutes (p < 0.001). In-hospital leg wound healing disturbance (LWHD) rate was 4.7% for SVH group and 1.7% for OVH group (p = 0.190). Delayed LWHD rate was 16.0% for SVH group and 39.5% for OVH group (p < 0.001). Combined, LWHD rate was 20.8% for SVH group and 41.2% for OVH group (p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the worst postoperative leg wound pain or length of hospital stay between the 2 groups. Double-blinded histologic examinations revealed normal vascular structure in the harvested veins from both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that harvesting saphenous vein with SaphLITE retractor system is a good technique which is associated with reduced rate of delayed LWHD, preserved venous structural integrity, and acceptable harvest speed.

Declining need for permanent pacemaker insertion with the bicaval technique of orthotopic heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The bicaval technique of orthotopic heart transplantation, in contrast to the standard biatrial technique, may better preserve right atrial anatomy and, thus, may be associated with less sinus node dysfunction and less atrioventricular valve dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: To compare the requirement for permanent pacemaker insertion and the incidence of atrioventricular valve dysfunction following heart transplantation with either the standard or the bicaval technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of a consecutive cohort of 105 patients, older than 18 years of age, undergoing heart transplantation with either the standard (n=48) or the bicaval (n=57) technique from December 1998 to December 2001. RESULTS: Cross-clamp (100 min versus 112 min; P=0.012) and donor ischemic (222 min versus 276 min; P=0.005) times were significantly prolonged in the bicaval group. Perioperative morbidity and mortality were statistically similar between the groups. Bicaval transplantation resulted in a significant decrease in the requirement for permanent pacemaker insertion at 30 days (13% versus 0%; P=0.008) and 90 days (17% versus 1.8%; P=0.01) after transplantation. There was a nonsignificant trend toward a decreased degree of tricuspid valve regurgitation (mean 1.81 versus 1.36; P=0.141) and mitral valve regurgitation (mean 1.04 versus 0.79; P=0.348) with the bicaval technique. CONCLUSIONS: Although associated with longer cross-clamp and donor ischemic times, the data demonstrated a significant reduction in the need for permanent pacemaker insertion at 30 and 90 days post-transplantation with the bicaval technique. There was no statistically significant difference in the degree of mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation between the two groups.

A comparative analysis of outcome after heart transplantation in patients aged 60 years and older: the University of Alberta experience.

BACKGROUND: The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) 2001 Annual Report indicated that the vast majority of heart transplant recipients are between 50 and 64 years of age. However, patient age beyond 60 years may have higher long-term mortality compared to younger patients. The purpose of this study was to compare short- and intermediate-term results including rates of acute rejection, transplant coronary artery disease, infections, malignancy, and mortality in cardiac transplant recipients 60 years or older with those below the age of 60 years. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of 50 patients aged 60 years and older who underwent heart transplantation at the University of Alberta from January 1990 to December 2000 and compared them with the results of 225 younger patients undergoing heart transplantation in the same time period. RESULTS: The older and younger groups had similar rates for treated acute rejection episodes (20.0% vs. 12.6%), transplant coronary artery disease (4.0% vs. 1.1%), and mortality (10.5% vs. 14.3%), respectively. No differences were noted with regards to quality and quantity of infection or malignancy rates. Five-year actuarial survival between the older and younger patients was also comparable at 89.5% vs.86.9% (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Heart transplantation in patients 60 years of age and older can be performed as successfully as in younger patients (< 60 years) with comparable morbidity and mortality, suggesting that patient age per se should not be an exclusion criterion for heart transplantation.

Long-term treatment with oral sildenafil is safe and improves functional capacity and hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis and functional capacity of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is poor, and there is a need for safe, effective, inexpensive oral treatments. A single dose of sildenafil, an oral phosphodiesterase type-5 (PD-5) inhibitor, is an effective and selective pulmonary vasodilator in PAH. However, the long-term effects of PD-5 inhibition and its mechanism of action in human pulmonary arteries (PAs) are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We hypothesized that 3 months of sildenafil (50 mg orally every 8 hours) added to standard treatment would be safe and improve functional capacity and hemodynamics in PAH patients. We studied 5 consecutive patients (4 with primary pulmonary hypertension, 1 with Eisenmenger's syndrome; New York Heart Association class II to III). Functional class improved by > or =1 class in all patients. Pretreatment versus posttreatment values (mean+/-SEM) were as follows: 6-minute walk, 376+/-30 versus 504+/-27 m, P<0.0001; mean PA pressure, 70+/-3 versus 52+/-3 mm Hg, P<0.007; pulmonary vascular resistance index 1702+/-151 versus 996+/-92 dyne x s x cm(-5) x m(-2), P<0.006. The systemic arterial pressure was unchanged, and no adverse effects occurred. Sildenafil also reduced right ventricular mass measured by MRI. In 7 human PAs (6 cardiac transplant donors and 1 patient with PAH on autopsy), we showed that PD-5 is present in PA smooth muscle cells and that sildenafil causes relaxation by activating large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels. CONCLUSIONS: This small pilot study suggests that long-term sildenafil therapy might be a safe and effective treatment for PAH. At a monthly cost of 492 dollars Canadian, sildenafil is more affordable than most approved PAH therapies. A large multicenter trial is indicated to directly compare sildenafil with existing PAH treatments.

Coronary artery bypass surgery with heparin-coated perfusion circuits and low-dose heparinization.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of heparin-coated perfusion circuits with low-dose heparinization and centrifugal pumping compared with the standard method during coronary artery bypass grafting. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, single-blind clinical trial. SETTING: A primary care institution. PATIENTS: Ninety patients who underwent first-time elective coronary artery bypass grafting were eligible for the study. After giving informed consent, they were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (30/group). INTERVENTIONS: Perfusion on regular uncoated bypass equipment with a roller pump and full-dose heparinization (300 IU/kg bolus, activated clotting time [ACT] > 400 s) (group 1), on a heparin-coated oxygenator with a centrifugal pump and full-dose heparinization (group 2) and on fully heparin-coated bypass equipment with a centrifugal pump and low-dose heparinization (100 IU/kg bolus, ACT of 180-400 s) (group 3). Standard coronary artery bypass grafting was performed. OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative bleeding, transfusion requirements and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: There were no complications related to the study protocol. Study groups were similar in terms of postoperative bleeding, transfusion requirements and clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Heparin-coated cardiopulmonary bypass with low-dose heparinization and centrifugal pumping is a safe practice but showed no advantages over the use of regular uncoated bypass circuits for coronary bypass surgery.