The Ross Procedure in Adolescence and Beyond: Are There Still Contraindications?

The Ross procedure is an excellent operation to treat children and adults with aortic valve disease. Compared to prosthetic aortic valve replacement, it provides important clinical benefits in terms of survival, hemodynamics, freedom from valve-related complications, and durability, especially in women of childbearing age. However, the Ross procedure is a longer and technically more challenging operation. As a result, the choice of procedure should be driven by patient anatomy and clinical characteristics. This highlights the importance of concentrating care in Ross reference centers where surgical expertise and experience are present to ensure patient safety and long-term effectiveness of the operation. This manuscript reviews the major and relative contraindications to the Ross procedure.

Propensity-Matched Comparison of the Ross Procedure and Prosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement in Adults.

BACKGROUND: There has recently been renewed interest in the Ross procedure in adults. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare long-term outcomes after the Ross procedure vs biological and mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in adults (aged 18-50 years) undergoing aortic valve surgery. METHODS: Mandatory California and New York databases were queried between 1997 and 2014. Exclusion criteria included: ≥1 concomitant procedure, reoperations, infective endocarditis, intravenous drug use, hemodialysis, and out-of-state residency. Propensity matching (1:1:1) was used, resulting in 434 patients per group. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Secondary endpoints were stroke, major bleeding, reoperation, and endocarditis. Median follow-up was 12.5 years (IQR: 9.3-15.7 years). RESULTS: At 15 years, actuarial survival after the Ross procedure was 93.1% (95% CI: 89.1%-95.7%), similar to that of the age-, sex-, and race-matched U.S. general population. It was significantly lower after biological AVR (HR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.23-0.075; P = 0.003) and mechanical AVR (HR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.26-0.79; P = 0.006). At 15 years, the Ross procedure was associated with a lower cumulative risk of reintervention (P = 0.008) and endocarditis (P = 0.01) than biological AVR. In contrast, at 15 years, the Ross procedure was associated with a higher cumulative incidence of reoperation (P < 0.001) but lower risks of stroke (P = 0.03) and major bleeding (P = 0.016) than mechanical AVR. Thirty-day mortality after valve-related complications was lowest after a reintervention. CONCLUSIONS: In young adults, the Ross procedure is associated with better long-term survival and freedom from valve-related complications compared with prosthetic AVR. This confirms the notion that a living valve substitute in the aortic position translates into improved clinically relevant outcomes.

Pneumonectomy for Idiopathic Fibrosing Mediastinitis Mimicking Neoplasm in a Child.

The unique case of a child with idiopathic fibrosing mediastinitis mimicking neoplasm is presented. A 5-year-old boy presented with pneumonia and was found to have a complex, heterogeneous, and calcified mediastinal mass along the left hilum. Percutaneous and surgical biopsies, while suggesting a potential epithelial malignancy, were nonconclusive. Owing to worsening symptoms of airway obstruction and chest wall invasion, resection was performed for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. This ultimately required pneumonectomy on cardiopulmonary bypass. Pathology revealed fibrosing mediastinitis with infiltration of lung parenchyma, and subsequent workup for infectious, neoplastic, granulomatous, and autoimmune etiologies was negative.

Risk factors for recurrence of aortic regurgitation after aortic valve repair.

In the past decade, the treatment of aortic regurgitation has evolved from a strategy focused mainly on valve replacement to one of valve repair (AVr). Nevertheless, AVr has yet to gain broad acceptance within the surgical community despite excellent reported results in selected centers. In fact, AVr failure due to recurrence of regurgitation remains a challenge. Thanks to sustained research efforts, the mechanisms underlying aortic valve repair failure are now better understood. The aim of this article is to discuss the risk factors for recurrent AR after valve repair, the technical strategies that can mitigate this risk and highlight the contemporary results associated with AVr.

Multi-arterial and total-arterial coronary revascularization: Past, present, and future perspective.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Although abundant biological, clinical, and scientific evidence exists on the superiority of multi-arterial (MAR) and total-arterial revascularization (TAR) over the conventional strategy with a single internal thoracic artery, only 10% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the United States receives a second arterial conduit, and only 5% of patients receives TAR. METHODS AND RESULTS: In January 2020, the authors performed comprehensive search to identify studies that evaluated MAR and TAR strategies through the MEDLINE database. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, the authors reviewed the literature on the historical and current evidence in favor of MAR and TAR, thus underlying why current CABG practice needs qualitative improvement.

Nasogastric Tube: A Novel Way to Prevent Iatrogenic Bleeding in Emergent Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

Patients with indications for emergent cardiac surgery procedures who have previously received a P2Y12 inhibitor loading dose are at extremely high risk for bleeding. We present a successful example of lateral thinking in solving a controversial clinical scenario.

Grafting an anomalous coronary artery: a left anterior descending from the right coronary artery grafted with the right internal thoracic artery.

A left anterior descending artery (LAD) arising from the right coronary artery (RCA) or right sinus of Valsalva is an exceedingly rare anomalous variant occurring in 0.03% of the population. We here present the case of an 81-year-old male with severe triple vessel coronary artery disease who was found to have an aberrant LAD arising from the proximal RCA, and was successfully treated with off-pump, total arterial, and complete surgical revascularization.

Advanced techniques in mitral annular calcification management.

BACKGROUND: The management of severe mitral annular calcification (MAC) with a conservative approach minimizes the risk of atrioventricular groove (AVG) disrupture. However, patients with a history of rheumatic valve disease may present with complex and mixed annular lesions requiring extensive debridement. Our technique for reconstructing the mitral annular plane after mechanical decalcification is presented. METHODS: This is a video of the surgical management of two cases of mitral valve rheumatic disease (one of which with superimposed native-valve-endocarditis) with severe MAC. After extensive mitral annulus debridement, the naked area of myocardium in the AVG is covered and reinforced using a patching technique. It is important to sew the patch of autologous pericardium with a double suture line: one line down in the ventricle, the other one inside the atrium. The valvular stitches have to be passed proximal to the patch, thus de facto atrializing the position of the prosthetic mitral valve. RESULTS: An optimal result was achieved in both cases. The double suture line avoids the risk of blood infiltrating behind the valve, into the AV groove, causing cardiac rupture. CONCLUSIONS: Reconstructing the posterior mitral valve annulus with a patch of autologous pericardium and related atrialization of the prosthetic mitral valve is a safe and feasible technique to manage severe MAC.

The Right Axillary Incision: A Potential New Standard of Care for Selected Congenital Heart Surgery.

Although the median sternotomy has been the traditional approach for congenital heart surgery, young patients and their families often find the midline scar to be cosmetically unappealing. At our center, a right transverse axillary incision has become the standard approach for many congenital cardiac lesions because of its safety, versatility, and unsurpassed aesthetic result. We present our experience with the axillary approach for a diverse array of congenital defects. A retrospective review of patients receiving a right transverse axillary incision for congenital cardiac surgery between 2005 and 2016 was conducted. The right transverse axillary incision was performed in 358 patients for 24 unique procedures. Median age was 5 years (range 1 month-60 years) and 225 patients (63%) were female. Median weight was 17 kg (range 4-124 kg), with 19 patients (5%) weighing less than 6 kg. The most common lesions were atrial septal defects (n = 244, 68%) and ventricular septal defects (n = 72, 20%). As experience with this approach increased, other repairs included subvalvular aortic membrane resection (n = 10, 3%), tetralogy of Fallot repair (n = 7, 2%), ventricular assist device placement (n = 3, 1%), and mitral valve repair (n = 2, 1%). There were no intraoperative deaths or conversions to sternotomy. In-hospital complications included mortality (n = 1, 0.3%), reoperations for bleeding (n = 5, 1%), pneumothorax or pleural effusion (n = 6, 2%), and permanent pacemaker (n = 4, 1%). The right axillary incision allows a safe and effective repair for a broad range of congenital heart defects and is a potential new standard of care for many patients.

A chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension catch-22 situation: inferior vena caval filter plays a pivotal role in an unlikely situation.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare clinical entity that occurs in a small subset of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) cases and is surgically cured by pulmonary endarterectomy. We report a case of a 44-year-old female with a complex history of CTEPH treated by thromboendarterectomy who presented with a subdural hematoma while on warfarin. The patient eventually recovered by a multidisciplinary approach, use of inferior vena caval filter, and effective anticoagulation management.

Economic and operational implications of a standardized approach to hemodynamic support therapy using percutaneous cardiac assist devices.

OBJECTIVE: Impella 2.5 has been shown to reduce major adverse events for patients undergoing elective high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention. We performed a single-center retrospective study to compare the costs and resource use of Impella 2.5 and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support. METHODS: All high-risk patients who received Impella 2.5 (n = 35) and IABP (n = 295) support from December 2008 to July 2011 were included. Propensity score matching identified a balanced 1:1 matched cohort (35 Impella vs 35 IABP) based on indications for implantation, preimplantation hemodynamics, and age. Diagnostic, procedural, financial, and resource use data were collected. RESULTS: As compared with IABP, Impella offered a more predictable course of treatment/resource consumption and was not associated with any extreme cost outliers (17.1% vs 0.0%, respectively; P = 0.025). The mean admission and 90-day episode of care total costs for Impella were 5.5% ($67,681 vs $71,608, P = 0.79) and 4.2% ($70,680 vs $73,476, P = 0.85) lesser than that for IABP, respectively. Although not statistically significant, Impella patients had a trend toward lower rehospitalization rates (11.4% vs 20%), lesser mean index length of hospital stay (11.2 vs 13.7), and 90-day (11.7 vs 14.2) episode of care length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Impella support was associated with consistent course of treatment/resource consumption with significantly fewer 90-day extreme cost outliers than was IABP. The lower index and 90-day follow-up cost trends observed for Impella were driven by shorter length of hospital stay and fewer rehospitalizations. As providers strive to improve quality of care by reducing variability, these findings have implications for the development of hemodynamic support algorithms.

The left atrial "Medusa myxoma".

Although myxomas are the most commonly seen primary cardiac tumors, encompassing 30% to 50% of all primary tumors of the heart, they remain a rare finding with an annual reported incidence of 0.5 per million. The presenting symptoms of an atrial myxoma are widely varied as are the clinical consequences. Regardless of presentation, once a diagnosis is made prompt surgical excision is recommended to minimize the potential complications of obstruction or embolization. We present the "Medusa myxoma," an arborizing 4-fingered left atrial myxoma extending from the fossa ovalis across the left atrium.