Distribution and Characteristics of Congenital Cardiac Surgery Centers within Bangladesh.

Congenital heart disease is a leading cause of non-communicable childhood death. This is especially true in nations with limited resources where shortages of skilled workforce, healthcare facilities, and essential equipment limit the ability to provide care. This retrospective study was designed to determine the volume and distribution of surgical care being provided to patients with congenital heart disease in Bangladesh, as well as to characterize the facilities providing such care. Pre-existing survey data of hospitals performing congenital heart surgery in the year 2022 in Bangladesh was obtained. Additional information was gathered on these facilities, including hospital location and type. The distribution of care by geographic location, type of facility, and volume of cases was reported. Overall, a total of 2333 surgeries were performed in 2022 at 28 facilities. The majority of hospitals were performing <50 cases per year, while a small number (5) provided greater than 50.0% of all surgeries. In addition, while the majority of hospitals were private in nature, the majority of surgeries occurred at not-for-profit hospitals. There was a large geographic skew of surgeries and hospitals being located within the city of Dhaka (79.0% of centers and 94.0% of surgeries). The data suggests that, though there has been great progress in increasing the number of surgeries performed in Bangladesh, the vast majority of patients still do not have access to care. In addition, nearly all care is being provided in Dhaka, which presents challenges for patients who come from across the nation seeking care. Finally, there is a great need for further research to fully understand the challenges faced and find workable solutions.

Factors Associated With Lack of Long-Term Follow-Up Data After Global Cardiac Surgery Missions.

Background: Humanitarian medical missions attempt to lessen the burden of limited access to cardiac surgery in low- and middle-income countries. While organizations express difficulties obtaining follow-up information, there is currently little evidence to support the various assumptions for lack of data. This study examines the factors influencing long-term patient follow-ups on repeated short-term cardiac surgery missions across nine countries. Methods: A retrospective analysis of CardioStart International's database (RedCap) was conducted to investigate demographic, socioeconomic, and surgical factors associated with follow-ups. Results: A total of 550 pediatric (50%) and adult (50%) cardiac surgery patients displayed a follow-up rate of 14.7%, with no significant difference between populations (P = 1). Mean follow-up time was 1.5 years postoperative. Countries were highly variable, with Dominican Republic and Vietnam showing follow-up rates of 30.4% and 43.2%, respectively, while Brazil, Nepal, and Tanzania had no follow-ups (P < 0.0001). The 11 surrogate factors for socioeconomic status, including home amenities and technology access, were predominantly insignificant, with the exception of phone access showing an unexpectedly decreased follow-up rate (11.6%, P = 0.006). Surgical intervention was a significant factor (P = 0.009). No adult cardiac surgery trends were noted; however, congenital cases demonstrated increased follow-ups in patients with higher Risk Adjusted Congenital Heart Surgery scores, with ventricular septal defects (32.5%) exceeding atrial septal defects (7.3%). Conclusions: Follow-ups correlate with mission factors, including location and types of intervention, more so than previously assumed socioeconomic and technological factors. Thus, certain missions may require more allocation of resources and adapted organizational policies to overcome site-specific barriers to follow-up.

Reduce intraoperative albumin utilisation in cardiac surgical patients: a quality improvement initiative.

BACKGROUND: Albumin continues to be used routinely by cardiac anaesthesiologists perioperatively despite lack of evidence for improved outcomes. The Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (MPOG) data ranked our institution as one of the highest intraoperative albumin users during cardiac surgery. Therefore, we designed a quality improvement project (QIP) to introduce a bundle of interventions to reduce intraoperative albumin use in cardiac surgical patients. METHODS: Our institutional MPOG data were used to analyse the FLUID-01-C measure that provides the number of adult cardiac surgery cases where albumin was administered intraoperatively by anaesthesiologists from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022. The QIP involved introduction of the following interventions: (1) education about appropriate albumin use and indications (January 2021), (2) email communications reinforced with OR teaching (March 2021), (3) removal of albumin from the standard pharmacy intraoperative medication trays (April 2021), (4) grand rounds presentation discussing the QIP and highlighting the interventions (May 2021) and (5) quarterly provider feedback (starting July 2021). Multivariable segmented regression models were used to assess the changes from preintervention to postintervention time period in albumin utilisation, and its total monthly cost. RESULTS: Among the 5767 cardiac surgery cases that met inclusion criteria over the 3-year study period, 16% of patients received albumin intraoperatively. The total number of cases that passed the metric (albumin administration was avoided), gradually increased as our interventions went into effect. Intraoperative albumin utilisation (beta=-101.1, 95% CI -145 to -56.7) and total monthly cost of albumin (beta=-7678, 95% CI -10712 to -4640) demonstrated significant decrease after starting the interventions. CONCLUSIONS: At a single academic cardiac surgery programme, implementation of a bundle of simple and low-cost interventions as part of a coordinated QIP were effective in significantly decreasing intraoperative use of albumin, which translated into considerable costs savings.

Associations between Child Opportunity Index and Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between the Child Opportunity Index (COI), a comprehensive measurement of social determinants of health, and specific COI domains on patient-specific outcomes following congenital cardiac surgery in the metropolitan region of Atlanta, Georgia. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective chart review, we included patients who underwent an index operation for congenital heart disease between 2010 and 2020 in a single pediatric health care system. Patients' addresses were geocoded and mapped to census tracts. Descriptive statistics, univariable analysis, and multivariable regression models were employed to assess associations between variables and outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 7460 index surgeries, 3798 (51%) met eligibility criteria. Presence of an adverse outcome, defined as either mortality or 1 of several other major postoperative morbidities, was significantly associated with COI in the univariable model (P = .008), but not the multivariable regression model (P = .39). Postoperative hospital length of stay was significantly associated with COI (P < .001) in univariable and multivariable regression models. There was no significant association between COI and readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge in univariable (P < .094) and multivariable (P = .49) models. CONCLUSION: COI is associated with postoperative hospital length of stay but not all outcomes in patients after congenital heart surgery. By understanding the role of COI in outcomes related to cardiac surgery, targeted interventions can be developed to improve health equity.

Obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in patients with surgically repaired heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Congenital and acquired heart disease complicate 1% to 4% of pregnancies in the United States. Beyond the risks of the underlying maternal congenital heart disease, cardiac surgery and its sequelae, such as surgical scarring resulting in higher rates of arrhythmias and implanted valves altering anticoagulation status, have potential implications that could affect gestation and delivery. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether history of maternal cardiac surgery is associated with adverse obstetrical or neonatal outcomes compared with patients without a history of cardiac disease or surgery, considered "healthy controls." STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of retrospective cohort studies performed at a tertiary care facility in the United States comparing obstetrical outcomes in patients with a history of open cardiac surgery who delivered from January 2007 to December 2018 with healthy controls, who delivered from April 2020 to July 2020. There were 74 pregnancies in 61 patients with a history of open cardiac surgery that were compared with pregnancies in healthy controls. Of the 74 pregnancies, 65 were successfully matched based on gestational age to controls at a 1:3 (case-to-control) ratio. The remainder of cases were matched at a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio; therefore, a total of 219 control pregnancies were included in the analysis. Our primary outcome was the incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, as well as cesarean delivery, in patients with a history of open cardiac surgery compared with healthy controls. Our secondary outcome was the incidence of low-birthweight neonates in patients with a history of open cardiac surgery compared with healthy controls. RESULTS: Patients with a history of cardiac surgery were not more likely to have any hypertensive disorder diagnosed than healthy controls. Patients with a history of cardiac surgery were more likely to have an operative delivery (P<.0001) but equally likely to have a cesarean delivery (P=.528) compared with healthy controls. Birthweight was not statistically different of 2655±808 g in neonates born to patients with a history of cardiac surgery vs 2844±830 g born to healthy controls (P=.092). CONCLUSION: Patients with a history of cardiac surgery may not be at higher risk of hypertensive disorder diagnosis during pregnancy. Similarly, most patients with a history of cardiac surgery are also likely not at higher risk of cesarean delivery or low-birthweight neonates.

Association Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Factors and Length of Stay After Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease.

OBJECTIVES: Neighborhood socioeconomic status, as measured by area deprivation index (ADI) is associated with longer length of stay (LOS) after surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. We tested the hypothesis that LOS is associated with ADI in a large cohort of congenital heart disease (CHD) surgical cases of varying severity and sought to determine which other components of the ADI accounted for any associations. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a curated dataset. The Brokamp ADI was determined using residential addresses. Overall, ADI and each of its six individual components were dichotomized, and LOS compared between groups above versus below the median for the entire cohort and after stratifying by surgical The Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) severity category. SETTING: Single-center academic pediatric teaching hospital. PATIENTS: CHD patients who underwent surgical repair/palliation between September 2007 and August 2022. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 2462 patients (52.7% male) were included. Median age was 254 (interquartile range [IQR] 95-1628) days and median LOS in the hospital was 8 (IQR 5-18) days. We failed to identify an association between Brokamp ADI, above versus below the median for the entire cohort, and LOS; nor in STAT categories 1-4. However, in STAT category 5 ( n = 129) those with ADI above the median (more deprived) had a significantly longer LOS (48 [20-88] vs. 36 [18-49] d, p = 0.034). Of the individual components of the ADI, only percent below poverty level and percent vacant houses were associated with LOS in STAT category 5. CONCLUSIONS: LOS after CHD surgery is associated with Brokamp ADI in STAT category 5 cases, we failed to identify an association in lower-risk cardiac operations.

Volume Alone Does Not Predict Quality Outcomes in Hospitals Performing Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Lower institutional volume has been associated with inferior pediatric cardiac surgery outcomes. This study explored the variation in mortality rates among low-, mid-, and high-volume hospitals performing pediatric cardiac surgery in the United States. METHODS: The Kids' Inpatient Database was explored for the years 2016 and 2019. Hospitals performing only off-bypass coarctation and ventricular septal defect repair were omitted. The hospitals were divided into 3 groups by their annual case volume. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to obtain risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rates. RESULTS: A total of 25,749 operations performed by 235 hospitals were included in the study. The risk-adjusted mortality rate for the entire sample was 1.9%. There were 140 hospitals in the low-volume group, 64 hospitals in the mid-volume group, and 31 in the high-volume group. All groups had low-mortality (mortality <1.9%) and high-mortality (mortality >1.9%) hospitals. Among low-volume hospitals, 53% were low-mortality (n = 74) and 47% were high-mortality (n = 66) hospitals. Among mid-volume hospitals, 58% were low-mortality (n = 37) and 42% were high-mortality (n = 27) hospitals. Among high-volume hospitals, 68% were low-mortality (n = 21) and 32% were high-mortality (n = 10) hospitals. There was no statistically significant difference in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality when comparing low-, mid-, and high-volume centers for 7 Society of Thoracic Surgeons benchmark procedures. CONCLUSIONS: This national, real-world, risk-adjusted volume outcome analysis highlights that volume alone may not be the sole arbiter to predict quality of pediatric cardiac surgery outcomes. Using case volume alone as a surrogate for quality may unfairly asperse high-performing, low-volume programs.

Volume-outcome relationship in balloon aortic valvuloplasty: results of a consecutive, patient-level data analysis from a Japanese nationwide multicentre registry (J-SHD).

OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) remains an important alternative treatment for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. With increasing numbers of BAVs being performed, the need for large-scale volume-outcome relationship assessments has become evident. Here, we aimed to explain such relationships by analysing consecutive, patient-level BAV data recorded in a prospective Japanese nationwide multicentre registry. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Data of 1920 BAVs performed in 200 Japanese hospitals from January 2015 to December 2019. PARTICIPANTS: The mean patient age was 85 years, and 36.9% of procedures involved male patients. METHODS: The efficacy of BAV was assessed by reducing the mean transaortic valve gradient after the procedure. We also assessed in-hospital complication rates, including in-hospital death, bleeding, urgent surgery, distal embolism, vessel rupture and contrast-induced nephropathy. Based on the distribution of case volume (median 20, IQR 10-46), we divided the patients into high-volume (≥20) and low-volume (<20) groups. In-hospital complication risk was assessed with adjustment by logistic regression modelling. RESULTS: Indications for BAV included palliative/destination (44.2%), bridge to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (34.5%), bridge to surgical aortic valve replacement (7.4%) and salvage (9.7%). Reduction of the mean transaortic valve gradient was similar between the high-volume and low-volume groups (20 mm Hg vs 20 mm Hg, p=0.12). The proportion of in-hospital complications during BAV was 4.2%, and the incidence of complications showed no difference between the high-volume and low-volume groups (4.2% vs 4.1%, p=1.00). Rather than hospital volume, salvage procedure was an independent predictor of in-hospital complications (OR, 4.04; 95% CI, 2.03 to 8.06; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that procedural outcomes of BAV were largely independent of its institutional volume.

Incidence and predictors of new-onset atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery at Auckland City Hospital.

AIM: To describe the incidence, ethnic differences in incidence, and predictors of post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac surgery in a New Zealand hospital. METHOD: Analysis of registry data on 1,630 adults without previous atrial fibrillation having coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve surgery was used to determine the incidence of POAF. Univariate analysis identified risk factors and stepwise logistic regression was used to create the most parsimonious model to predict POAF. RESULTS: Overall POAF incidence was 29% (n=465) and differed by surgery type (25% after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) vs 42% after combined CABG+valve). Incidence was highest in Maori (35%) and NZ/Other Europeans (32%). Maori and Pasifika with POAF were on average ten years younger than NZ/Other Europeans. Independent risk factors were age (OR 1.05, 95%CI 1.04-1.06), body mass index (OR 1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06), history of heart failure (OR 2.08, 95%CI 1.47-2.95), and valve surgeries (isolated valve OR 1.51, 95%CI 1.16-1.95; CABG+valve OR 1.59, 95%CI 1.11-2.28), but the model had poor discrimination (AUC 0.67). CONCLUSION: POAF in a New Zealand hospital occurs at comparable rates to international settings. Risk models using routinely measured factors offer poor predictive accuracy, meaning risk stratification is unlikely to adequately inform targeted POAF prevention in clinical practice.

Effect of COVID-19 on cardiac surgery volumes in Sweden.

Objectives. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which commenced in 2020, is known to frequently cause respiratory failure requiring intensive care, with occasional fatal outcomes. In this study, we aimed to conduct a retrospective nationwide observational study on the influence of the pandemic on cardiac surgery volumes in Sweden. Results. In 2020, 9.4% (n = 539) fewer patients underwent open-heart operations in Sweden (n = 5169) than during 2019 (n = 5708), followed by a 5.8% (n = 302) increase during 2021 (n = 5471). The reduction was greater than 15% in three of the eight hospitals in Sweden performing open-heart operations. Compared to 2019, in 2020, the waiting times for surgery were longer, and the patients were slightly younger, had better renal function, and a lower European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation; moreover, few patients had a history of myocardial infarction. However, more patients had insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, reduced left ventricular function, and elevated pulmonary artery pressure. Urgent procedures were more common, but acute surgery was less common in 2020 than in 2019. Early mortality and postoperative complications were low and did not differ during the three years. Conclusion. The 9.4% decrease in the number of heart surgeries performed in Sweden during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2019, partially recovered during 2021; however, there was no backlog of patients awaiting heart surgery.

The Effect of COVID-19 on Adult Cardiac Surgery in the United States in 717 103 Patients.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it, and the United States continues to accumulate the largest number of COVID-related deaths worldwide. There exists a paucity of data regarding the effect of COVID-19 on adult cardiac surgery trends and outcomes on regional and national levels. METHODS: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database was queried from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020. The Johns Hopkins COVID-19 database was queried from February 1, 2020, to January 1, 2021. Surgical and COVID-19 volumes, trends, and outcomes were analyzed on a national and regional level. Observed-to-expected ratios were used to analyze risk-adjustable mortality. RESULTS: The study analyzed 717 103 adult cardiac surgery patients and more than 20 million COVID-19 patients. Nationally, there was a 52.7% reduction in adult cardiac surgery volume and a 65.5% reduction in elective cases. The Mid-Atlantic region was most affected by the first COVID-19 surge, with 69.7% reduction in overall case volume and 80.0% reduction in elective cases. In the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, the observed-to-expected mortality for isolated coronary bypass increased as much as 1.48 times (148% increase) pre-COVID rates. After the first COVID-19 surge, nationwide cardiac surgical case volumes did not return to baseline, indicating a COVID-19-associated deficit of cardiac surgery patients. CONCLUSIONS: This large analysis of COVID-19-related impact on adult cardiac surgery volume, trends, and outcomes found that during the pandemic, cardiac surgery volume suffered dramatically, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions during the first COVID-19 surge, with a concurrent increase in observed-to-expected 30-day mortality.

Volume of frail patients predicts outcome in frail patients after cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Recent data from major noncardiac surgery suggest that outcomes in frail patients are better predicted by a hospital's volume of frail patients specifically, rather than overall surgical volume. We sought to evaluate this "frailty volume-frailty outcome relationship" in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS: We studied 72,818 frail patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting or valve replacement surgery from 2010 to 2014 using the Nationwide Readmissions Database. Frailty was defined using the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups frailty-defining diagnoses indicator. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess the independent effect of frailty volume by quartile on mortality, surgical complications, failure to rescue, nonhome discharge, 30-day readmissions, length of stay, and hospital costs in frail patients. RESULTS: In comparing the highest volume quartiles with the lowest, both overall cardiac surgical volume and volume for frail patients were significantly associated with shorter length of stay and reduced costs. However, frailty volume was also independently associated with significantly reduced in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.94; P = .006) and failure to rescue (odds ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.98; P = .03), whereas no such association was seen between overall volume and either mortality (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.10; P = .43) or failure to rescue (odds ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-1.17; P = .85). Neither frailty volume nor overall volume showed any significant relationship with the rate of 30-day readmissions. CONCLUSIONS: In frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery, surgical volume of frail patients was a significant independent of predictor of in-hospital mortality and failure to rescue, whereas overall surgical volume was not. Thus, the "frailty volume-outcome relationship" superseded the traditional "volume-outcome relationship" in frail patients with cardiac disease.

Resident education in congenital heart surgery does not compromise outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Most of all congenital cardiac surgical programs participate in public outcomes reporting. The primary end point is transparency. In this era, academic programs with surgical residents face the challenge of producing outstanding results while allowing residents to learn by doing. We sought to understand the effect of education on our surgical outcomes. METHODS: We collected data for all American Board of Thoracic Surgery index cases done at our institution over a 10-year period. We identified 3406 cases and categorized them into 2 groups according to primary surgeon: attending (2269) versus resident (1137). In a multivariable logistic regression model we examined the effect of operating surgeon on in-hospital mortality, major morbidity, and length of stay. We used propensity score matching subsequently to balance differences between cohorts, and multivariable logistic regression was repeated. RESULTS: Using the entire cohort, multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, weight, lack of preoperative comorbidity, presence of preoperative respiratory failure, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons--European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery category, and need for deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, showed a higher odds of survival in the resident cohort (odds ratio, 1.484; 95% confidence interval, 0.998-2.206; P = .05). Propensity score matching identified 1137 pairs of attending and resident cases with well-balanced preoperative variables. Logistic regression modeling using the matched cohort showed equivalent 30-day mortality, 30-day major morbidity, and length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in mortality, major morbidity, or length of stay when similar cases were compared that were operated on by attendings versus those by a resident. Effectively educating congenital heart surgeons without compromising an operation's quality requires thoughtful approach, including case selection and graded responsibility.

Understanding the literature: Complexity of statistical methods used in high-impact cardiothoracic surgery research.

OBJECTIVE: Biostatistics are frequently used in research published in the domain of cardiothoracic surgery. The objective of this study was to describe the scope of statistical techniques reported in the literature and to highlight implications for editorial review and critical appraisal. METHODS: Original research articles published between January and April 2017 in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery were examined. For each article, the statistical method(s) reported were recorded and categorized by complexity. RESULTS: We reviewed 293 articles that reported 1068 statistical methods. The mean number of different statistical methods reported per article was 3.6 ± 1.9, with variation by subspecialty and journal. The most common statistical methods were contingency tables (in 59% of articles), t tests (49%), and survival methods (49%). Only 4% of articles used descriptive statistics alone. An introductory level of statistical knowledge was deemed sufficient for understanding 16% of articles, whereas for the remainder a higher level of knowledge would be needed. CONCLUSIONS: Contemporary cardiothoracic surgery research frequently requires the use of complex statistical methods. This was evident across articles for all cardiothoracic surgical subspecialties as reported in 3 high-impact journals. Routine review of manuscript submissions by biostatisticians is needed to ensure the appropriate use and reporting of advanced statistical methods in cardiothoracic surgery research.

Optimising bloodless cardiovascular surgery for Jehovah's Witnesses and beyond.

Emerging evidence suggests surgical outcomes of patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery that refuse autologous transfusion is comparable to those who accept whole blood product transfusions. There are several methods that can be used to minimize blood loss during cardiovascular surgery. These methods can be categorised into pharmacological measures, including the use of erythropoietin, iron and tranexamic acid, surgical techniques, like the use of polysaccharide haemostat, and devices such as those used in acute normovolaemic haemodilution. More prospective studies with stricter protocols are required to assess surgical outcomes in bloodless cardiac surgery as well as further research into the long-term outcomes of bloodless cardiovascular surgery patients. This review summarizes current evidence on the use of pre-, intra-, and post-operative strategies aimed at the subset of patients who refuse blood transfusion, for example Jehovah's Witnesses.

Prophylactic dialysis improves short-term clinical outcome in patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease undergoing cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported that prophylactic dialysis can reduce the mortality of non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients after cardiac surgery. However, the results of complications in these randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were not consistent. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the effect of prophylactic dialysis in these non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients. METHODS: We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane's Library and other online sources for related RCTs. Effects of prophylactic dialysis on the incidence of 30 days' mortality and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Four RCTs comprising 395 patients were included, all of them treated by coronary artery bypass grafting. Treatment of preoperative and intraoperative prophylactic dialysis significantly reduced the rate of 30-day all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR]: 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.58, P < 0.001, I2 = 0%) and the incidence of pulmonary complications (RR: 0.39, 95% CI, 0.20-0.77, P = 0.007, I2 = 0%), low cardiac output (RR: 0.29, 95% CI, 0.09-0.99, P = 0.05, I2 = 0%), and acute kidney injury (RR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.07-0.52, P = 0.001, I2 = 0%). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the dialysis group and the control group in gastrointestinal bleeding, sepsis or multiple organ failure, wound infection, arrhythmia, transient neurologic deficit, stroke and re-exploration for bleeding. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic dialysis can improve the 30-day clinical outcomes of non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients undergoing cardiac surgery, it was associated with the 30-day mortality benefit and led to a decrease in the incidence of pulmonary complications, as well as low cardiac output, and acute kidney injury.

Relationship Between the Degree of Carotid Stenosis and the Risk of Stroke in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: The impact of carotid stenosis (CS) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between carotid stenosis and stroke and/or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study including patients undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass from January 2006 to March 2018 at the Québec Heart and Lung Institute. Data of patients' preoperative demographic characteristics, operative and postoperative variables were taken from a computerised database and patients' charts. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 20,241 patients were included in the study. Among those who had received preoperative carotid ultrasound, 516 (2.6% of the total population) had unilateral or bilateral CS ≥ 50%. Categorised levels of CS severity were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative stroke and/or TIA. There was an almost 3-fold increased risk of postoperative neurologic events in 80%-99% CS vs less severe 50%-79% CS (odds ratio 2.91, 95% confidence interval 1.30-6.54), suggesting that the degree of severity of CS is potentially a strong independent predictor of postoperative neurologic events. CONCLUSIONS: CS is an independent risk factor of postoperative stroke and/or TIA. This study suggests for the first time that the risk of stroke increases with the degree of severity of CS, with the greatest risk being for CS of 80%-99%. The strength of this relationship and potential causality effect should be further explored in a prospective study focusing on this population most at risk.

A Comparative Study Between Different Surgical Techniques For Left Atrial Exclusion in Patients Undergoing Concomitant Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To find out the most successful surgical technique to obliterate left atrial appendage (LAA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who had undergone concomitant cardiac surgery. BACKGROUND: About 10%-65% of patients develop AF following cardiac surgery [Rho 2009; Mathew 2004; Maesen 2012]. Cerebral cardio-embolic stroke remains the most serious complication in AF patients. LAA is the main anatomical source for thromboembolic events. The use of oral anticoagulants (OAG) is considered to be an effective method for reduction of thromboembolic complications [Johnson 2000]. The use of oral anticoagulants is faced by two important facts which are the therapy duration is still unknown [Kirchhof 2017] and importantly that between 30-50% of patients are not candidates for oral anticoagulants due to the high bleeding risk or other contraindications [Johnson 2000; Kirchhof 2017; Kirchhof 2014]. In such patients, LAA obliteration would be an optimal alternative technique as it will reduce the stroke risk by 50% [Go 2014]. Several surgical techniques with variable degrees of success rates have been used.  It still is unclear which surgical technique is optimum to achieve a successful obliteration of the LAA and a considerable reduction of the postoperative stroke events in AF patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients have been subjected to surgical LAA exclusion from April 2017 to April 2019 in two different centers. All patients had postoperative transesophageal echo (TEE) examination to confirm the success of LAA occlusion. All patients included in our study suffered from AF at the time of surgery or in past history, which was confirmed by ECG examination in their previous medical files. A variety of surgical techniques to close the LAA have been utilized, including surgical excision by means of scissors, patch exclusion by means of an endocardial patch, suture exclusion and finally stapler exclusion. TEE examination 16 months postoperatively divided our patients into four groups as follows: successful LAA occlusion, Patent LAA, excluded LAA with persistent flow into LAA, and remnant LAA with a stump connection with LAA more than 1 cm. RESULTS: Out of 100 patients, 30 patients (30%) underwent surgical LAA excision, 24 patients (24%) underwent surgical epicardial suture ligation, eight patients (8%) underwent patch exclusion using autologous pericardial patch, 33 patients (33%) underwent LAA internal orifice purse string suture obliteration, and five patients (5%) underwent stapler exclusion. Forty-two patients out of 100 (42%) showed successful LAA closure. The successful LAA occlusion occurred mostly in LAA excision patients 87%, 24% in LAA internal orifice purse string suture obliteration patients, 21% in epicardial suture ligation patients, and 37.5% in patch exclusion patients. The stapler exclusion was very disappointing as we did not record a single case out of the five patients who showed a successful LAA occlusion. Stroke events were recorded in all surgical techniques except the LAA excision technique. The stroke rate after two years follow up was zero in the surgical excision group, 49% in the suture exclusion group, 20% in the patch exclusion group, and 40% in stapler exclusion group. CONCLUSION: Surgical LAA excision is the most successful technique for LAA occlusion and represents a promising technique for the reduction of thromboembolic events in AF patients who undergo a concomitant cardiac surgery.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database: 2021 Update on Outcomes and Research.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database is a comprehensive clinical outcomes registry that captures almost all pediatric cardiac surgical operations in the United States. It is the platform for all activities of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons related to the analysis of outcomes and improvement of quality in this subspecialty. This report summarizes current aggregate national outcomes in congenital and pediatric cardiac surgery performed between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2020. The reported data on aggregate national outcomes are exemplified by an analysis of 10 prespecified benchmark operation groups performed. This report further reviews related activities in the areas of data collection and analysis, quality measurement, performance improvement, and research.

Impact of hard lockdown on interventional cardiology procedures in congenital heart disease: a survey on behalf of the Italian Society of Congenital Heart Disease.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has thoroughly and deeply affected the provision of healthcare services worldwide. In order to limit the in-hospital infections and to redistribute the healthcare professionals, cardiac percutaneous intervention in Pediatric and Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) patients were limited to urgent or emergency ones. The aim of this article is to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pediatric and ACHD cath laboratory activity during the so-called 'hard lockdown' in Italy. Eleven out of 12 Italian institutions with a dedicated Invasive Cardiology Unit in Congenital Heart Disease actively participated in the survey. The interventional cardiology activity was reduced by more than 50% in 6 out of 11 centers. Adolescent and ACHD patients suffered the highest rate of reduction. There was an evident discrepancy in the management of the hard lockdown, irrespective of the number of COVID-19 positive cases registered, with a higher reduction in Southern Italy compared with the most affected regions (Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna). Although the pandemic was brilliantly addressed in most cases, we recognize the necessity for planning new, and hopefully homogeneous, strategies in order to be prepared for an upcoming new outbreak.