Budget impact analysis of a bovine pericardial aortic bioprosthesis versus mechanical aortic valve replacement in adult patients with aortic stenosis in Romania.

AIMS: An analysis of the budget impact of using a bovine pericardial aortic bioprosthesis (BPAB) or a mechanical valve (MV) in aortic stenosis (AS) patients in Romania. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A decision-tree with a partitioned survival model was used to predict the financial outcomes of using either a BPAB (the Carpentier-Edwards Perimount Magna Ease Valve) or MV in aortic valve replacement (AVR) procedure over a 5-year period. The budget impact of various resource consumption including disabling strokes, reoperations, minor thromboembolic events, major bleeding, endocarditis, anticoagulation treatment and monitoring, and echocardiogram assessments were compared for both types of valves. One-way sensitivity analyses (OWSA) were conducted on the input costs and probabilities. RESULTS: The use of BPAB compared to MV approaches budget neutrality due to incremental savings year-on-year. The initial surgical procedure and reoperation costs for BPAB are offset by savings in acenocoumarol use, disabling strokes, major bleeding, minor thromboembolic events, and anticoagulation complications. The cost of the initial procedure per patient is 460 euros higher for a BPAB due to the higher valve acquisition cost, although this is partially offset by a shorter hospital stay. The OWSA shows that the total procedure costs, including the hospital stay, are the primary cost drivers in the model. LIMITATIONS: Results are limited by cost data aggregation in the DRG system, exclusion of costs for consumables and capital equipment use, possible underestimation of outpatient complication costs, age-related variations of event rates, and valve durability. CONCLUSIONS: Adopting BPAB as a treatment option for AS patients in Romania can lead to cost savings and long-term economic benefits. By mitigating procedure costs and increasing anticoagulation treatment costs, BPAB offers a budget-neutral option that can help healthcare providers, policymakers, and patients alike manage the growing burden of AS in Romania.

Transaortic Shallow Septal Myectomy and Cutting of Secondary Fibrotic Mitral Valve Chordae-A 5-Year Single-Center Experience in the Treatment of Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Anomalies of the mitral apparatus have been shown to contribute to left ventricular outflow obstruction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We report our 5-year single-center experience with a shallow myectomy procedure associated with transaortic mitral valve repair in a cohort of HCM patients. METHODS: We studied 83 consecutive patients who underwent surgical treatment of symptomatic left ventricular outflow obstruction. In all study patients, a transaortic shallow septal myectomy was performed. Fibrous or muscular structures connecting the papillary muscles to the septum or free wall were resected, and fibrotic secondary chordae of the anterior mitral valve were cut selectively. RESULTS: We report one death (1.2%) during hospitalization, no iatrogenic ventricular septal defects, and two (2.4%) mitral valve replacements. At discharge, no patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III/IV, from 49 (59%) preoperatively. Mean maximal septal thickness decreased from 24 ± 6 to 16 ± 3 mm. Mean outflow gradient decreased from 93 ± 33 to 13 ± 11 mmHg. Grade 3 or 4 mitral regurgitation was noticed in one patient postoperatively, from 32 (39%) before surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Shallow septal myectomy associated with secondary mitral valve chordal cutting and papillary muscle mobilization provided excellent results offering adequate treatment of outflow obstruction.

Successful surgical repair of a triple cardiac rupture using modified cohesive double patch technique.

Introduction The association between both left and right ventricular free wall ruptures (FWR) and post-infarction anterior ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an exceptional situation. Case report We present the case of a patient who developed a VSD and two FWRs (of the left and right ventricle, respectively) shortly after the onset of an anterior AMI. We surgically closed this complex rupture using the cohesive double patch technique with two Teflon patches combined with an infarct exclusion technique. The left and right ventricular patches were attached cohesively to the septal wall and the infarcted area was excluded without reducing the left ventricular cavity. Conclusion Association between post-infarction ventricular septal rupture and both left and right free wall ruptures are a very rare and dangerous situation. The modified cohesive double patch technique associated the modified Cooley technique seems to be the correct surgical solution.

An unusual association: right atrial myxoma and severe left ventricular dysfunction. Case report and review of the literature.

Myxomas comprise 50% of all benign cardiac tumors in adults, with the right atrium as their second most frequent site of origin. Surgical resection is the only effective therapeutic option for patients with these tumors. The association between right atrial myxomas and severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction is extremely rare and makes treatment even more challenging. This was the case for our patient, a 47-year-old male with a right atrial mass and a severely impaired left ventricular function, with a 20% ejection fraction. Global enlargement of the heart was also noted, with moderate right ventricular dysfunction. The tumor was successfully excised using the on-pump beating heart technique, with an immediate postoperative improvement of the left ventricular ejection fraction to 35%. The technique proved useful, with no increased risk to the patient.

Surgical treatment of a pulmonary artery aneurysm due to a regurgitant quadricuspid pulmonary valve.

We report the case of a patient with a pulmonary artery (PA) aneurysm secondary to a regurgitant quadricuspid pulmonary valve, in which both lesions were successfully repaired. The patient, a 16-year old boy, was known to have had pulmonary regurgitation and progressive dilation of the PA for years. He was operated on when he developed symptoms of effort, a dilated right ventricle and a PA of 55 mm. The quadricuspid pulmonary valve was an intraoperative finding. It had a dilated annulus, two normal cusps, a third with a 'sparrow-nest' configuration and the fourth was severely hypoplastic (which explained the valve regurgitation). The valve was repaired through tricuspidisation of the quadricuspid pulmonary valve (annular plication at the level of the hypoplastic cusp, freeing of excedentary tissue from the 'sparrow-nest' cusp and its reattachment to the plicated annulus). The aneurysm was treated through a reduction pulmonary arterioplasty. Early assessment showed the minimal regurgitation of the valve and a normal diameter PA. The outcome was uneventful, with a stable correction after 44 months of follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first repair of a quadricuspid pulmonary valve, through tricuspidisation.

Unique case of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the right ventricle with moderator band involvement.

Malignant primary tumors of the heart are very rare and in most cases are located in the left side of the heart, but involvement of the moderator band of the right heart has not yet been described in the literature. We report the case of a 22-year-old woman who presented after an episode of transient sudden loss of consciousness. The transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography evaluations showed an echogenic mass that originated in the right ventricle and protruded into the tricuspid valve during systole. While operating on the patient, we found a sessile tumor that originated exclusively from the moderator band of the right ventricle. The tumor was completely resected through the tricuspid valve. An immunohistochemistry examination of the tumor confirmed the diagnosis of a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) (undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma). To our knowledge, this case is the first of moderator band involvement among the 50 cases of primary MFH of the heart that have been reported in the literature. After a year and a half, TTE, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT) showed the absence of cardiac tumor, a normal tricuspid function, and no metastasis. The completeness of the surgical resection and the absence of local recurrence >1 year after surgery are encouraging signs for the patient's outcome.

The brachio-brachial arteriovenous fistula: mid-term results.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mid-term results of the brachio-brachial arteriovenous fistula in patients without adequate superficial venous circulation in the upper limb. METHODS: Retrospective analysis included 49 patients, in whom a brachio-brachial fistula had been created in an end-to-side configuration. After the maturation period (1 month), the brachial vein was transposed into the subcutaneous tissue. Follow-up study was performed in patients with functional brachio-brachial fistula after the superficialization. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients underwent 49 brachio-brachial fistula constructions. All fistulas were functional. One month after surgery, 40 (81.6%) of these patients had a functional fistula, but in only 39 (79.6%) cases was the fistula suitable for hemodialysis (HD) following transposition to subcutaneous tissue. During the 1-month maturation period, the fistula became occluded in nine patients, and in one case the vein was permeable, so the fistula was functional, but too small to permit HD. Seventeen patients developed temporary edema of the forearm during the first month, in three cases the edema was extended to the entire arm, but no other complications were associated with the procedure. Follow-up lasted 18.0 +/- 11.1 (3-37) months, during which 7/39 patients presented with fistula occlusion. Three patients died and another three were out of the study for various reasons. CONCLUSIONS: The brachio-brachial fistula is a good alternative to prosthetic grafts in patients without superficial venous circulation in the upper limb.