Impact of robotic-assisted and video-assisted sympathetic nerve reconstruction on quality of life for severe compensatory hyperhidrosis after thoracic sympathectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Severe compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) is a disabling complication following thoracic sympathectomy. Our study was to establish valid patient selection criteria and determine outcomes of nerve reconstructive surgery. Furthermore, we assessed the clinical feasibility and safety of a robotic-assisted approach compared to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: Adults with severe CH following bilateral sympathectomy for primary hyperhidrosis were enrolled. We performed 2 questionnaires: the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale and the Dermatology Life Quality Index before and 6 months after nerve reconstructive surgery. A one-time evaluation of healthy volunteers (controls) was undertaken to validate the quality of life measures. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (mean age 34.1 ± 11.5 years) underwent sympathetic nerve reconstruction. None of the patients had a recurrence of primary hyperhidrosis. Improvement in quality of life was reported in 50% of patients. Both mean Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale and mean Dermatology Life Quality Index were significantly reduced compared to preoperative assessments. In 10 patients, a video-assisted approach and in 4 patients robotic assistance was utilized. There was no significant difference in outcomes between approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Somatic-autonomic nerve reconstructive surgery offers a reversal in the debilitating symptoms in some patients with severe CH. Proper patient selection, preoperative counselling and management of expectation are of paramount importance. Robot-assisted thoracic surgery is an alternative method to conventional video-assisted surgery. Our study provides a practical approach and benchmark for future clinical practice and research.

Is It Safe to Let Trainees Operate on High Risk Cardiac Surgery Cases?

Increasing complexity in cardiac operations has raised the discussion on trainee autonomy and the number of cases required to achieve competency. This study compares outcomes among cases done by trainees vs consultants for high risk patients. 696 (trainee=158 vs consultant=438) major high risk cardiac operations (Euroscore >10) were reviewed at a single center. Observations were propensity matched to consultant or trainee based on several baseline characteristics. Euroscore was: Trainee; 12.3 ± 1.6 versus Consultant; 12.8 ± 2.2, p=.036. Multivariable analysis did not identify trainee as a risk factor for worse in-hospital mortality (OR; 0.95, CI; 0.4-2.2, p=.914) or composite outcome of length of stay >30 days, deep sternal infection, new hemodialysis, new stroke or transient ischemic attack, in-hospital death or reoperation (OR; 0.64, CI; 0.39-1.03, p=.069). NYHA class, diabetes and emergency/salvage surgery were predictors of worse composite outcome. After propensity matching (130 pairs), there was no difference in reoperation rates (3.1% versus 4.6%, p=.727), inhospital death (5.4% versus 7.7%, p=.607) or composite outcome (20.8% versus 29.2%, p=.152). There was no statistical difference in cross clamp times (Trainee; 74.0 ± 32.7 min vs Consultant; 82.6 ± 51.1, p=.229) and bypass times (Trainee; 116.3 ± 52.8 min versus Consultant 135.3 ± 72.6 min, p=.055). The length of stay was similar (18.2 ± 13.2 days versus 19.9 ± 15.6 days, p=.302). It is possible for trainees to perform high risk cardiac surgery without compromising the quality of patient care.

Aortic Stenosis Prognostication in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for Testing and Validation of a Biomarker-Derived Scoring System.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been established as an important independent risk factor for aortic stenosis. T2DM patients present with a higher degree of valve calcification and left ventricular dysfunction compared to patients without diabetes. This may be due to an increase in incidence and severity of myocardial fibrosis. Currently, there is no reliable method of determining the optimal timing of intervention for a patient with asymptomatic aortic stenosis or predicting when a patient will become symptomatic. Research into serum biomarkers to predict subclinical onset and track progression of aortic stenosis is hampered by the multimodal nature of the pathological processes ultimately responsible for aortic stenosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to prove that an approach using a combination of serum biomarkers and the echocardiographic parameter global longitudinal strain (GLS) can be used to establish baseline status of fibrocalcific aortic valve disease, predict rate of progression, and quantitatively assess any regression of these processes following aortic valve replacement in patients with T2DM. METHODS: Validated serum biomarkers for the separate processes of calcification, inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis can be used to quantify onset and rate of progression of aortic stenosis. This, in combination with the echocardiographic parameter GLS, can be compared with other objective investigations of calcification and fibrosis with the aim of developing a quick, noninvasive one-stop assessment of aortic stenosis in patients with T2DM. The serum biomarkers BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide), Gal-3 (Galectin-3), GDF-15 (growth differentiation factor-15), sST2 (soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2), OPG (osteoprotegerin), and microRNA 19b and 21 will be sampled from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (with and without T2DM), patients with T2DM but without aortic valve disease and healthy volunteers. These patients will also undergo computed tomography (CT) scans for calcium scoring, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify myocardial fibrosis, and myocardial strain imaging with speckle-tracking echocardiography. Samples of calcified native aortic valve and a biopsy of ventricular myocardium will be examined histologically to determine the quantity and distribution of calcification and fibrosis, and the secretome of these tissue samples will also be analyzed for levels of the same biomarkers as in the serum samples. All patients will be followed up with in 3 months and 12 months for repeat blood sampling, echocardiography, and CT and MRI imaging to assess disease progression or regression. The results of tissue analysis and CT and MRI scanning will be used to validate the findings of the serum biomarkers and echocardiographic assessment. RESULTS: Using all of the information gathered throughout the study will yield a ranking scale for use in the clinic, which will provide each patient with a fibrocalcific profile. This can then be used to recommend an optimal time for intervention. CONCLUSION: A reliable, validated set of serum biomarkers combined with an inexpensive bedside echocardiographic examination can now form the basis of a one-stop outpatient-based assessment service, which will provide an accurate risk assessment in patients with aortic stenosis at first contact. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/13186.

Early Hemodynamic Performance of the Crown PRT Aortic Prosthesis: A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Currently, only limited data are available on the rate of hemodynamic progression with clinical outcome in patients receiving the latest Crown PRT aortic prosthesis. The study aim was to report clinical and hemodynamic outcomes in 55 consecutive patients for a follow up of up to one year after Crown PRT implantation. METHODS: Between February and September 2015, a total of 55 patients (34 males, 21 females; mean age 77.3 ± 1.2 years) underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) with the latest LivaNova Crown PRT bioprosthesis at the authors' institution. Left ventricular function was preserved in 79% of patients. Data relating to the patients' clinical, echocardiographic and functional capacities were obtained prospectively. RESULTS: There were no in-hospital deaths. Significant perioperative complications included stroke (3.6%), atrial fibrillation (27%), and permanent pacemaker insertion (1.8%). Pre-discharge echocardiography demonstrated peak (PG) and mean (MG) transprosthetic gradients of 24.4 ± 10.4 mmHg and 12.9 ± 6.2 mmHg, respectively. The Doppler velocity index (DVI) was 0.49 ± 0.13, and the effective orifice area index (EOAi) 0.89 ± 0.12 cm2/m2. At a mean follow up of 1.3 ± 0.3 years, the transprosthetic gradients, DVI and EOAi were not significantly different from postoperative or pre-discharge values. The patients' NYHA status was I or II in 95% of cases, and the mean left ventricular mass had decreased by 36% at the end of follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The Crown PRT is an effective bioprosthesis, with a low incidence of valve-related complications comparable to those of other current bioprostheses. The bioprosthesis demonstrated satisfactory results in terms of hemodynamics and freedom from reoperation.

A record-breaking lung metastasis from renal cell carcinoma 37 years after nephrectomy.

Development of distant metastases from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a frequent occurrence and, in nearly 95% of the cases, secondary lesions present within 5 years following nephrectomy. We performed a left pneumonectomy for a peri-hilar lung mass in an 81-year-old man with history of kidney cancer, resected 37 years earlier. Histopathological examination revealed a solitary lung metastasis from RCC, relapsed after an extraordinary 37-year time interval. To the best of our knowledge, this remarkable case represents the longest time interval between radical nephrectomy for RCC and the occurrence of a pulmonary metastasis. After an uneventful post-operative recovery, there are no signs of disease recurrence at a 3-year follow-up. The possibility of a lung metastasis should be taken into account in patients with history of RCC who present with pulmonary nodules, even decades after treatment of the primary neoplasm.

Hearts from mice fed a non-obesogenic high-fat diet exhibit changes in their oxidative state, calcium and mitochondria in parallel with increased susceptibility to reperfusion injury.

RATIONALE: High-fat diet with obesity-associated co-morbidities triggers cardiac remodeling and renders the heart more vulnerable to ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the effect of high-fat diet without obesity and associated co-morbidities is presently unknown. OBJECTIVES: To characterize a non-obese mouse model of high-fat diet, assess the vulnerability of hearts to reperfusion injury and to investigate cardiac cellular remodeling in relation to the mechanism(s) underlying reperfusion injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: Feeding C57BL/6J male mice high-fat diet for 20 weeks did not induce obesity, diabetes, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac dysfunction, atherosclerosis or cardiac apoptosis. However, isolated perfused hearts from mice fed high-fat diet were more vulnerable to reperfusion injury than those from mice fed normal diet. In isolated cardiomyocytes, high-fat diet was associated with higher diastolic intracellular Ca2+ concentration and greater damage to isolated cardiomyocytes following simulated ischemia/reperfusion. High-fat diet was also associated with changes in mitochondrial morphology and expression of some related proteins but not mitochondrial respiration or reactive oxygen species turnover rates. Proteomics, western blot and high-performance liquid chromatography techniques revealed that high-fat diet led to less cardiac oxidative stress, higher catalase expression and significant changes in expression of putative components of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). Inhibition of the mPTP conferred relatively more cardio-protection in the high-fat fed mice compared to normal diet. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows for the first time that high-fat diet, independent of obesity-induced co-morbidities, triggers changes in cardiac oxidative state, calcium handling and mitochondria which are likely to be responsible for increased vulnerability to cardiac insults.

Combined clopidogrel and aspirin treatment up to surgery increases the risk of postoperative myocardial infarction, blood loss and reoperation for bleeding in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVES: Recent guidelines suggest that patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) should discontinue clopidogrel and aspirin (ASA) 5 and 2-10 days, respectively, before surgery to reduce postoperative bleeding and its complications. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between the timing of discontinuing clopidogrel + ASA and early clinical outcomes in patients undergoing CABG. METHODS: Four thousand three hundred and thirty consecutive patients underwent isolated CABG from April 2004 to February 2009. Of these, 926 patients received double antiplatelet therapy in the 14 days prior to surgery. Patients were stratified into three groups: clopidogrel + ASA within 5 and 2 days, respectively, before surgery (Group A, n = 287); clopidogrel within 5 days + ASA stopped 2-10 days before surgery or clopidogrel stopped 5 days + ASA within 2 days of surgery (Group B, n = 308) and clopidogrel + ASA discontinued >5 and 10 days, respectively, before surgery (control group, n = 331). RESULTS: Overall mortality was 0.8%. The incidence of postoperative myocardial infarction (MI) was 5.2, 1 and 1.8% in Groups A, B and control, respectively (P = 0.004). Reoperation for bleeding occurred in 4.5, 2.9 and 1.2% (P = 0.04) and total chest drainage was 761 ± 473, 720 ± 421 and 687 ± 302 ml in Groups A, B and control, respectively (P = 0.06). Multivariable analysis revealed that Group A was an independent predictor of postoperative MI (P = 0.02), reoperation for bleeding (P = 0.02), blood transfusions (P = 0.003) and blood losses (P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Clopidogrel in combination with ASA up to the time of surgery is associated with an increased risk of postoperative MI, blood loss and reoperation for bleeding in patients undergoing CABG.

On-pump and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with left main stem disease: a propensity score analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared safety and efficacy between off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB), a relatively new technique, and conventional on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CCAB) in patients with left main stem disease. METHODS: In a retrospective, observational, cohort study of prospectively collected data on 2375 consecutive patients with left main stem disease undergoing isolated CABG (1297 OPCAB, 1078 CCAB) between April 1996 and December 2009 at the Bristol Heart Institute, 548 patients undergoing OPCAB were matched with 548 patients undergoing CCAB by propensity score. RESULTS: After propensity matching, groups were comparable in preoperative characteristics. Relative to CCAB, OPCAB was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (0.5% vs 2.9%; P = .001), incidence of stroke (0% vs 0.9%; P = .02), postoperative renal dysfunction (4.9% vs 10.8%; P = .001), pulmonary complications (10.2% vs 16.6%; P = .002), and infectious complications (3.5% vs 6.2%; P = .03). The OPCAB group received fewer grafts than did the CCAB group (2.7 ± 0.7 vs 3 ± 0.7; P = .001) and had a lower rate of complete revascularization (88.3% vs 92%; P = .04). In multivariable analysis, cardiopulmonary bypass was confirmed to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 5.74; P = .001). Survivals at 1, 5, and 10 years were similar between groups (OPCAB, 96.8%, 87.3%, and 71.7%; CCAB, 96.8%, 88.6%, and 69.8%). CONCLUSIONS: OPCAB in patients with left main stem disease is a safe procedure with reduced early morbidity and mortality and similar long-term survival to conventional on-pump revascularization.

Training residents in off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: a 14-year experience.

OBJECTIVE: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) is an established procedure in many cardiothoracic centers. For it to be widely applicable, however, teaching methods must be developed for surgical trainees. Early clinical outcomes and long-term survival of patients who underwent OPCAB at our institution by trainees supervised and unsupervised were compared with those of patients whose procedures were performed by senior surgeons. To evaluate evolution of training, outcomes were analyzed according to 3 different periods (1996-1999, 2000-2004, 2005-2009) and trainee seniority level. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study of prospectively collected data from 5566 consecutive patients who underwent isolated OPCAB performed by trainees (1589, 28.6%; 1111 supervised, 478 unsupervised) and by senior surgeons (3977, 71.4%). RESULTS: Patients of senior surgeons were more likely to have left ventricular dysfunction (P = .001), peripheral vascular disease (P = .05), more extensive coronary artery disease (P = .001), and higher EuroSCOREs than patients of trainees. In addition, trainees were less likely to have performed urgent operations (P = .02) or reoperations (P = .03) but more likely to have operated on patients with previous percutaneous coronary intervention (P = .006). Early clinical outcomes and long-term survival were similar between groups and not related to trainee seniority, level of supervision by senior surgeon, or period during which training took place. CONCLUSIONS: OPCAB is a safe and reproducible surgical technique that can be taught successfully to cardiothoracic trainees. Clinical outcomes are unrelated to level of supervision or seniority of trainees.

Mild renal dysfunction in patients undergoing cardiac surgery as a new risk factor for EuroSCORE.

BACKGROUND: It has recently been suggested that mild renal dysfunction is associated with increased mortality in cardiac surgery; however, this risk factor is not accounted for in the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE). The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of mild renal dysfunction as a predictor of operative mortality and develop and validate a modified logistic EuroSCORE model. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational, cohort study of prospectively collected data on 16 086 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery at the Bristol Heart Institute between April 1996 and February 2009. To develop a modified logistic EuroSCORE, data were dived into developmental and validation datasets (11 596 and 4490 patients respectively). The relationship between risk factors and mortality was assessed using univariate and logistic regression analysis. Calibration and discrimination were assessed by Hosmer Lemeshow χ(2) test and receiving operative characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: Overall hospital mortality was 2.6%. At multivariate analysis, 13 out of 18 variables of the EuroSCORE influenced operative mortality; moreover, preoperative mild renal dysfunction, defined as serum creatinine 130-199 µmol/l, was identified as a new risk factor for mortality (OR 1.819, 95% CI 1.353 to 2.447, p<0.0001). EuroSCORE was able to predict mortality; however, modified logistic EuroSCORE had a better discriminatory power (area under ROC: 0.844 vs 0.784, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative mild renal dysfunction is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. These findings now need to be validated with data from other centres.

A clinical score to predict the need for intraaortic balloon pump in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: There is no accepted consensus on the definition of high-risk patients who may benefit from the use of intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The aim of this study was to develop a risk model to identify high-risk patients and predict the need for IABP insertion during CABG. METHODS: From April 1996 to December 2006, 8,872 consecutive patients underwent isolated CABG; of these 182 patients (2.1%) received intraoperative or postoperative IABP. The scoring risk model was developed in 4,575 patients (derivation dataset) and validated on the remaining patients (validation dataset). Predictive accuracy was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: Mortality was 1% in the entire cohort and 18.7% (22 patients) in the group which received IABP. Multivariable analysis showed that age greater than 70 years, moderate and poor left ventricular dysfunction, previous cardiac surgery, emergency operation, left main disease, Canadian Cardiovascular Society 3-4 class, and recent myocardial infarction were independent risk factors for the need of IABP insertion. Three risk groups were identified. The observed probability of receiving IABP and mortality in the validation dataset was 36.4% and 10% in the high-risk group (score >14), 10.9% and 2.8% in the medium-risk group (score 7 to 13), and 1.7% and 0.7% in the low-risk group (score 0 to 6). CONCLUSIONS: This simple clinical risk model based on preoperative clinical data can be used to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from elective insertion of IABP during CABG.

Floating intra-aortic thrombus presenting as distal arterial embolism.

Floating thrombi in the aorta are a rare finding in the absence of any coagulation abnormality. They often represent a surgical emergency. Our case refers to a 45-year-old woman who presented with acute ischemia of the upper extremity. This was a result of peripheral embolism originating in a floating thrombus in the ascending aorta. A free-floating lesion held by a pedicle from the lateral ascending aortic wall was demonstrated using computed tomography and magnetic resonance scans. There was no pre-existing clotting abnormality. Conservative treatment with oral anticoagulation was not successful in removing the lesion. Therefore, a surgical approach was selected through a median sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. Under temporary hypothermic circulatory arrest, the ascending aorta was opened. The lesion was removed along with a rim of aortic wall, circulation was re-established and the aorta was reconnected with use of a synthetic interposition graft. Postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged on oral anticoagulation. Histopathology confirmed the lesion as thrombus. Only a few cases of intra-aortic thrombus without any coagulation abnormality basis are described in literature. Occasionally, they present as distal embolism. Treatment should be surgical excision on cardiopulmonary bypass, a procedure performed safely with excellent outcome.