Cardiac surgery simulation: Advances in transvenous lead extraction.

The clinical importance of procedures for transvenous lead extraction has increased greatly because the volume of cardiac implantable electronic devices has increased. Consequently, the number of device-related complications requiring lead extraction has also been increasing. Great improvements in lead extraction techniques have occurred in recent years with the development of transvenous lead extraction tools and techniques. Experienced centres can achieve high success rates with infrequent complications. However, even in experienced hands, life-threatening complications can occur, and any physician performing these procedures must be prepared and trained for such eventualities. Moreover, because the occurrence of these stressful situations cannot be accurately predicted, training obtained in simulated environments can be decisive. We have developed a training module that simulates all the ordered steps of a transvenous lead extraction procedure and thus is able to help surgeons refine their surgical techniques and improve their performance.

Changes in frailty status after cardiac surgery. A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The concept of frailty has become increasingly familiar in cardiac surgery. Since one of the characteristics of frailty is its reversible nature, efforts are being made to preoperatively decrease the level of frailty. However, the effect that the surgery itself may have in the postoperative frailty status remains still unknown. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 137 patients aged 70 or more undergoing major cardiac surgery were recruited at three hospitals in Spain. Frailty status was assessed preoperatively and six months after surgery using the Fried scale and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). We analyzed the changes in these frailty scores and the transitions between frailty status after surgery. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 78.3 years. 47.7% were female. Prevalence of frailty was 27.5% with the Fried Scale and 11% with the CFS. Up to 50% of frail patients improved their frailty status after surgery. The distribution of frailty among the study groups at baseline and six months after surgery changed significantly, decreasing the overall burden of frailty after surgery: 27.5% vs 17.4% of frail patients with the Fried Scale and 50.5% vs 29.4% of vulnerable or frail patients with the CFS (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty is a dynamic condition that can be significantly reduced after cardiac surgery, suggesting that cardiac pathology is an important contributor to the preoperative patient's frailty status.

[Resultados a corto y medio plazo de la técnica de Florida]. / Early and medium-term results of the Florida Sleeve technique for aortic root ectasia

Introduction: Aortic root dilatation is a frequent disease affecting mostly young patients that often requires surgical repair. Surgical techniques in young patients include aortic valve-sparing procedures to avoid prosthetic valve implant. Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the results obtained in three patients with aortic root dilatation using the Florida Sleeve technique. Methods: From November 2015 to January 2017, three patients with severe aortic regurgitation due to aortic anuloectasic were intervened applying the Florida Sleeve technique. Results: Excellent postoperative results were obtained in the three cases including freedom of aortic regurgitation and any cause re-operation during three years of follow-up. Conclusion: The Florida Sleeve technique is a safe, reproducible technique with a learning curve and lower surgical times than traditional techniques. The medium-term clinical outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality are good.

Introducción: La dilatación de la raíz aórtica es una patología frecuente que afecta a pacientes jóvenes y su tratamiento es quirúrgico. Las técnicas quirúrgicas de elección en pacientes jóvenes son las de preservación de la válvula aórtica para evitar el implante de una prótesis valvular. Objetivo: El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo describir la técnica de Florida Sleeve y los resultados de nuestra experiencia. Método: Entre noviembre de 2015 y enero de 2017 fueron intervenidos en nuestro centro tres casos de pacientes con insuficiencia aórtica severa secundaria a anulectasia aórtica en los que se realizó la técnica de Florida Sleeve. Resultados: En los tres casos se obtuvieron excelentes resultados postoperatorios, libres de insuficiencia aórtica residual y de reoperación por cualquier causa, resultados que se mantuvieron a los tres años de seguimiento. Conclusiones: La técnica de Florida Sleeve es una técnica segura, reproducible con una curva de aprendizaje y tiempos quirúrgicos inferiores a las técnicas tradicionales. Los resultados clínicos a medio plazo en términos de morbimortalidad son buenos.

Influencia de la fragilidad en el pronóstico de pacientes quirúrgicos mayores de 70 años con criterios de ingreso en UCI / Influence of frailty in the outcome of surgical patients over 70 years old with admission criteria in ICU

INTRODUCCIÓN: El grado de fragilidad puede influir más que la edad o la gravedad en el pronóstico de pacientes mayores de 70 años intervenidos de cirugía del aparato digestivo que precisan control postoperatorio inmediato en UCI. MÉTODOS: Estudio prospectivo y observacional de pacientes mayores de 70 años que ingresaron en UCI quirúrgica de un hospital de tercer nivel inmediatamente después de una intervención quirúrgica electiva o urgente sobre el aparato digestivo desde el 1 de junio de 2018 hasta el 1 de junio de 2019. Se registraron al ingreso las variables edad, fragilidad (Clinical Frailty Scale, CFS, y Modified Frailty Index, mFI), gravedad (APACHE II), tipo de cirugía y entidad quirúrgica. Se realizó un análisis bivariante para evaluar la influencia de la fragilidad y gravedad en la morbimortalidad hospitalaria y situación basal del paciente (en cuanto a dependencia) a 6 meses. RESULTADOS: Fueron seleccionados 90 pacientes, de los que el 54,4% fueron reintervenidos; el 74,4% fueron dados de alta inicialmente en UCI, con un reingreso del 28,4% y con relación directa con la fragilidad (CFS y mFI: p < 0,01). La mortalidad global a los 6 meses fue 44,5%, con CFS (OR = 64,3; p < 0,05; IC 95%: 12,3-333,9) y APACHE II (OR = 1,17; p < 0,05; IC 95%: 1,04-1,32) fueron las covariables que mejor se relacionaron. CONCLUSIONES: La estimación de la fragilidad mediante CSF y mFI tiene relación directa con la morbilidad quirúrgica y el reingreso de pacientes graves de edad avanzada ingresados en UCI. Además, CFS y mFI han resultado eficientes como predictores de mortalidad a los 6 meses

INTRODUCTION: Frailty degree can influence more than age or severity in the outcome of patients older than 70 years undergoing surgery of the digestive system that require immediate postoperative control in the ICU. METHODS: A prospective and observational study of patients over 70 years of age who were admitted to the surgical ICU of a third level hospital immediately after an elective or emergent surgical intervention on the digestive system from June 1, 2018 until June 1, 2019. The variables age, frailty Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and modified Frailty Index (mFI), severity (APACHE II), type of surgery, surgical pathology were recorded upon admission. A bivariate analysis was performed to assess the influence of frailty and severity on hospital morbidity and mortality and baseline situation of the patient (in terms of dependence) at 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients were recruited, 54.4% of whom were reoperated; 74.4% were initially discharged from the ICU, with 28.4% of readmission and directly associated to frailty (CFS and mFI: P < 0.01). The overall mortality at 6 months was 44.5% being CFS (OR = 64.3; P < 0.05, 95% CI: 12.3-333.9) and APACHE II (OR = 1.17; P < 0.05; 95% CI: 1.04-1.32) the covariates that best related

Influence of frailty in the outcome of surgical patients over 70 years old with admission criteria in ICU. / Influencia de la fragilidad en el pronóstico de pacientes quirúrgicos mayores de 70 años con criterios de ingreso en UCI.

INTRODUCTION: Frailty degree can influence more than age or severity in the outcome of patients older than 70 years undergoing surgery of the digestive system that require immediate postoperative control in the ICU. METHODS: A prospective and observational study of patients over 70 years of age who were admitted to the surgical ICU of a third level hospital immediately after an elective or emergent surgical intervention on the digestive system from June 1, 2018 until June 1, 2019. The variables age, frailty Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and modified Frailty Index (mFI), severity (APACHE II), type of surgery, surgical pathology were recorded upon admission. A bivariate analysis was performed to assess the influence of frailty and severity on hospital morbidity and mortality and baseline situation of the patient (in terms of dependence) at 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients were recruited, 54.4% of whom were reoperated; 74.4% were initially discharged from the ICU, with 28.4% of readmission and directly associated to frailty (CFS and mFI: P<0.01). The overall mortality at 6 months was 44.5% being CFS (OR = 64.3; P<0.05, 95% CI: 12.3-333.9) and APACHE II (OR = 1.17; P<0.05; 95% CI: 1.04-1.32) the covariates that best related. CONCLUSIONS: The estimation of frailty by CSF and mFI is directly associated to the surgical morbidity and readmission of elderly and severe patients admitted to the ICU. In addition, CFS and mFI has been efficient as a predictive of mortality at 6 months.

COVID-19 y shock cardiogénico: diferentes formas de presentación cardiovascular con alta mortalidad / COVID-19 and cardiogenic shock. Different cardiovascular presentations with high mortality

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Propionibacterium acnes Pacemaker Endocarditis in a Patient With a Redundant Loop of the Ventricular Lead: PET/CT Findings.

A 59-year-old man with a pacemaker who was admitted for evaluation of fever was found to have a redundant loop of the ventricular lead and a vegetation attached to it. An FDG PET/CT revealed a focus of FDG uptake at the ventricular lead loop. Surgical extraction of the pacemaker device confirmed a Propionibacterium acnes pacemaker endocarditis. We hypothesize that the redundant loop of the ventricular lead induced a chronic mechanical stress both to the tricuspid valve and to the lead itself, facilitating the bacterial colonization of the lead.

Correction to: Prognostic factors of mortality after surgery in infective endocarditis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Long-term prognosis after surgery for infective endocarditis: Distinction between predictors of early and late survival / Pronóstico a largo plazo tras cirugía cardiaca en la endocarditis infecciosa: diferencias entre predictores de supervivencia precoz y tardía

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac surgery is a life-saving procedure in patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis (IE). There are several validated risk scores developed to predict early-mortality; nevertheless, long-term survival has been less investigated. The aim of the present study is to analyze the impact of IE-specific risk factors for early and long-term mortality. METHODS: An observational retrospective study was conducted that included all patients who underwent surgery for IE from 2002 to 2016. Median follow-up time after surgery was 53.2 months (IQI 26.2-106.8 months). In-hospital mortality was analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Long-term survival was analyzed after one, two and five years. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to identify risk factors related to long-term mortality. RESULTS: Of the 180 patients underwent cardiac surgery, 133 were discharged alive (in-hospital mortality was 26.11%). 6 variables were identified as independent factors associated with in-hospital mortality, most of them closely related to the severity of IE: age, multivalvular involvement, critical preoperative status, preoperative mechanical ventilation, abscess and thrombocytopenia. Long-term survival in patients discharged alive was 89.1%, 87.4% and 77.6% after one, two and five years. Long-term mortality was independent of specific IE factors and 86.51% of deaths were not related to cardiovascular or infectious diseases. CONCLUSION: Despite the high perioperative mortality rate after surgical treatment for active IE, long-term survival after hospital discharge was acceptable, regardless of the severity of the endocarditis episode. Although in-hospital survival depended mainly on several IE factors, long-term survival was not related to the severity of endocarditis baseline affection

OBJETIVOS: La cirugía cardíaca es un procedimiento fundamental en pacientes diagnosticados de endocarditis infecciosa (EI). Existen varias escalas de riesgo para predecir la mortalidad temprana; sin embargo, la supervivencia a largo plazo ha sido menos estudiada. El objetivo es analizar el impacto de los factores de riesgo específicos de EI en la mortalidad temprana y a largo plazo. MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional retrospectivo que incluyó a todos los pacientes operados por EI entre 2002 y 2016. La mediana del tiempo de seguimiento fue de 53,2 meses (IQI: 26,2-106,8 meses). La mortalidad intrahospitalaria se analizó mediante regresión logística múltiple. La supervivencia se analizó a uno, 2 y 5 años. Los factores de riesgo de mortalidad tardía se analizaron mediante regresión de Cox. RESULTADOS: De los 180 pacientes operados, 133 sobrevivieron al postoperatorio inmediato (26,11% de mortalidad intrahospitalaria). Encontramos 6 factores asociados a la mortalidad hospitalaria: edad, afectación multivalvular, estado preoperatorio crítico, ventilación mecánica preoperatoria, absceso y trombopenia. La supervivencia a largo plazo fue del 89,1, 87,4 y 77,6% después de uno, 2 y 5 años. La mortalidad a largo plazo fue independiente de factores específicos de la EI, y el 86,51% no se relacionó con enfermedades cardiovasculares o infecciosas. CONCLUSIÓN: A pesar de la alta tasa de mortalidad peri-operatoria tras cirugía, la supervivencia a largo plazo fue aceptable, independientemente de la gravedad del episodio de endocarditis. Aunque la supervivencia intrahospitalaria guardó relación con factores específicos de endocarditis, y la supervivencia a largo plazo no se correlacionó con la gravedad de la afectación inicial

Prognostic factors of mortality after surgery in infective endocarditis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: There is a lack of consensus about which endocarditis-specific preoperative characteristics have an actual impact over postoperative mortality. Our objective was the identification and quantification of these factors. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of all the studies which reported factors related to in-hospital mortality after surgery for acute infective endocarditis, conducted according to PRISMA recommendations. A search string was constructed and applied on three different databases. Two investigators independently reviewed the retrieved references. Quality assessment was performed for identification of potential biases. All the variables that were included in at least two validated risk scores were meta-analyzed independently, and the pooled estimates were expressed as odds ratios (OR) with their confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The final sample consisted on 16 studies, comprising a total of 7484 patients. The overall pooled OR were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for: age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.05), female sex (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.35-1.81), urgent or emergency surgery (OR 2.39 95% CI 1.91-3.00), previous cardiac surgery (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.84-2.61), NYHA ≥ III (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.33-2.55), cardiogenic shock (OR 4.15, 95% CI 3.06-5.64), prosthetic valve (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.68-2.33), multivalvular affection (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.01-1.82), renal failure (OR 2.57, 95% CI 2.15-3.06), paravalvular abscess (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.77-3.22) and S. aureus infection (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.89-2.73). CONCLUSIONS: After a systematic review, we identified 11 preoperative factors related to an increased postoperative mortality. The meta-analysis of each of these factors showed a significant association with an increased in-hospital mortality after surgery for active infective endocarditis. Graph summary of the Pooled Odds Ratios of the 11 preoperative factors analyzed after the systematic review and meta-analysis.

Diagnóstico tardío incidental de herniación cardiaca tras traumatismo / Delayed incidental diagnosis of posttraumatic cardiac herniation

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Influence of Preoperative Frailty on Health-Related Quality of Life After Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Frailty has emerged as one of the main predictors of worse outcomes after cardiac surgery, but scarce evidence is available about its influence on postoperative quality of life. Whether frail patients may improve their quality of life or not after the surgical procedure is a matter that still remains unclear. METHODS: This observational and multicenter cohort study was conducted in 3 university-affiliated hospitals of three different regions of Spain (Madrid, Asturias, and Canary Islands). Patients were categorized into three ordinal levels of frailty (frail, prefrail, robust) using the Fried, FRAIL (fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight) scale, and Clinical Frailty Scale frailty scales. We analyzed the changes on health-related quality-of-life for each level of frailty using the EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5 Level questionnaire before and 6 months after the operation. RESULTS: The study included 137 patients, and 109 completed the 6-month follow-up. Median age of the entire cohort was 78 years (interquartile interval, 72 to 83 years). Frailty prevalence varied between 10% and 29%, depending on which scale was used. There was a statistically significant linear trend in the incidence of death or major morbidity among the different levels of frailty. On one hand, robust patients did not show significant changes in their previously high score of quality of life during follow-up. On the other hand, frail and prefrail patients significantly improved their scores after the operation. These results were comparable regardless the scale used for frailty assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Frail and prefrail patients have a significant improvement in their quality of life 6 months after their cardiac operation, and they have a proportionally greater increase in their postoperative health-related quality of life scores than robust patients.

Long-term prognosis after surgery for infective endocarditis: Distinction between predictors of early and late survival.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac surgery is a life-saving procedure in patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis (IE). There are several validated risk scores developed to predict early-mortality; nevertheless, long-term survival has been less investigated. The aim of the present study is to analyze the impact of IE-specific risk factors for early and long-term mortality. METHODS: An observational retrospective study was conducted that included all patients who underwent surgery for IE from 2002 to 2016. Median follow-up time after surgery was 53.2 months (IQI 26.2-106.8 months). In-hospital mortality was analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Long-term survival was analyzed after one, two and five years. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to identify risk factors related to long-term mortality. RESULTS: Of the 180 patients underwent cardiac surgery, 133 were discharged alive (in-hospital mortality was 26.11%). 6 variables were identified as independent factors associated with in-hospital mortality, most of them closely related to the severity of IE: age, multivalvular involvement, critical preoperative status, preoperative mechanical ventilation, abscess and thrombocytopenia. Long-term survival in patients discharged alive was 89.1%, 87.4% and 77.6% after one, two and five years. Long-term mortality was independent of specific IE factors and 86.51% of deaths were not related to cardiovascular or infectious diseases. CONCLUSION: Despite the high perioperative mortality rate after surgical treatment for active IE, long-term survival after hospital discharge was acceptable, regardless of the severity of the endocarditis episode. Although in-hospital survival depended mainly on several IE factors, long-term survival was not related to the severity of endocarditis baseline affection.

Geometrical and functional cardiac changes after cardiac surgery: a phisiopatological explanation based on speckle tracking.

Cardiac surgery induces geometrical and functional changes, which are not clearly explained. Objective: to investigate the physiopathology of the heart after cardiac surgery using advanced techniques of echocardiography. Thirty patients undergoing cardiac surgery had echocardiographic study prior and after surgery. Left and right ventricular (RV) longitudinal displacement and strain were studied with speckle-tracking. Using longitudinal displacement, we defined a static longitudinal reference-point (sLRP) to which the other segments moved during systole. Transversal displacement and global function were determined by conventional-echo. Left and RV segments showed systolic longitudinal displacement towards the apex, which was the sLRP before surgery; and towards the medium segment of lateral RV-wall one week after surgery. The displacement of basal RV segment towards this sLRP was smaller, causing decreased TAPSE. Apical segments showed an inverse displacement towards the new sLRP, and septum displacement was decreased or inverted towards the lateral RV-wall, causing paradoxus septal motion. RV-wall longitudinal strain was reduced (- 23.1 ± 8.6 vs. - 14.6 ± 5.3;p < 0.001), RV transversal fractional shortening was increased (36.5 ± 10.5 vs. 41.7 ± 13; p = 0.011), and the RV fractional area change was unchanged (46.7 ± 9.5 vs. 47.8 ± 11.7; p = 0.625). The medium segment of RV lateral wall, in contact with sternotomy, remains static after surgery and acts as a new sLRP towards which the rest of segments move, explaining the reduction of TAPSE and paradoxus septal motion. The longitudinal strain of the lateral RV-wall gets impaired, but an increase of transversal motion maintains global RV function.