Long-term secondary cardiovascular prevention programme in patients subjected to coronary artery bypass surgery.

AIMS: Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are at very high risk of recurrent events. A strategy to reduce excess risk might be to deliver structured secondary prevention programmes, but their efficacy has been mostly evaluated in the short term and in experimental settings. This is a retrospective case-control study aimed at assessing, in the real world, the efficacy of a secondary prevention programme in reducing long-term coronary event recurrences after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). METHODS AND RESULTS: Programme participants (henceforth 'cases') were men and women aged <75 years subjected to CABG between 2002 and 2014, living within 100 km of the hospital. Key programme actions included optimization of treatments according to the most updated European preventive guidelines, surveillance of therapy adherence, and customized lifestyle counselling. Controls were analogous patients not involved in the programme because living farther than 100 km away, matched 1:1 with cases for gender, age at CABG, and year of CABG. Both groups (n = 1248) underwent usual periodic cardiology follow-up at our centre. Data on symptomatic or silent CHD recurrences were obtained from the hospital electronic health records. Cox analysis (adjusted for baseline differences between groups) shows that programme participation was associated with a significantly lower incidence throughout 5 years post-CABG of symptomatic [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.59 (0.38-0.94)] and silent [0.53 (0.31-0.89)] coronary recurrences. CONCLUSION: In a real-world setting, taking part in a structured longstanding secondary prevention programme, in addition to usual cardiology care, meaningfully lowers the risk of coronary recurrences.

Single Center Five Years' Experience of Ozaki Procedure: Midterm Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The Ozaki procedure is an innovative surgical technique aiming at the reconstruction of the aortic valve with autologous pericardium to overcome the limitations of commercially available prostheses. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 71 patients who underwent the Ozaki operation at our center between October 2014 and February 2020. RESULTS: No in-hospital death occurred. Freedom from major adverse valve-related events was 97%. The aortic gradients and transvalvular velocity were significantly lower at the 3-month echocardiographic control than at the predischarge echocardiography (10.93 ± 5.38, P < .01 vs 16.24 ± 7.67, P < .01, respectively). The median follow-up period was 20.7 months (range, 2 to 47). Four patients showed mild/moderate aortic insufficiency (5.6%), and none showed severe aortic valve insufficiency. No patients underwent reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: Midterm outcome follow-up of the Ozaki procedure showed optimal results in terms of mortality, transaortic valve gradients, freedom from major adverse valve-related events, and recurrence of aortic valve insufficiency.

Single center 5-years' experience of Ozaki procedure: mid-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The Ozaki procedure is an innovative surgical technique aiming at the reconstruction of the aortic valve with autologous pericardium to overcome the limitations of commercially available prostheses. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 71 patients who underwent Ozaki operation at our centre between October 2014 and February 2020. RESULTS: No in-hospital death occurred. Freedom from major adverse valve-related events (MAVRE) was 97%. The aortic gradients and transvalvular velocity are significantly lower at the 3-months echocardiographic control than at the pre-discharged echocardiography (10.93 ± 5.38, p= 0,0003 vs 16.24 ± 7.67 p= 0,0004 respectively). The median follow-up period was 20.7 months (range 2 to 47 months). Four patients showed mild/moderate aortic insufficiency (5.6%) and none showed severe aortic valve insufficiency. No patients underwent reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: Mid-term outcome follow-up of Ozaki procedure showed optimal results in term of mortality, transaortic valve gradients, freedom from MAVRE and recurrence of aortic valve insufficiency.

Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation After Percutaneous Removal of a Swan-Ganz Catheter Caught by Suture.

Swan-Ganz catheter entrapment in the heart, vena cava, or pulmonary artery is rare but may lead to life-threatening events. We report a case of severe tricuspid regurgitation resulting from papillary muscle rupture during percutaneous removal of a Swan-Ganz catheter (SCG) caught by a surgical suture. We performed urgent tricuspid valve repair by suturing the ruptured papillary muscle. This report highlights preventive measures to avoid suture-related entrapment and raises a word of caution regarding percutaneous removal of accidentally entrapped SCGs.

A compact and automated ex vivo vessel culture system for the pulsatile pressure conditioning of human saphenous veins.

Saphenous vein (SV) graft disease represents an unresolved problem in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). After CABG, a progressive remodelling of the SV wall occurs, possibly leading to occlusion of the lumen, a process termed 'intima hyperplasia' (IH). The investigation of cellular and molecular aspects of IH progression is a primary end-point toward the generation of occlusion-free vessels that may be used as 'life-long' grafts. While animal transplantation models have clarified some of the remodelling factors, the pathology of human SV is far from being understood. This is also due to the lack of devices able to reproduce the altered mechanical load encountered by the SV after CABG. This article describes the design of a novel ex vivo vein culture system (EVCS) capable of replicating the altered pressure pattern experienced by SV after CABG, and reports the results of a preliminary biomechanical conditioning experimental campaign on SV segments. The EVCS applied a CAGB-like pressure (80-120 mmHg) or a venous-like perfusion (3 ml/min, 5 mmHg) conditioning to the SVs, keeping the segments viable in a sterile environment during 7 day culture experiments. After CABG-like pressure conditioning, SVs exhibited a decay of the wall thickness, an enlargement of the luminal perimeter, a rearrangement of the muscle fibres and partial denudation of the endothelium. Considering these preliminary results, the EVCS is a suitable system to study the mechanical attributes of SV graft disease, and its use, combined with a well-designed biological protocol, may be of help in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in SV graft disease.

Adventitial vessel growth and progenitor cells activation in an ex vivo culture system mimicking human saphenous vein wall strain after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Saphenous vein graft disease is a timely problem in coronary artery bypass grafting. Indeed, after exposure of the vein to arterial blood flow, a progressive modification in the wall begins, due to proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the intima. As a consequence, the graft progressively occludes and this leads to recurrent ischemia. In the present study we employed a novel ex vivo culture system to assess the biological effects of arterial-like pressure on the human saphenous vein structure and physiology, and to compare the results to those achieved in the presence of a constant low pressure and flow mimicking the physiologic vein perfusion. While under both conditions we found an activation of Matrix Metallo-Proteases 2/9 and of microRNAs-21/146a/221, a specific effect of the arterial-like pressure was observed. This consisted in a marked geometrical remodeling, in the suppression of Tissue Inhibitor of Metallo-Protease-1, in the enhanced expression of TGF-ß1 and BMP-2 mRNAs and, finally, in the upregulation of microRNAs-138/200b/200c. In addition, the veins exposed to arterial-like pressure showed an increase in the density of the adventitial vasa vasorum and of cells co-expressing NG2, CD44 and SM22α markers in the adventitia. Cells with nuclear expression of Sox-10, a transcription factor characterizing multipotent vascular stem cells, were finally found in adventitial vessels. Our findings suggest, for the first time, a role of arterial-like wall strain in the activation of pro-pathologic pathways resulting in adventitial vessels growth, activation of vasa vasorum cells, and upregulation of specific gene products associated to vascular remodeling and inflammation.

17Beta-estradiol effects on human coronaries and grafts employed in myocardial revascularization: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to compare the in vitro effects of 17beta-estradiol on human epicardial coronary arteries, resistance coronary arteries and on arterial vessels usually employed as grafts in surgical myocardial revascularization. METHODS: Coronary artery rings (descending coronary artery, right coronary artery, circumflex coronary artery, first septal branch) and arterial graft rings (internal thoracic artery, gastro-epiploic artery) obtained from human heart donors with heart not suitable to cardiac transplantation were connected to force transducer for isometric force recording. Precontracted specimens with and without endothelium were exposed to increasing concentration of 17beta-estradiol (3-30-300-3000 nmol/l) and to vehicle (0.1% v/v ethanol). We also evaluated the effects of 17beta-estradiol on vessels before and 20 minutes after exposure to L-monomethyl-arginine and indomethacin. RESULTS: 17beta-estradiol induced a significant relaxation in all precontracted vessels (mean maximum effect: 78,6% +/- 8,5). This effect was not different among the different rings and was not related to the presence of endothelium. N-monomethyl-L-arginine and indomethacin did not modify 17beta-estradiol relaxant effect. CONCLUSION: The vasodilator action of the 17beta-estradiol is similar on coronary arteries, resistance coronary arteries and arterial vessels usually employed as grafts in myocardial revascularization.

Reduction ascending aortoplasty: midterm follow-up and predictors of redilatation.

BACKGROUND: Reduction ascending aortoplasty is an alternative procedure to the replacement of the ascending aorta in case of ascending aorta aneurysm without aortic root involvement. This study was designed to evaluate the midterm follow-up of aortoplasty and to determine predictors of redilatation. METHODS: From January 1, 1998, to April 30, 2005, 68 patients with dilatation of the ascending aorta underwent unsupported reduction aortoplasty in combination with other cardiac procedures. All patients underwent associated surgical procedures. Sixty patients (88.2%) underwent associated aortic valve replacement. Cumulative follow-up time was 191.4 patient-years and was 100% complete. Median follow-up time was 2.5 years, and mean follow-up time was 2.9 +/- 1.7 years (range, 0.4 to 6.3 years). RESULTS: The overall perioperative mortality rate was 1.5%. Overall survival estimates at 3 and 6 years were 93.3% +/- 4.5% and 89.3% +/- 5.9%, respectively. The actuarial freedom from cardiac-related death at 3 and 6 years was 100% and 95.7% +/- 4.3%, respectively. Ascending aorta redilatation occurred in 5 patients (7.5%). The actuarial freedom from redilatation at 3 and 6 years was 97.7% +/- 2.3% and 79.8% +/- 8.4%, respectively. The actuarial freedom from reoperation at 3 and 6 years was 100% and 86.3% +/- 7.5%, respectively. Only preoperative diameter was a significant predictor of redilatation using multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Unsupported reduction aortoplasty is a safe and effective technique with low mortality, low morbidity, and rare late complications for selected chronic aneurysm of the ascending aorta with diameter less than 55 mm.