[CARL-Controlled reperfusion of the whole body]. / CARL ­ kontrollierte Reperfusion des ganzen Körpers: Von der kardiopulmonalen Reanimation zur zielgerichteten eCPR.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and mortality of acute cardiovascular arrest have been consistently high for decades. OBJECTIVE: How to improve the currently unsatisfactory outcome after resuscitation regarding survival and neurological, especially cerebral, sequelae? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Development of a therapeutic approach to curtail ischemia/reperfusion injury in an animal model. Development of a device system optimized for resuscitation that can be used to implement controlled reperfusion of the whole body outside the hospital. RESULTS: Establishment of CARL treatment in the clinic and in the treatment of OHCA patients. Transfer of the CARL treatment and system in a clinical observational study. First case reports in which patients survived OHCA without brain damage even after ischemia times up to 2 h. CONCLUSION: CARL treatment is potentially suitable to treat patients suffering from cardiovascular arrest refractory to treatment even for prolonged periods.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation in nonagenarians: insights from the German Aortic Valve Registry (GARY).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of nonagenarians (≥ 90 years) with that of younger (< 90 years) patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in current practice. METHODS: Data are collected from the German Aortic Valve Registry (GARY), which was designed to evaluate current practice in the invasive treatment of patients with aortic valve diseases in Germany. Data were analyzed regarding procedural outcome, 30-day, and 1-year outcomes of nonagenarians in comparison to that of younger patients. RESULTS: Between 2011 and 2015, 2436/33,051 (7.3%) nonagenarians underwent TAVI and were included in GARY. Nonagenarians were significantly more often male (45.2% vs. 40.0%, p < 0.001), frail (38.7% vs. 34.7%, p < 0.001), and had higher EuroSCORE scores than younger patient group (23.2% vs. 17.0%). Nonagenarians were significantly less often treated via transapical access (16.3% vs. 22.3%, p < 0.001). Procedure was performed significantly less often in general anesthesia (58.2% vs. 60.7%, p = 0.02) in nonagenarians, while necessity of pacemaker implantation was significantly higher in nonagenarians (27.2% vs. 24.8%, p > 0.001). The incidence of other typical postprocedural complications such as severe bleeding events and vascular complications were comparable between groups. However, 30-day (5.2% vs. 3.9%) and 1-year (22.7% vs. 17.7%) mortality rates were significantly higher among nonagenarians and age ≥ 90 years could be identified as an isolated risk factor for mortality. CONCLUSION: TAVI is a highly standardized procedure that can be performed safely with high procedural success even in very old patients. Although mortality is significantly higher in these patients-most probably due to the intrinsic higher risk profile of the very old patients-the results are still acceptable. To optimize outcome, especially elderly patients seem to profit from a procedure under local anesthesia or conscious sedation, to minimize the rate of postoperative delirium and the length of stay and to facilitate early mobilization.

The Cape Town Declaration on Access to Cardiac Surgery in the Developing World.

Twelve years after cardiologists and cardiac surgeons from all over the world issued the 'Drakensberg Declaration on the Control of Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Africa', calling on the world community to address the prevention and treatment of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) through improving living conditions, to develop pilot programmes at selected sites for control of rheumatic fever and RHD, and to periodically review progress made and challenges that remain, RHD still accounts for a major proportion of cardiovascular diseases in children and young adults in low- and middle-income countries, where more than 80% of the world population live. Globally equal in prevalence to human immunodeficiency virus infection, RHD affects 33 million people worldwide. Prevention efforts have been important but have failed to eradicate the disease. At the present time, the only effective treatment for symptomatic RHD is open heart surgery, yet that life-saving cardiac surgery is woefully absent in many endemic regions. In this declaration, we propose a framework structure to create a co-ordinated and transparent international alliance to address this inequality.

[Modern mitral valve surgery]. / Moderne Mitralklappenchirurgie.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Cutler and Levine performed the first successful surgical treatment of a stenotic mitral valve, which was the only treatable heart valve defect at that time. Mitral valve surgery has evolved significantly since then. The introduction of the heart-lung machine in 1954 not only reduced the surgical risk, but also allowed the treatment of different mitral valve pathologies. Nowadays, mitral valve insufficiency has become the most common underlying pathomechanism of mitral valve disease and can be classified into primary and secondary mitral insufficiency. Primary mitral valve insufficiency is mainly caused by alterations of the valve (leaflets and primary order chords) itself, whereas left ventricular dilatation leading to papillary muscle displacement and leaflet tethering via second order chords is the main underlying pathomechanism for secondary mitral valve regurgitation. Valve reconstruction using the "loop technique" plus annuloplasty is the surgical strategy of choice and normalizes life expectancy in patients with primary mitral regurgitation. In patients with secondary mitral regurgitation, implanting an annuloplasty is not superior to valve replacement and results in high rates of valve re-insufficiency (up to 30 % after 3 months) due to ongoing ventricular dilatation. In order to improve repair results in these patients, we add a novel subvalvular technique (ring-noose-string) to the annuloplasty that aims to prevent ongoing ventricular remodeling and re-insufficiency. In modern mitral surgery, a right lateral thoracotomy is the approach of choice with excellent repair and cosmetic results.

Superior neurologic recovery after 15 minutes of normothermic cardiac arrest using an extracorporeal life support system for optimized blood pressure and flow.

OBJECTIVE: Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death. Conventional CPR techniques after cardiac arrest provide circulation with reduced and varying blood flow and pressure. We hypothesize that using pressure- and flow-controlled reperfusion of the whole body improves neurological recovery and survival after 15 min of normothermic cardiac arrest. METHODS: Pigs were randomized in two experimental groups and exposed to 15 min of ventricular fibrillation (VF). After this period, the animals in the control group received conventional CPR with open chest compression (n=6), while circulation in the treatment group (n=6) was established with an extracorporeal life support system (ECLS) to control blood pressure and flow. Follow-up included the assessment of neurological recovery and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for up to 7 days. RESULTS: Five of the six animals in the control group died, one animal was resuscitated successfully. In the treatment group, 1/6 could not be separated from ECLS. Five out of the six pigs survived and were transferred to the animal facility. One animal was unable to walk and had to be sacrificed 30 hours after ECLS. The remaining 4 animals of the treatment group and the surviving pig from the control group showed complete neurological recovery. Brain MRI revealed no pathological changes. CONCLUSION: We were able to demonstrate a significant improvement in survival after 15 minutes of normothermic cardiac arrest. These results support our hypothesis that using an ECLS for pressure- and flow-controlled circulation after circulatory arrest is superior to conventional CPR.

Current concepts for minimally invasive mitral valve repair.

Minimally invasive mitral valve repair is based on several procedural concepts. Recently, three of them have been intensively discussed: aortic occlusion strategy, use of Goretex-Neo-Chordae to repair mitral valve regurgitation and feasibility and efficacy of the minithoracotomy approach in mitral valve treatment of patients after previous cardiac surgery. Twenty years of experience in minimally invasive mitral valve repair have enabled high-volume centers to present valid data and give their recommendations. Transthoracic aortic clamping with ante- and retrograde cardioplegia in the primary setting and hypothermic fibrillation in reoperative setting are currently favoured means of myocardial protection. Neo-chordae concept of mitral valve repair has gained general recognition and has become the technique of choice for many surgeons. The excellent results of minimally invasive mitral valve repair must be considered whenever already available or any new transcatheter techniques are offered.

[Basic standards for a department of cardiac surgery. Quality requirements for the care of cardiac patients in connection with operations on the heart, the heart vessels and thoracic organ transplantation]. / Basisstandards einer Fachabteilung für Herzchirurgie. Qualitätsanforderungen für die Versorgung von herzkranken Patientinnen und Patienten im Zusammenhang mit Operationen/Eingriffen am Herzen, den herznahen Gefäßen und der thorakalen Organtransplantation.

Current evolutions and substantial amendments of the German health care system in combination with distinguished progress in cardiac surgery over the past years require both a reflection of principles in patient-centered care and an update of basic standard requirements for a department of cardiac surgery in Germany. In due consideration of the data from the voluntary registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, this article accurately defines core requirements for a cardiac surgical department (cardiac surgery on-site), subdivided into facilities, staff and processes. If based on these standards, one may anticipate that cardiac surgical care is performed under appropriate conditions leading to an intrinsic benefit for patients.

Organ-conserving cardiac surgery.

The goal of organ-conserving cardiac surgery is the preservation of heart function in the setting of heart failure. One way to improve heart function is left ventricular surgical reconstruction. This article briefly reviews the pathophysiology of left ventricular cardiomyopathy and the evolution of surgical left ventricular reconstruction techniques. These techniques are now part of a well-accepted concept with satisfactory perioperative mortality and morbidity. Further studies are warranted before definitive recommendations regarding surgical ventricular reconstruction can be given. 

Prolonged cardiac arrest and resuscitation by extracorporeal life support: favourable outcome without preceding anticoagulation in an experimental setting.

State-of-the-art cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) restores circulation with inconsistent blood-flow and pressure. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) following CPR opens the opportunity for "controlled reperfusion". In animal experiments investigating CPR with ECLS, systemic anticoagulation before induced cardiac arrest is normal, but a major point of dispute, since preliminary heparinization in patients undergoing unwitnessed cardiac arrest is impossible. In this study, we investigated options for ECLS after an experimental 15 minutes normothermic cardiac arrest, without preceding anticoagulation, in pigs. Neurological recovery was assessed by a scoring system, electroencephalography and brain magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, brain histology was performed on day seven after cardiac arrest. We demonstrated that preliminary heparin administration was not necessary for survival or neurological recovery in this setting. Heparin flushing of the cannulae seemed sufficient to avoid thrombus formation. These findings may ease the way to using ECLS in patients with sudden cardiac arrest.

The German Aortic Valve Registry (GARY): a nationwide registry for patients undergoing invasive therapy for severe aortic valve stenosis.

Background The increasing prevalence of severe aortic valve defects correlates with the increase of life expectancy. For decades, surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR), under the use of extracorporeal circulation, has been the gold standard for treatment of severe aortic valve diseases. In Germany ~12,000 patients receive isolated aortic valve surgery per year. For some time, percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty has been used as a palliative therapeutic option for very few patients. Currently, alternatives for the established surgical procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have become available, but there are only limited data from randomized studies or low-volume registries concerning long-time outcome. In Germany, the implementation of this new technology into hospital care increased rapidly in the past few years. Therefore, the German Aortic Valve Registry (GARY) was founded in July 2010 including all available therapeutic options and providing data from a large quantity of patients.Methods The GARY is assembled as a complete survey for all invasive therapies in patients with relevant aortic valve diseases. It evaluates the new therapeutic options and compares them to surgical AVR. The model for data acquisition is based on three data sources: source I, the mandatory German database for external performance measurement; source II, a specific registry dataset; and source III, a follow-up data sheet (generated by phone interview). Various procedures will be compared concerning observed complications, mortality, and quality of life up to 5 years after the initial procedure. Furthermore, the registry will enable a compilation of evidence-based indication criteria and, in addition, also a comparison of all approved operative procedures, such as Ross or David procedures, and the use of different mechanical or biological aortic valve prostheses.Results Since the launch of data acquisition in July 2010, almost all institutions performing aortic valve procedures in Germany joined the registry. By now, 91 sites which perform TAVI in Germany participate and more than 15,000 datasets are already in the registry.Conclusion The implementation of new or innovative medical therapies needs supervision under the conditions of a well-structured scientific project. Up to now relevant data for implementation of TAVI and long-term results are missing. In contrast to randomized controlled trials, GARY is a prospective, controlled, 5-year observational multicenter registry, and a real world investigation with only one exclusion criterion, the absence of patients' written consent.

Pathophysiological implications of different bicuspid aortic valve configurations.

There are numerous types of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) configurations. Recent findings suggest that various BAV types represent different pathophysiological substrates on the aortic media level. Data imply that the BAV type is probably not related to location and extent of the aneurysm. However, BAV type is likely linked to the severity of aortic media disease. Some BAVs with raphe seem more aggressive than BAV without a raphe. Cusp fusion pattern, altered hemodynamics, and the qualitative severity of the disease in the aortic media might on the one hand share the same substrate. On the other hand, the aortopathy's longitudinal extent and location may represent a different pathophysiological substrate, probably dictated by the heritable aspects of BAV disease. The exact nature of the relation between BAV type and the aneurysm's location and extent as well as to the risk of aortic complications remains unclear. This paper reviews results of recent human and experimental studies on the significance of BAV types for local aortic media disease and location and extent of the aortopathy. We describe the known and hypothesized hemodynamic and hereditary factors that may result in aortic aneurysm formation in BAV patients.

Randomized comparison of synchronous CABG and carotid endarterectomy vs. isolated CABG in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis: the CABACS trial.

RATIONALE: High-grade carotid artery stenosis is present in 6-8% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Many cardiovascular surgeons advocate staged or synchronous carotid endarterectomy to reduce the high perioperative and long-term risk of stroke associated with multivessel disease. However, no randomized trial has assessed whether a combined synchronous or staged carotid endarterectomy confers any benefit compared with isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in these patients. AIMS: The objective of this study is to compare the safety and efficacy of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting vs. synchronous coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy in patients with asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis. DESIGN: Coronary Artery Bypass graft surgery in patients with Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis (CABACS) is a randomized, controlled, open, multicenter, group sequential trial with two parallel arms and outcome adjudication by blinded observers. Patients with asymptomatic high-grade carotid stenosis scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass grafting will be assigned to either isolated coronary artery bypass grafting or synchronous coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy by 1 : 1 block-stratified randomization with three different stratification factors (age, gender, modified Rankin scale). STUDY: The trial started in December 2010 aiming at recruiting 1160 patients in 25 to 30 German cardiovascular centers. The composite primary efficacy end point is the number of strokes and deaths from any cause (whatever occurs first) within 30 days after operation. A 4·5% absolute difference (4% compared to 8·5%) in the 30-day rate of the above end points can be detected with >80% power. OUTCOMES: The results of this trial are expected to provide a basis for defining an evidence-based standard and will have a wide impact on managing this disease.

Current state of the reimplantation technique (DAVID Operation): surgical details and results.

Valve-sparing operations are becoming more and more popular because they allow a repair of the native aortic valve and a replacement of the diseased aortic root and the ascending aorta. Previously these patients were treated with a valved-conduit and needed anticoagulation with warfarin if a mechanical valve was used or were left with uncertain long-term durability if a biological valve was used. There are two different types of valve-sparing operations available (reimplantation and remodeling technique). Of these two techniques, the reimplantation technique has several advantages but is also technically more demanding. Therefore this paper describes surgical details of the reimplantation technique and the potential pitfalls as well as some results.

Cardiac surgery in Germany during 2010: a report on behalf of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

All cardiac surgical procedures performed in 79 German cardiac surgical units throughout the year 2010 are presented in this report, based on a voluntary registry which is organized by the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. In 2010 a total of 95,734 cardiac surgical procedures (ICD and pacemaker procedures excluded) have been collected in this registry. More than 12.4% of the patients were older than 80 years compared to 11.8% in 2009. Hospital mortality in 42,804 isolated CABG procedures (14.2% off-pump procedures) was 2.8%. In 25,127 isolated valve procedures (including 3660 transcatheter-valve implantations) a mortality of 4.9% has been observed. This voluntary registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery will continue to be an important tool enabling quality control and illustrating the development of cardiac surgery in Germany.

Cardiac surgery in Germany during 2009. A report on behalf of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

All cardiac surgical procedures performed in 80 German cardiac surgical units throughout the year 2009 are presented in this report, based on a voluntary registry which is organized by the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. In 2009 a total of 96 129 cardiac surgical procedures (excluding ICD and pacemaker procedures) were collected in this registry. More than 11.8 % of the patients were older than 80 years compared to 10.3 % in 2008. Hospital mortality in 45 171 isolated CABG procedures (13.1 % off-pump) was 2.8 %. In 23 556 isolated valve procedures (including 2216 catheter-based procedures) a mortality of 4.7 % was observed. This voluntary registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery continues to be an important tool for quality control and illustrates the development of cardiac surgery in Germany.

Value and pitfalls of neurophysiological monitoring in thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic replacement and endovascular repair.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to analyze the neurophysiological monitoring method with regard to its potential problems during thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic open or endovascular repair. Furthermore, preventive strategies to the main pitfalls with this method were developed. METHODS: Between 11/2000 and 05/2007 in 97 cases open surgery or endovascular stentgraft-implantation was performed on the thoracic or thoracoabdominal aorta. Intraoperatively, neurophysiologic motor- and somatosensory-evoked potentials were monitored. RESULTS: Our cases were divided into four groups: event-free patients with normal potentials (A, 63 cases), with correlation of modified evoked potentials and neurological outcome (B, 14 cases), false-positive or false-negative results (C, 4 cases), and medication interaction or technical issues (D, 16 cases). We observed a sensitivity of 93 % and a specificity of 96 % for the neurophysiological monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring spinal cord function during surgical and endovascular interventions on the thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta is necessary. It can be made more effective by precisely analyzing the interference factors of the neurophysiological monitoring method itself. Successful strategies of immediate troubleshooting could be identified.