Evolución en el diagnóstico, el tratamiento y la mortalidad del síndrome aórtico agudo en los últimos 20 años / Changes in the diagnosis and management of acute aortic syndrome and associated mortality in the last 20 years

Introducción y objetivos El síndrome aórtico agudo (SAA) tiene una alta mortalidad que obliga a un tratamiento precoz. El propósito del presente estudio es analizar los cambios en el abordaje y el tratamiento del SAA a lo largo de 20 años.MétodosSe incluyó prospectivamente a 451 pacientes (336 varones; media de edad, 60,9±12,4 años) diagnosticados de SAA, 270 con el tipo A y 181 con el tipo B, desde 1999 hasta 2018. Se analizaron variables clínicas, diagnósticas y del tratamiento y las complicaciones hospitalarias.ResultadosEl uso de la tomografía computarizada (TC) como primera técnica diagnóstica se incrementó del 62,8 al 94,2% (p <0,001). El tratamiento quirúrgico del SAA tipo A aumentó del 67,4 al 82,5% (p=0,09). La mortalidad del SAA tipo A disminuyó del 53,1 al 26,3% (p <0,001) como consecuencia de la reducción de la mortalidad del tratamiento quirúrgico (del 45,4 al 17,0%; p <0,001). El tratamiento exclusivamente médico del SAA tipo B disminuyó del 91,8 al 61,7% (p <0,001), debido al aumento del tratamiento endovascular. La mortalidad del SAA tipo B no mostró una disminución significativa (del 16,2 al 10,6%; p=0,15).ConclusionesEl diagnóstico y el tratamiento del SAA han presentado importantes cambios en las últimas 2 décadas. La TC se ha consolidado como la técnica diagnóstica de elección. La mortalidad del SAA tipo A ha disminuido de manera muy importante debido a la mejora de los resultados del tratamiento quirúrgico. En el SAA tipo B, el tratamiento médico solo se ha reducido debido a la aparición del tratamiento endovascular, pero la mortalidad hospitalaria no ha disminuido de manera significativa. (AU)

Introduction and objectives Mortality is high in acute aortic syndrome (AAS), which therefore requires early treatment. This study aimed to analyze changes in the diagnosis and treatment of AAS over 20 years at our center.MethodsFrom 1999 to 2018, 451 patients diagnosed with AAS (336 men; mean age, 60.9±12.4 years) were prospectively included (270 type A and 181 type B). Clinical variables, diagnosis, treatment, and in-hospital complications were analyzed.ResultsThe use of computed tomography (CT) as the first-line diagnostic technique increased from 62.8% to 94.2% (P <.001). Surgical treatment of type A AAS rose from 67.4% to 82.5% (P=.09). Mortality from type A AAS decreased significantly from 53.1% to 26.3% (P <.001) as a result of the fall in mortality from surgical treatment (from 45.4% to 17.0%; P <.001). The use of medical treatment alone for type B AAS decreased from 91.8% to 61.7% (P <.001) due to the greater use of endovascular treatment. Mortality from type B AAS showed no significant reduction (16.2% to 10.6%; P=.15).ConclusionsThe diagnosis and treatment of AAS has changed substantially in the last 2 decades. CT has become the first-line diagnostic technique for AAS. In type A AAS, mortality has fallen significantly due to improvements in the results of surgical treatment. In type B AAS, the use of medical treatment alone has decreased due to the expansion of endovascular treatment, although in-hospital mortality has not decreased significantly. (AU)

Changes in the diagnosis and management of acute aortic syndrome and associated mortality in the last 20 years.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Mortality is high in acute aortic syndrome (AAS), which therefore requires early treatment. This study aimed to analyze changes in the diagnosis and treatment of AAS over 20 years at our center. METHODS: From 1999 to 2018, 451 patients diagnosed with AAS (336 men; mean age, 60.9±12.4 years) were prospectively included (270 type A and 181 type B). Clinical variables, diagnosis, treatment, and in-hospital complications were analyzed. RESULTS: The use of computed tomography (CT) as the first-line diagnostic technique increased from 62.8% to 94.2% (P <.001). Surgical treatment of type A AAS rose from 67.4% to 82.5% (P=.09). Mortality from type A AAS decreased significantly from 53.1% to 26.3% (P <.001) as a result of the fall in mortality from surgical treatment (from 45.4% to 17.0%; P <.001). The use of medical treatment alone for type B AAS decreased from 91.8% to 61.7% (P <.001) due to the greater use of endovascular treatment. Mortality from type B AAS showed no significant reduction (16.2% to 10.6%; P=.15). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis and treatment of AAS has changed substantially in the last 2 decades. CT has become the first-line diagnostic technique for AAS. In type A AAS, mortality has fallen significantly due to improvements in the results of surgical treatment. In type B AAS, the use of medical treatment alone has decreased due to the expansion of endovascular treatment, although in-hospital mortality has not decreased significantly.

Determinantes del resultado a largo plazo de la estenosis de válvula pulmonar reparada / Determinants of long-term outcome of repaired pulmonary valve stenosis

INTRODUCCIÓN Y OBJETIVOS: Aunque la estenosis de la válvula pulmonar (EVP) se considera una cardiopatía congénita de bajo riesgo, se ha descrito la aparición de complicaciones y necesidad de reintervenir durante el seguimiento. Los objetivos del estudio fueron evaluar los resultados a largo plazo de la EVP reparada e identificar predictores de complicaciones cardiovasculares y reintervención. MÉTODOS: Se estudió a 158 pacientes adultos con EVP reparada (reparaciones practicadas de 1957 a 2010) con seguimiento activo en un centro terciario de referencia. RESULTADOS: Se sometió a cirugía a 95 pacientes (60%) y a valvuloplastia percutánea con balón a 63 (40%). Tras una mediana de seguimiento de 27 [20-33] años, la mayoría de los pacientes (n=134 [84,8%]) estaban en clase funcional I de la New York Heart Association, pero 61 (38.6%) requirieron reintervención, principalmente reemplazo de la valvular pulmonar (n=28 [17,7%]), y 19 (12%) presentaron al menos una complicación cardiovascular: 13 (8,2%), arritmias supraventriculares; 6 (3,8%), insuficiencia cardiaca; 5 (3,2%), accidente cerebrovascular; 1 (0,6%), muerte; 1 (0,6%) tromboembolia, y 1 (0,6%), arritmia ventricular. El análisis multivariante mostró que la edad en el momento de la reparación de la EVP (HR=1,08; IC95%, 1,04-1,12; p <0,001) y la presencia de cianosis antes de la reparación (HR=5,23; IC95%, 1,99-13,78; p = 0,001) fueron predictores independientes de complicaciones cardiovasculares. CONCLUSIONES: Se puede esperar un buen resultado a largo plazo tras de la reparación de la EVP, pero pueden aparecer complicaciones y necesidad de reintervenir. Una edad más avanzada y la presencia de cianosis en el momento de la reparación de la EVP son predictores de complicaciones cardiovasculares e identifican a una población que requiere un control más estricto

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Although pulmonary valve stenosis (PVS) is considered a low risk congenital heart disease, there have been reports of complications and the need for reintervention throughout follow-up. The aims of this study were to evaluate the long-term outcome of repaired PVS and to identify predictors of cardiovascular complications and reintervention. METHODS: We studied 158 adult patients with repaired PVS (repair procedures performed from 1957 to 2010) receiving active follow-up in a tertiary referral center. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients (60%) received surgical treatment, and 63 patients (40%) received percutaneous pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty. At the end of follow-up (27 years, IQR, 20-33 years), most patients (n=134, 84.8%) were in New York Heart Association functional class I, but 61 patients (38.6%) required a reintervention, mainly pulmonary valve replacement (17.7%, n=28), and 19 patients (12%) had at least one cardiovascular complication: 13 (8.2%) supraventricular arrhythmias, 6 (3.8%) heart failure, 5 (3.2%) stroke, 1 (0.6%) death, 1 (0.6%) thromboembolism, and 1 (0.6%) ventricular arrhythmia. Multivariate analysis showed that age at PVS repair (HR, 1.08; 95%CI, 1.04-1.12; P <.001) and the presence of cyanosis before PVS repair (HR, 5.23; 95%CI, 1.99-13.78; P=.001) were independent predictors for cardiovascular complications. CONCLUSIONS: Good long-term outcome can be expected after PVS repair, but complications and the need for reintervention may appear. Older age and the presence of cyanosis at PVS repair emerged as predictors of cardiovascular complications and identified a population that may merit stricter control

Determinants of long-term outcome of repaired pulmonary valve stenosis.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Although pulmonary valve stenosis (PVS) is considered a low risk congenital heart disease, there have been reports of complications and the need for reintervention throughout follow-up. The aims of this study were to evaluate the long-term outcome of repaired PVS and to identify predictors of cardiovascular complications and reintervention. METHODS: We studied 158 adult patients with repaired PVS (repair procedures performed from 1957 to 2010) receiving active follow-up in a tertiary referral center. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients (60%) received surgical treatment, and 63 patients (40%) received percutaneous pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty. At the end of follow-up (27 years, IQR, 20-33 years), most patients (n=134, 84.8%) were in New York Heart Association functional class I, but 61 patients (38.6%) required a reintervention, mainly pulmonary valve replacement (17.7%, n=28), and 19 patients (12%) had at least one cardiovascular complication: 13 (8.2%) supraventricular arrhythmias, 6 (3.8%) heart failure, 5 (3.2%) stroke, 1 (0.6%) death, 1 (0.6%) thromboembolism, and 1 (0.6%) ventricular arrhythmia. Multivariate analysis showed that age at PVS repair (HR, 1.08; 95%CI, 1.04-1.12; P <.001) and the presence of cyanosis before PVS repair (HR, 5.23; 95%CI, 1.99-13.78; P=.001) were independent predictors for cardiovascular complications. CONCLUSIONS: Good long-term outcome can be expected after PVS repair, but complications and the need for reintervention may appear. Older age and the presence of cyanosis at PVS repair emerged as predictors of cardiovascular complications and identified a population that may merit stricter control.

Response of the human myocardium to ischemic injury and preconditioning: The role of cardiac and comorbid conditions, medical treatment, and basal redox status.

BACKGROUND: The diseased human myocardium is highly susceptible to ischemia/reoxygenation (I/R)-induced injury but its response to protective interventions such as ischemic preconditioning (IPreC) is unclear. Cardiac and other pre-existing clinical conditions as well as previous or ongoing medical treatment may influence the myocardial response to I/R injury and protection. This study investigated the effect of both on myocardial susceptibility to I/R-induced injury and the protective effects of IPreC. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atrial myocardium from cardiac surgery patients (n = 300) was assigned to one of three groups: aerobic control, I/R alone, and IPreC. Lactate dehydrogenase leakage, as a marker of cell injury, and cell viability were measured. The basal redox status was determined in samples from 90 patients. The response to I/R varied widely. Myocardium from patients with aortic valve disease was the most susceptible to injury whereas myocardium from dyslipidemia patients was the least susceptible. Tissue from females was better protected than tissue from males. Myocardium from patients with mitral valve disease was the least responsive to IPreC. The basal redox status was altered in the myocardium from patients with mitral and aortic valve disease. CONCLUSIONS: The response of the myocardium to I/R and IPreC is highly variable and influenced by the underlying cardiac pathology, dyslipidemia, sex, and the basal redox status. These results should be taken into account in the design of future clinical studies on the prevention of I/R injury and protection.

Neurological damage after transcatheter aortic valve implantation compared with surgical aortic valve replacement in intermediate risk patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The risk of neurological damage following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) vs. surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in severe aortic stenosis patients deemed to be at intermediate surgical risk is unknown. In this target population, the degree of neurological damage was compared using brain diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and cognitive testing. METHODS: Forty-six consecutive patients undergoing TAVI (78.0 ± 8.3 years; STS score 4.4 ± 1.7) and 37 patients undergoing SAVR (78.9 ± 6.2 years, STS score 4.7 ± 1.7) were compared. DW-MRI was performed in 67 patients (40 in TAVI vs. 27 in SAVR group) within the first 15 days post-procedure. A cognitive assessment was performed at baseline and at 3 months follow-up. The occurrence of potential cognitive impairment post-intervention was determined using the reliable change index (RCI). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were comparable in TAVI and SAVR groups except for the presence of severe calcified aorta, which occurred more frequently in the TAVI group [17 (37 %) vs. 0 (0 %), p < 0.001]. Three patients presented a clinical stroke: 1 (2.2 %) in TAVI group vs. 2 (5.4 %) in SAVR group, (p = 0.58). No differences were observed in the rate of acute ischemic cerebral lesions detected by DWI in patients undergoing TAVI vs. SAVR [18 (45 %) in TAVI vs. 11 (40.7 %) in SAVR, adjusted OR 0.95; 95 % CI 0.25-3.65; p = 0.94]. TAVI was associated with a lower number of DWI lesions (adjusted OR 0.54; 95 % IC 0.37-0.79; p = 0.02). An older age was a predictor of the occurrence of acute lesions (OR 1.13; 95 % CI 1.03-1.23; p = 0.01), and the use of vitamin-K antagonist therapy had a protective effect (OR 0.25; 95 % CI 0.07-0.92; p = 0.037) regardless the type of intervention. Overall no significant changes were observed in global cognitive scores post-intervention (p = 0.23). The RCI showed mild cognitive decline in nine patients undergoing TAVI (26.4 %) and in six patients in the SAVR group (30.0 %) (p = 0.96). There was no association between the number and total volume of lesions and the occurrence of cognitive decline (CC Spearman 0.031, p = 0.85 and -0.011, p = 0.97, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: TAVI and SAVR were associated with a similar rate of acute silent ischemic cerebral lesions in intermediate risk patients. Although acute lesions occurred very frequently in both strategies, their cognitive impact was not clinically relevant.

Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared with surgical replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and comparable risk: cost-utility and its determinants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cost-effectiveness of transfemoral TAVR vs surgical replacement (SAVR) and its determinants in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and comparable risk. METHODS: Patients were prospectively recruited in 6 Spanish hospitals and followed up over one year. We estimated adjusted incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) (Euros per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY] gained) using a net-benefit approach and assessed the determinants of incremental net-benefit of TAVR vs SAVR. RESULTS: We analyzed data on 207 patients: 58, 87 and 62 in the Edwards SAPIEN (ES) TAVR, Medtronic-CoreValve (MC) TAVR and SAVR groups respectively. Average cost per patient of ES-TAVR was €8800 higher than SAVR and the gain in QALY was 0.036. The ICER was €148,525/QALY. The cost of MC-TAVR was €9729 higher than SAVR and the QALY difference was -0.011 (dominated). Results substantially changed in the following conditions: 1) in patients with high preoperative serum creatinine the ICERs were €18,302/QALY and €179,618/QALY for ES and MC-TAVR respectively; 2) a 30% reduction in the cost of TAVR devices decreased the ICER for ES-TAVR to €32,955/QALY; and 3) imputing hospitalization costs from other European countries leads to TAVR being dominant. CONCLUSIONS: In countries with relatively low health care costs TAVR is not likely to be cost-effective compared to SAVR in patients with intermediate risk for surgery, mainly because of the high cost of the valve compared to the cost of hospitalization. TAVR could be cost-effective in specific subgroups and in countries with higher hospitalization costs.

Ischemic postconditioning of the isolated human myocardium: Role of the applied protocol.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic postconditioning (IPostC), has been proposed as a useful approach to reduce infarct size in all species, but its clinical utility remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role played by the protocol used on the efficacy of IPostC in protecting the diseased human myocardium. METHODS: Myocardial atrial samples from patients were subjected to a 90 min ischemia/120 min reoxygenation followed by different IPostC protocols to investigate the role of the time of ischemia (30, 60, 90 and 120 s) and the number of cycles (1, 2, 3 and 4) with 60 and 120 s of total ischemic time. Muscles were also subjected to ischemic preconditioning (IPreC). The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the measurement of tetrazolium bromide (MTT) were determined. RESULTS: IPostC increased the LDH and decreased the MTT values from those of control, independently of the duration of the conditioning ischemia. LDH and MTT values also worsened by augmenting the number of IPostC cycles whereas they were significantly improved by IPreC. However, analysis of individual results indicated that in approximately 1/3 of the cases IPostC exhibited some degree of protection especially in the presence of increased ischemic injury. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings show that IPostC of the human myocardium may be influenced by the protocol used and also by the degree of the preceding ischemic injury. IPostC was beneficial in approximately 1/3 of the cases; however in the remaining cases it increased ischemic damage and, therefore, these results raise a word of caution on its broad clinical use.

Subxyphoid approach for closed-chest atrial fibrillation surgery: the one hand operation.

Although the classical Cox maze operation has been shown to be effective for curing atrial fibrillation, it is not popular due to its complexity and associated morbidity. This has led to the development of alternative methods for the creation of the Cox maze pattern. These methods are based on the creation of lines of tissue necrosis on the atrial tissue. These new methods have been shown to be equally as effective as the Cox maze operation. We describe a new technique for epicardial microwave atrial ablation for pulmonary vein isolation. This technique is performed on patients without sternotomy, through the subxyphoid process to reduce pulmonary complications.