Mitral Valve Repair for Severe Mitral Regurgitation Masked by Constrictive Pericarditis Revealed After Pericardiectomy.

A case of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) that was masked by constrictive pericarditis and revealed after pericardiectomy is presented. Diagnosis was made intraoperatively with transesophageal echocardiography. Mitral valve repair was performed using a mitral annuloplasty ring. In some cases, worsening MR after pericardiectomy has been demonstrated to return to baseline with time. In the patient described, MR was severe with secondary ischemic pathology; therefore the decision was made to repair the mitral valve. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography played a major role in the decision making.

Disparity Analysis for Cardiac Surgical Outcomes: The Citizenship Factor.

(1) Background: Disparity in clinical care on the basis of gender, socioeconomic status, ethnic and racial variation is an established phenomenon. The focus on health disparities was led on by the report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black & Minority Health, which emphasized that the burden of death and illness was in excess among black people and other minorities. In Saudi Arabia, cardiac health care is being provided to a heterogeneous group of patients during pilgrimage time. This mixed population comprises different socio-economic backgrounds, demographics, ethnicities and languages. This study was carried out to assess for any disparities in cardiac surgical outcomes after isolated CABG surgery between Saudi citizens and non-Saudi patients. (2) Methods: The data of 2178 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass surgery at King Abdullah Medical City from December 2014 to July 2020 were extracted. Patient demographics, clinical features, comorbidities, diagnoses, surgical procedures, complications, length of hospital stay and mortality were included in the data. The primary outcome was mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. (3) Results: A total of 2178 isolated CABG procedures were conducted during the study period with almost 57.5% of patients being Saudi citizens in comparison with 42.5% of non-Saudi citizens. The male gender represented the majority of the population, with a total of 1584 patients, representing 72.7% of the total study population. The rate of mortality had no statistical significance with the mortality rate of 5% vs. 5.3% (p < 0.786). The postoperative morbidities were comparable for all the parameters except for postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). (4) Conclusions: In the present study, the chances of survival and postoperative outcomes are not associated with nationality per se, but with underlying comorbidities.

Glycated Hemoglobin as a Predictor of the Length of Hospital Stay in Patients Following Coronary Bypass Graft Surgery in the Saudi Population.

OBJECTIVE: The diabetic population has a high prevalence of coronary artery disease, and frequently patients with diabetes undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetics is shown to be associated with morbidity and mortality, but the association of HbA1c with postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS) has conflicting results. In this study, we aim to identify if elevated HbA1c levels are associated with prolonged LOS after CABG surgery. METHODS: A retrospective chart review study was performed, using a total of 305 patients who were referred for CABG surgery. HbA1c levels were measured before the day of surgery. Patients were classified into two groups according to HbA1c levels: <7% and ≥7%. A LOS of more than 14 days was proposed as an extended LOS. HbA1c and the LOS relationship were assessed using appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: Patients who had diabetes mellitus comprised 81.6% of our studied population. Sixty-four percent had HbA1c levels ≥ 7%. There was no significant difference in the total LOS in HbA1c <7% compared to HbA1c ≥7% patients (P=0.367). CONCLUSION: Our study results rejected the proposed hypothesis that elevated HbA1c levels ≥7% would be associated with prolonged hospital stay following CABG surgery in a Saudi population.

Discrepancy between catheter and doppler gradients immediately post transcatheter aortic valve replacement in an underexpanded prosthesis.

Underexpansion of an aortic bioprosthetic valve is common after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Significant discrepancy between invasive hemodynamic gradients and echocardiographic Doppler gradients in an underexpanded bioprosthesis can be attributed to pressure recovery phenomenon. This case emphasizes the importance of echocardiographic guidance in implantation and assessment of bioprosthetic valve during TAVR.

Glycated hemoglobin as a predictor of the length of hospital stay in patients following coronary bypass graft surgery in the saudi population

Abstract Objective: The diabetic population has a high prevalence of coronary artery disease, and frequently patients with diabetes undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetics is shown to be associated with morbidity and mortality, but the association of HbA1c with postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS) has conflicting results. In this study, we aim to identify if elevated HbA1c levels are associated with prolonged LOS after CABG surgery. Methods: A retrospective chart review study was performed, using a total of 305 patients who were referred for CABG surgery. HbA1c levels were measured before the day of surgery. Patients were classified into two groups according to HbA1c levels: <7% and ≥7%. A LOS of more than 14 days was proposed as an extended LOS. HbA1c and the LOS relationship were assessed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Patients who had diabetes mellitus comprised 81.6% of our studied population. Sixty-four percent had HbA1c levels ≥ 7%. There was no significant difference in the total LOS in HbA1c <7% compared to HbA1c ≥7% patients (P=0.367). Conclusion: Our study results rejected the proposed hypothesis that elevated HbA1c levels ≥7% would be associated with prolonged hospital stay following CABG surgery in a Saudi population.

Failure-to-rescue rate as a measure of quality of care in a cardiac surgery recovery unit: a five-year study.

BACKGROUND: Failure to rescue, which is defined as the probability of death after a complication that was not present on admission, was introduced as a quality measure in the 1990s, to complement mortality and morbidity outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate possible incremental benefits of measuring failure to rescue after cardiac surgery, to facilitate quality improvement efforts. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively on 4,978 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac operations during a 5-year period. Institutional logistic regression models were used to generate predicted rates of mortality and major complications. Frequency distributions of morbidities were determined, and failure to rescue was calculated. The annual failure-to-rescue rates were contrasted using χ(2) tests and compared with morbidity and mortality measures. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 3.6%, the total complication rate was 16.8%, and the failure-to-rescue rate was 19.8% (95% confidence interval, 17.1% to 22.7%). The predicted risk of mortality and of major complications increased during the last 2 years of the study, whereas the observed complication rate decreased. Failure to rescue for new renal failure was the highest of all complications (48.4%), followed by septicemia (42.6%). Despite the decreased complication rate toward the end of the study, the failure-to-rescue rate did not change significantly (p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Failure to rescue should be monitored as a quality-of-care metric, in addition to mortality and complication rates. Postoperative renal failure and septicemia still have a high failure-to-rescue rate and should be targeted by quality improvement efforts.

Retrosternal goiter: the need for median sternotomy.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to analyze the features of patients with goiter who underwent thyroidectomy via a cervical incision and a median sternotomy in Khartoum. METHODS: A total of 267 thyroidectomies were performed in Khartoum Teaching Hospital during the period from January 2002 to December 2003. There were 40 patients with evidence of retrosternal goiter (15%). Of those 40 patients, 13 had clinical and radiologic evidence of deep retrosternal extension of the goiter possibly necessitating sternotomy. Only 9 of the 13 patients actually required sternotomy, which accounted for 3.4% of all thyroidectomies performed (n = 267). The clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings of those 9 sternotomy patients were analyzed and compared to those of the 258 patients who underwent cervical thyroidecomy. RESULTS: Total thyroidectomy was undertaken in all nine patients. Six of them had retrosternal extension on the right side of the mediastinum, and three had bilateral extension. Seven patients had symptoms of respiratory distress, and two were asymptomatic. The duration of the goiter ranged between 7 and 30 years. The chest radiograph and computed tomography scan revealed that the retrosternal part was below the level of the aortic knuckle at the tracheal bifurcation in all cases. The histopathology revealed a simple multinodular goiter in eight of the nine patients (89%) and in one patient with papillary carcinoma. Five of the nine patients underwent intraoperative prophylactic tracheostomy due to tracheomalacia. CONCLUSIONS: A long-standing goiter with deep (below the aortic knuckle) mediastinal extension and tracheal space compromise can be postulated to increase the likelihood of sternotomy.