Fetal open spinal dysraphism repair through a mini-hysterotomy: Influence of gestational age at surgery on the perinatal outcomes and postnatal shunt rates.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of gestational age (GA) at the time of fetal open spinal dysraphism (OSD) repair through a mini-hysterotomy on the perinatal outcomes and the infants' ventriculoperitoneal shunt rates. METHODS: Retrospective study of cases of fetal OSD correction performed from 2014 and 2019. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety women underwent fetal surgery for OSD through a mini-hysterotomy, and 176 (176/190:92.6%) have since delivered. Fetal OSD correction performed earlier in the gestational period, ranging from 19.7 to 26.9 weeks, was associated with lower rates of postnatal ventriculoperitoneal shunting (P: .049). Earlier fetal surgeries were associated with shorter surgical times (P: .01), smaller hysterotomy lengths (P < .001), higher frequencies of hindbrain herniation reversal (P: .003), and longer latencies from surgery to delivery (P < .001). Median GA at delivery was 35.3 weeks. Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that both fetal lateral ventricle-to-hemisphere ratio (%; P < .001; OR: 1.14 [95% CI: 1.09-1.21]) and GA at the time of fetal surgery (P: .016; OR: 1.37 [95% CI: 1.07-1.77]) were independent predictors of postnatal ventriculoperitoneal shunting. CONCLUSION: Fetuses with OSD who were operated on earlier in the gestational interval, which ranged from 19.7 to 26.9 weeks, were less prone to receiving postnatal ventriculoperitoneal shunts.

Long-term clinical outcomes of the Drug-Eluting Stents in the Real World (DESIRE) Registry.

BACKGROUND: Recently, cardiologists have treated more complex patients and lesions with drug-eluting stents (DES). However, long-term efficacy and safety of the off-label use of these new devices is yet to be demonstrated. METHODS: The Drug-Eluting Stents in the Real World (DESIRE) registry is a prospective, nonrandomized single-center registry with consecutive patients treated solely with DES between May 2002 and May 2007. The primary end-point was long-term occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Patients were clinically evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months and then annually up to 5 years. RESULTS: A total of 2,084 patients (2,864 lesions and 3,120 DES) were included. The mean age was 63.8 +/- 11.5 years. Diabetes was detected in 28.9% and 40.7% presented with acute coronary syndrome. Cyphertrade mark was the predominant DES in this registry (83.5%). Mean follow-up time was 2.6 +/- 1.2 years and was obtained in 96.5% of the eligible patients. Target lesion revascularization (TLR) was performed in 3.3% of the patients. Q wave myocardial infarction (MI) occurred in only 0.7% of these patients and total stent thrombosis rate was 1.6% (n = 33). Independent predictors of thrombosis were PCI in the setting of MI (HR 11.2; 95% CI, 9.6-12.4, P = 0.001), lesion length (HR 4.6; 95% CI, 3.2-5.3, P = 0.031), moderate to severe calcification at lesion site (HR 13.1; 95% CI, 12.1-16.7, P < 0.001), and in-stent residual stenosis (HR 14.5; 95% CI, 10.2-17.6, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of DES in unselected population is associated with long-term safety and effectiveness with acceptable low rates of adverse clinical events.

Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction during the postoperative period of myocardial revascularization.

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for acute myocardial infarction during the postoperative period after myocardial revascularization. METHODS: This was a case-control study paired for sex, age, number, type of graft used, coronary endarterectomy, type of myocardial protection, and use of extracorporeal circulation. We assessed 178 patients (89 patients in each group) undergoing myocardial revascularization, and the following variables were considered: dyslipidemia, systemic hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, previous myocardial revascularization surgery, previous coronary angioplasty, and acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics did not differ in the groups, except for previous myocardial revascularization surgery, prevalent in the case group (34 patients vs. 12 patients; p = 0.0002). This was the only independent predictor of risk for acute myocardial infarction in the postoperative period, based on a multivariate logistic regression analysis (p = 0.0001). Mortality and the time of hospital stay of the case group were significantly higher (19.1% vs. 1.1%; p < 0.001 and 15.7 days vs. 10.6 days; p < 0.05 respectively) than those of the control. CONCLUSION: Only previous myocardial revascularization was an independent predictor of acute myocardial infarction in the postoperative period, based on multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Drug-eluting stents in the elderly: long-term (> one year) clinical outcomes of octogenarians in the DESIRE (Drug-Eluting Stents In the REal world) registry.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing number of elderly people, this high-complexity subset of patients is often excluded from randomized trials of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and, therefore, limited data are available about their outcomes after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. We sought to compare the very long-term (> 1 year) clinical follow up of octogenarians treated with DES compared to younger individuals. METHODS: The DESIRE registry is a prospective, nonrandomized, single-center registry with consecutive patients treated solely with DES between May 2002 and May 2007. The only exclusion criteria were the treatment of patients in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (MI) (< 72 hours) and lesions located in non-native coronary arteries. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of combined major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (cardiac death, non-fatal MI and target vessel revascularization) in-hospital and in very long term (> 1 year) follow up. Patients were clinically evaluated at 1, 3 and 6 months and then annually up to 5 years. Stent thrombosis was classified according to the ARC definition. RESULTS: A total of 1,364 patients matched the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were sorted into 3 groups according to their ages: Group I = patients < 70 years of age (n = 914); Group II = patients greater than or equal to 70 and < 80 years of age (n = 334); and Group III = patients greater than or equal to 80 years old (n = 116). As expected, octogenarians had significantly more comorbid and complex anatomic lesion presentation. Nevertheless, in-hospital success was comparable among the 3 groups. Long-term (2.6 +/- 1.2 years) follow up was obtained from 97% of the total population and showed equivalent cumulative MACE in all age ranges (7.6% for < 70 years old vs. 5.4% for septuagenarians and 6.0% for octogenarians, p = 0.7). However, octogenarians had markedly more cardiac death, reflecting the severity of their comorbidity and the natural evolution of coronary disease. Of note, very few cases of stent thrombosis were noticed in the overall population (20 patients, 1.5%), with no difference among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: PCI with DES represents an efficient and safe approach to treat coronary artery disease in the elderly, with low rates of combined MACE comparable to other age ranges.

Use of beta-blockers in the post-operative period of Sano modification of the Norwood procedure with persistent cyanosis.

Persistent cyanosis is a frequent complication in the post-operative period of Sano modification of the Norwood procedure. It may be explained by a dynamic proximal shunt stenosis of the synthetic conduit that links the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, as detected by echo cardiographic study. The use of beta-blockers in the post-operative period has been recently described in order to improve the arterial oxygen saturation. In this report, we describe the use of propranolol in two patients undergoing Sano modification of the Norwood procedure, in whom a gradient reduction in the synthetic conduit, increase in the levels of arterial oxygen saturation, decrease in heart rate, and increase in blood pressure were observed, thus resulting in clinical improvement. We conclude that the use of beta-blockers in these cases was beneficial.

Evolução tardia de pacientes com infarto agudo do miocárdio tratados com stents farmacológicos na prática diária do mundo real: subanálise do registro DESIRE (drug-eluting stent in the real world) / Late follow-up of patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with drug-eluting stents in the daily practice of the real world: a sub-analysis of the DESIRE registry (drug-eluting stent in the real world)

Introdução: Estudos prévios comparando stents farmacológicos (SFs) e stents não-farmacológicos sugerem eficácia e segurança dos SFs no tratamento de pacientes com infarto agudo do miocárdio (IAM). No entanto, a evolução tardia de pacientes com IAM tratados com SFs na prática diária permanece desconhecida. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar o seguimento tardio de pacientes com IAM recente tratados com SFs na prática diária do mundo real. Métodos: Entre maio de 2002 e junho de 2009, 3.018 pacientes não-selecionados com indicação de intervenção percutânea eletiva ou de emergência foram consecutivamente tratados com SFs em uma instituição clínica. O seguimento tardio de até sete anos foi realizado em 98%, com mediana de 3,4 anos. Os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos: pacientes com IAM recente (< 30 dias) e pacientes sem IAM recente. Resultados: Os pacientes com IAM recente tinham menos comorbidades e mais doença multiarterial (68,1% vs. 60,7%; P < 0,001), lesões com trombo (13,6% vs. 1,3%; P < 0,001), fluxo TIMI 0/1 (8,3% vs. 1,1%; P < 0,001) e disfunção moderada/grave do ventrículo esquerdo (23,2% vs. 10,9%; P < 0,001), comparativamente aos pacientes sem IAM recente. O grupo IAM recente recebeu 1,6 ± 0,8 stent/ paciente e mais inibidores da glicoproteína IIb/IIIa (19,6% vs. 2%; P < 0,001), mas o sucesso angiográfico foi similar nos dois grupos (> 99%). No seguimento tardio, a incidência de óbito cardíaco (6,4% vs. 2,7%; P < 0,001) e de trombose de stent (3,6% vs. 1,3%; P < 0,001) foi significativamente maior no grupo IAM recente. O IAM recente permaneceu como preditor independente de trombose de stent na análise multivariada (RR 2,96, IC 95% 1,62-5,41; P < 0,001). Conclusões: Pacientes com IAM < 30 dias tratados com SFs apresentaram pior prognóstico quando comparados aos pacientes sem IAM recente, incluindo aumento significativo do óbito cardíaco até sete anos de acompanhamento, e ocorrência 2,5 vezes maior das taxas de trombose de stent.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies comparing drug-eluting stents (DES) and bare-metal stents suggest efficacy and safety of the DES in the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction (MI). However, the late evolution of patients with MI treated with DES in the daily practice remains unknown. Our goal was to investigate the late follow-up of patients with MI recently treated with DES in the real world. METHODS: Between May 2002 and June 2009, 3,018 non-selected patients with indication for elective or urgent percutaneous coronary intervention have been consecutively treated with DES in a clinical institution. The 7-year follow-up was performed in 98% of these patients, with a median of 3.4 years. The patients were divided in two groups: patients with recent MI (< 30 days) and patients without recent MI. RESULTS: Patients with recent MI had less co-morbidities, but more multiarterial disease (68.1% vs. 60.7%; P < 0.001), lesions with thrombus (13.6% vs. 1.3%; P < 0.001), TIMI flow 0/1 (8.3% vs. 1.1%; P < 0.001), and moderate/severe LV dysfunction (23.2% vs. 10.9%; P < 0.001) when compared with patients without MI. The recent MI group received 1.6 ± 0.8 stents/patient and more glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (19.6% vs. 2%; P < 0.001), but the angiographic success (> 99%) was similar between groups. In the late follow-up, the incidence of cardiac death (6.4% vs. 2.7%; P < 0.001) and stent thrombosis (3.6% vs. 1.3%; P < 0.001) was significantly greater in the recent MI group. Recent MI remained an independent predictor of stent thrombosis in multivariate analysis (HR 2.96, 95% CI 1.62-5.41; P < 0,001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MI < 30 days treated with DES had a worse prognosis when compared with patients without recent MI, including a higher incidence of cardiac death and a 2.5 times greater occurrence of stent thrombosis rate up to 7-year follow-up.

Uso de betabloqueador no pós-operatório de cirurgia de Norwood modificada por Sano com cianose persistente / Use of beta-blockers in the post-operative period of Sano modification of the Norwood procedure with persistent cyanosis

A cianose persistente constitui complicação freqüente no pós-operatório da cirurgia de Norwood modificada por Sano. Sua ocorrência pode ser explicada pela obstrução dinâmica da anastomose proximal do conduto sintético, que liga o ventrículo direito ao tronco pulmonar, evidenciada à ecocardiografia. A fim de melhorar a saturação arterial de oxigênio, foi recentemente descrita a utilização de betabloqueador, no período pós-operatório. Neste relato, descrevemos a utilização de propranolol em dois casos de cirurgia de Norwood modificada por Sano, demonstrando diminuição do gradiente no tubo sintético, aumento dos níveis de saturação arterial de oxigênio, diminuição da freqüência cardíaca e aumento da pressão arterial, traduzido em melhora clínica. Concluímos que autilização de betabloqueador nesses casos mostrou-se benéfica.

Persistent cyanosis is a frequent complication in the post-operative period of Sano modification of the Norwood procedure. It may be explained by a dynamic proximal shunt stenosis of the synthetic conduit that links the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, as detected by echo cardiographic study. The use of beta-blockers in the post-operative period has been recently described in order to improve the arterial oxygen saturation. In this report, we describe the use of propranolol in two patients undergoing Sano modification of the Norwood procedure, in whom a gradient reduction in the synthetic conduit, increase in the levels of arterial oxygen saturation, decrease in heart rate, and increase in blood pressure were observed, thus resulting in clinical improvement. We conclude that the use of beta-blockers in these cases was beneficial.

Fatores preditivos de risco de infarto agudo do miocárdio no pós-operatório de operações de revascularizaçäo miocárdica / Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction during the postoperative period of myocardial revascularization

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for acute myocardial infarction during the postoperative period after myocardial revascularization. METHODS: This was a case-control study paired for sex, age, number, type of graft used, coronary endarterectomy, type of myocardial protection, and use of extracorporeal circulation. We assessed 178 patients (89 patients in each group) undergoing myocardial revascularization, and the following variables were considered: dyslipidemia, systemic hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, previous myocardial revascularization surgery, previous coronary angioplasty, and acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics did not differ in the groups, except for previous myocardial revascularization surgery, prevalent in the case group (34 patients vs. 12 patients; p = 0.0002). This was the only independent predictor of risk for acute myocardial infarction in the postoperative period, based on a multivariate logistic regression analysis (p=0.0001). Mortality and the time of hospital stay of the case group were significantly higher (19.1 percent vs. 1.1 percent; p<0.001 and 15.7 days vs. 10.6 days; p<0.05 respectively) than those of the control. CONCLUSION: Only previous myocardial revascularization was an independent predictor of acute myocardial infarction in the postoperative period, based on multivariate logistic regression analysis

Avaliaçäo imediata e tardia do tratamento cirúrgico do aneurisma de ventrículo esquerdo / Immediate and tardive evaluation of surgical treatment of the left ventricular aneurysms

Con a finalidade de avaliar os resultados imediatos e tardios do tratamento cirúrgico do aneurisma de ventrículo esquerdo (VE), os autores estudaron 112 casos oeprados no período de janeiro de 1984 a março de 1986, portanto con un seguimento pós-operatório variando de 8 meses a 2 anos e 10 meses. A idade variou entre 33 e 75 anos, com 42% dos pacientes na faixa entre 51 e 60 anos. O sexo masculino representou 87,5% dos casos. Os sintomas pré-operatórios mais freqüentes foram dor precordial, insuficiência cardíaca e arritmia. Os achados do estudo hemodinâmico mostraron presença de aneurisma de VE em todos os casos, caracterizado por discinesia na área infartada, isoladamente em 25 casos (22,3%), associado a lesäo em mais de uma artéria coronária em 50 casos (44,5%), mais de duas artérias em 34 (27,6%) e mais de três artérias em 6 casos (5,3%). Segundo ventriculograma e pelo cálculo da contraçäo regional, os casos foram considerados bom, regular, ou mau. De acordo com esta classificaçäo, tivemos: bom 37 casos (33%); regular 60 casos (53,5%); mau 15 casos (13,5%). A cirurgia corretiva do aneurisma de VE foi levada a efeito obedecendo aos preceitos de reconstruçäo da geometria da cavidade ventricular esquerda. A aneurismectomia isolad foi realizada em 22 casos (19,6%), associada a pontes de safena em 88 casos (78,5%) e a outros procedimentos em 2 casos (1,9%). A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 7,1% (8 óbitos), correspondendo a: bom 1 caso (2,7%); regular 2 casos (3,3%); mau 5 casos (33,3%). A mortalidade tardia (2 meses, 2 anos e 1 mês) foi de 8,6% (9 casos), a considerar: bom 2 casos (5,5%); regular 6 casos (10,3%); mau 1 caso (10%). Dos 97 casos sobreviventes e com avaliaçäo tardia, encontramos: assintomáticos 45 (47,3%), assim distribuídos: bom 20 casos (59,%); regulr 20 casos (38,5%); mau 5 casos (55,5%); sintomáticos 50 casos (52,6%), de acordo com a classificaçäo: bom 14 casos (41%); regular 32 casos (61,5%); mau 4 casos (44,4%). Os autores concluem que os resultados, nos grupos bom e regular, säo satisfatórios, porém no grupo mau, embora considerando as condiçöes desfavoráveis dos pacientes, a mortalidade global é alta (40%)

Diagnostico e avaliacao de valvopatias pela ressonancia nuclear magnetica / Diagnosis and evaluation of valvopathies by magnetic resonance imaging

A ressonancia nuclear magnetica e uma forma de imageamento nao invasivo que permite a visualizacao de diversas estruturas do sistema cardiovascular. contudo, seu papel como auxiliar na investigacao de cardiopatias ainda nao foi totalmente esclarecido. Para investigar esta possibilidade, analisamos 42 casos de pacientes valvares, 20 com doenca mitral e 22 com doenca aortica. A ressonancia magnetica identificou com precisao as areas valvares mitral e aortica, tendo seus achados se correlacionado com os valores da area valvar mitral Doppler-ecocardiografia e com os gradientes de pressao transaorticos medidos por este metodo e pelo cateterismo cardiaco. Alem disso, sempre que presentes, a modalidade identificou com exatidao a regurgitacao valvar; medindo o volume regurgitado, a fracao de regurgitacao e a presenca de calcio valvar e subvalvar. Finalmente, foi util para a medida de massa, volumes e fracao de ejecao ventricular.Com os achados desta experiencia inicial, os autores concluem que a ressonancia magnetica e um metodo eficaz de avaliacao das valvopatias e pode ser considerado como alternativa diagnostica nestes casos