[Nurse and Patient Dispute Litigation in Independent Nursing Practice].

BACKGROUND: Although medical dispute and other contentious cases involving patients and nurses have risen significantly in recent years, few studies have examined the litigation issues involved in nurse-patient disputes. PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the background, categories, and degrees of harm to patients and the judgments made by the courts. METHODS: Qualitative research was used. Cases of criminal, written judgments related to nurse practice negligence and recorded in district courts in Taiwan from 2008 to 2017 were selected. Data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 41 hospitals and 55 nurses were identified. The largest number of cases involved regional hospitals (36.6%), internal medicine departments (31.7%), general wards (46.3%), night shifts (40.0%), and staff nurses (85.5%). Four categories of independent nurse practice negligence were identified, including observation-evaluation, environmental security, physician notification, and nursing records. Negligent homicide (58.2%) was the most common court judgment and ten nurses (18.2%) were found guilty of the charges brought against them. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of this study highlight for nurses the content of nurse practice negligence and the related judgments by the courts, which hopefully may guide nurses to avoid practice negligence in the future.

Preoperative Right Ventricular Dysfunction Indicates High Vasoactive Support Needed After Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between preoperative right ventricular (RV) function and high vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) after cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: A single medical center setting. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred three patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Consecutive patients referred for cardiac surgery were enrolled prospectively. Comprehensive transesophageal echocardiography was performed before sternal incision. Specific RV indices, encompassing RV fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and RV global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), were measured offline. High VIS was defined as a maximum VIS of ≥20 in 24 hours postoperatively. Postoperative adverse events were recorded. One hundred three patients (mean age 61.2 ± 11.0, 72 men) were included in this study, where 17 patients (16.5%) achieved high VIS with a mean maximum VIS of 39 in 24 hours postoperatively. Patients with high VIS encountered increased occurrence of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation placement, acute kidney injury, and mortality. Risk factors for high VIS included operation type, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, left atrium size, and pre-incisional RV indices. After adjustment for age, left ventricular ejection fraction, and the covariates, only RVGLS (odds ratio 1.19, p = 0.011) showed an independent association with high VIS. The optimal cutoff of RVGLS was -16.7% (sensitivity of 88.2%, specificity of 75.6%). CONCLUSION: Preoperative RV dysfunction is an independent risk factor for postoperative high VIS. Pre-incisional RVGLS is a reliable tool to predict high VIS after cardiac surgery. Patients with high VIS had increased adverse events postoperatively.

Unilateral Pedicled Pectoralis Major Harvested by Endoscopic-Assisted Method Achieves Adequate Management of Sternal Infection and Mediastinitis.

BACKGROUND: Bilateral PM muscles or combination with rectus abdominis or omentum are commonly used for upper and lower sternal wound infections. Unilateral PM harvesting using endoscopic-assisted method may have a simple, safe, and reliable entire muscle harvesting with comparable result of less donor-site violation. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed from 2003 till 2015 on 38 patients referred to a single plastic surgeon for treatment of sternal wound infection following median sternotomy for cardiovascular surgery. After the humerus insertion of PM was cut with the assistance of endoscope visualization, all the other PM insertions on the sternum, rib, and clavicle were divided, the unilateral pedicled PM can be advanced approximately 10 cm to cover the cephalad and caudal sternum, and fill the retrosternal mediastinum. RESULTS: Four re-explorations in three patients for postoperative hematoma occurred. No early recurrent infection for wound dehiscence experienced. Three patients died of multiple organs failures as 30-day mortality. Two patients underwent late recurrent infections; one patient had twice wire infection removals at 4 and 6 months after transfer, and the other had another PM for rib osteomyelitis in 3 years. CONCLUSION: Unilateral PM transfer is justified to provide a simple, reliable, straightforward procedure for sternal infection management and mediastinal obliteration without violation of second flap in compromised patients.

Lumican-null mice are susceptible to aging and isoproterenol-induced myocardial fibrosis.

With aging and stress, the myocardium undergoes structural remodeling, often leading to fibrosis. The purpose of this study is to examine whether lumican, one of the class II small leucine-rich proteoglycans, has a protective role in cardiac remodeling and fibrosis. In attempts to elucidate the hypothesis that lumican may have a protective role in cardiac remodeling and fibrosis, we compared the cardiac phenotypes of young (3-month-old) and elder (6-month- and 12-month-old) lumican-null (Lum-/-) mice. Extra-cellular matrix remodeling and apoptosis are examined to determine the roles of lumican on age-dependent cardiac fibrosis induced by isoproterenol. Compared to wild type littermates, Lum-/- mice exhibited higher mortality due to significantly impaired systolic function, which was associated with an increase of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secreted by the ventricles in response to excessive stretching of myocytes. Masson's Trichrome and silver stains showed significantly more severe ventricle fibrosis in Lum-/- mice. Interestingly, rate of cell death mediated via apoptosis illustrated by the expression of caspase 3 and TUNEL assay was lower in Lum-/- mice after isoproterenol infusion. In addition, Lum-/- mice exhibited higher levels of TGF-ß, collagen I/III, and membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MT1-MMP/MMP-14) during cardiac remodeling. This study shows that alternations of lumican might be implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis and suggests lumican as novel targets for cardiac fibrosis therapy. Further studies are required to define the mechanism by which lumican modulates cardiac remodeling.

The impacts of baseline ventilator parameters on hospital mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a valuable life support in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in adult patients. However, the success of VV-ECMO is known to be influenced by the baseline settings of mechanical ventilation (MV) before its institution. This study was aimed at identifying the baseline ventilator parameters which were independently associated with hospital mortality in non-trauma patients receiving VV-ECMO for severe ARDS. METHODS: This retrospective study included 106 non-trauma patients (mean age: 53 years) who received VV-ECMO for ARDS in a single medical center from 2007 to 2016. The indication of VV-ECMO was severe hypoxemia (PaO2/ FiO2 ratio < 70 mmHg) under pressure-controlled MV with peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) > 35 cmH2O, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) > 5 cmH2O, and FiO2 > 0.8. Important demographic and clinical data before and during VV-ECMO were collected for analysis of hospital mortality. RESULTS: The causes of ARDS were bacterial pneumonia (n = 41), viral pneumonia (n = 24), aspiration pneumonitis (n = 3), and others (n = 38). The median duration of MV before ECMO institution was 3 days and the overall hospital mortality was 53% (n = 56). The medians of PaO2/ FiO2 ratio, PIP, PEEP, and dynamic pulmonary compliance (PCdyn) at the beginning of MV were 84 mmHg, 32 cmH2O, 10 cmH2O, and 21 mL/cmH2O, respectively. However, before the beginning of VV-ECMO, the medians of PaO2/ FiO2 ratio, PIP, PEEP, and PCdyn became 69 mmHg, 36 cmH2O, 14 cmH2O, and 19 mL/cmH2O, respectively. The escalation of PIP and the declines in PaO2/ FiO2 ratio and PCdyn were significantly correlated with the duration of MV before ECMO institution. Finally, the duration of MV (OR: 1.184, 95% CI: 1.079-1.565, p < 0.001) was found to be the only baseline ventilator parameter that independently affected the hospital mortality in these ECMO-treated patients. CONCLUSION: Since the duration of MV before ECMO institution was strongly correlated to the outcome of adult respiratory ECMO, medical centers are suggested to find a suitable prognosticating tool to determine the starting point of respiratory ECMO among their candidates with different duration of MV. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study reported a health care intervention on human participants and was retrospectively registered. The Chang Gung Medical Foundation Institutional Review Board approved the study (no. 201601483B0 ) on November 23, 2016. All of the data were extracted from December 1, 2016, to January 31, 2017.

Postoperative Renal Outcomes of On-Pump Beating-Heart versus Cardioplegic Arrest Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this investigation is to compare the postoperative renal outcomes after on-pump beating- heart versus conventional cardioplegic arrest coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2012, 254 patients who underwent isolated CABG were enrolled. The primary outcome was postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) within 7 days [defined by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome (KDIGO) Clinical Practice Guideline] and loss of kidney function at 1 year (defined as > 20% loss in estimated glomerular filtration rate from baseline preoperative creatinine level). RESULTS: There was less AKI found for the on-pump beating-heart CABG (30.2% versus 46.3%; p = 0.010) group; with significant less stage I AKI (17.6% versus 29.5%; p = 0.035); a trend of less stage II AKI (4.4% versus 10.5%; p = 0.088) and no significant difference in stage III AKI (8.2% versus 6.3%; p = 0.587). The on-pump beating-heart group also had less patients who have lost their kidney function at 1 year (24.8% versus 41.2%; p = 0.021). Furthermore, multivariate analysis identified conventional arrest CABG is an independent risk factor for postoperative AKI and loss of kidney function at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: On-pump beating-heart CABG has superior short-term and mid-term renal outcomes than conventional cardioplegic arrest CABG.

Predicting Acute Kidney Injury Following Mitral Valve Repair.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery is associated with short-term and long-term adverse outcomes. Novel biomarkers have been identified for the early detection of AKI; however, examining these in every patient who undergoes cardiac surgery is prohibitively expensive. Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction (ACEF) scores have been proven to predict mortality in bypass surgery. The aim of this study was to determine whether these scores can be used to predict AKI after mitral valve repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2013, 196 patients who underwent mitral valve repair were enrolled. The clinical characteristics, outcomes, and scores of prognostic models were collected. The primary outcome was postoperative AKI, defined using the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome 2012 clinical practice guidelines for AKI. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients (38.7%) developed postoperative AKI. The STS renal failure (AUROC: 0.797, P < .001) and ACEF scores (AUROC: 0.758, P < .001) are both satisfactory tools for predicting all AKI. The STS renal failure score exhibited superior accuracy compared with the ACEF score in predicting AKI stage 2 and 3. The overall accuracy of both scores was similar for all AKI and AKI stage 2 and 3 when the cut-off points of the STS renal failure and ACEF scores were 2.2 and 1.1, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the STS renal failure score can be used to accurately predict stage 2 and 3 AKI after mitral valve repair. The ACEF score is a simple tool with satisfactory power in screening patients at risk of all AKI stages. Additional studies can aim to determine the clinical implications of combining preoperative risk stratification and novel biomarkers.

Blunt aortic injury: risk factors and impact of surgical approaches.

PURPOSE: This study reviews our 17-year experience of managing blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI). METHODS: We analyzed information collected retrospectively from a tertiary trauma center. RESULTS: Between October 1995 and June 2012, 88 patients (74 male and 14 female) with a mean age of 39.9 ± 17.9 years (range 15-79 years) with proven BTAI were enrolled in this study. Their GCS, ISS, and RTS scores were 12.9 ± 3.7, 29.2 ± 9.8, and 6.9 ± 1.4, respectively. Twenty-one (23.8 %) patients were managed non-operatively, 49 (55.7 %) with open surgical repair, and 18 (20.5 %) with endovascular repair. The in-hospital mortality rate was 17.1 % (15/81) and there were no deaths in the endovascular repair group. The mean follow-up period was 39.9 ± 44.2 months. The survivors of blunt aortic injury had lower ISS, RTS, TRISS, and serum creatinine level and lower rate of massive blood transfusion, shock, and intubation than the patients who died, despite higher rates of endovascular repair, hemoglobin, and GCS on presentation. The degree of aortic injury, different therapeutic options, GCS, shock presentation, and intubation on arrival all had significant impacts on outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Shock, aortic injury severity, coexisting trauma severity, and different surgical approaches impact survival. Endovascular repair achieves a superior mid-term result and is a reasonable option for treating BTAI.

Timing of Intervention in Blunt Traumatic Aortic Injury Patients: Open Surgical versus Endovascular Repair.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is a rapidly evolving therapy in treating blunt traumatic aortic injury (TAI). However, currently there is no consensus among literature regarding the repair timing of TAI. Our experiences to manage TAI with comparison between open surgical and endovascular repair in repair timing and short-term outcomes are reported. Risk factors for postoperative mortality and morbidity are stratified. METHODS: Between January 2003 and February 2014, 63 consecutive patients who have suffered from TAI and underwent conventional open surgical or endovascular aortic repair were retrospectively reviewed in this study. The primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, postoperative complication, and operation timing. All medical records regarding trauma mechanisms, concomitant injuries, intervention detail, and postoperative outcomes were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 63 patients (mean age, 37.9 years; 57 male), 23 underwent open repair (OR) and 40 underwent TEVAR for blunt TAI. The TEVAR group had more urgent operation (injury to repair <24 hr; 57.5% vs. 30.4%, P = 0.038) and shorter operative time (136.25 ± 54.48 min vs. 414.78 ± 212.24 min, P = 0.00) than the respective open surgical repair group. Postoperative mortality and morbidity analysis showed that the OR group had higher in-hospital mortality (30.4% vs. 7.5%; P = 0.029), more patients with acute renal failure in need of hemodialysis (17.4% vs. 2.3%; P = 0.038), and more post-operation infection (30.4% vs. 5%; P = 0.005) than the respective TEVAR group. The Multivariate analysis, of the 10 (15.88%) patients that died after the surgery, showed that the risk factors of hospital mortality were grade IV TAI (frank rupture). CONCLUSIONS: For treating TAI, TEVAR has emerged as a quicker and safer treatment option than OR. The findings of this study support the use of TEVAR over OR for patients who suffered from TAI.

Therapeutic opinion on endovascular repair for mycotic aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Our aim in this study was to assess the feasibility of endovascular repair for mycotic aortic aneurysms (MAAs) and to provide a therapeutic opinion. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 12 patients who underwent endovascular repair for MAAs between September 2006 and June 2011. RESULTS: Patients consisted of 9 men and 3 women, with a median age of 64.6 years (range 45-75 years). The aortic aneurysms were in the thoracic/thoracoabdominal aorta in 5 patients, juxtarenal aorta with visceral involvement in 2 patients, and infrarenal abdominal aorta in 5 patients. Blood cultures of 10 patients (83.3%) were positive for bacteria and showed Salmonella species (8 patients), Klebsiella pneumonia (1 patient), and Escherichia coli (1 patients). Eight patients with active sepsis or active bleeding underwent emergent endovascular repair because of unstable hemodynamics. Notably, 2 patients required adjuvant surgery for complete removal of infectious foci. No deaths occurred within 30 days after intervention. We recorded 2 late deaths: 1 patient died of progressive pneumonia on day 39 after intervention and the other died of liver failure on day 58 after intervention. Late complications were observed in 3 patients, 1 of whom needed an aortic revision for late prosthesis infection. The mean follow-up time was 24 ± 19.7 months. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular repair is a feasible therapeutic option for MAAs in that it can both stop bleeding and exclude the aneurysms. Although the aortic interventions performed were successful, the patients had an immunocompromised status and a difficult postoperative recovery. "Aggressive" surgical drainage may be necessary in some patients and may lead to a better outcome.

Modified high-intensity interval training increases peak cardiac power output in patients with heart failure.

PURPOSE: Although high-intensity interval aerobic training (HIT) effectively improves aerobic fitness, the risk of cardiac arrest transiently increases during strenuous physical exertion in patients with cardiovascular disease. For safety and efficacy concerns, this investigation explored the effect of a modified HIT (mHIT) on exertional ventilatory-hemodynamic efficiency in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF). METHODS: HFREF patients were prospectively assigned to two groups: mHIT and usual healthcare (UC). The former comprised supervised continuous aerobic training at ventilatory anaerobic threshold for 50 min/day, 3 days/week for 4 weeks, and then 3-min intervals at 40 and 80% VO2 reserve for 50 min/day, 3 days/week for 8 weeks. The latter received optimal medical treatment only. Ventilatory and hemodynamic responses during exercise were measured before and after the intervention. Paired-t and repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc tests were adopted. RESULTS: Each group had an N of 33. The mHIT and UC group had matched baseline characteristics including health-promotion concept and behavior score. The mHIT for 12 weeks (1) increased VO2, cardiac output, and notably, cardiac power output at peak workload (1,151 ± 573 vs. 1,306 ± 596 L/min/mmHg); (2) reduced V E/VO2 (32.4 ± 4.6 vs. 30.0 ± 4.0), breathing frequency, ventilation, and enhanced stroke volume compliance at identical submaximal intensity (50% peak workload at pre-intervention evaluation). No significant changes in ventilatory and hemodynamic responses to exercise were observed following the UC. CONCLUSIONS: The mHIT regimen improves peak cardiac pumping capacity with reducing cardiac after-load and simultaneously increases ventilation efficiency during exercise in patients with HFREF. Thereby, aerobic fitness is ameliorated.

Dual protection therapy with staged coronary artery bypass surgery and stenting in patients with left main coronary artery stenosis: long-term results from a single center.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of dual protection therapy with staged coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and bare-metal stenting (BMS) in patients with left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease. BACKGROUND: CABG is currently the preferred therapy for complex LMCA disease; however, the long-term patency rates of these grafts are unsatisfactory, and stenting alone for LMCA may be associated with the potentially fatal consequences of stent thrombosis or restenosis. METHODS: Between January 1997 and October 2005, 42 patients underwent staged bypass surgery and BMS, with the latter procedure performed 2 weeks after the initial CABG. Of these patients, 40 received left internal mammary artery (LIMA) grafts, 34 saphenous vein grafts, 6 radial artery grafts, and 3 right IMA (RIMA) grafts. Minimally invasive bypass surgery was performed in 10 patients. RESULTS: There were no operative complications. Forty-two stents were implanted in 42 lesions without complications. During the follow-up period of 135 ± 55 months, 1 patient died of cancer, 2 of cardiac causes, and 5 patients (12%) experienced target lesion revascularization. The target vessel failure rate was 24%. Forty patients (95%) underwent a 6-month angiographic follow-up. Restenosis was noted in 7 patients (18%). Reocclusion was also noted in 5 LIMA grafts, 5 saphenous vein grafts, 1 radial artery graft, and 1 RIMA graft. Only 1 patient experienced both restenosis of LM stenting and total occlusion of the 2 bypass grafts. CONCLUSIONS: Dual protection therapy with staged CABG and stenting is not an appropriate therapeutic strategy because of unacceptable graft patency rate. A higher occlusive rate of the bypass grafts may result from decreased blood flow because of competing blood flow between the bypass graft and the native coronary vessel.

Some Ethical Legal Issues in Heart Disease Surgery.

UNLABELLED: Ethical concerns, cultural norms, and legal issues must be carefully considered when treating a patient with heart disease. Although physicians or surgeons must play a role in course of treatment decision making, they should be guided by evidence-based data and the preferences of patients and/or the patient's parents. However, there is no obligation to provide this type of informed consultation and approval unless these ethical issues become law - which typically occurs through litigation. In this review, we examined common ethical principles that are integral to the regular decisions made by clinicians every day. Some special ethical issues and associated litigation, if any, which might occur perioperatively will also be reviewed. Finally, the final judgments of civil and criminal courts of Taiwan, particularly lawsuits involving physicians associated with coronary artery disease care or aortic aneurysm, will also be introduced. KEY WORDS: Criminal lawsuit; Medical ethic; Medical litigation; Medical negligence.

Repair of Traumatic Tricuspid Regurgitation.

UNLABELLED: Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) after blunt chest trauma is rare and often results from damage to the subvalvular apparatus. When injured, the damaged subvalvular apparatus may break immediately or at a later stage due to mechanical fatigue. We report the case of a 30-year-old man who sustained a blunt thoraco-abdominal trauma in a motorbike accident. The patient's condition immediately after the accident precluded any intervention for the moderate TR that was detected by transesophageal echocardiography. However, he later developed a severe TR which required surgical intervention 11 months after the accident. The operative findings included a ruptured anterior common chordae, a contracted and perforated anterior leaflet, and an enlarged annulus. A satisfactory valve competence was achieved with several techniques including chordae re-implantation, suture commissurotomy, and ring annuloplasty. This report highlights the unpredictable course of deterioration in traumatic TR and the possibility of complex repair. KEY WORDS: Blunt cardiac injury; Tricuspid regurgitation; Tricuspid valve repair.

Analysis of intimal extent and predictors of renal atrophy in patients with aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: The intimal flap of aortic dissection may extend to the abdominal branches and probably lead to malperfusion syndrome. Renal malperfusion and renal atrophy are significantly related to patient outcomes. PURPOSE: To study the extent of the intimal flap and predisposing factors for renal atrophy in patients with aortic dissection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From January 2001 to June 2008, 176 (137 men, aged 21-86 years, mean 51.9 years) of 225 subjects with aortic dissection and computed tomography (CT) met the inclusion criteria for this study. Of these 176 patients, 35 (19.9%) developed unilateral renal atrophy. A review of the CT was conducted to classify aortic branch vessel perfusion into three types: type 1, in which the branch vessels are perfused exclusively from the true lumen; type 2, in which the branches are perfused from both the true and false lumens; and type 3, in which the branches are perfused exclusively from the false lumen. Variables including age, gender, type of aortic dissection, type of perfusion of the abdominal branches, and the presence of thrombi in the false lumen were analyzed to determine whether these factors were related to the left or right side and global or focal renal atrophy. RESULTS: Of 880 abdominal branches in 176 patients, 622 (70.7%) were classed as perfusion type 1, 50 (5.7%) as type 2, and 208 (23.6%) as type 3. Type 3 perfusion was most commonly observed in the left renal artery, at a frequency of 31.7% (66/208). Partial thrombosis in the false lumen above the level of the renal arteries was seen in 68.8% of patients; such thrombi and type 3 perfusion of the renal artery were significantly related to renal atrophy. The laterality (left or right) and extent (global or focal) of renal atrophy were not related to age, gender, type of aortic dissection, or perfusion type. CONCLUSION: Type 3 perfusion is most frequent in the left renal artery, and such perfusion and partial thrombi in the false lumen above the renal arteries are significantly related to the development of renal atrophy.

Pulmonary perfusion with L-arginine ameliorates post-cardiopulmonary bypass lung injury in a rabbit model.

BACKGROUND: Post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) lung injury is the combination of whole body inflammatory response and local ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. We investigated the benefit of pulmonary perfusion with L-arginine in protection against post-CPB lung injury. METHODS: New Zealand white rabbits (n = 50, weight, 2.5-2.8 kg) were divided into five groups (n = 10 each): sham (sham sternotomy), CPB (CPB without pulmonary perfusion), perfusion (CPB with pulmonary perfusion), L-arginine (CPB with perfusion + L-arginine), and L-NAME (CPB with perfusion + L-NAME). The duration of CPB was 60 min followed by 2 h of reperfusion. Pulmonary perfusion was performed every 20 min through the pulmonary artery during CPB. Checking parameters included: (1) pulmonary vascular resistance, (2) pulmonary artery endothelium relaxation (organ chamber study), and (3) IR marker (myeloperoxidase) and inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-B, NF-κB). RESULTS: CPB induced pulmonary artery endothelium dysfunction manifested by increased pulmonary vascular resistance and impaired pulmonary artery relaxation. Pulmonary perfusion could significantly reverse the phenomenon (P < 0.01) while provision of NO precursor-L-arginine with pulmonary perfusion together further possessed significant relaxation ability for pulmonary arterial endothelium compared with perfusion alone (P < 0.05). Accordingly, lung parenchyma myeloperoxidase activity and inflammatory cytokine level were also markedly increased after CPB (P < 0.05). Pulmonary perfusion could partially decrease the response, whereas additional L-arginine further attenuated inflammatory cytokine release (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary perfusion during CPB partially ameliorates CPB-induced lung injury. Pulmonary perfusion with L-arginine could further attenuate lung injury by restoring endothelial function and decreasing inflammatory response.

Expression and role of lumican in acute aortic dissection: A human and mouse study.

INTRODUCTION: Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening emergency, and lumican (LUM) is a potential Biomarker for AD diagnosis. We investigated LUM expression patterns in patients with AD and explored the molecular functions of Lum in AD mice model. METHODS: LUM expression patterns were analyzed using aortic tissues of AD patients, and serum soluble LUM (s-LUM) levels were compared between patients with acute AD (AAD) and chronic AD (CAD). Lum-knockout (Lum-/-) mice were challenged with ß-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) and angiotensin II (Ang II) to induce AD. The survival rate, AD incidence, and aortic aneurysm (AA) in these mice were compared with those in BAPN-Ang II-challenged wildtype (WT) mice. Tgf-ß/Smad2, Mmps, Lum, and Nox expression patterns were examined. RESULTS: LUM expression was detected in the intima and media of the ascending aorta in patients with AAD. Serum s-LUM levels were significantly higher in patients with AAD than CAD. Furthermore, AD-associated mortality and thoracic aortic rupture incidence were significantly higher in the Lum-/- AD mice than in the WT AD mice. However, no significant pathologic changes in AA were observed in the Lum-/- AD mice compared with the WT AD mice. The BAPN-Ang II-challenged WT and Lum-/- AD mice had higher Tgf-ß, p-Smad2, Mmp2, Mmp9, and Nox4 levels than those of non-AD mice. We also found that Lum expression was significantly higher in the BAPN-Ang II-challenged WT in comparison to the unchallenged WT mice. CONCLUSION: LUM expression was altered in patients with AD display increased s-LUM in blood, and Lum-/- mice exhibited augmented AD pathogenesis. These findings support the notion that LUM is a biomarker signifying the pathogenesis of injured aorta seen in AAD. The presence of LUM is essential for maintenance of connective tissue integrity. Future studies should elucidate the mechanisms underlying LUM association in aortic changes.

Effects of a therapeutic lifestyle-change programme on cardiac risk factors after coronary artery bypass graft.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to explore the behavioural and clinical impact of a therapeutic lifestyle-change intervention for cardiac risk factors in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. BACKGROUND: Coronary atherosclerosis-induced cardiovascular disease involves a progressive process. Progression of coronary atherosclerosis remains a significant problem after coronary artery intervention, requiring patients to make ongoing modifications in their lifestyle to reduce cardiac risk factors. DESIGN: A prospective quasi-experimental design was used. METHODS: Patients who received coronary artery bypass graft surgery at a medical centre in Taiwan were sampled by convenience and assigned to two groups. The control group (n = 37) and experimental group (n = 36) both received routine postoperative rehabilitation, with the experimental group also receiving the therapeutic lifestyle-change programme. Measures of behavioural and clinical outcomes were compared before surgery, one and three months after discharge. RESULTS: The results revealed that the amount of cigarette smoking, blood pressure control, frequency of physical activity and dietary behaviour were modified in both groups. Both groups improved significantly in blood lipid profiles and fasting glucose levels from presurgery to the first month after discharge and the experimental group improved even more (p < 0.05). Similar findings were also noted for changes in cigarette smoking and dietary behaviour. Three months after discharge, blood pressure control and frequency of physical activity in the experimental group were significantly higher than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating a therapeutic lifestyle-change intervention into a postoperative cardiac rehabilitation programme effectively modified cardiac risk factors and may improve postoperative recovery and prognosis. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Guidelines for Taiwanese patients with cardiovascular disease should stress and support implementation of and adherence to therapeutic lifestyle changes in addition to drug therapy.

Direct aortic route versus transaxillary route for transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The transfemoral route is contraindicated in nearly 10% of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) candidates because of unsuitable iliofemoral vessels. Transaxillary (TAx) and direct aortic (DAo) routes are the principal nonfemoral TAVR routes; however, few studies have compared their outcomes. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the rates of mortality, stroke, and other adverse events of TAx and DAo TAVR. The study was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42017069788). We searched Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases for studies reporting the outcomes of DAo or TAx TAVR in at least 10 patients. Studies that did not use the Valve Academic Research Consortium definitions were excluded. We included studies that did not directly compare the two approaches and then pooled rates of events from the included studies for comparison. RESULTS: In total, 31 studies were included in the quantitative meta-analysis, with 2,883 and 2,172 patients in the DAo and TAx TAVR groups, respectively. Compared with TAx TAVR, DAo TAVR had a lower Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) score, shorter fluoroscopic time, and less contrast volume use. The 30-day mortality rates were significantly higher in the DAo TAVR group (9.6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [8.4-10.9]) than in the TAx TAVR group (5.7%, 95% CI = [4.8-6.8]; P for heterogeneity <0.001). DAo TAVR was associated with a significantly lower risk of stroke in the overall study population (2.6% vs. 5.8%, P for heterogeneity <0.001) and in the subgroup of studies with a mean STS score of ≥8 (1.6% vs. 6.2%, P for heterogeneity = 0.005). DAo TAVR was also associated with lower risks of permanent pacemaker implantation (12.3% vs. 20.1%, P for heterogeneity = 0.009) and valve malposition (2.0% vs. 10.2%, P for heterogeneity = 0.023) than was TAx TAVR. CONCLUSIONS: DAo TAVR increased 30-day mortality rate compared with TAx TAVR; by contrast, TAx TAVR increased postoperative stroke, permanent pacemaker implantation, and valve malposition risks compared with DAo TAVR.

Association of Family History With Incidence and Outcomes of Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND: Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening emergency. However, the heritability and association of family history with late outcomes are unclear. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of family history of AD on the incidence and prognosis of AD and estimate the heritability and environmental contribution in AD in Taiwan. METHODS: Both cross-sectional and cohort studies were conducted using Taiwan National Health Insurance database. A registry parent-offspring relationship algorithm was used to reconstruct the genealogy of this population for heritability estimation. The cross-sectional study included 23,868 patients with a diagnosis of AD in 2015. The prevalence and adjusted relative risks (RRs) were evaluated, and the liability threshold model was used to examine the effects of heritability and environmental factors. Furthermore, a 1:10 propensity score-matched cohort comprising AD patients with or without a family history of AD was included to compare late outcomes in the cohort study. RESULTS: A family history of AD in first-degree relatives was associated with an RR of 6.82 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.12 to 9.07). The heritability of AD was estimated to be 57.0% for genetic factors, and 3.1% and 40.0% for shared and nonshared environmental factors, respectively. After excluding individuals with Marfan syndrome or bicuspid aortic valve, a family history of AD was associated with an RR of 6.56 (95% CI: 4.92 to 8.77) for AD. Furthermore, patients with AD and a family history of AD had a higher risk of later aortic surgery than those with AD without a family history (subdistribution hazard ratio: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.76). CONCLUSIONS: A family history of AD was a strong risk factor for AD. Furthermore, patients with AD with a family history of AD had a higher risk of later aortic surgery than those with no family history of AD.