Cardiac surgeons' concerns, perceptions, and responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on health care and cardiac surgery. We report cardiac surgeons' concerns, perceptions, and responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A detailed survey was sent to recruit participating adult cardiac surgery centers in North America. Data regarding cardiac surgeons' perceptions and changes in practice were analyzed. RESULTS: Our study comprises 67 institutions with diverse geographic distribution across North America. Nurses were most likely to be redeployed (88%), followed by advanced care practitioners (69%), trainees (28%), and surgeons (25%). Examining surgeon concerns in regard to COVID-19, they were most worried with exposing their family to COVID-19 (81%), followed by contracting COVID-19 (68%), running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) (28%), and hospital resources (28%). In terms of PPE conservation strategies among users of N95 respirators, nearly half were recycling via decontamination with ultraviolet light (49%), followed by sterilization with heat (13%) and at home or with other modalities (13%). Reuse of N95 respirators for 1 day (22%), 1 week (21%) or 1 month (6%) was reported. There were differences in adoption of methods to conserve N95 respirators based on institutional pandemic phase and COVID-19 burden, with higher COVID-19 burden institutions more likely to resort to PPE conservation strategies. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates the impact of COVID-19 on North American cardiac surgeons. Our study should stimulate further discussions to identify optimal solutions to improve workforce preparedness for subsequent surges, as well as facilitate the navigation of future healthcare crises.

Caught in the Act: A Recurrent Tamponade After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting With Culprit Lesion Identified on Computed Tomography Angiogram.

Delayed cardiac tamponade after cardiac surgery is a rare complication with significant diagnostic challenges. The recurrence of cardiac tamponade physiology after initial intervention creates another degree of difficulty in the management of already medically complex patients. We present the case of a 65-year-old male who underwent four-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting that was complicated by the delayed presentation of cardiac tamponade requiring mediastinal exploration. Following this he developed a recurrence of cardiac tamponade with bleeding from a vein graft identified on multiphase spiral computed tomography angiography.

Autologous CD133 + Cells and Laser Revascularization in patients with severe Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that targeted TMLR combined with intramyocardial injection of autologous CD 133+ progenitor cells is safe and feasible in patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and no revascularization options. METHODS: Eight male patients (age 62 ± 2.4 years) with multivessel severe ischemic heart disease and no revascularization options were enrolled. Autologous CD 133 + endothelial progenitor cells were derived and purified from the bone marrow on the day of surgery using the clinical-grade closed CliniMACS system. Using a lateral thoracotomy approach, TMLR was performed, followed by transmyocardial transplantation of purified CD133 + cells (mean number of transplanted cells: 12.5 × 106) in the region surrounding the TMLR sites. These sites were selected based on ischemia on pre-procedure perfusion imaging. We performed clinical and myocardial perfusion imaging pre-procedure and then at 6- and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: No major complications or death occurred during the procedure or during the peri-operative hospital stay. One patient died of cardiac cause 6 months post-procedure. There was a reported short-term improvement in anginal and heart failure symptoms and a modest reduction in the ischemic score as assessed by perfusion imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Our phase 1 clinical study examining the combination therapy of targeted transmyocardial laser revascularization therapy and autologous CD133 + endothelial progenitor cells in patients with chronic ICM and no revascularization options demonstrates the feasibility and short-term safety of this combined approach and warrants future larger phase 2 randomized clinical studies.

Low-Dose vs Standard Warfarin After Mechanical Mitral Valve Replacement: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend a target international normalized ratio (INR) range of 2.5 to 3.5 in patients with a mechanical mitral prosthesis. The Prospective Randomized On-X Anticoagulation Clinical Trial (PROACT) Mitral randomized controlled noninferiority trial assessed safety and efficacy of warfarin at doses lower than currently recommended in patients with an On-X (Artivion, Inc) mechanical mitral valve. METHODS: After On-X mechanical mitral valve replacement, followed by at least 3 months of standard anticoagulation, 401 patients at 44 North American centers were randomized to low-dose warfarin (target INR, 2.0-2.5) or standard-dose warfarin (target INR, 2.5-3.5). All patients were prescribed aspirin, 81 mg daily, and encouraged to use home INR testing. The primary end point was the sum of the linearized rates of thromboembolism, valve thrombosis, and bleeding events. The design was based on an expected 7.3% event rate and 1.5% noninferiority margin. RESULTS: Mean patient follow-up was 4.1 years. Mean INR was 2.47 and 2.92 (P <.001) in the low-dose and standard-dose warfarin groups, respectively. Primary end point rates were 11.9% per patient-year in the low-dose group and 12.0% per patient-year in the standard-dose group (difference, -0.07%; 95% CI, -3.40% to 3.26%). The CI >1.5%, thus noninferiority was not achieved. Rates (percentage per patient-year) of the individual components of the primary end point were 2.3% vs 2.5% for thromboembolism, 0.5% vs 0.5% for valve thrombosis, and 9.13% vs 9.04% for bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with standard-dose warfarin, low-dose warfarin did not achieve noninferiority for the composite primary end point. (PROACT Clinicaltrials.gov number, NCT00291525).

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of amustaline/glutathione pathogen-reduced RBCs in complex cardiac surgery: the Red Cell Pathogen Inactivation (ReCePI) study-protocol for a phase 3, randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a critical supportive therapy in cardiovascular surgery (CVS). Donor selection and testing have reduced the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections; however, risks remain from bacteria, emerging viruses, pathogens for which testing is not performed and from residual donor leukocytes. Amustaline (S-303)/glutathione (GSH) treatment pathogen reduction technology is designed to inactivate a broad spectrum of infectious agents and leukocytes in RBC concentrates. The ReCePI study is a Phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pathogen-reduced RBCs transfused for acute anemia in CVS compared to conventional RBCs, and to assess the clinical significance of treatment-emergent RBC antibodies. METHODS: ReCePI is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, active-controlled, parallel-design, non-inferiority study. Eligible subjects will be randomized up to 7 days before surgery to receive either leukoreduced Test (pathogen reduced) or Control (conventional) RBCs from surgery up to day 7 post-surgery. The primary efficacy endpoint is the proportion of patients transfused with at least one study transfusion with an acute kidney injury (AKI) diagnosis defined as any increased serum creatinine (sCr) level ≥ 0.3 mg/dL (or 26.5 µmol/L) from pre-surgery baseline within 48 ± 4 h of the end of surgery. The primary safety endpoints are the proportion of patients with any treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) related to study RBC transfusion through 28 days, and the proportion of patients with treatment-emergent antibodies with confirmed specificity to pathogen-reduced RBCs through 75 days after the last study transfusion. With ≥ 292 evaluable, transfused patients (> 146 per arm), the study has 80% power to demonstrate non-inferiority, defined as a Test group AKI incidence increase of no more than 50% of the Control group rate, assuming a Control incidence of 30%. DISCUSSION: RBCs are transfused to prevent tissue hypoxia caused by surgery-induced bleeding and anemia. AKI is a sensitive indicator of renal hypoxia and a novel endpoint for assessing RBC efficacy. The ReCePI study is intended to demonstrate the non-inferiority of pathogen-reduced RBCs to conventional RBCs in the support of renal tissue oxygenation due to acute anemia and to characterize the incidence of treatment-related antibodies to RBCs.

Comparison of Bivalirudin Versus Unfractionated Heparin for Anticoagulation in Adult Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) contributes to coagulopathy, necessitating systemic anticoagulation to prevent thrombosis. Traditionally, unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been the anticoagulant of choice, however, due to many inadequacies new evidence suggests benefit with the use of direct thrombin inhibitors. This retrospective cohort sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bivalirudin compared to UFH in ECMO patients. Primary endpoints included incidence of bleeding and thrombosis. Percent time in therapeutic range (TR), time to achieve TR and number of dose titrations required to maintain TR were calculated to assess efficacy of institutional protocols. Overall incidence of thrombosis was low, with one event in the bivalirudin group and no events in the UFH group. No difference was found in rates of bleeding between groups (6% vs . 10%, P = 0.44). Bivalirudin yielded higher percent time in TR (86% vs. 33%, P < 0.001), faster time to TR (2 vs . 18 hr, P < 0.001) and required fewer dose adjustments to maintain TR (2 vs . 11, P < 0.001) compared to UFH. These results suggest bivalirudin and UFH are associated with similar rates of bleeding and thrombosis in patients requiring ECMO support. Our results demonstrate the favorable pharmacokinetic profile of bivalirudin, and its ability to consistently maintain TR when compared to UFH.

WITHDRAWN: Low-Dose Versus Standard Warfarin After Mechanical Mitral Valve Replacement: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Increasing Heart Transplant Volume by Expansion of Donor Heart Selection Criteria: A Single-Center Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Our transplant center recently expanded the acceptance criteria for cardiac donors to increase heart transplant volume. Our purpose was to assess the success of this strategy while maintaining acceptable 1-year survival. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent heart transplantation at our institution from January 2011 through December 2017. This time period was divided into 2 periods: 2011 to 2014 (Period A) and 2015 to 2017 (Period B) because we implemented our new donor acceptance policy at the onset of 2015. We compared recipient and donor characteristics from the 2 time periods. The primary outcomes were 1-year graft and patient survival. RESULTS: Transplant volume increased in Period B with the expanded donor acceptance policy: 128 heart transplants over 36 months compared to 52 transplants in 48 months in Period A. Mean (± SD) recipient age was significantly higher in Period B (54 ± 12 vs 50 ± 15 years; P = .04) whereas other recipient variables were similar. Donors in Period B were significantly older, more likely to be female, had larger body mass index, were located a greater distance from the transplant center, and had a higher sequence number. Female donor to male recipient occurred more often in Period B than in Period A (27% vs 10%; P = .01). Both 1-year patient survival and graft survival were unchanged between Period B (95% for both) and Period A (96% for both). CONCLUSIONS: Using a more aggressive donor acceptance policy allowed for an increase in heart transplant volume while maintaining acceptable 1-year graft and patient survival.

Cardioplastic Approach to Omental Flap Coverage for Severe Aortic Root Infections in the Opioid Era.

Aortic root abscesses are severe sequelae of endocarditis that clinically manifest as life-threatening infection. As the opioid epidemic continues to yield a national crisis, the incidence and severity of this disease process have increased. Reconstruction of the aortic root is a challenging undertaking and carries the risk of recurrent infection. The omentum has an established reputation as a reliable flap in thoracic reconstruction, given its amorphous form and immunogenic properties, but it has not been utilized for aortic root infections. We present a novel indication for the omental flap using a cardioplastic approach in coverage of aortic root reconstruction. Four patients were treated with pedicled omental flap coverage after aortic root reconstruction. All patients had successful flap healing with no evidence of recurrent infection. This series demonstrates the technical feasibility and clinical utility for providing soft tissue coverage and antimicrobial protection when used in aortic root reconstruction.

Hemoadsorption to Reduce Plasma-Free Hemoglobin During Cardiac Surgery: Results of REFRESH I Pilot Study.

Generation of plasma-free hemoglobin (pfHb) and activated complement during complex cardiac surgery contributes to end-organ dysfunction. This prospective, multicenter REFRESH I (REduction in FREe Hemoglobin) randomized controlled trial evaluated the safety and feasibility of CytoSorb hemoadsorption therapy to reduce these factors during prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Eligible patients underwent elective, nonemergent complex cardiac surgery with expected CPB duration ≥3 hours. Exclusions included single procedures including primary coronary artery bypass graft, single valves, transplant, and left ventricular assist device extraction. TREATMENT used 2 parallel 300 mL CytoSorb hemoadsorption cartridges in a side circuit during CPB. CONTROL was standard of care. Of 52 enrolled patients, 46 underwent surgery (Safety group, n = 23 vs Control, n = 23), and 38 were evaluated for pfHb reduction (EFFICACY group, n = 18 vs CONTROL, n = 20). Type and number of serious adverse events (44 vs 43 CONTROL) were similar, as was 30-day mortality. Transient reduction in platelets during CPB was observed in both groups, especially TREATMENT, but returned to pretreatment levels after CPB without bleeding. Peak pfHb was positively correlated with CPB length (P = 0.01) but the high variability of pfHb, due to the broad surgical procedure mix, prevented detection of changes in pfHb in the overall EFFICACY population. However, the valve replacement surgery subgroup (8 vs 10 CONTROL) had the highest peak pfHb levels, and TREATMENT demonstrated significant pfHb reductions vs CONTROL (P ≤ 0.05) in CPB ≥3 hours. In the EFFICACY group, C3a and C5a were significantly reduced by treatment throughout surgery. Intraoperative hemoadsorption with CytoSorb was safe and feasible in this randomized, controlled pilot study during complex cardiac surgery. Treatment with CytoSorb resulted in significant reductions in pfHb during valve replacement surgery and reductions in C3a and C5a in the overall EFFICACY group. Future studies will target complex cardiac surgery patients with prolonged CPB to assess hemoadsorption effect on end-organ dysfunction and outcomes.

Missing the forest for the trees: The world around us and surgical treatment of endocarditis.

There has been a dramatic increase in intravenous drug abuse (IVDA)-related deaths in midlife Americans. Nowhere is this more profound than in rural Appalachia, with Kentucky in the midst of the epidemic. The causes of this finding are multifactorial and likely related to social, economic, legal, and population factors. Evidence suggests that the economic middle class is shrinking. The traditionally white midlife demographic that used to comprise more than 80% of the US middle class now accounts for less than 60%. Along with this shrinking middle class come the inevitable trappings of poverty, including drug abuse. Population-based data reveal that the shrinking middle class is associated with a significant rise in drug abuse in the population that traditionally made up the middle class; that is, white, midlife Americans. In Kentucky, the drug of choice for abuse has changed during the past 2 decades, largely related to law enforcement and political efforts. Efforts to control drug abuse have, however, suppressed availability and use of 1 substance only to have another move to the forefront. For example, during this time abuse has shifted from methamphetamine at the turn of the century to narcotic pills during the early 2000s to intravenous injection of heroin beginning around 2010. Along with this shift in the drug of choice for abuse came an alarming trend in mortality associated with IVDA, both in Kentucky and nationally, including the need for surgical correction of IVDA-related endocarditis. Thoracic surgeons have tended to avoid or ignore the greater problems that caused the epidemic of IVDA-related endocarditis. Perhaps it is time for thoracic surgeons to give a stronger voice to the societal issues that loom in the background of this epidemic.