Clinical Profiling and Biomarkers for Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation Prediction in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrhythmia in the post-operative period after cardiac surgery. We aim to investigate the main clinical, local, and/or peripheral biochemical and molecular predictors for POAF in patients undergoing coronary and/or valve surgery. Between August 2020 and September 2022, consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery without previous history of AF were studied. Clinical variables, plasma, and biological tissues (epicardial and subcutaneous fat) were obtained before surgery. Pre-operative markers associated with inflammation, adiposity, atrial stretch, and fibrosis were analyzed on peripheral and local samples with multiplex assay and real-time PCR. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed in order to identify the main predictors for POAF. Patients were followed-up until hospital discharge. Out of 123 consecutive patients without prior AF, 43 (34.9%) developed POAF during hospitalization. The main predictors were cardiopulmonary bypass time (odds ratio (OR) 1.008 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.002-1.013), p = 0.005), and plasma pre-operative orosomucoid levels (OR 1.008 (1.206-5.761). After studying differences regarding sex, orosomucoid was the best predictor for POAF in women (OR 2.639 (95% CI, 1.455-4.788), p = 0.027) but not in men. The results support the pre-operative inflammation pathway as a factor involved in the risk of POAF, mainly in women.

Rapid growth of left atrial myxoma after radiofrequency ablation.

Atrial myxoma is the most common benign tumor of the heart, but its appearance after radiofrequency ablation is very rare. We report a case in which an asymptomatic, rapidly growing cardiac myxoma arose in the left atrium after radiofrequency ablation. Two months after the procedure, cardiovascular magnetic resonance, performed to evaluate the right ventricular anatomy, revealed a 10 × 10-mm mass (assumed to be a thrombus) attached to the patient's left atrial septum. Three months later, transthoracic echocardiography revealed a larger mass, and the patient was diagnosed with myxoma. Two days later, a 20 × 20-mm myxoma weighing 37 g was excised. To our knowledge, the appearance of an atrial myxoma after radiofrequency ablation has been reported only once before. Whether tumor development is related to such ablation or is merely a coincidence is uncertain, but myxomas have developed after other instances of cardiac trauma.

Blunt traumatic aortic injuries of the ascending aorta and aortic arch: a clinical multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical and radiological characteristics, management and outcomes of traumatic ascending aorta and aortic arch injuries. METHODS: Historic cohort multicentre study including 17 major trauma patients with traumatic aortic injury from January 2000 to January 2011. RESULTS: The most common mechanism of blunt trauma was motor-vehicle crash (47%) followed by motorcycle crash (41%). Patients sustaining traumatic ascending aorta or aortic arch injuries presented a high proportion of myocardial contusion (41%); moderate or greater aortic valve regurgitation (12%); haemopericardium (35%); severe head injuries (65%) and spinal cord injury (23%). The 58.8% of the patients presented a high degree aortic injury (types III and IV). Expected in-hospital mortality was over 50% as defined by mean TRISS 59.7 (SD 38.6) and mean ISS 48.2 (SD 21.6) on admission. Observed in-hospital mortality was 53%. The cause of death was directly related to the ATAI in 45% of cases, head and abdominal injuries being the cause of death in the remaining 55% cases. Long-term survival was 46% at 1 year, 39% at 5 years, and 19% at 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic aortic injuries of the ascending aorta/arch should be considered in any major thoracic trauma patient presenting cardiac tamponade, aortic valve regurgitation and/or myocardial contusion. These aortic injuries are also associated with a high incidence of neurological injuries, which can be just as lethal as the aortic injury, so treatment priorities should be modulated on an individual basis.

Traumatic aortic injury score (TRAINS): an easy and simple score for early detection of traumatic aortic injuries in major trauma patients with associated blunt chest trauma.

PURPOSE: To develop a risk score based on physical examination and chest X-ray findings to rapidly identify major trauma patients at risk of acute traumatic aortic injury (ATAI). METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted with 640 major trauma patients with associated blunt chest trauma classified into ATAI (aortic injury) and NATAI (no aortic injury) groups. The score data set included 76 consecutive ATAI and 304 NATAI patients from a single center, whereas the validation data set included 52 consecutive ATAI and 208 NATAI patients from three independent institutions. Bivariate analysis identified variables potentially influencing the presentation of aortic injury. Confirmed variables by logistic regression were assigned a score according to their corresponding beta coefficient which was rounded to the closest integer value (1-4). RESULTS: Predictors of aortic injury included widened mediastinum, hypotension less than 90 mmHg, long bone fracture, pulmonary contusion, left scapula fracture, hemothorax, and pelvic fracture. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.96. In the score data set, sensitivity was 93.42 %, specificity 85.85 %, Youden's index 0.79, positive likelihood ratio 6.60, and negative likelihood ratio 0.08. In the validation data set, sensitivity was 92.31 % and specificity 85.1 %. CONCLUSIONS: Given the relative infrequency of traumatic aortic injury, which often leads to missed or delayed diagnosis, application of our score has the potential to draw necessary clinical attention to the possibility of aortic injury, thus providing the chance of a prompt specific diagnostic and therapeutic management.

Up to twenty-five-year survival after aortic valve replacement with size 19 mm valves.

Long-term survival was investigated in 202 patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) with 19 mm valves. There were 171 women with a mean age of 69+/-9 years and 31 men with a mean age of 64+/-13 years. Patients had a mean body surface area of 1.61+/-0.13 m(2). Patient-prosthesis mismatch was moderate in 196 and severe in six patients. The mean follow-up for all patients was 78 months. There were 79 late deaths. The actuarial survival rates for all patients were 95+/-1% at 1 year, 75+/-2% at 5 years, 56+/-2% at 10 years, 41+/-2% at 15 years, 34+/-3% at 20 years and 34+/-2% at 25 years. Patients over 70 years old had a lower survival rate (P=0.0001). There were significant differences between ejection fraction (EF) >55% and EF <55% (P=0.0305). AVR with 19 mm valves appeared to provide satisfactory mid-term survival. Age and low EF were risk factors for shorter survival.