[Ascending Aortic Mural Thrombus Caused by Plaque Destruction:Report of a Case].

A 52-year-old male with complaints of pain and cold sensation on left upper-extremity was admitted to a hospital. He was diagnosed with acute left brachial artery occlusion and accordingly underwent emergency thrombectomy. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed an ascending aortic mural thrombus (AMT). After his transferring to our institution, the AMT was removed, and the ascending aorta was replaced under cardiac arrest. Based on histopathological findings, the thrombus was caused by the destruction of an atheromatous plaque. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and no recurrence of AMT was presented for 12 months after operation.

Early Surgery vs. Surgery After Watchful Waiting for Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: There is no large-scale study comparing postoperative mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) between initial treatment with AVR vs. eventual AVR after conservative management. Methods and Results: We analyzed data from a multicenter registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS. Of 1,808 asymptomatic patients, 286 patients initially underwent AVR (initial AVR group), and 377 patients were initially managed conservatively and eventually underwent AVR (AVR after watchful waiting group). Mortality after AVR was compared between the 2 groups. Subgroup analysis according to peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) at diagnosis was also conducted. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in 5-year overall survival (OS; 86.0% vs. 84.1%, P=0.34) or cardiovascular death-free survival (DFS; 91.3% vs. 91.1%, P=0.61), but on subgroup analysis of patients with Vmax ≥4.5 m/s at diagnosis, the initial AVR group was superior to the AVR after watchful waiting group in both 5-year OS (88.4% vs. 70.6%, P=0.003) and cardiovascular DFS (91.9% vs. 81.7%, P=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic severe AS patients who underwent AVR after watchful waiting had a postoperative survival rate similar to those who initially underwent AVR. In a subgroup of patients with Vmax ≥4.5 m/s at diagnosis, however, the AVR after watchful waiting group had worse postoperative survival rate than the initial AVR group.

Effects of Age and Sex on Clinical Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Relative to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Triple-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND: Age and sex are important considerations in the choice between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in daily clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 25 816 patients enrolled in the multicenter Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto (CREDO-Kyoto; Cohort-1, n=9877; Cohort-2, n=15 939), the present study population consisted of 5651 patients (men, n=3998; women, n=1653) with triple-vessel coronary artery disease who were considered to be pertinent in comparisons of PCI with CABG (PCI, n=3165; CABG, n=2486). Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the tertiles of age: ≤65 years (n=1972), 66 to 73 years (n=1820), and ≥74 years (n=1859). The excess adjusted mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG was significant in patients ≥74 years of age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.79; P=0.006), whereas the risks were neutral in patients ≤65 years of age (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.73-1.53; P=0.78) and in patients 66 to 73 years of age (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.78-1.36; P=0.85; interaction P=0.003). The excess mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG was significant in men (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.50; P=0.02) and trended to be significant in women (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.98-1.84; P=0.07) without significant interaction between sex and the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG (interaction P=0.40). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant association between age and the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG with excess risk in patients ≥74 years of age and neutral risk in younger patients. There was no significant sex-related difference in the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG.

Five-Year Clinical Outcome of Asymptomatic vs. Symptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis After Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: There is discordance regarding the effect of symptom status before aortic valve replacement (AVR) on long-term outcome after AVR in severe aortic stenosis (AS).Methods and Results:The CURRENT AS registry is a multicenter retrospective registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS. Among 1,196 patients managed with the initial AVR strategy, long-term clinical outcomes were compared between the symptomatic patients (n=905), and asymptomatic patients (n=291). Median follow-up interval was 1337 days with a 91% follow-up rate at 2 years. AVR was performed in 886 patients (98%) in the symptomatic group and in 287 patients (99%) in the asymptomatic group. Symptomatic patients were older and more often had comorbidities than asymptomatic patients with similar echocardiographic AS severity. The cumulative 5-year incidences of all-cause death and heart failure (HF) hospitalization were significantly higher in symptomatic patients than in asymptomatic patients (25.6% vs. 15.4%, P=0.001, and 14.2% vs. 3.8%, P<0.001, respectively). On landmark analysis at 30 days after AVR, the differences in mortality and HF hospitalization between the 2 groups were mainly observed beyond 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: When managed with the initial AVR strategy, the long-term outcomes of symptomatic severe AS were worse than those of asymptomatic severe AS. Early AVR strategy might be recommended in some selected asymptomatic severe AS patients with reasonable operative risk.

Dilated right internal thoracic artery as a systemic pulmonary shunt.

We report the use of a dilated right internal thoracic artery as a systemic-pulmonary shunt in a patient with a single ventricle who developed a systemic-pulmonary shunt stenosis following a modified Norwood's procedure. The systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt was performed at 13 months of age, and the patient has stable oxygen saturations five years after the surgery.

Comparison of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease - 5-Year Outcome From CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG Registry Cohort-2 - .

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating long-term (≥5 years) outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD) are still limited, despite concerns for late adverse events after drug-eluting stents implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 1,004 patients with ULMCAD (PCI: n=364, CABG: n=640) among 15,939 patients with first coronary revascularization enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry cohort-2. The primary outcome measure in the current analysis was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke (death/MI/stroke). The cumulative 5-year incidence of and the adjusted risk for death/MI/stroke were significantly higher in the PCI group than in the CABG group (34.5% vs. 24.1%, log-rank P<0.001, adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.48 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-2.05, P=0.02]). The adjusted risks for all-cause death was not significantly different between the 2 groups. Regarding the stratified analysis by the SYNTAX score, the adjusted risk for death/MI/stroke was not significantly different between the 2 groups in patients with low (<23) or intermediate (23-33) SYNTAX score, whereas it was significantly higher in the PCI group than in the CABG group in patients with high (≤33) SYNTAX score. CONCLUSIONS: CABG as compared with PCI was associated with better long-term outcome in patients with ULMCAD, especially those with high anatomical complexity.

[Adult congenital aortic coarctaion;report of a case].

A 63-year-old man with a history of hypertension from 20-year-old complained of dyspnea on effort. He was diagnosed as an adult congenital aortic coarctaion by computed tomography (CT). The CT showed the many collaterals from the subclavian artery, the internal thoracic artery and the intercostal artery to the descending aorta. The coarctation was totally replaced with prosthetic graft through 3rd left thoracotomy under partial cardiopulmonary bypass. The operation was successful and the postoperative course was uneventful. To avoid postoperative paradoxical hypertension, total prosthetic replacement is preferable.

Impact of statin therapy on patients with coronary heart disease and aortic aneurysm or dissection.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of statin therapy on cardiovascular outcome in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with aortic aneurysm or dissection (AD) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of statins at discharge to improve outcomes in CAD patients with AD. METHODS: Among 14,834 consecutive patients who underwent first coronary revascularization in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry, we identified 699 patients (4.7%) with AD. The primary outcome measure was defined as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The effect of statin therapy was assessed by a Cox proportional hazards model incorporating clinically relevant factors. RESULTS: The risk for the primary outcome measure was significantly higher in patients with AD (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.66; P < .0001). In patients with AD, 215 patients (31%) had already undergone aneurysm repair, and only 274 patients (39%) were treated with statins at discharge. Patients treated with statins were younger, had higher body mass index, and were more often treated with percutaneous coronary intervention. Heart failure, anemia, and hemodialysis were more prevalent in patients treated without statins. In patients without AD, 7014 patients (50%) were treated with statins. Patients treated with statins were younger and had higher body mass index, and more patients were treated for CAD due to myocardial infarction. Heart failure, prior stroke, hemodialysis, anemia, and malignant disease were more prevalent in patients treated without statins. The use of statins was associated with lower risk for the primary outcome measure in patients with AD (adjusted HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51-0.99; P = .045) as well as in patients without AD (adjusted HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.73-0.85; P < .0001). The effect size of statin use was similar between the patients with AD and those without AD (P interaction = .69). CONCLUSIONS: CAD patients with AD had significantly higher long-term risk for cardiovascular events. Statin therapy was associated with lower risk for cardiovascular events in patients with CAD with AD as well as in patients without AD.

Impact of diabetes on cardiovascular outcomes in hemodialysis patients undergoing coronary revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Among hemodialysis (HD) patients, those who have diabetes have poorer cardiovascular outcomes than non-diabetic patients, but the impact of diabetes on cardiovascular outcomes has not been fully elucidated in HD patients undergoing coronary revascularization. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 375 HD patients (203 diabetes, 172 non-diabetes) and 9,006 patients without HD (3,455 diabetes, 5,551 non-diabetes) in the database of the CREDO-Kyoto registry of patients undergoing their first coronary revascularization. In non-HD patients, significantly higher risks of death (10.8% vs. 7.7%, P < 0.0001; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.29, P < 0.0001) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite of death, myocardial infarction and stroke (18.8% vs. 13.3%, P < 0.0001; HR 1.36, P < 0.0001) were seen in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients through 4-year follow-up. Analysis in HD patients showed that the duration of HD before first coronary revascularization was significantly shorter in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients (median interval: 858 vs. 2,216 days, P < 0.0001). In contrast to the results in non-HD patients, the risks of death (41.9% vs. 39.1%, P=0.75; HR 0.98, P=0.93) and MACE (45.6% vs. 45.8%, P=0.83; HR 0.87, P=0.50) after first revascularization were comparable between diabetic and non-diabetic HD patients. There were significant interactions between HD and diabetes for death and for MACE. CONCLUSIONS: HD patients who require coronary revascularization have extremely poor outcomes irrespective of concomitant diabetes.

Surgical repair of a giant pulmonary artery aneurysm that caused severe left bronchial obstruction.

A 63-year-old woman on oral steroids for systemic lupus erythematosus presented with a giant pulmonary artery aneurysm severely compressing the left main bronchus and lung. Her presenting symptom was severe respiratory distress. Surgical graft replacement of the main and branch pulmonary arteries was performed, and her respiratory function improved dramatically. Bronchial obstruction was resolved immediately after the procedure.

Impact of concomitant tricuspid regurgitation on long-term outcomes in severe aortic stenosis.

AIMS: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has been reported to be associated with worse survival in various heart diseases, but there are few data in aortic stenosis (AS). METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Contemporary Outcomes after Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis (CURRENT AS) Registry enrolling 3815 consecutive patients with severe AS, there were 628 patients with moderate or severe TR (TR group) and 3187 patients with no or mild TR (no TR group). The study patients were subdivided into the initial aortic valve replacement (AVR) stratum (n = 1197) and the conservative stratum (n = 2618) according to treatment strategy. The primary outcome measure was a composite of aortic valve-related death or hospitalization due to heart failure. The 5-year freedom rate from the primary outcome measure was significantly lower in the TR group than in the no TR group (49.1% vs. 67.3%, P < 0.001). Even after adjusting for confounders, the excess risk of TR relative to no TR for the primary outcome measure remained significant [hazard ratio (HR): 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.48; P = 0.008]. The trend for the excess adjusted risk in the TR group was consistent in the initial AVR and the conservative strata (HR 1.55, 95% CI: 0.97-2.48; P = 0.07; HR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.02-1.46; P = 0.03, respectively). In the initial AVR stratum, the 5-year freedom rate from the primary outcome measure was not different between the two groups with (n = 56) or without (n = 91) concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty (61.5% vs. 72.1%, P = 0.48). CONCLUSION: The presence of clinically significant TR concomitant with severe AS is associated with a poor long-term outcome, regardless of the initial treatment strategy.

Documented coronary atherothrombosis as the cause of death in post-discharge patients after coronary revascularization.

BACKGROUND: The contemporary medications for secondary prevention like statins and antithrombotic agents are targeting to delay the progression of atherothrombosis. However, there is limited data on the relation between death and progressive coronary atherothrombosis. This study sought to evaluate what proportion of death after coronary revascularization is related to documented progressive coronary atherothrombosis. METHODS: We reviewed the detailed causes of death among 15,231 patients receiving their first coronary revascularization enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry cohort-2, dividing into two groups; 13,839 patients with clinical success and without major complication (uncomplicated) and the other 1392 patients (complicated). Documented progressive coronary atherothrombosis as the cause of death was defined as preceding coronary revascularization within 30days before death or irreversible brain damage and/or proof of coronary thrombus by autopsy. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 5.4years, 2837 patients died with cumulative 5-year incidence of 17.5%. The proportions of cardiac/non-cardiovascular death among all-cause death in uncomplicated patients and complicated patients were 36.6%/51.5% and 74.2%/17.4%, respectively. The numbers of patients died with documented progressive coronary atherothrombosis were 41 (1.9% of all-cause death) and 304 (47.3%). The number was only 51 (2.1%) among all post-discharge patients. Dominant causes of cardiac death in post-discharge patients included heart failure (10.0%) and sudden cardiac death (9.1%), both without apparent relation with progressive coronary atherothrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Only about one-third of deaths were cardiac in origin during 5-year follow-up in post-discharge patients after coronary revascularization. Cardiac death after discharge was very infrequently related to documented progressive coronary atherothrombosis.

Coronary Sinus Orifice Atresia After the Fontan Completion: Unique Repair Technique.

We report a successful unroofing of the coronary sinus via a unique technique. Our patient was diagnosed with single ventricle morphology. Pulmonary artery banding and bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt were performed at 1 and 6 months old, respectively. Ordinary univentricular repair strategy was performed; extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection was achieved at 18 months old. Catheterization performed 1 year after the Fontan procedure revealed the coronary sinus orifice atresia, diffuse coronary artery stenosis, and sinusoid formation of the coronary system. We present a new technique using a small bronchial fiberscope to identify a coronary sinus buried in the atrial wall.

Novel three-sinus enlargement technique for supravalvular aortic stenosis without aortic transection.

BACKGROUND: Although repair of a supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) can be performed with low mortality rates, surgery for the complex form of SVAS continues to be associated with a high incidence of residual stenosis. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was referred to our hospital at 1 month of age and was diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis (AS) by using echocardiography. Cardiac catheterization revealed moderate AS, and subsequent left ventriculography revealed discrete stenosis of the sino-tubular junction and a narrowed proximal ascending aorta. We performed a reconstructive operation for such heart defects involving novel three-sinus and ascending aorta enlargement without aortic root transection in a 6-month-old boy. CONCLUSION: Our novel three-sinus enlargement technique is suitable for treating each type of SVAS and is a useful method for a baby particularly less than 10 kg without disturbing the growth of the ascending aorta.

A case of right superior vena cava draining into the left atrial roof.

We report the multidisciplinary consideration in a case of right superior vena cava draining into the left atrial roof. A 12-year-old boy was diagnosed with a sinus venosus-type atrial septal defect associated with anomalous right upper pulmonary venous return. However, intraoperative inspection showed the right superior vena cava draining into the left atrial roof, associated with anomalous right upper pulmonary venous return. An anatomical radical operation was performed using a modified conventional technique.

Tricuspid Atresia IIc With a Vascular Ring: Novel Approach for Fontan Completion.

We report a successful Fontan completion in a 22-month-old boy with tricuspid atresia (TA) IIc with a vascular ring. The patient was referred at 1 month of age and was diagnosed with TA IIc using echocardiography. Subsequent 3-dimensional computed tomography revealed a vascular ring. We describe a reconstructive approach for such a heart defect, involving a Damus-Kaye-Stansel (DKS) anastomosis reduction plasty combined with a bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (BCPS) created by end-to-end suturing of the right superior vena cava (SVC) to the left central pulmonary artery (PA), called the SVC translocation technique.

Very Long-Term (10 to 14 Year) Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease in the Bare-Metal Stent Era.

BACKGROUND: Many of the previous randomized trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease reported equivalent or better survival with CABG as compared with PCI at 5-year follow-up. However, 5-year follow-up might be too short to evaluate the true differences in long-term clinical outcomes between PCI and CABG. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 8934 patients enrolled in the extended 10- to 14-year follow-up study of the CREDO-Kyoto registry cohort-1 (Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome study in Kyoto) conducted in the bare-metal stent era, 5152 (PCI: n=3490 and CABG: n=1662) patients had multivessel coronary artery disease without left main disease. Median follow-up duration was 11.2 (interquartile range: 10.2-12.2) years. The cumulative 10-year incidence of all-cause death was not significantly different between PCI and CABG (32.2% versus 31.7%; log-rank P=0.93). After adjusting for confounders, however, the mortality risk of PCI was significantly higher than that of CABG (hazard ratio, 1.19 [95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.39]; P=0.03). Within 5 years after the index procedure, the risk for all-cause death was significantly higher after PCI than after CABG (hazard ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.12-1.79; P=0.004). By a landmark analysis at 5 years, however, the cumulative 10-year incidence of and adjusted risk for all-cause death beyond 5 years were not significantly different between PCI and CABG (19.3% versus 20.0%; log-rank P=0.22 and hazard ratio, 1.02, 95% confidence interval, 0.83-1.26; P=0.82). CONCLUSIONS: CABG as compared with PCI was associated with better 10-year survival in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. However, the benefit of CABG compared with PCI on late mortality beyond 5 years was not observed in this study.

A rare case of biventricular outflow obstruction with intact ventricular septum.

We report a case of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and aortic valve stenosis in a neonate. This combination is extremely rare. Cardiac catheterization was performed at 2 days of age, which confirmed the prenatal echocardiographic diagnosis and identified associated moderate aortic valve stenosis. Soon after the examination, an urgent surgical intervention was required due to uncontrollable circulatory instability. The baby underwent a successful Fontan-type repair achieved by surgical management only.

Comparison of 5-Year Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Heart Failure Patients With Versus Without Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (from the CREDO-Kyoto CABG Registry Cohort-2).

Heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (HFrEF) is regarded as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, the impact of HF with preserved EF (HFpEF) still has been unclear. We identified 1,877 patients who received isolated CABG of 15,939 patients who underwent first coronary revascularization enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto (Coronary REvascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto) Registry Cohort-2. Of them, 1,489 patients had normal LV function (LVEF >50% without a history of HF; Normal group), 236 had HFrEF (LVEF ≤50% with HF), and 152 had HFpEF (LVEF >50% with HF). Preoperative LVEF was the lowest in the HFrEF group (62 ± 12%, 36 ± 9%, and 61 ± 7% for the Normal, HFrEF, and HFpEF groups, respectively; p <0.001). Unadjusted 30-day mortality rate was the highest in the HFrEF group (0.5%, 3.0%, and 0.7%; p = 0.003). However, cumulative incidences of all-cause death at 5-year was the highest in the HFpEF group (14%, 27%, and 32%, respectively; p <0.001). After adjusting confounders, the risk of all-cause death in the HFpEF group was greater than the Normal group (hazard ratio [HR] 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 1.97; p = 0.04). The risk of all-cause death was not different between the HFpEF and the HFrEF groups (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.61 to 1.29; p = 0.52). In addition, the risks of cardiac death and sudden death in the HFpEF group were greater than the Normal group (HR 2.14, 95% CI 1.32 to 3.49, p = 0.002; and HR 3.60, 95% CI 1.55 to 8.36, p = 0.003, respectively), and the risks of those end points were not different between the HFrEF and the HFpEF groups. Despite low 30-day mortality rate after CABG in patients with HFpEF, HFpEF was associated with high risks of long-term death and cardiovascular events. Patients with HFpEF, as well as HFrEF, should be carefully operated and followed up.

Three-year outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with heart failure: from the CREDO-Kyoto percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary artery bypass graft registry cohort-2†.

OBJECTIVES: Ischaemic heart disease is a major risk factor for heart failure. However, long-term benefit of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in those patients has not been well elucidated. METHODS: Of the 15 939 patients undergoing first myocardial revascularization enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG Registry Cohort-2, we identified 1064 patients with multivessel and/or left main disease with a history of heart failure (ACC/AHA Stage C or D). RESULTS: There were 672 patients undergoing PCI and 392 CABG. Preprocedural left ventricular ejection fraction was not different between PCI and CABG (46.6 ± 15.1 vs 46.6 ± 14.6%, P = 0.89), but the CABG group included more patients with triple-vessel and left main disease (P < 0.01 each). Three-year outcomes revealed that the risk of hospital readmission for heart failure was higher after PCI than after CABG (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]; 1.90 [1.18-3.05], P = 0.01). More importantly, adjusted mortality after PCI was significantly higher than after CABG (1.79 [1.13-2.82], P = 0.01). The risk of cardiac death after PCI was also higher than after CABG (1.98 [1.10-3.55], P = 0.02). Stratified analysis using the SYNTAX score demonstrated that risk of death was not different between PCI and CABG in patients with low (<23) and intermediate (23-32) SYNTAX scores (2.10 [0.57-7.68], P = 0.26 and 1.43 [0.63-3.21], P = 0.39, respectively), whereas those with a high (≥ 33) SYNTAX score, the risk of death was far higher after PCI than after CABG (4.83 [1.46-16.0], P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with heart failure with advanced coronary artery disease, CABG was a better option than PCI because CABG was associated with better survival benefit, particularly in more complex coronary lesions stratified by the SYNTAX score.