Project description:BackgroundRheumatic valve disease (RVD) is the most common cause of cardiovascular death in low-middle income nations. Surgical aortic valve (AV) interventions for RVD, especially in children, have proven problematic with graft failure, relapse, and poor compliance with anticoagulation. A novel technique involving neocuspidization of the aortic annulus using autologous pericardium to construct new AV leaflets (the Ozaki procedure) has shown promising outcomes in children with congenital AV disease; however, there are no previous recorded cases using this technique in children with RVD.Case summaryWe present the case of a 15-year-old male presenting with exertional angina and dyspnoea with a background of previous rheumatic fever. Echocardiography had shown a regurgitant tricuspid AV, left ventricular dilatation with mitral valve leaflet tethering. The patient underwent the Ozaki procedure for his AV regurgitation and was discharged following an uneventful post-operative recovery. The patient had full resolution of symptoms following the procedure and remains well 3 years following his operation.DiscussionThis case highlights that good outcomes with the Ozaki procedure in RVD are possible 3-years post-operatively and should prompt future studies to evaluate the procedure as a surgical option for paediatric patients in this clinical context. Additionally, the Ozaki procedure may also provide a cost-effective surgical technique requiring minimal additional operative resources and reduced follow-up demand, which would be critical in low-resource clinical settings where RVD is prevalent.
Project description:Background:Aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo), a novel surgical procedure used in the treatment of aortic valve diseases, including aortic stenosis (AS), involves the replacement of three aortic valve cusps by glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium. Although reoperation risk is low, no case report on the deterioration of the AVNeo has yet been published. Case summary:An 80-year-old woman who underwent AVNeo for severe degenerative tricuspid AS 6?years previously complained of shortness of breath. Echocardiographic assessment revealed the reconstructed aortic valve leaflet was elongated, thickened, and marginally calcified resulting in recurrent severe AS. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation using balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve was successfully performed. Discussion:To our knowledge, this is the first case report regarding the structural deterioration of the AVNeo resulting in restenosis 6?years after the first surgery. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is possibly a suitable approach for post-procedural recurrence after AVNeo to avoid redo open-heart surgery which would be of prohibitive risk especially in an elderly population.
Project description:Aspergillus endocarditis is a fatal source of valvular infection with a near 100 % mortality rate if pharmacotherapy and valve-replacement surgery are not initiated swiftly after diagnosis. Complicating its diagnosis is the low yield for growth on standard blood culture and time requirements for molecular diagnostic tools to return a result. Aspergillus endocarditis of the mitral valve presents as valvular vegetations that reduce the caliber of the mitral valve and can cause syncope as in the case of mitral stenosis with subsequent valve failure, left atrial enlargement, and prospective cardiovascular failure. Reports of the management of Aspergillus endocarditis after serial mitral valve replacement are not prominent in the literature. We report the case of a 41-year-old female with previous mitral valve prosthesis who received a second prosthetic mitral valve after a syncopal episode. Vegetations resembling thrombi were noted on transesophageal echocardiogram, diagnosed as Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis, and successfully treated with antifungal therapy in conjunction with removal of her dysfunctional prosthesis.
Project description:Surgery is recommended for endocarditis complicated by annular abscess or destruction of the native valve. Guidelines also recommend valvular repair over replacement for endocarditis when feasible. Guidance on management of early repair failure is not well described. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Project description:Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) following mitral valve edge-to-edge repair is a rare complication with high mortality. Case summary: A 91-year-old male patient was admitted to intensive care unit with sepsis due to urinary tract infection after insertion of a urinary catheter by the outpatient urologist. Two weeks ago, the patient was discharged from hospital after successful transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) using a PASCAL Ace device. The initially withdrawn blood revealed repeatedly Proteus mirabilis bacteremia as causal for the sepsis due to urinary tract infection. An antibiotic regime with Ampicillin/Sulbactam was initiated and discontinued after 7 days. During the clinical course the patient again developed fever and blood cultures again revealed P. mirabilis. In transesophageal echocardiography (TOE), IE of the PASCAL Ace device was confirmed by a vegetation accompanied by a mild to moderate mitral regurgitation. While the patient was stable at this time and deemed not suitable for cardiac surgery, the endocarditis team made a decision toward a prolonged 6-week antibiotic regime with an antibiotic combination of Ampicillin 2 g qds and Ciprofloxacin 750 mg td. Due to posterior leaflet perforation severe mitral regurgitation developed while PASCAL Ace vegetations were significantly reduced by the antibiotic therapy. Therefore, the patient underwent successful endoscopic mitral valve replacement. Another 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment with Ampicillin 2 g qds followed before the patient was discharged. Discussion: P. mirabilis is able to form biofilms, resulting in a high risk for endocarditis following transcatheter mitral valve repair especially when device endothelization is incomplete. Endoscopic mitral valve replacement could serve as a bailout strategy in refractory Clip-endocarditis.
Project description:Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world. The MR can be either organic (mainly degenerative in Western countries) or functional (secondary to left ventricular remodeling in the context of ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy). Degenerative and functional MR are completely different disease entities that pose specific decision-making problems and require different management. The natural history of severe degenerative MR is clearly unfavorable. However, timely and effective correction of degenerative MR is associated with a normalization of life expectancy. By contrast, the prognostic impact of the correction of functional MR is still debated and controversial. In this review, we discuss the optimal treatment of both degenerative and functional MR, taking into account current surgical and percutaneous options. In addition, since a clear understanding of the etiology and mechanisms of valvular dysfunction is important to guide the timing and choice of treatment, the role of the heart team and of echo imaging in the management of MR is addressed as well.
Project description:ObjectivesMitral valve repair in native active infective endocarditis is technically challenging. The survival benefit over valve replacement is poorly established and possibly absent because of the high risk of repair failure and reoperation. In this study, we explore the results of our structured approach in these patients.MethodsBetween January 2000 and January 2017, 149 patients underwent surgery for native mitral infective endocarditis. Among them, 97 (66%) patients underwent valve repair and 52 (34%) underwent valve replacement. Our structured approach consisted of early surgery, radical resection of infected tissue, liberal use of prosthetic materials and 'patch' repair techniques. A critical assessment of expected repair durability was made intraoperatively and repair was not performed if concerns of long-term durability existed. To study the effects of valve repair on overall survival, landmark analysis was performed.ResultsIn-hospital mortality was 15.4% (14 repair vs 9 replacement patients; P = 0.642). There were no residual infective endocarditis cases or early reoperations. On Cox proportional hazards analysis, valve replacement was not inferior to repair within 1-year post-surgery [hazard ratio (HR) 1.134, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.504-2.540; P = 0.76]. Beyond 1 year post-surgery, replacement was associated with decreased survival (HR 2.534, 95% CI 1.002-6.406; P = 0.049). There were no differences in freedom from recurrent infective endocarditis (P = 0.47) and mitral valve reintervention (P = 0.52).ConclusionsActive mitral valve endocarditis remains a complex disease with significant early and late morbidity and mortality. A structured approach allows valve repair in two-thirds of patients. Clinical results could be improved by focussing on early surgery, prior to extensive valve destruction, to enable durable repairs and improve late outcomes.
Project description:Transapical off-pump mitral valve repair (MVr) with NeoChord implantation has become widely applied in Europe for patients presenting with severe mitral regurgitation due to leaflet prolapse or flail. The procedure is performed under real-time 2D- and 3D-transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for both implantation and neochordae tension adjustment allowing real-time monitoring of hemodynamic recovery. Preoperative anatomic and echocardiographic selection criteria, procedure refinement, as well as innovative ex-vivo surgical simulator training have been developed and strategically employed in the past few years, to generate a robust precision-based procedural framework with significantly enhanced operator use, patient safety and clinical outcomes. The procedure has evolved into a reproducibly successful and safe approach, which complements existing surgical treatment strategies available to eligible patients with chronic severe degenerative mitral regurgitation.