Project description:ObjectiveSurgery for aortic coarctation repair provides excellent hemodynamic results but may be complicated by musculoskeletal issues. The purpose of the study was to determine the midterm results of a muscle-sparing surgical approach to aortic coarctation repair, with special emphasis on the repair and on the musculoskeletal changes associated with a posterior thoracotomy.MethodsWe included all children with aortic coarctation operated on with our minimally invasive approach between June 2002 and October 2004, with a follow-up of ≥4.5 years. Patients were assessed clinically and echocardiographically. The spine, left chest, and shoulder were assessed clinically and radiographically.ResultsThirty-one children were included. The age at operation ranged from 1 day to 15 months and weight ranged from 980 g to 10 kg. All patients underwent an extended end-to-end anastomosis coarctation repair through a minimal (n = 19) or total-muscle sparing (n = 12) or extrapleural (n = 18) approach. Five patients had an additional enlargement procedure on the aortic arch. 27 patients had no residual or recurrent gradient. Four patients exhibited restenosis, for which 1 underwent a percutaneous angioplasty and 2 underwent surgical reintervention. All patients were free of hypertension. One patient had borderline values. The musculoskeletal assessment was normal in all but 3 patients. Two patients who underwent other subsequent thoracic surgeries developed thoracogenic scoliosis of moderate severity. A third patient had a left winged scapula. No rib fusion or intercostal space enlargement was found.ConclusionsCompared with a conventional approach, our minimally invasive surgical approach led to excellent musculoskeletal outcomes without compromising the hemodynamic results.
Project description:There is growing interest in infections occurring after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The incidence, and clinical and anatomical features suggest many similarities with prosthetic valve endocarditis. The survival of patients with an infected TAVI prosthesis is generally poor; however, only a minority of them (10%) have undergone treatment with surgical explantation of the infected prosthesis. A literature search was performed using online databases. Papers reporting surgical treatment of TAVI prosthesis infections were retrieved, focusing on pre- and intraoperative characteristics and early outcome. Thirty-seven papers ultimately provided information on 107 patients. Their mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 76 ± 8 years and 72% were male. The mean ± SD time interval between the TAVI procedure and reoperation was 10 ± 10 months. Annular abscess formation was described in 34% of cases and mitral valve involvement in 31%. All patients underwent TAVI prosthesis explantation and surgical aortic valve replacement; concomitant mitral valve replacement was necessary in 22% of cases. Postoperative in-hospital mortality was 28%. Surgical explantation of infected TAVI prostheses was associated with a high postoperative mortality, although these initial experiences included elderly and high-risk patients. Considering the expansion of TAVI procedures towards younger and lower-risk patients, surgical treatment of TAVI endocarditis may represent the best option for a life-saving procedure.
Project description:Degenerative aneurysms of the thoracic aorta are increasing in prevalence; open repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Repair of isolated descending thoracic aortic aneurysms using stent grafts was introduced in 1995, and in an anatomically suitable subgroup of patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm, repair with endovascular stent graft provides favorable outcomes, with decreased perioperative morbidity and mortality relative to open repair. The cornerstones of successful thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair are appropriate patient selection, thorough preprocedural planning, and cautious procedural execution, the elements of which are discussed here.
Project description:AimsTranscatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), now a common procedure to treat high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, has rapidly been expanding into younger and lower-risk populations, creating a need to better understand long-term outcome after TAVI. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the incidence, risk factors for, clinical presentation of, and outcome after prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) in patients treated with TAVI in a nationwide study.Methods and resultsThree registries were used: a national TAVI registry, a national diagnosis registry, and a national infective endocarditis registry. Combining these registries made it possible to perform a nationwide, all-comers study with independent and validated reporting of PVE in 4336 patients between 2008 and mid-2018. The risk for PVE after TAVI was 1.4% (95% confidence interval 1.0-1.8%) the first year and 0.8% (0.6-1.1%) per year thereafter. One-year survival after PVE diagnosis was 58% (49-68%), and 5-year survival was 29% (17-41%). Body surface area, estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73 m2, critical pre-operative state, mean pre-procedural valve gradient, amount of contrast dye used, transapical access, and atrial fibrillation were identified as independent risk factors for PVE. Staphylococcus aureus was more common in early (<1 year) PVE. Infection with S. aureus, root abscess, late PVE, and non-community acquisition was associated with higher 6-month mortality.ConclusionThe incidence of PVE was similar to that of surgical bioprostheses. Compromised renal function was a strong risk factor for developing PVE. In the context of PVE, TAVI seems to be a safe option for patients.Clinical trial registrationNCT03768180 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/).
Project description:Intravenous drug use has increased substantially over the past decade, with heroin abuse more than doubling. Injection drug use-related infective endocarditis hospitalizations have similarly increased over the same period. Right-sided infective endocarditis is strongly associated with intravenous drug use, and 90% of right-sided endocarditis involves the tricuspid valve. During the period of the opioid epidemic, tricuspid-related endocarditis rates have increased, while the incidence of surgery for tricuspid endocarditis has increased as much as five-fold. Within this context, optimizing surgical technique for valve repair is increasingly important. In this report, we examine the indications for tricuspid valve surgery for endocarditis, describe specific techniques for tricuspid valve leaflet repair and augmentation, and assess postoperative care and surgical outcomes after both tricuspid valve repair and replacement for infective endocarditis.
Project description:BackgroundManagement of an adult patient with aortic coarctation and an associated cardiac pathology poses a great surgical challenge since there are no standard guidelines for the therapy of such complex pathology. Debate exists not only on which lesion should be corrected first, but also upon the type and timing of the procedure. Surgery can be one- or two-staged. Both of these strategies are accomplice with elevate morbidity and mortality.Case reportIn the face of such an extended surgical approach, balloon dilatation seems preferable for treatment of severe aortic coarctation.We present an adult male patient with aortic coarctation combined with ascending aorta aneurysm and concomitant aortic valve regurgitation. The aortic coarctation was corrected first, using percutaneous balloon dilatation; and in a second stage the aortic regurgitation and ascending aorta aneurysm was treated by Bentall procedure. The patients' postoperative period was uneventful. Three years after the operation he continues to do well.
Project description:An 80-year-old male underwent a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe senile aortic stenosis. Six weeks after the surgery, he was readmitted to our institution because of a high-grade fever. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed thickening of all three leaflets of the aortic prosthesis and mobile mass on the leaflet, and Streptococcus sanguis was identified from his blood culture. Therefore, he was diagnosed with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and received intensive intravenous antibiotic therapy. Because he did not respond to the pharmacological therapy, surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) was indicated although it was considered a relatively high-risk procedure. Herein, we report on the successful surgical AVR in this patient using a pericardial valve after removal of the infected prosthetic valve, and discuss some issues related to this rare complication after TAVI. <Learning objective: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a highly effective procedure for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk or deemed inoperable. Because it only requires limited surgical invasiveness, the risk of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) after TAVI is thought to be low. However, PVE can occur even early after TAVI. We present our recent such case and discuss some issues related to this rare complication.>.
Project description:Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare, life-threatening disease that has long-lasting effects even among patients who survive and are cured. IE disproportionately affects those with underlying structural heart disease and is increasingly associated with health care contact, particularly in patients who have intravascular prosthetic material. In the setting of bacteraemia with a pathogenic organism, an infected vegetation may form as the end result of complex interactions between invading microorganisms and the host immune system. Once established, IE can involve almost any organ system in the body. The diagnosis of IE may be difficult to establish and a strategy that combines clinical, microbiological and echocardiography results has been codified in the modified Duke criteria. In cases of blood culture-negative IE, the diagnosis may be especially challenging, and novel microbiological and imaging techniques have been developed to establish its presence. Once diagnosed, IE is best managed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in infectious diseases, cardiology and cardiac surgery. Antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of IE remains controversial. Efforts to develop a vaccine that targets common bacterial causes of IE are ongoing, but have not yet yielded a commercially available product.