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Objective: The study objective was to analyze the outcomes of reoperative thoracic aortic surgery at our institution from January 1986 to December 2018 to identify specific risk factors for early and late mortality., Methods: Two groups of patients were identified: aortic root or ascending aorta repair (group 1: proximal repair, 218 patients, 48%) and arch surgery or descending thoracic aorta repair (group 2: distal repair, 235 patients, 52%). Primary end points were 30-day mortality, 10-year survival, and freedom from aortic reoperations., Results: The 30-day mortality (6.4% vs 8.1%) and in-hospital mortality (8.3% vs 11.9%) were similar (P > .05) in the 2 groups. Multivariable analysis identified female gender (odds ratio, 8.60, P < .01), endocarditis (odds ratio, 2.96, P = .04), and cardiopulmonary bypass time (odds ratio, 1.02, P < .01) as risk factors for 30-day mortality. Mean follow-up time was 163 months (confidence interval, 147-179). Long-term survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 91.2%, 79.4%, and 66.3% in the proximal repair group and 80.7%, 68.8%, the and 55.3% in distal repair group, respectively (P = .03). According to the indication, 1-, 5-, and 10-year survivals were 92.1%, 82.3%, and 68.8% in degenerative aneurysms; 82.7%, 72.4%, and 56.3% in residual dissections; 80.9%, 65.4%, and 50.3% in endocarditis and pseudoaneurysms; 69.2%, 52.7%, and 42.2% in acute type A aortic dissections, respectively (P < .01). Competing risk analysis showed a significantly different cumulative incidence of reoperation at 1, 5, and 10 years between the 2 groups: 0.50%, 0.50%, and 0.90%, respectively, for the proximal repair group, and 0.40%, 4.30%, and 7.70%, respectively, the for distal repair group (P < .01)., Conclusions: In our experience, short- and long-term results of reoperative thoracic aortic surgery were satisfactory in chronic aneurysms but poor in aortic dissections, pseudoaneurysms, and active endocarditis. Reoperative aortic surgery carries a high risk, regardless of the anatomic extension of the procedure., (Copyright © 2022 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: To investigate the incidence and the severity of COVID-19 infection in patients enrolled in the database for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) for chronic intestinal failure (CIF) of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN)., Methods: Period of observation: March 1st, 2020 March 1st, 2021., Inclusion Criteria: patients included in the database since 2015 and still receiving HPN on March 1st, 2020 as well as new patients included in the database during the period of observation. Data related to the previous 12 months and recorded on March 1st 2021: 1) occurrence of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic (yes, no, unknown); 2) infection severity (asymptomatic; mild, no-hospitalization; moderate, hospitalization no-ICU; severe, hospitalization in ICU); 3) vaccinated against COVID-19 (yes, no, unknown); 4) patient outcome on March 1st 2021: still on HPN, weaned off HPN, deceased, lost to follow up., Results: Sixty-eight centres from 23 countries included 4680 patients. Data on COVID-19 were available for 55.1% of patients. The cumulative incidence of infection was 9.6% in the total group and ranged from 0% to 21.9% in the cohorts of individual countries. Infection severity was reported as: asymptomatic 26.7%, mild 32.0%, moderate 36.0%, severe 5.3%. Vaccination status was unknown in 62.0% of patients, non-vaccinated 25.2%, vaccinated 12.8%. Patient outcome was reported as: still on HPN 78.6%, weaned off HPN 10.6%, deceased 9.7%, lost to follow up 1.1%. A higher incidence of infection (p = 0.04), greater severity of infection (p < 0.001) and a lower vaccination percentage (p = 0.01) were observed in deceased patients. In COVID-19 infected patients, deaths due to infection accounted for 42.8% of total deaths., Conclusions: In patients on HPN for CIF, the incidence of COVID-19 infection differed greatly among countries. Although the majority of cases were reported to be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms only, COVID-19 was reported to be fatal in a significant proportion of infected patients. Lack of vaccination was associated with a higher risk of death., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statements LP: Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Takeda, Consulting fees for Takeda, Northsea, NAPO. SL: Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Baxter, Takeda, NorthSea, VectivBio; Grants or contracts from any entity for Baxter, Takeda; Consulting fees for VectivBio, Takeda, Northsea; Support for attending meetings and/or travel for Takeda; Payment or honoraria for lectures for Takeda, Fresenius. PG: none. LS: none. PO: none. NW: none. RT: Royalties or licenses for Royalties for designing the Simple Evaluation of Food Intake® (SEFI®) (Knoë, le Kremlin Bicêtre, France); Consulting fees for Nestlé Health Science; Payment or honoraria for lectures for Baxter, BBraun, Fresenius-Kabi, Nutricia; Support for attending meetings for Nutricia, NHC. PS: none. LE: none. PO: none. L D’A: none. AT: none. ND: Leadership of Pediatric Nutrition Association of Thailand Society of Parenteral Enteral Nutrition of Thailand. ASZ: Payment or honoraria for lectures for Siegfried; Consulting for Takeda; Support for attending meetings for Abbott and Nestlè. MF: Payment or honoraria for lectures for Fresenius Kabi, B Braun, Baxter. GV: none. MIS: none. MT: none. ERB: none. NVC: Payment or honoraria for lectures for Takeda, Nutricia; Payment for expert testimony, Support for attending meetings and Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board for Takeda. AL: Consulting fees, Support for attending meetings, Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Nestlè; Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Takeda; Payment or honoraria for lectures for baxter. LC: none. MA: none. EO: none. AGM: none. AVG: none. VP: honoraria for lectures for Thai Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Ltd., Nestle (Thai) Ltd., Fresenius Medical Care (Thailand) Ltd., Baxter Healthcare (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Mega Lifesciences PTY Ltd., Novo Nordisk Thailand. MSM: Grants or contracts from any entity for Fresenius Kabi, Nestle, Realfood Blends, VectivBio, Rockfield, Zealand; Consulting fees, Northsea; Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board for EndoBarrier. M D-S: none. TV: Grants or contracts from any entity for Vectiv Bio, Takeda; Consulting fees for Vectiv Bio, Zealand Pharma, Takeda, Baxter, Hamni, NorthSea Therapeutics; Payment or honoraria for lectures for Vectiv Bio, Takeda, Baxter; Support for attending meetings for Takeda, Vectiv Bio, Zealand Pharma, Fresenius Kabi; Receipt of equipment, materials, drugs for VectivBio. ZK: Support for attending meetings for Abbott, Fresenius, Nutricia, Nestle, Takeda; Leadership for Croatian Medical Association- The President. FP: none. LM: none. LCE: Consulting fees, Payment or honoraria for lecture and Support for attending meetings for Takeda. UA: Payment or honoraria for lectures for Takeda, Baxter; Support for attending meetings and Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring for Takeda. MK: none. MMJ: none. AC: none. DW: none. GO: none. CC: none. JS: Grants or contracts from any entity and for BBraun, FreseniusKabi, Nestle; Payment or honoraria for lectures for BBraun, OlimpLabs, FreseniusKabi, Baxter, Nestle; Support for attending meetings for FreseniusKabi. FWG: none. CS: none. MBD: none. DS: none. SL: none. SK: Payment or honoraria for lectures, for Abbott, Abela Farm, Danone/Nutricia, Fresenius, GM Pharma, Nestle, Nestle Nutrition Institute, Oktal Pharma, Shire/Takeda; Non-restricted grant delivered to the hospital from BioGaia. BC: none. GM: none. MHMdC: Grants or contracts, Consulting fees, Payment or honoraria, Support for attending meetings, Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring for lectures for Takeda Pharmaceutical Brazil. EPJ: none. FJ: none. DJ: none. GL: none. AZM: none. MT: none. DZ: none. MK: Payment or honoraria for manuscript writing and educational events for Nutricia, FreseniusKabi. ASS: none. GB: none., (Copyright © 2023 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Selective antegrade cerebral perfusion technique is a method of cerebral protection used worldwide during aortic arch surgery. This study was designed to identify a potential correlation between perfusion flows and the development of postoperative transient neurological dysfunctions., Methods: From January 2015 to May 2020, 175 patients underwent elective surgical replacement of the aortic arch using selective antegrade cerebral perfusion at the Cardiac Surgery Unit of Sant'Orsola Hospital in Bologna. Considering that patients who developed a permanent neurological dysfunction and those who died before a possible evaluation of neurological status were excluded, the study population included 160 patients. The perfusion flows were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the statistical risk factors involved in the onset of transient neurological dysfunctions., Results: The study population was divided into two groups: 138 patients (86.3%) without and 22 (13.8%) with postoperative transient neurological complications. Among the intra-operative parameters collected in the study, the univariate analysis showed that the indexed medium perfusion flow of selective antegrade cerebral perfusion was significantly lower in the transient neurological dysfunctions group (11.63 ± 2.41 ml/kg/min vs 12.62 ± 2.39 ml/kg/min, P -value = 0.03). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the female gender ( P  = 0.004, OR = 4.816, IC = 1.636-14.174) was predictor of transient neurological dysfunctions., Conclusion: The results of the study showed that lower perfusion flows seem to be related to a higher probability of developing transient neurological dysfunctions. However, the analysis of a wider population is required to confirm these preliminary data., (Copyright © 2022 Italian Federation of Cardiology - I.F.C. All rights reserved.)

Background: The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism database for chronic intestinal failure (CIF) was analyzed to investigate factors associated with nutritional status and the intravenous supplementation (IVS) dependency in children. Methods: Data collected: demographics, CIF mechanism, home parenteral nutrition program, z-scores of weight-for-age (WFA), length or height-for-age (LFA/HFA), and body mass index-for-age (BMI-FA). IVS dependency was calculated as the ratio of daily total IVS energy over estimated resting energy expenditure (%IVSE/REE). Results: Five hundred and fifty-eight patients were included, 57.2% of whom were male. CIF mechanisms at age 1−4 and 14−18 years, respectively: SBS 63.3%, 37.9%; dysmotility or mucosal disease: 36.7%, 62.1%. One-third had WFA and/or LFA/HFA z-scores < −2. One-third had %IVSE/REE > 125%. Multivariate analysis showed that mechanism of CIF was associated with WFA and/or LFA/HFA z-scores (negatively with mucosal disease) and %IVSE/REE (higher for dysmotility and lower in SBS with colon in continuity), while z-scores were negatively associated with %IVSE/REE. Conclusions: The main mechanism of CIF at young age was short bowel syndrome (SBS), whereas most patients facing adulthood had intestinal dysmotility or mucosal disease. One-third were underweight or stunted and had high IVS dependency. Considering that IVS dependency was associated with both CIF mechanisms and nutritional status, IVS dependency is suggested as a potential marker for CIF severity in children.

Objective: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is the treatment of choice for thoracic aorta diseases including penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU). The objective of this study was to analyze the results of TEVAR for the treatment of PAU in our population., Methods: From January 1999 to January 2019, 830 patients with type B aortic syndromes were treated with TEVAR in our institution. Of these we selected 73 patients treated for a PAU. Clinical and radiologic follow-up was performed in all patients., Results: Mean age of our population was 72 ± 8 years. Fifteen patients (20.5%) were treated in an emergency setting. The proximal landing zone was in arch zone 2 in 22 patients (30.1%). In-hospital mortality was 6.8% and was associated with acute presentation ( P  = .005). Distal arch delivery of the endograft was unrelated to mortality (Fisher exact test, P  = .157). Survival at 1 and 5 years was 81.7% and 67.3%, respectively. Sixteen patients underwent reintervention of the thoracic aorta. Patients who underwent emergency surgery and older patients had a shorter survival (log rank test, P  < .001). No difference in survival was shown according to the proximal landing zone (log rank P  = .292) or the dimension of the thoracic aorta (log rank P  = .067). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, only age older than 75 years was associated with 5-year mortality (hazard ratio, 6.60; 95% CI, 2.12-20.56); P  < .001)., Conclusions: The use of TEVAR for treatment of aortic PAU is a safe procedure in an elective setting despite necessity of arch stent grafting. An early intervention performed at smaller aortic diameters of <55 mm might be beneficial in selected patients to improve late survival., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background and Aims: The case-mix of patients with intestinal failure due to short bowel syndrome (SBS-IF) can differ among centres and may also be affected by the timeframe of data collection. Therefore, the ESPEN international multicenter cross-sectional survey was analyzed to compare the characteristics of SBS-IF cohorts collected within the same timeframe in different countries., Methods: The study included 1880 adult SBS-IF patients collected in 2015 by 65 centres from 22 countries. The demographic, nutritional, SBS type (end jejunostomy, SBS-J; jejuno-colic anastomosis, SBS-JC; jejunoileal anastomosis with an intact colon and ileocecal valve, SBS-JIC), underlying disease and intravenous supplementation (IVS) characteristics were analyzed. IVS was classified as fluid and electrolyte alone (FE) or parenteral nutrition admixture (PN). The mean daily IVS volume, calculated on a weekly basis, was categorized as <1, 1-2, 2-3 and >3 L/day., Results: In the entire group: 60.7% were females and SBS-J comprised 60% of cases, while mesenteric ischaemia (MI) and Crohn' disease (CD) were the main underlying diseases. IVS dependency was longer than 3 years in around 50% of cases; IVS was infused ≥5 days/week in 75% and FE in 10% of cases. Within the SBS-IF cohort: CD was twice and thrice more frequent in SBS-J than SBS-JC and SBS-JIC, respectively, while MI was more frequent in SBS-JC and SBS-JIC. Within countries: SBS-J represented 75% or more of patients in UK and Denmark and 50-60% in the other countries, except Poland where SBS-JC prevailed. CD was the main underlying disease in UK, USA, Denmark and The Netherlands, while MI prevailed in France, Italy and Poland., Conclusions: SBS-IF type is primarily determined by the underlying disease, with significant variation between countries. These novel data will be useful for planning and managing both clinical activity and research studies on SBS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We aimed at defining the most effective routine immunoassay- or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-determined steroid biomarkers for identifying non-classic adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-NCAH) in a PCOS-like population before genotyping., Methods: Seventy PCOS-like patients in reproductive age with immunoassay-determined follicular 17OH-progesterone (17OHP) ≥ 2.00 ng/mL underwent CYP21A2 gene analysis and 1-24 ACTH test. Serum steroids were measured by immunoassays at baseline and 60 min after ACTH stimulation; basal steroid profile was measured by LC-MS/MS., Results: Genotyping revealed 23 21-NCAH, 15 single allele heterozygous CYP21A2 mutations (21-HTZ) and 32 PCOS patients displaying similar clinical and metabolic features. Immunoassays revealed higher baseline 17OHP and testosterone, and after ACTH stimulation, higher 17OHP (17OHP 60 ) and lower cortisol, whereas LC-MS/MS revealed higher 17OHP (17OHP LC-MS/MS ), progesterone and 21-deoxycortisol and lower corticosterone in 21-NCAH compared with both 21-HTZ and PCOS patients. Steroid thresholds best discriminating 21-NCAH from 21-HTZ and PCOS were estimated, and their diagnostic accuracy in identifying 21-NCAH from PCOS was established by ROC analysis. The highest accuracy was observed for 21-deoxycortisol ≥ 0.087 ng/mL, showing 100% sensitivity, while the combination of 17OHP LC-MS/MS  ≥ 1.79 ng/mL and corticosterone ≤ 8.76 ng/mL, as well as the combination of ACTH-stimulated 17OHP ≥ 6.77 ng/mL and cortisol ≤ 240 ng/mL by immunoassay, showed 100% specificity., Conclusions: LC-MS/MS measurement of basal follicular 21-deoxycortisol, 17OHP and corticosterone seems the most convenient method for diagnosing 21-NCAH in a population of PCOS with a positive first level screening, providing high accuracy and reducing the need for ACTH stimulation test.

Postoperative rehabilitation is a cornerstone of the recovery pathway following left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD), and patients are expected to conduct an autonomous life thanks to improved technology and increased knowledge of mechanical circulatory support. The primary purpose of the present study was to quantify clinical changes related to rehabilitation, in patients with LVAD: functional capacity, disability, and quality of life were identified as reliable outcomes to detect such changes. The current study was a scoping review conducted searching three primary databases, namely PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, from their inception until January 2020. After the selection process was completed, 12 citations were included in the present study. Three hundred eight three patients were included in the current analysis. Functional capacity, disability, and quality of life were investigated in 157, 215, 18 patients, respectively. Significant differences were found before and after rehabilitation. The mean walked distance at 6-Minute Walk Test improved from 319±96 to 412.8±86.2 metres (p<0.001), the mean score of the Functional Independence Measure from 68.4±11.8 to 92.5±10.8 points (p<0.001), the mean score of the Short Form-36 physical component from 32.7±29.9 to 55.5±24.7 points (p=0.009) and the mental component from 55.8±19.8 to 75.4±21.4 points (p=0.002). Postoperative rehabilitation is effective at improving functional capacity, disability, and quality of life in patients with left ventricular assist device; all these three domains are particularly expressive of the entity of patients' functional recovery.