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Background: Cardiac surgical units must balance trainee education with the duty to provide optimal patient care. This is particularly challenging with valvular surgery, given the lower volume and increased complexity of these procedures. The present meta-analysis was conducted to assess the impact of trainee operator status on clinical outcomes following valvular surgery.Methods: Medline, Embase and CENTRAL databases were systematically searched for studies reporting clinical outcomes according to the training status of the primary operator (consultant or trainee). Data were extracted and meta-analysed according to pre-defined endpoints.Results: Eleven observational studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting on five patient cohorts undergoing mitral valve surgery (n=3975), six undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) (n=6236) and three undergoing combined AVR and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (n=3495). Perioperative mortality was not significantly different between trainee and consultant cases for mitral valve surgery (odds ratio [OR] 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-1.37), AVR (OR 0.67; 95% CI, 0.37-1.24), or combined AVR and CABG (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 0.40-2.85). The incidences of perioperative stroke, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, acute renal failure, reoperation or wound infection were not significantly different between trainee and consultant cases. There was a paucity of mid-term survival data.Conclusions: Valvular surgery cases performed primarily by trainees were not associated with adverse perioperative outcomes. These findings suggest the rigorous design of cardiac surgical trainee programs can sufficiently mitigate trainee deficiencies. However, studies with longer follow-up duration and echocardiographic data are required to assess long-term durability and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk assessment tools are increasingly used in surgery. In cardiac surgery, risk models are used for patient counselling, surgical decision-making, performance benchmarking, clinical research, evaluation of new therapies and quality assurance, among others. However, they have numerous disadvantages which need to be considered. This article evaluates the utility of risk assessment tools in cardiac surgery including a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac surgery has embraced and encouraged the use of large, multi-institutional datasets in clinical practice. From a research perspective, database studies have facilitated an increased understanding of cardiac surgery. Among other uses, they have allowed an investigation of disease incidence and mortality, high risk groups, disparities in health care delivery and the impact of new devices and techniques. Databases are also important tools for clinical governance and quality improvement. Despite their obvious utility, clinical databases have limitations; they are subject to treatment bias, contain missing data and cannot establish causality. Moreover, the ongoing maintenance of the database requires significant human and financial resources. In the future, inclusion of more detailed follow-up data and integration with other datasets will improve the utility of clinical databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The elderly population (age >70 years) incurs greater mortality and morbidity following CABG. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) may mitigate these outcomes. A retrospective analysis of the results of OPCAB in this population was performed.Methods: We reviewed the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons' (ANZSCTS) database for elderly patients (n=12697) undergoing isolated CABG surgery and compared the on-pump coronary artery bypass (ONCAB) (n=11676) with OPCAB (n=1021) technique. Preoperative and intraoperative risk factors, and postoperative outcomes were analysed. Survival analyses was performed after cross-matching the database with the national death registry to identify long-term mortality.Results: High-risk patients were more prevalent in the ONCAB group (p<0.05). OPCAB patients received fewer distal anastomoses than ONCAB patients (2.4±1.1 vs 3.3±1.0, p<0.001). Thirty-day mortality and stroke rates between OPCAB and ONCAB were not significantly different (2% vs 2.5% and 1.1% vs 1.8%, respectively). There was a non-significant trend towards improved 10-year survival in OPCAB patients using multivariate analysis (78.8% vs. 73.3%, p=0.076, HR 0.83; 95% CI 0.67-1.02).Conclusions: Mortality and stroke rates following CABG surgery are extremely low in the elderly suggesting that surgery is a safe management option for coronary artery disease in this population. OPCAB did not offer a significant advantage over ONCAB with regards to 30-day mortality, stroke and long-term survival. Further prospective randomised trials will be necessary to clarify risks or benefits in the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) has been established as the preferred intervention for coronary revascularisation in the high-risk population. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) may further reduce mortality and morbidity in this population subgroup. This study presents the largest series of high-risk (AusSCORE > 5) OPCAB patients in Australia and New Zealand.Methods: We reviewed the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons' (ANZSCTS) database for high-risk patients (n=7822) undergoing isolated CABG surgery and compared the on-pump coronary artery bypass (ONCAB) (n=7277) with the OPCAB (n=545) technique. Preoperative and intraoperative risk factors, and postoperative outcomes were analysed. Survival analysis was performed after cross-matching the database with the national death registry to identify long-term mortality.Results: The ONCAB and OPCAB groups had similar risk profiles based on the AusSCORE. Thirty-day mortality (ONCAB vs OPCAB 3.9% vs 2.4%, p=0.067) and stroke (ONCAB vs OPCAB 2.4% vs 1.3%, p=0.104) were similar between the two groups. OPCAB patients received fewer distal anastomoses than ONCAB patients (2.5±1.2 vs 3.3±1.0, p<0.001). The rates of new postoperative atrial arrhythmia (28.3% vs 33.3%, p=0.017) and blood transfusion requirements (52.1% vs 59.5%, p=0.001) were lower in the OPCAB group, while duration of ICU stay in hours (97.4±187.8 vs 70.2±152.8, p<0.001) was longer. There was a non-significant trend towards improved 10-year survival in OPCAB patients (74.7% vs. 71.7%, p=0.133).Conclusions: In the high-risk population, CABG surgery has a low rate of mortality and morbidity suggesting that surgery is a safe option for coronary revascularisation. OPCAB reduces postoperative morbidity and is a safe procedure for 30-day mortality, stroke and long-term survival in high-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aortic root replacement procedure (ARR), is often considered the gold standard in the management of aortic root and ascending aorta aneurysms. Our aim was to review the Australian experience with this procedure to ascertain early and late outcomes of mortality and morbidity.Methods: We reviewed the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons' (ANZSCTS) database for patients undergoing ARR. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative variables were analysed. Multiple regression was performed to determine independent predictors of 30-day mortality and permanent stroke, and predictors of late death. Survival estimates were obtained by cross-linking the ANZSCTS database with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's National Death Index database.Results: Between January 2001 and December 2011, 954 patients underwent ARR with a mean age of 56±15.2 years. The overall 30-day mortality was 5.9% (n=56) with a permanent stroke rate of 2.3% (n=21). The elective surgery mortality was 3.6%. Long-term survival was estimated as 84.4% and 68.7% at 5 and 10 years, respectively.Conclusions: Aortic root replacement surgery reveals acceptable early mortality, low postoperative stroke rates, and acceptable long-term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Valve sparing aortic root reconstruction (VSARR) has become an alternative to traditional aortic root replacement with a valved conduit. There have been various modifications but the two broad types are aortic root reimplantation and the aortic root remodelling procedure. We present the early and late outcomes following valve sparing aortic root reconstruction surgery in Australia.Methods: We reviewed the ANZSCTS database for patients undergoing these procedures. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative variables were analysed. Multivariable regression was performed to determine independent predictors of 30-day mortality. We also obtained five- and 10-year survival estimates by cross-linking the ANZSCTS database with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's National Death Index.Results: Between January 2001 and January 2012, 169 consecutive patients underwent VSARR procedures. The mean age of the study population was 54.4 years with 31.4% being females. Overall, nine patients (5.9%) died within 30 days post procedure and five patients (3%) had permanent strokes. However, out of 132 elective cases, only five patients died (3.8%). Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were female gender [OR 5.65(1.24-25.80), p=0.025], preoperative atrial arrhythmia [OR 6.07(1.14-32.35), p=0.035] and acute type A aortic dissection [OR 7.71(1.63-36.54), p=0.01]. Long-term survival was estimated as 85.3% and 72.7% at five- and 10-years, respectively.Conclusions: Along with an acceptable rate of early mortality and stroke, VSARR procedures provide good long-term survival according to the ANZSCTS database. As promising procedure for pathologies that impair the aortic root integrity, they can be adopted more widely, especially in Australian and New Zealand centres with experienced aortic units. Future studies are planned to assess freedom from valve deterioration and repeat surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]