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Copyright of Cardiology Letters is the property of Slovak Society of Cardiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to present our experience in the treatment of post-myocardial infarction ventricular septal defect and examine the various risk factors. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. From January 2010 to December 2018, 20 patients underwent an urgent/emergency surgical repair of post-myocardial infarction ventricular septal defect. RESULTS: The mortality in our group of patients was 45 %. Non-survivors compared to the survivors were all in cardiogenic shock (p=0.0098), had an emergency/salvage operation (p=0.0055), preoperative mechanical ventilation (p=0.0081), shorter time between intraaortic balloon pressure insertion and surgery (p=0.0115), shorter median time between ventricular septal defect and surgery, postoperative renal replacement therapy (p=0.0498), and more patients had a residual effect (p=0.0022). In multivariate analysis, preoperative mechanical ventilation (p=0.0001), postoperative renal replacement therapy (p=0.0021) and residual defect (p=0.0000027) were shown to be strong predictors for hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: This analysis showed that post-myocardial infarction ventricular septal defect repair is a devastating complication and preoperative mechanical ventilation, postoperative renal replacement therapy and residual defect were identified to be the predictors of mortality. Initial stabilization of the patients, when it is possible, and a delayed repair, may improve the outcome of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Based on a longtime voluntary registry founded by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic in 2012, well-defined data of all adult cardiac surgery procedures performed in Slovakia at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases during the year 2020 are analyzed. Material and method: For this period, a total of 1021 procedures were submitted to the registry from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Results: The unadjusted in-hospital survival rate for the 401 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures including urgent and emergency procedures (relatioship on-/off pump 4.5:1) was 97%. For isolated 306 isolated heart valve procedures (30 transcatheter interventions), it was 96.4%. Concerning ventricular assist devices, 11 implantations were registered. In 2020 the number of isolated heart transplantations increased to 26, a rise of 44.4% compared to the previous year. Conclusion: This annual registry represents voluntary public reporting by accumulating actual information for nearly all heart procedures in Slovakia, constitutes advancements in heart medicine, and represents a basis for quality management. In addition the registry demonstrates that the provision of cardiac surgery in Slovakia is up to date, appropriate, and fulltime nationwide patient treatment is guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cardiology Letters is the property of Slovak Society of Cardiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cardiology Letters is the property of Slovak Society of Cardiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim: To evaluate survival and to analyse causes of mortality and morbidity in patients after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. To conceive our current strategy of LVAD use in the treatment of heart failure (HF). Patients and methods: One hundred and twenty-seven patients (88% men) were analysed. Mean age was 49.6 ± 11.7 years. All patients were in NYHA class IV, left ventricular ejection fraction was 18.4 ± 5.4%, and cardiac index 1.8 ± 0.5 L/min/m2. At the time of implant, 74% of patients were inotrope-dependent (Intermacs profile 1-3), 15% of patients were in cardiogenic shock (Intermacs 1). LVAD implant strategy was bridge to transplant in 53%, bridge to decision in 42%, and destination therapy in 5% of patients. Results: Mean duration on LVAD was 426 days. Twelve months after implantation, 57% of patients were alive on LVAD, 17% underwent heart transplant, and 26% of patients died. Two years after implantation 40% of patients were alive on LVAD, 31% underwent heart transplant, and 29% of patients died. The most frequent cause of hospital mortality was bleeding (46%). Pump thrombosis and multi-organ failure were the most frequent causes of long-term mortality (23% each). Driveline infections were the dominant reason for rehospitalisation (27%). Conclusions: Due to long-term experience with LVAD implantation with favourable results and a lower activity in our transplant programme, we prefer an early LVAD implant to an uncertain, and presumably long, waiting period for an appropriate donor in the case of haemodynamic instability of a transplant candidate. In the assessment of transplant urgency, patients with similar circulatory status who cannot receive an LVAD are prioritized over those with an implanted LVAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case series we present our initial experience with the implantation of the SynCardia total artificial heart (TAH) in three patients, the first of which was the first SynCardia TAH implantation in the Visegrad Four (V4) countries. The first and the third patients, after 195 and 126 days of TAH support respectively, experienced successful heart transplants, while the second patient on postoperative day 11 died due to a ruptured undiagnosed brain aneurysm. Our results show that the SynCardia TAH is an alternative therapy in patients with severe end-stage biventricular heart failure waiting for heart transplantation. It is an intermediate step until the development of genetically modified animal hearts, engineered bioartificial hearts or hearts from induced pluripotent stem cells could replace the failing heart in patients with end-stage heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Implantation of a total artificial heart is an alternative to durable biventricular assist device support in selected patients. We present our initial experience with the implantation of the SynCardia total artificial heart (TAH) in three patients. The first patient, was the first SynCardia (TAH) implantation in the Visegrad Four (V4) countries. METHOD: Three patients with severe refractory end stage biventricular heart failure listed for heart transplant were indicated for SynCardia TAH implantation. RESULTS: We present in details the perioperative and postoperative outcomes of these patients. The first and the third patient, after 195 and 126 days of TAH support respectively, had a successful heart transplants, the second patient died on 11th postoperative day. The cause of death was brain bleeding due to ruptured undiagnosed brain aneurysm. CONCLUSION: SynCardia TAH is an alternative therapy in patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure waiting for heart transplantation. The SynCardia TAH with pulsatility resembles the physiologic circulation, improves the condition of the patients and increases survival compared to the biventricular assist devices. It is an intermediate step until the development of genetically modified animal hearts, engineered bioartificial hearts or hearts from induced pluripotent stem cells that would replace the failing heart in the patients with end-stage heart disease (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 27). Text in PDF www.elis.sk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cardiology Letters is the property of Slovak Society of Cardiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cardiology Letters is the property of Slovak Society of Cardiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cardiology Letters is the property of Slovak Society of Cardiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background:  Mechanical assist device indications have changed in recent years. Reduced incidence of complications, better survival, and the third generation of mechanical support devices contributed to this change. In this single-center study, we focused on two time periods that are characterized by the use of different types of mechanical support devices, different patient characteristics, and change in the indications., Methods:  The data were processed from the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS). We retrospectively defined two time intervals to reflect changes in ventricular assist device technology (period 1: 2007-2015; period 2: 2016-20222). A total of 181 patients underwent left ventricular assist device implantation. Device utilization was the following: HeartMate II = 52 (76.4%) and HeartWare = 16 (23.6%) in period 1 and HeartMate II = 2 (1.8%), HeartMate 3 = 70 (61:9%), HeartWare = 29 (25.7%), SynCardia TAH = 10 (8.8%), and BerlinHeart EXCOR = 2 (1.8%) in period 2. The outcomes of the time intervals were analyzed and evaluated., Results:  Survival was significantly higher during the second time period. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and bypass pump time are independent predictors of mortality. Idiopathic cardiomyopathy, bypass time, and the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) score are independent predictors of adverse events. Furthermore, the first period was noted to be at an increased risk of the following adverse events: pump thrombosis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and bleeding events., Conclusion:  Despite the higher risk profile of the patients and persistent challenges, during the second period, there was a significant decrease in mortality and morbidity. The use of the HeartMate 3 device may have contributed to this result., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Although left ventricular assist device implantation represents the majority of durable mechanical circulatory support implants for patients with advanced heart failure, as many as 20 to 30% will subsequently have right heart failure requiring extended inotropic support or short-term mechanical circulatory support, and the total artificial heart is an established tool in the bridge to transplant armamentarium. The aim of this short report is to present our center's experience with the use of SynCardia total artificial heart. Between November 2017 and April 2021, 10 SynCardia total artificial heart devices were implanted. Of the 10 patients who underwent total artificial heart implantation, 6 (60%) were successfully bridged to transplant with a median time of 6.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 6-8) months, and 4 patients died on device support during the index hospitalization. The 30-day, 1-year, and 3-year survival rates after heart transplantation were the same at 66.7% (4/6). Despite the uncertain future of total artificial hearts, it remains a viable option for patients who require biventricular bridge to transplant or for a select subset of patients with advance heart failure who may not otherwise survive., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The use of ventricular assist devices (VADs) in children is increasing. However, absolute numbers in individual centres and countries remain small. Collaborative efforts such as the Paedi-European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) are therefore essential for combining international experience with paediatric VADs. Our goal was to present the results from the fourth Paedi-EUROMACS report., Methods: All paediatric (<19 years) patients from the EUROMACS database supported by a VAD were included. Patients were stratified into a congenital heart disease (CHD) group and a group with a non-congenital aetiology. End points included mortality, a transplant and recovery. Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore associated factors for mortality, cerebrovascular accident and pump thrombosis., Results: A total of 590 primary implants were included. The congenital group was significantly younger (2.5 vs 8.0 years, respectively, P < 0.001) and was more commonly supported by a pulsatile flow device (73.5% vs 59.9%, P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in the congenital group (30.8% vs 20.4%, P = 0.009) than in the non-congenital group. However, in multivariable analyses, CHD was not significantly associated with mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.285; confidence interval (CI) 0.8111-2.036, P = 0.740]. Pump thrombosis was the most frequently reported adverse event (377 events in 132 patients; 0.925 events per patient-year) and was significantly associated with body surface area (HR 0.524, CI 0.333-0.823, P = 0.005), CHD (HR 1.641, CI 1.054-2.555, P = 0.028) and pulsatile flow support (HR 2.345, CI 1.406-3.910, P = 0.001) in multivariable analyses., Conclusions: This fourth Paedi-EUROMACS report highlights the increasing use of paediatric VADs. The patient populations with congenital and non-congenital aetiologies exhibit distinct characteristics and clinical outcomes., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: As the utilization of left-ventricular assist devices (LVADs) continues to rise and patients experience extended survival duration with these devices, the overall incidence of adverse events and complications has shown a notable increase. Among the major adverse events, thromboembolic complications are particularly significant. The aim of this study is to present our experience and assess the risk of thromboembolic complications after implantation of durable continuous-flow left-ventricular assist devices (CF-LVAD) in patients with end-stage heart failure., Patients and Methods: From 2007 to 2022, 169 left ventricular continuous-flow durable mechanical assist devices were implanted at our institute. Three types of devices were employed: HeartMate II (n = 54, 32%), HeartMate 3 (n = 70, 41.4%), and Heart Ware (n = 45, 26.6%). The data were extracted from the EUROMACS register., Results: Thromboembolic complication, pump thrombosis was observed in 11/169 patients (6.5%), with 2 patients experiencing stroke after embolism to the central nervous system. Among these cases, 10 patients (90.9%) were equipped with the Heart Ware device while 1 patient (9.1%) had the Heart Mate II device implanted. Nine patients received the durable device as a bridge to transplant therapy and two as a bridge to candidacy. The overall mean age of the patients was 47.6±10.2 years, with 2 women and 10 men. The pump thrombosis was managed through thrombolytic therapy, high-intensity heparin anticoagulation protocol, pump exchange, pump explantation, and early heart transplant. The combined hospital and long-term mortality rate was 4/11 patients (36.4%)., Conclusion: Based on our experience, thromboembolic complications presenting primarily as pump thromboses, were a relatively common phenomenon experienced in association with the second-generation continuous-flow devices, but rarely seen with the third-generation devices. Thrombolysis followed by early heart transplantation proved to be a safe treatment option (Tab. 1, Ref. 14). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: durable mechanical assist device, durable left ventricular assist devices, outcomes, thromboembolic complications.

Background: Clinical assessment and laboratory markers provide valuable information on tissue perfusion and enhance the optimalisation of management in the treatment of patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The PCO2 gap is a reliable marker of cardiac output (CO) and perfusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PCO2 gap as a marker of tissue hypoperfusion and to compare it to lactate and SvO2., Methods: A single-center retrospective study on 131 adult cardiac patients who underwent ECMO implantation in the period between 2010 and 2021. Baseline characteristics, laboratory markers and mortality were analyzed., Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the plasmatic levels of lactate, SvO2 and PCO2 gap between patients that survived and those who died post ECMO implantation (3.6±3.29 vs 7.15±7.38 mmol/l, p<0.001; 69.13±9 vs 67.38±10%, p<0.001; 7.65±2.93 vs 8.34±3.71, p<0.001 respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in PCO2 gap in the first 5 arterial blood gas (ABG) samples post ECMO implantation between patients that survived and those who died (9.08±4.79 vs 10.37±5.35, p<0.003). For SvO2, this difference was not statistically significant (69.82±11.91 vs 68.51±11.72, p<0.104). There was a statistically significant but low negative correlation between SvO2 and PCO2 gap post ECMO implantation (r = ‒0.354, p<0.001)., Conclusion: The PCO2 gap is a valuable biomarker for monitoring tissue perfusion in patients on ECMO. It is associated with increased mortality and should be an integral part of clinical evaluation. (Tab. 1, Fig. 5, Ref. 26). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: PCO2 gap, VA-ECMO, lactate.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) mediated at the nanoscale has a unique advantage over currently used cancer treatments, by being spatially highly specific and minimally invasive. Although PTT combats traditional tumor treatment approaches, its clinical implementation has not yet been successful. The reasons for its disadvantage include an insufficient treatment efficiency or low tumor accumulation. Here, we present a promising new PTT platform combining a recently emerged two-dimensional (2D) inorganic nanomaterial, MoO x , and a tumor hypoxia targeting element, the monoclonal antibody M75. M75 specifically binds to carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), a hypoxia marker associated with many solid tumors with a poor prognosis. The as-prepared nanoconjugates showed highly specific binding to cancer cells expressing CAIX while being able to produce significant photothermal yield after irradiation with near-IR wavelengths. Small aminophosphonic acid linkers were recognized to be more effective over the combination of poly(ethylene glycol) chain and biotin-avidin-biotin bridge in constructing a PTT platform with high tumor-binding efficacy. The in vitro cellular uptake of nanoconjugates was visualized by high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and label-free live cell confocal Raman microscopy. The key to effective cancer treatment may be the synergistic employment of active targeting and noninvasive, tumor-selective therapeutic approaches, such as nanoscale-mediated PTT. The use of active targeting can streamline nanoparticle delivery increasing photothermal yield and therapeutic success., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background and Objectives : Surgical revascularisation of patients with atherosclerosis of the ascending aorta remains a challenge. Different surgical strategies have been described in coronary surgical patients to offer alternative revascularisation strategies other than the conventional surgical revascularisation in patients unsuitable for it. The aim of this study is to compare the real-world outcomes between two groups of patients who underwent off-pump surgery (left internal mammary artery graft to the left anterior descending artery) or a hybrid with a percutaneous revascularisation procedure at a later stage. Materials and Methods : This is a single-centre retrospective observational study. Between the years 2010 and 2021, 91/6863 patients (1.33%) were diagnosed with severe atherosclerosis of the ascending aorta. All the patients were treated with off-pump revascularisation (91 patients), and the cardiologist would decide at a later stage whether the rest of the vessels would be treated with percutaneous revascularisation (25 patients). Results : There was no statistical difference in the various preoperative characteristics, except for coronary artery left main disease (30.30% vs. 64%; p = 0.0043). The two groups had no statistical differences in the perioperative characteristics and postoperative complications. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year mortality rates in the two groups were 6.1% vs. 0%, 59% vs. 80%, and 93.9% vs. 100%, respectively (off-pump vs. hybrid with percutaneous revascularisation procedure, p = 0.1958). Conclusions : Both strategies have high long-term comparable mortality. The off-pump surgery and the HCR procedure at a later stage may be solutions for these high-risk patients, but the target treatment should be complete HCR revascularisation during the index hospitalization.

Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury is a common post-operative complication, mostly due to increasing oxidative stress. Recently, molecular hydrogen (H 2 gas) has also been applied to cardiac surgery due to its ability to reduce oxidative stress. We evaluated the potential effect of H 2 application on the kidney in an in vivo model of simulated heart transplantation. Pigs underwent cardiac surgery within 3 h while connected to extracorporeal circulation (ECC) and subsequent 60 min of spontaneous reperfusion of the heart. We used two experimental groups: T-pigs after transplantation and TH-pigs after transplantation treated with 4% H 2 mixed with air during inhalation of anesthesia and throughout oxygenation of blood in ECC. The levels of creatinine, urea and phosphorus were measured in plasma. Renal tissue samples were analyzed by Western blot method for protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap-1), and superoxide dismutase (SOD1). After cardiac surgery, selected plasma biomarkers were elevated. However, H 2 therapy was followed by the normalization of all these parameters. Our results suggest activation of Nrf2/Keap1 pathway as well as increased SOD1 protein expression in the group treated with H 2 . The administration of H 2 had a protective effect on the kidneys of pigs after cardiac surgery, especially in terms of normalization of plasma biomarkers to control levels., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, as declared by the authors.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) few-layer films have gained considerable attention for their possible applications in electronics and optics and also as a promising material for energy conversion and storage. Intercalating alkali metals, such as lithium, offers the opportunity to engineer the electronic properties of MoS 2 . However, the influence of lithium on the growth of MoS 2 layers has not been fully explored. Here, we have studied how lithium affects the structural and optical properties of the MoS 2 few-layer films prepared using a new method based on one-zone sulfurization with Li 2 S as a source of lithium. This method enables incorporation of Li into octahedral and tetrahedral sites of the already prepared MoS 2 films or during MoS 2 formation. Our results discover an important effect of lithium promoting the epitaxial growth and horizontal alignment of the films. Moreover, we have observed a vertical-to-horizontal reorientation in vertically aligned MoS 2 films upon lithiation. The measurements show long-term stability and preserved chemical composition of the horizontally aligned Li-doped MoS 2 ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)