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Objectives: We investigated the sex-related difference in characteristics and 2-year outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) by propensity-score matching (PSM)., Methods: Data from 2 prospective registries, the INSPIRIS RESILIA Durability Registry (INDURE) and IMPACT, were merged, resulting in a total of 933 patients: 735 males and 253 females undergoing first-time SAVR. The PSM was performed to assess the impact of sex on the SAVR outcomes, yielding 433 males and 243 females with comparable baseline characteristics., Results: Females had a lower body mass index (median 27.1 vs 28.0 kg/m2; P = 0.008), fewer bicuspid valves (52% vs 59%; P = 0.036), higher EuroSCORE II (mean 2.3 vs 1.8%; P < 0.001) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons score (mean 1.6 vs 0.9%; P < 0.001), were more often in New York Heart Association functional class III/IV (47% vs 30%; P < 0.001) and angina Canadian Cardiovascular Society III/IV (8.2% vs 4.4%; P < 0.001), but had a lower rate of myocardial infarction (1.9% vs 5.2%; P = 0.028) compared to males. These differences vanished after PSM, except for the EuroSCORE II and Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores, which were still significantly higher in females. Furthermore, females required smaller valves (median diameter 23.0 vs 25.0 mm, P < 0.001). There were no differences in the length of hospital stay (median 8 days) or intensive care unit stay (median 24 vs 25 hours) between the 2 sexes. At 2 years, post-SAVR outcomes were comparable between males and females, even after PSM., Conclusions: Despite females presenting with a significantly higher surgical risk profile, 2-year outcomes following SAVR were comparable between males and females., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.)

Objectives: We report 1-year safety and clinical outcomes in patients <60 years undergoing bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve intervention., Methods: The INSPIRIS RESILIA Durability Registry is a prospective, multicentre registry to assess clinical outcomes of patients <60 years. Patients with planned SAVR with or without concomitant replacement of the ascending aorta and/or coronary bypass surgery were included. Time-related valve safety, haemodynamic performance and quality of life (QoL) at 1 year were assessed., Results: A total of 421 patients were documented with a mean age of 53.5 years, 76.5% being male and 27.2% in NYHA class III/IV. Outcomes within 30 days included cardiovascular-related mortality (0.7%), time-related valve safety (VARC-2; 5.8%), thromboembolic events (1.7%), valve-related life-threatening bleeding (VARC-2; 4.3%) and permanent pacemaker implantation (3.8%). QoL was significantly increased at 6 months and sustained at 1 year. Freedom from all-cause mortality at 1 year was 98.3% (95% confidence interval 97.1; 99.6) and 81.8% were NYHA I versus 21.9% at baseline. No patient developed structural valve deterioration stage 3 (VARC-3). The mean aortic pressure gradient was 12.6 mmHg at 1 year and the effective orifice area was 1.9 cm2., Conclusions: The 1-year data from the INSPIRIS RESILIA valve demonstrate good safety and excellent haemodynamic performance as well as an early QoL improvement., Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03666741., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.)

Objectives: Surgical treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) remains a challenge. The Ross procedure offers the benefit of a living substitute in the aortic position but it is a more complex operation which may lead to increased operative risk. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and late outcomes of the Ross procedure for the treatment of active IE., Methods: From 2000 to 2019, a total of 31 consecutive patients underwent a Ross procedure to treat active IE (mean age 43 ± 12 years, 84% male). All patients were followed up prospectively. Four patients (13%) were intravenous (IV) drug users and 6 patients (19%) had prosthetic IE. The most common infective organism was Streptococcus (58%). Median follow-up was 3.5 (0.9-4.5) years and 100% complete., Results: There were no in-hospital deaths. One patient suffered a postoperative stroke (3%) and 1 patient (3%) required reintervention for bleeding. Three patients had a new occurrence endocarditis: 2 patients were limited to the pulmonary homograft and successfully managed with IV antibiotics, whereas 1 IV drug user patient developed concomitant autograft and homograft endocarditis. Overall, cumulative incidence of IE recurrence was 13 ± 8% at 8 years. The cumulative incidence for autograft endocarditis was 5 ± 4% at 8 years. Two patients (6%) died during follow-up, both from drug overdoses. At 8 years, actuarial survival was 88 ± 8%., Conclusions: In selected patients with IE, the Ross procedure is a safe and reasonable alternative with good mid-term outcomes. Freedom from recurrent infection on the pulmonary autograft is excellent, labelporting the notion that a living valve in the aortic position provides good resistance to infection. Nevertheless, in IV drug user patients, pulmonary homograft endocarditis remains a challenge. Continued follow-up is needed to ascertain the long-term benefits of this approach., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The Ross procedure in patients with aortic regurgitation (AR) has been associated with increased autograft dilatation and late reintervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a tailored approach aimed at mitigating that risk on early changes in autograft root dimensions following the Ross procedure in patients with AR., Methods: From 2011 to 2018, 241 consecutive patients underwent a Ross procedure with >1 year of follow-up [46 (7) years]. Aortic root dimensions were prospectively measured on serial echocardiograms. Patients with aortic stenosis group (n = 171; 71%) were compared to those with AR or mixed aortic disease (AR group) (n = 70; 29%). Mean length of follow-up was 29 ± 11 months (100% complete). Changes in aortic dimensions were analysed using mixed-effect models., Results: At 4 years, mean indexed diameters of the annulus, sinuses of Valsalva and the sinotubular junction in the AR group were 12.3 (0.2) mm/m2, 20.0 (0.4) mm/m2 and 16.3 (0.9) mm/m2, respectively, vs 11.9 (0.2), 18.4 (0.3) and 15.5 (0.5) in the aortic stenosis group. Overall, there were no significant differences in the rates of autograft annulus, sinuses of Valsalva and sinotubular junction dimension changes between the aortic stenosis and AR groups up to 4 years after surgery (P = 0.55, P = 0.12, P = 0.59 and P = 0.48, respectively)., Conclusions: Use of a tailored surgical approach, combined with a strict blood pressure control, appears to mitigate clinically significant early dilatation of the autograft root following a Ross procedure in patients with AR. Further follow-up is needed to determine if this will translate into a lower incidence of long-term reintervention., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Remodelling with extra-aortic ring annuloplasty has emerged as an alternative approach to root reimplantation. However, no studies have yet compared outcomes between procedures. The aim of this study was to compare mid-term outcomes in patients undergoing reimplantation versus remodelling with extra-aortic annuloplasty., Methods: From 2001 to 2017, 142 patients underwent root remodelling with extra-aortic annuloplasty (n = 83, 48 ± 13 years) or a reimplantation technique (n = 59, 48 ± 12 years) at the Montreal Heart Institute. No differences were observed in the incidence of connective tissue disease (24% vs 29%, P = 0.9) or preoperative aortic insufficiency ≥3 (37% vs 23%, P = 0.24). However, in the remodelling group, there were more bicuspid aortic valves (31% vs 9%; P < 0.01), and the mean preoperative aortic annulus diameter was larger (27.2 ± 3.6 mm vs 25.6 ± 2.4 mm; P = 0.01). The mean follow-up duration was 3.9 years (100% complete)., Results: There were no hospital deaths and 5 late deaths. At 5 years, overall survival was similar in both groups (100%, P = 0.98). Similarly, 5-year freedom from aortic valve reoperation was equivalent (97 ± 2% in both groups, P = 0.95). Furthermore, 5-year survival free from aortic insufficiency ≥2 or reoperation was 84 ± 5% in the remodelling with annuloplasty group vs 83 ± 6% in the reimplantation group (P = 0.62). The mean annular diameter was 24.3 ± 0.5 mm at 5 years vs 23.6 ± 0.3 mm at discharge in the remodelling group (P = 0.28) and 24.4 ± 0.6 mm vs 23.2 ± 0.3 mm, respectively, in the reimplantation group (P = 0.1)., Conclusions: Despite a higher prevalence of bicuspid aortic valves and larger aortic annular diameters, mid-term outcomes after remodelling with extra-aortic annuloplasty and reimplantation are comparable. Extra-aortic ring annuloplasty is effective at stabilizing annular dimensions.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the results of various tailored management strategies for adults with coarctation in our centre., Methods: We reviewed all adults patients treated for aortic caorctation between January 2000 and December 2015 in our institution. The primary end point was a composite of death, perioperative stroke, paraplegia, need for unplanned reoperation or occurrence of pseudoaneurysm during the follow-up. The mean follow-up was 82 ± 5 months., Results: Sixty-three adults were treated for a native coarctation (n = 34), a recurrent coarctation (n = 14) or aneurysmal complication (n = 15). Mean age of the patients was 42 ± 1.7 years. All but 1 patient with native coarctation (33/34, 97%) and recurrent coarctation (13/14, 93%) underwent endovascular repair and 10 (67%) patients with aneurysmal complications were treated surgically. Freedom from the primary composite end point was 94, 84 and 81% at 1, 5 and 10 years, respectively, without difference between the 3 indication groups (P = 0.96)., Conclusions: A tailored management strategy is necessary to provide good results for the treatment of adults with aortic coarctation. Thus, centres that are involved in the care of this complex pathology should be able to propose a multimodal approach, either endovascular or surgical depending on patient's characteristics and anatomic features., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare perioperative outcomes in young adults following isolated Ross procedure versus mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in a high-volume centre., Methods: From 2007 to 2015, 337 elective isolated mechanical AVRs and 137 Ross procedures were performed in young adults (<65 years) at our centre. Using a 1:1 propensity score match analysis, 140 patients were included in the study (n = 70 in each group). Perioperative outcomes were defined using STS guidelines. The primary outcome was operative mortality., Results: Median age was 52 [14] years and EuroSCORE II was 1.0 [0.4]%. There were no mortalities in the two groups. There were no differences in the incidence of myocardial injury (0% overall) and neurological complications (0.7% overall). Three (4%) reinterventions for bleeding were required in the Ross cohort versus six (9%) in the mechanical AVR cohort (P = 0.49). A significant increase in serum creatinine (>2-fold increase) was more commonly observed after the Ross procedure (11 vs 1%; P = 0.03), but there was no significant difference in the rate of temporary dialysis. Twenty-seven patients (39%) required ≥1 blood product transfusion in the Ross group, whereas 21 patients (31%) did so in the mechanical AVR group (P = 0.47). Median hospital length of stay was similar in both the groups (6 days)., Conclusions: There are no differences in mortality or major perioperative outcomes in adults undergoing an isolated Ross procedure or mechanical AVR., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Mediastinal drainage following cardiac surgery with traditional large-bore plastic tubes can be painful and cumbersome. This study was designed to determine whether prolonged drainage (5 days) with a silastic tube decreased the incidence of significant pericardial effusion and tamponade following aortic or valvular surgery., Methods: One hundred and fifty patients undergoing valvular or aortic surgery in a tertiary cardiac surgery institution were randomized to receive a conventional mediastinal tube plus a silastic Blake drain (n = 75), or two conventional tubes (n = 75). Conventional drains were removed on postoperative day (POD) 1, while Blake drains were removed on POD 5. The primary end-point was the combined incidence of significant pericardial effusion (≥ 15 mm) or tamponade through POD 5. Secondary end-points included total mediastinal drainage, postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) and pain., Results: Analysis was performed for 67 patients in the Blake group and 73 in the conventional group. There was no difference between the two groups in the combined end-point of significant effusion or tamponade (7.4 vs 8.3%, P = 0.74), or in the incidence of AF (47 vs 46%, P = 0.89). Mean 24-h drainage was greater in the Blake group than in the conventional group (749 ± 444 ml vs 645 ± 618 ml, P < 0.01). Overall incidence of significant pericardial effusion at 30 days was 12.1% (n = 17), with 5% (n = 7) requiring drainage. The Blake group had a numerically lower incidence of effusion requiring drainage at POD 30 (3.0 vs 6.8%, P = 0.44). Postoperative pain was similar between groups., Conclusions: In patients undergoing ascending aortic or valvular surgery, prolonged drainage with silastic tubes is safe and does not increase postoperative pain. There was no difference between the Blake and conventional drains with regard to significant pericardial effusion or tamponade in this cohort; however, this conclusion is limited by the low overall incidence of the primary outcome in this cohort.

Perioperative graft failure following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may result in acute myocardial ischaemia. Whether acute percutaneous coronary intervention, emergency reoperation or conservative intensive care treatment should be used is currently unknown. Between 2003 and 2009, 39 of the 5598 patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery underwent early postoperative coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischaemia. Following angiography, two groups were identified: patients who underwent immediately reintervention (group 1); and those treated conservatively (group 2). Primary study endpoints were mortality and postoperative myocardial infarct size. Postoperative coronary angiography revealed early perioperative bypass graft failure in 32 of 39 patients. Acute percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 15 patients, redo-CABG in 4 patients and conservative treatment in 13 patients. The number of failing bypass grafts were significantly higher in group 1 compared with group 2 (P = 0.0251). A trend toward lower post-procedural peak cardiac troponin T and creatinine phosphokinase serum levels in group 1 was observed (163.0 vs. 206.0 and 4.35 vs. 5.53, respectively) (P = 0.0662 and 0.1648). Early reintervention may limit the extent of myocardial cellular damage compared with conservative medical strategy in patients with myocardial ischaemia due to early graft failure.

Objective: Whatever the surgical technique used, false aneurysm formation is one of the long-term complications of repair of aortic coarctation. Conservative management is associated with a 100% rate of rupture. The conventional surgical approach is complex and associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. We report our experience of endovascular management of pseudo-aneurysms after previous surgical repair of congenital aortic coarctation., Methods: Between October 2005 and 2006, stent-grafting of pseudo-aneurysms after previous surgical repair of congenital aortic coarctation was performed in four patients. Median age was 31.5 years (range: 24-38). Two patients had undergone two previous interventions. The last previous surgery consisted of graft interposition (N=2), subclavian flap aortoplasty (N=1) and aorto-aortic bypass (N=1). Median size of the pseudo-aneurysm was 31.5mm (range: 20-58). Mean time between the last surgery and endovascular treatment was 24 years (range: 3-32). One patient was treated emergently because of hemoptysis in relation with an aorto-bronchial fistula, the three other patients were treated electively. A transfemoral approach was used in all patients. The Zenith TX2 (Cook) thoracic stent-graft was used in all the patients, one patient underwent previous dilatation at the coarctation level. When present, the ostium of the left subclavian artery was always covered (N=3)., Results: No major complication occurred during the procedure and no patient died during the follow-up. One patient presented a type II endoleak which spontaneously healed during the first month. Another patient with his left subclavian artery covered presented claudication of the left arm requiring a carotid-subclavian bypass. After a median follow-up of 7.5 months (range: 1-12.9), the patients were asymptomatic and CT scans demonstrated complete exclusion of all treated postcoarctation aneurysms without recoarctation and without any stent-graft-related complication., Conclusions: The endovascular management of pseudo-aneurysms after previous surgical repair of congenital aortic coarctation is feasible. This approach was safe and effective. Long-term clinic and imaging follow-up is mandatory.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequently associated with valvular heart disease and a common complication of valve surgery. Its contribution to long-term mortality and morbidity remains debated. Our objective was to determine the impact of AF on long-term mortality and embolic complications after valvular surgery and the benefit of conversion to sinus rhythm. This may provide insight to the clinical advantages of surgical anti-AF procedures., Methods: Data concerning rhythm status, mortality and embolic complications were prospectively collected for 5466 patients with valve surgery. Patients had surgery between 1979 and 2003. Follow-up was complete and all patients had a yearly EKG., Results: Patients with preoperative AF had poorer long-term survival than patients without preoperative AF (20-year survival 23.7 and 33.4%, respectively, P<0.0001). However, preoperative AF was not an independent risk factor of long-term mortality (HR=1.04, P=0.6). In patients with preoperative sinus rhythm, postoperative development of AF had an impact on long-term mortality (HR=1.46, P=0.0012). In patients with preoperative AF, postoperative rhythm did not influence mortality when adjusted for other variables (AF vs. sinus rhythm, HR=1.07, P=0.5709). Mitral valve surgery (HR=1.55, P=0.0270) but not preoperative or postoperative AF had a significant impact on the advent of embolic complications., Conclusions: The conversion to sinus rhythm did not improve long-term survival or reduce the incidence of embolic complications after valve surgery. Patients with preoperative AF had poorer survival than patients without preoperative AF. AF may be a marker of advanced disease in these patients.

Objective: Endovascular stent-graft repair holds promise for treating traumatic injuries of the descending thoracic aorta. The durability of this approach, however, remains unknown. The objective is to evaluate the mid-term results of stent-graft repair of chronic traumatic aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta., Methods: Between 1993 and 2000, endovascular repair of the descending thoracic aorta with first (custom-fabricated) and second-generation (commercial) stent-grafts was performed in 15 patients (mean age 54+/-13 years) at an average of 18+/-14 years after the injury. Because of comorbidities, 4 patients (27%) were judged not to be reasonable surgical candidates for conventional open surgical approach. Follow-up was 100% complete and averaged 55+/-29 months., Results: Stent-graft deployment was successful in all without need for surgical conversion. One patient died early postoperatively. No neurologic complications occurred. Two patients had a primary endoleak, one of them was successfully treated before discharge. Actuarial survival estimates at 1 and 6 years were 93+/-6% and 85+/-10%. Actuarial freedom from reintervention on the descending thoracic aorta was 93+/-6% and 70+/-15% at 1 and 6 years, respectively. Actuarial freedom from treatment failure (a conservative, all-encompassing performance indicator including endoleak, device mechanical fault, reintervention, late aortic-related death, or sudden, unexplained late death) at 1 and 6 years was 87+/-8% and 51+/-15%., Conclusions: Stent-grafting is safe in selected patients with chronic traumatic aneurysms and associated with satisfactory-but not optimal-mid-term durability. Serial follow-up surveillance imaging is mandatory to detect late stent-graft complications. Younger, good risk patients should be offered conventional open operation, reserving stent-grafting for those who are at prohibitive operative risk or who have limited life expectancy.