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Background In the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery the heart may be temporarily dysfunctional and prone to arrhythmias due to the phenomenon of myocardial stunning, vasoplegic syndrome, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), electrolyte disturbances, operative trauma and myocardial edema. Most cases of cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery are reversible. Objective To analyse the factors that may influence the outcome of cardiac arrest after adult and pediatric cardiac surgery. Methods Retrospective analysis that included cardiac surgical procedures (886 adult and 749 pediatric patients) performed during the 18 month period of this study at Queen Alia Heart Institute/ Amman, Jordan. All cardiac arrest events were recorded and analysed. Data was collected on Utstein style templates designed for the purpose of this study. The outcome of cardiac arrest is examined as an early outcome (ROSC or lethal outcome) and late outcome (full recovery, recovery with complications, or in-hospital mortality). Factors that may influence the outcome of cardiac arrest were recorded and statistically analysed. Ethical committee approval obtained. Results The overall mortality rate was 3.3%. Cardiac arrest occurred in 114 patients (6.97%). The age of patients ranged from 5 days to 82 years and constituted 66 pediatric and 48 adult patients. Most pediatric cardiac arrests manifested as non-shockable rhythms (77%). Most in-hospital cardiac arrests occurred in the intensive care unit (86.5%). The majority of patients were mechanically ventilated at the time of occurrence of arrest (62.5% and 54.5% in adult and pediatric patients, respectively). Average time of cardiopulmonary resuscitation was 32.24 minutes. Overall, CA survival was 20% higher in the paediatric sub-group (full recovery rate of 51.5%). Neurological injury was slightly lower in pediatric than adult cardiac arrest survivals. (2% vs. 3%). Conclusion Shockable rhythms are more common in adult cardiac arrest, while non-shockable rhythms are more frequent in the pediatric sub-population. Hemodynamic monitoring, witnessed-type of cardiac arrest, non-interrupted cardiac massage, and early recognition of cardiac tamponade are the factors associated with higher rates of survival.

Surgical aortic valve replacement is still considered the first-line treatment for patients suffering from severe aortic valve stenosis. In recent years, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an alternative for selected high-risk patients. According to the latest results of the German external quality assurance program, mandatory by law, the initially very high mortality and procedural morbidity have now decreased to approximately 6 and 12%, respectively. Especially in Germany, the number of patients treated by TAVI has increased exponentially. In 2013, a total of 10.602 TAVI procedures were performed. TAVI is claimed to be minimally invasive. This is true concerning the access, but it does not describe the genuine complexity of the procedure, defined by the close neighborhood of the aortic valve to delicate intracardiac structures. Hence, significant numbers of life-threatening complications may occur and have been reported. Owing to the complexity of TAVI, there is a unanimous concordance between cardiologists and cardiac surgeons in the Western world demanding a close heart team approach for patient selection, intervention, handling of complications, and pre- as well as postprocedural care, respectively. The prerequisite is that TAVI should not be performed in centers with no cardiac surgery on site. This is emphasized in all international joint guidelines and expert consensus statements. Today, a small number of patients undergo TAVI procedures in German hospitals without a department of cardiac surgery on site. To be noted, most of these hospitals perform less than 20 cases per year. Recently, the German Cardiac Society (DGK) published a position paper supporting this practice pattern. Contrary to this statement and concerned about the safety of patients treated this way, the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG) still fully endorses the European (ESC/EACTS) and other actual international guidelines and consensus statements. Only the concomitance of departments for cardiac surgery and cardiology on site can provide optimal TAVI care. This commentary by the DGTHG delineates the data and resources upon which its opinion is based.

Objective To show the place and role of continuous electrocardiographic twenty-four-hour ECG monitoring in daily clinical practice of pediatric cardiologists. Methods According to protocol, 2753 patients underwent dynamic continuous ECG Holter monitoring (data collected from the "Register of ECG Holter monitoring" of Pediatric Clinic, UCC Sarajevo in period April 2003- April 2015). Results There were 50,5% boys and 49,5% girls, aged from birth to 19 years (1,63% - neonates and infants, 2,6% - toddlers, 9,95% - preschool children, 35,5% - gradeschoolers and 50,3% children in puberty and adolescence). In 68,1% of patients Holter was performed for the first time. Indications for conducting Holter were: arrhythmias in 42,2% cases, precordial pain in 23,5%, suspicion of pre-excitation and/or pre-excitation in 10%, crisis of consciousness in 8%, uncorrected congenital/acquired heart defects in 4,2%, operated heart defects in 3,7%, hypertension in 3,1% cases, control of the pacemaker in 1,63% and other causes in 3,5% cases. Discharge diagnosis after ECG Holter monitoring were: insignificant arrhythmias in 47,1% cases, wandering pacemaker in 21,3%, pre-excitation in 16,2%, benign ventricular premature beats in 6,3%, atrioventricular block in 3%, sinus pause in 2.2% cases and other arrhythmias in 3,5%. In mentioned period 57 cases of Wolf Parkinson White syndrome were registered, in 4,5% of patients antiarrhythmic therapy was administered. Radiofrequent ablation was performed in 23 cases. Conclusion The development of pediatric cardiac surgery has initiated development of pediatric arrhythmology as imperative segment of pediatric cardiology. Continuous ECG Holter monitoring has become irreplaceable method in everyday diagnostics and therapy of arrhythmias in children.

Introduction: Most everyday activities, performed over a long period leads to performance degradation of skeletal muscles as well as spinal column which is reflected in the reduction of maximum force, reduction of the speed of response, reducing control of the movement etc. Although until now many mathematical models of muscles are developed, very small number takes into account the fatigue, and those models that take into account changes in the characteristics of muscles for extended activities, generally considered tiring under certain conditions. Given that the current models of muscle fatigue under arbitrary conditions of activation and load are very limited, this article presents a new model that includes scale of muscles overload. Material and Methods: There are three female cardiac surgeons working performing these surgeries in operating rooms, and their average anthropometric measures for this population is: a) Weight: 62 kg; b) Height: 166 cm. Age: 45 taken in the calculation within the CATIA software, that entity is entitled to 50% of healthy female population that is able to execute these and similar jobs. During the surgery is investigated the two most common positions: position “1” and “2”. We wish to emphasize that the experiment or surgical procedure lasted for two positions for five hours, with the position “1” lasted 0.5 hours, and position “2” lasted about 4.5 hours. The additional load arm during surgery is about 1.0 kg. Results: The analysis was done in three positions: “Operating position 1”, “Operating position 2 ‘, and each of these positions will be considered in its characteristic segments. These segments are: when the body takes the correct position, but is not yet burdened with external load, then when the surgeon receives the load and the third position when the load is lifted at the end of the position. Calculation of internal energy used on the joints is carried out in the context of software analysis of this model using CATIA R5v19. The proposed model is based on CATIA software model, which consists of visual indicators of the burden on certain parts of the body as well as the forces acting in these parts of the body. Conclusion: Based on these indicators to define which muscles, as well as that part of the skeletal system is overloaded, what is the position and what needs to be done that specific load be within permitted limits.

// Tiemin Wei 1,* , Jingjing Song 2,* , Min Xu 2,* , Lingchun Lv 1,* , Chong Liu 1 , Jiayi Shen 1 and Ying Huang 3 1 Vasculocardiology Department, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Central Hospital of Zhejiang Lishui, Lishui, Zhejiang, P.R. China 2 Department of Radiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Central Hospital of Zhejiang Lishui, Lishui, Zhejiang, P.R. China 3 Department of Cardiology, Sichuan Medical University, Sichuan, P.R. China * These authors have contributed equally to this article Correspondence to: Tiemin Wei, email: // Keywords : susceptibility; atrial fibrillation; coronary artery bypass graft surgery; SNP Received : December 10, 2015 Accepted : April 16, 2016 Published : May 17, 2016 Abstract Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a serious, common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Recently, 5 novel loci were identified to be associated with atrial fibrillation susceptibility using a combination of genotyping, eQTL mapping, and functional validation. In current study, we aim to evaluated the positive findings for POAF susceptibility after CABG among Chinese population, using a population-based, two-stage, nested case-control study with 1,400 patients. NEURL rs12415501 and CAND2 rs4642101 were significantly associated with POAF susceptibility after CABG among Chinese population in both stages. When pooled together, the ORs for each additional copy of minor allele was 1.29 (95% CI: 1.13-1.48, P = 1.7×10 -4 ) for NEURL rs12415501, and 1.21 (95% CI: 1.08-1.36, P = 9.8×10 -4 ) for CAND2 rs4642101. Functional validation experiments found the AF risk allele of NEURL rs6584555 and CAND2 rs4642101 correlated with an increased expression of its corresponding genes ( P

The heterogeneous presentation and progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) implicate the existence of different pathophysiological processes. Individualized diagnosis and therapy of the arrhythmogenic substrate underlying AF may be required to improve treatment outcomes. Therefore, this single-center study aims to identify the arrhythmogenic areas underlying AF by intra-operative, high-resolution, multi-site epicardial mapping in 600 patients with different heart diseases. Participants are divided into 12 groups according to the underlying heart diseases and presence of prior AF episodes. Mapping is performed with a 192-electrode array for 5–10 s during sinus rhythm and (induced) AF of the entire atrial surface. Local activation times are converted into activation and wave maps from which various electrophysiological parameters are derived. Postoperative cardiac rhythm registrations and a 5-year follow-up will show the incidence of postoperative and persistent AF. This project provides the first step in the development of a tool for individual AF diagnosis and treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12265-016-9685-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important complication of cardiac surgery due to its high mortality. The aim of the present study was to detect the factors leading to AKI in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) and also to determine the optimal timing for detecting AKI using the biomarker neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Materials and Methods: The records of 375 patients who underwent CABS were reviewed in this case-control study. Ejection fraction (EF), common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) and cross-clamp (C-C) time of the patients were recorded. Blood samples were taken from all patients on preoperative day 1 as well as 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 h and 7 days after operation. Biochemical parameters were studied in patients with and without AKI. Results: According to the Risk Injury Failure Loss End Stage criteria, 24 patients had renal risk, 17 had injury and 4 had failure. Postoperative 24-hour serum creatinine levels indicated the risk of renal dysfunction for only 4 patients in the AKI group. CCA-IMT, C-C time, haematocrit (HCT) and preoperative interleukin-6 levels were significantly higher in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group. Postoperative 6- and 12-hour NGAL levels in the AKI group correlated with postoperative 36-hour serum creatinine levels. The optimal cut-off values for postoperative 6- and 12-hour NGAL test were 310 and 283 ng/ml, respectively. The area under the curve was higher in the 12-hour NGAL test (p < 0.0086). Conclusion: The number of stenotic coronary arteries, EF, CCA-IMT and HCT are all important risk factors. Early postoperative NGAL results were highly specific for the early recognition of AKI.

Background Wearable devices with photoplethysmography (PPG) technology can be useful for detecting paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), which often goes uncaptured despite being a leading cause of stroke. Objective This study is the first part of a 2-phase study that aimed at developing a method for immediate detection of paroxysmal AF using PPG-integrated wearable devices. In this study, the diagnostic performance of 2 major smart watches, Apple Watch Series 3 and Fitbit (FBT) Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband, each equipped with a PPG sensor, was compared, and the pulse rate data outputted from those devices were analyzed for precision and accuracy in reference to the heart rate data from electrocardiography (ECG) during AF. Methods A total of 40 subjects from patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a single center between September 2017 and March 2018 were monitored for postoperative AF using telemetric ECG and PPG devices. AF was diagnosed using a 12-lead ECG by qualified physicians. Each subject was given a pair of smart watches, Apple Watch and FBT, for simultaneous pulse rate monitoring. The heart rate of all subjects was also recorded on the telemetry system. Time series pulse rate trends and heart rate trends were created and analyzed for trend pattern similarities. Those trend data were then used to determine the accuracy of PPG-based pulse rate measurements in reference to ECG-based heart rate measurements during AF. Results Of the 20 AF events in group FBT, 6 (30%) showed a moderate or higher correlation (cross-correlation function>0.40) between pulse rate trend patterns and heart rate trend patterns. Of the 16 AF events in group Apple Watch (workout [W] mode), 12 (75%) showed a moderate or higher correlation between the 2 trend patterns. Linear regression analyses also showed a significant correlation between the pulse rates and the heart rates during AF in the subjects with Apple Watch. This correlation was not observed with FBT. The regression formula for Apple Watch W mode and FBT was X=14.203 + 0.841Y and X=58.225 + 0.228Y, respectively (where X denotes the mean of all average pulse rates during AF and Y denotes the mean of all corresponding average heart rates during AF), and the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.685 and 0.057, respectively (P Conclusions In this validation study, the detection precision of AF and measurement accuracy during AF were both better with Apple Watch W mode than with FBT.

Background: Care providers and surgeons prepare for cardiac surgery using case conferences to review, discuss, and run through the surgical procedure. Surgeons visualize a patient’s anatomy to decide the right surgical approach using magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiograms in a presurgical case planning session. Previous studies have shown that surgical errors can be reduced through the effective use of immersive virtual reality (VR) to visualize patient anatomy. However, inconsistent user interfaces, delegation of view control, and insufficient depth information cause user disorientation and interaction difficulties in using VR apps for case planning. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the usability of 2 commercially available VR apps—Bosc (Pyrus Medical systems) and Medical Holodeck (Nooon Web & IT GmbH)—using the Vive VR headset (HTC Corporation) to evaluate ease of use, physician attitudes toward VR technology, and viability for presurgical case planning. The role of medical libraries in advancing case planning is also explored. Methods: After screening a convenience sample of surgeons, fellows, and residents, ethnographic interviews were conducted to understand physician attitudes and experience with VR. Gaps in current case planning methods were also examined. We ran a usability study, employing a concurrent think-aloud protocol. To evaluate user satisfaction, we used the system usability scale (SUS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). A poststudy questionnaire was used to evaluate the VR experience and explore the role of medical libraries in advancing presurgical case planning. Semistructured interview data were analyzed using content analysis with feedback categorization. Results: Participants were residents, fellows, and surgeons from the University of Washington with a mean age of 41.5 (SD 11.67) years. A total of 8 surgeons participated in the usability study, 3 of whom had prior exposure to VR. Users found Medical Holodeck easier to use than Bosc. Mean adjusted NASA-TLX score for Medical Holodeck was 62.71 (SD 18.25) versus Bosc’s 40.87 (SD 13.90). Neither app passed the mean SUS score of 68 for an app to be considered usable, though Medical Holodeck (66.25 [SD 12.87]) scored a higher mean SUS than Bosc (37.19 [SD 22.41]). One user rated the Bosc usable, whereas 3 users rated Medical Holodeck usable. Conclusions: Interviews highlighted the importance of precise anatomical conceptualization in presurgical case planning and teaching, identifying it as the top reason for modifying a surgical procedure. The importance of standardized user interaction features such as labeling is justified. The study also sheds light on the new roles medical librarians can play in curating VR content and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.

Introduction: Postoperative delirium is the most common neurological complication of cardiac surgery. Hypoxia has been shown to increase the risk of postoperative delirium. The possibility to continuously monitor oxygen delivery (DO2) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) offers an adequate approximation of the oxygen status in a patient. This study investigates the role of oxygen delivery during cardiopulmonary bypass in the incidence of postoperative delirium. Methods: Three hundred and fifty-seven adult patients who underwent normothermic coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery were included in this retrospective study. The nadir indexed DO2 (DO2i) value on bypass, the total time under the critical DO2i level and the area under the curve (AUC) for critical DO2i were determined. Delirium was identified by the postoperative administration of haloperidol. Results: The mean nadir DO2i significantly differed, comparing the group of patients with postoperative delirium to the group without. Multivariate analysis only identified age, pre-existing cognitive impairment, preoperative kidney dysfunction and cross-clamp time as independent risk factors for delirium. The results also indicated that patients of older age were more sensitive to a declined DO2i. Conclusion: A low DO2i during cardiopulmonary bypass is significantly associated with the incidence of postoperative delirium in CABG patients. However, the role of DO2 as an independent predictor of delirium could not be proven.

Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer and ATP-dependent potassium channel opener which exerts sustained hemodynamic, symptomatic and organ-protective effects. It is registered for the treatment of acute heart failure, and when inotropic support is considered appropriate. In the past fifteen years, levosimendan has been widely used in clinical practice, and has also been tested in clinical trials to stabilize at-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Recently, three randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter studies (LICORN, CHEETAH and LEVO-CTS) have been published reporting on the peri-operative use of levosimendan in patients with compromised cardiac ventricular function. Taken together, many smaller trials conducted in the past suggested beneficial outcomes with levosimendan in peri-operative settings. In contrast, the latest three studies were neutral or inconclusive. In order to understand the reasons for such dissimilarity, a group of experts from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Russia, including investigators from the three most recent studies, met to discuss the study results in the light of both the previous literature and current clinical practice. Despite the fact that the null hypothesis could not be ruled out in the recent multicenter trials, we conclude that levosimendan can still be viewed as a safe and effective inodilator in cardiac surgery.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Despite improvements in surgical management, sternal wound infection (SWI) following cardiac surgery remains a significant complication.To evaluate pathogens involved in SWI following median sternotomy.We enrolled 164 patients who experienced prolonged sternal wound healing following open-heart surgery. The inclusion criteria were as follows: prolonged sternal wound healing following cardiac surgery via median sternotomy and complete results of microbiological culture obtained from the sternal swab. The exclusion criteria were as follows: partial sternotomy, patients with mechanical sternum dehiscence and incomplete clinical data. Swabs provided information on the type of microorganism present in the wound and the susceptibility of the microorganism to specific antibiotics.One hundred and fourteen (69.5%) patients aged 68 (interquartile range: 60-76) years developed SWI with positive culture. The in-hospital mortality rate was 21.0% in this group. The most common pathogens includedMicroorganisms associated with SWI in our study were mainly commensals, with the most common pathogen beingPomimo udoskonaleń w procedurach chirurgicznych nadal głównym powikłaniem po operacjach kardiochirurgicznych są zakażenia ran mostka.Ocena patogenów, które wywołują zakażenia ran mostka po sternotomii pośrodkowej.Do badania włączono 164 pacjentów, u których stwierdzono przedłużone gojenie rany mostka po operacji kardiochirurgicznej. Kryteria włączenia stanowiły przedłużone gojenie się rany mostka po operacji kardiochirurgicznej z dostępu przez sternotomię pośrodkową i kompletne wyniki hodowli mikrobiologicznej uzyskane z wymazu z mostka, natomiast kryteria wyłączenia – częściowa sternotomia, mechaniczne rozejście się mostka i niekompletne dane kliniczne. Mikroorganizmy były identyfikowane za pomocą hodowli mikrobiologicznej, na podstawie której określano także ich lekowrażliwość.U 114 (69,5%) pacjentów w wieku 68 lat (rozstęp międzykwartylowy: 60–76) doszło do zakażenia rany mostka. Śmiertelność w tej grupie wynosiła 21%. Najczęściej izolowane patogeny to:Mikroorganizmy powodujące wyżej wymienione zakażenia to głównie komensale, a najczęściej występującym patogenem był

Renal dysfunction is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery patients. Serum Cystatin C (sCysC) is a well-recognized marker of early renal dysfunction but few reports evaluate its prognostic cardio-vascular role. The aim of the study is to consider the prognostic value of sCysC for cardiovascular mortality. Four hundred twenty-four cardiac-surgery patients (264 men and 160 women) were enrolled. At admission, all patients were tested for renal function and inflammatory status. Patients were subdivided in subgroups according to the values of the following variables: sCysC, serum Creatinine (sCrea), age, high sensitivity-C Reactive Protein, fibrinogen, surgical procedures and Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival curves were plotted. The primary end-point was cardiovascular mortality. In order to evaluate the simultaneous independent impact of all measured variables on survival we fitted a multivariate Cox-Proportional Hazard Model (CPHM). In Kaplan-Meier analysis 124 patients (29.4%) reached the end-point. In multivariate CPHM, the only significant predictors of mortality were sCysC (p

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a rare (2-15%), but severe complication of cardiac surgery with overall mortality reaching 40-80%. In order to save patients' lives they are treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT). The aim of our study was to assess the impact of different perioperative factors on mortality among patients treated with RRT because of acute renal failure, which occurred as a complication of a heart surgery.Retrospective analysis included 45 patients, operated in the years 2009-2013, who underwent renal replacement therapy in order to treat postoperative ARF. The perioperative factors were analysed in two groups: group 1 - patients who died before discharge; and group 2 - those who survived until hospital discharge.Forty-five of 3509 cardiac surgical patients (1.25%) required RRT after the surgery. A total of 23 (51.11%) died before discharge (group 1). Patients in group 1 were characterised by older age (70.21 vs. 67 years), higher mean EuroSCORE value (9.28 vs. 7.15) (p0.05), higher percentage of concomitant surgery (63.63% vs. 28.57%) (p0.05) and of admission of catecholamines in the postoperative period (100% vs. 68.42%) (p0.005), and higher mean urea blood level prior to RRT initiation (156.65 vs. 102.54 mg/dl) (p0.05).The statistically relevant death predictors proved to be: high EuroSCORE, concomitant surgery, and high urea level at RRT initiation and admission of catecholamines in the postoperative period. After conformation in further studies, those factors may prove useful in stratification of death risk among surgical patients requiring RRT.Ostra niewydolność nerek jest rzadkim (2–15%), ale bardzo niebezpiecznym powikłaniem operacji kardiochirurgicznych, obarczonym śmiertelnością rzędu 40–80%. W celu ratowania życia chorzy poddawani są zabiegom dializoterapii. Celem pracy była ocena wpływu określonych czynników na śmiertelność wśród pacjentów kardiochirurgicznych poddanych terapii nerkozastępczej z powodu ostrej pooperacyjnej niewydolności nerek.Retrospektywnej analizie poddano dane 45 pacjentów operowanych kardiochirurgicznie w latach 2009–2013, u których włączono terapię nerkozastępczą z powodu pooperacyjnej ostrej niewydolności nerek. Analizowano związek czynników okołooperacyjnych ze śmiertelnością, dzieląc przy tym pacjentów na grupę nr 1 – zmarłych w trakcie leczenia; oraz grupę nr 2 – tych, którzy przeżyli do momentu wypisania ze szpitala.Spośród 3509 pacjentów 45 (1,25%) wymagało włączenia leczenia nerkozastępczego po operacji. Przed wypisem ze szpitala zmarły 23 osoby (51,11%) (grupa nr 1). Pacjentów z tej grupy charakteryzował starszy średni wiek (70,21 vs 67 lat) i wyższy średni wynik w skali EuroSCORE (9,28 vs 7,15) (Wysoki wynik w skali EuroSCORE, zabieg złożony, duże stężenie mocznika we krwi przy włączaniu terapii nerkozastępczej oraz potrzeba użycia katecholamin w okresie pooperacyjnym okazały się statystycznie istotnymi czynnikami zwiększającymi śmiertelność w badanej populacji chorych. Wymienione czynniki mogą posłużyć do identyfikacji pacjentów o zwiększonym ryzyku zgonu, wymaga to jednak potwierdzenia w dalszych badaniach na szerszej populacji chorych.

Introduction: An individually designed strategy of comprehensive alternative hybrid and staged interventional treat- ment (AHASIT) can be a reasonable alternative to conventional treatment of congenital heart defects, reduce the risk of cardiac surgery or interventions performed separately, and give an additional chance for critically ill children. Aim: To present our experience and the results of AHASIT of severely ill or borderline children referred for surgery with the diagnosis of congenital heart defects. Material and methods: A group of 22 patients with complex cardiac and non-cardiac pathologies was retrospectively selected and analyzed. An individual preoperative severity scale was established for AHASIT patients, with one point for each of the following preoperative complications: prematurity, low body weight, cyanosis, intolerance to drug therapy, failed interventional treatment prior to admission, mechanical ventilation prior to the procedure, chronic re- spiratory failure and non-cardiac, mainly congenital malformations (congenital diaphragmatic hernia, lower extremity agenesia, duodenal atresia) and acquired problems (newborn edema, necrotic enterocolitis, intracranial hemorrhage, liver and renal failure, anemia and thrombocytopenia, infections or colonization with drug-resistant pathogens). Results: The analysis of the postoperative course showed that the patients with 5 AHASIT points or more had a more complicated postoperative course than the patients with 1 to 4 AHASIT points. Conclusions: The AHASIT of pediatric congenital heart defects with complex and non-cardiac problems appeared to be an attractive option for selected severely ill patients. The strategy was found to be effective in selected neonates suffering from complex and accompanying non-cardiac pathologies, with positive final results of both cardiological intervention and planned surgery.

Approximately 60 000 prosthetic valves are implanted annually in the USA. The risk of prosthesis dysfunction ranges from 0.1% to 4% per year. Prosthesis valve dysfunction is usually caused by a thrombus obstructing the prosthetic discs. However, 10% of prosthetic valves are dysfunctional due to pannus formation, and 12% of prostheses are damaged by both fibrinous and thrombotic components. The authors present two patients with dysfunctional aortic prostheses who were referred for cardiac surgery. Different surgical solutions were used in the treatment of each case.The first patient was a 71-year-old woman whose medical history included arterial hypertension, stable coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and hypercholesterolemia; she had previously undergone left-sided mastectomy and radiotherapy. The patient was admitted to the Cardiac Surgery Department due to aortic prosthesis dysfunction. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed complete obstruction of one disc and a severe reduction in the mobility of the second. The mean transvalvular gradient was very high. During the operation, pannus covering the discs' surface was found. A biological aortic prosthesis was reimplanted without complications.The second patient was an 87-year-old woman with arterial hypertension, persistent atrial fibrillation, and COPD, whose past medical history included gastric ulcer disease and ischemic stroke. As in the case of the first patient, she was admitted due to valvular prosthesis dysfunction. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography revealed an obstruction of the posterior prosthetic disc and significant aortic regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiography and fluoroscopy confirmed the prosthetic dysfunction. During the operation, a thrombus growing around a minor pannus was found. The thrombus and pannus were removed, and normal functionality of the prosthetic valve was restored.Precise and modern diagnostic methods facilitated selection of the treatment method. However, the intraoperative view also seems to be crucial in individualizing the surgical approach.Szacuje się, że w USA rocznie wykonuje się blisko 60 000 implantacji sztucznej zastawki serca. Ryzyko dysfunkcji protezy zastawkowej wynosi 0,1–4% na rok. Najczęściej związane jest z powstaniem skrzepliny blokującej dyski. W ok. 10% przypadków wiąże się z powstaniem łuszczki. Strukturę o mieszanej budowie, zajmującą sztuczną zastawkę, stwierdza się w 12% przypadków. Autorzy pracy przedstawili postępowanie kardiochirurgiczne w przypadku 2 pacjentek z dysfunkcją sztucznej zastawki aortalnej – z powodu łuszczki u pierwszej oraz łuszczki ze skrzepliną u drugiej.71-letnia pacjentka z nadciśnieniem tętniczym, stabilną chorobą wieńcową, cukrzycą typu 2, przewlekłą obturacyjną chorobą płuc (POChP) i hipercholesterolemią, po przebytej mastektomii lewostronnej i radioterapii została przyjęta do Kliniki Kardiochirurgii w maju 2011 r. z powodu dysfunkcji sztucznej zastawki aortalnej. Przedoperacyjna przezklatkowa echokardiografia wykazała brak ruchomości jednego z dysków sztucznej zastawki ze znacznym ograniczeniem ruchomości drugiego dysku i wysokim gradientem przezzastawkowym. Śródoperacyjnie potwierdzono obecność łuszczki. Przeprowadzono reimplantację bioprotezy aortalnej.87-letnia pacjentka z nadciśnieniem tętniczym, POChP, chorobą wrzodową w wywiadzie, utrwalonym migotaniem przedsionków, po udarze niedokrwiennym lewostronnym została przyjęta do Kliniki Kardiochirurgii z powodu dysfunkcji sztucznej zastawki aortalnej. Przedoperacyjna echokardiografia przezklatkowa i przezprzełykowa oraz fluoroskopia ujawniły zablokowanie tylnego dysku powodujące znaczną niedomykalność aortalną. Śródoperacyjnie potwierdzono obecność skrzepliny i łuszczki, przywracając dobrą funkcję protezy.Pomimo zastosowania szczegółowej diagnostyki przedoperacyjnej, ocena śródoperacyjna pozwoliła na zindywidualizowanie podejścia kardiochirurgicznego.

Background Prolonged or excessive blood loss is a common complication after cardiac surgery. Blood remnants and clots, remaining in the pericardial space in spite of chest tube drainage, induce high fibrinolytic activity that may contribute to bleeding complications. Continuous postoperative pericardial flushing (CPPF) with an irrigation solution may reduce blood loss by preventing the accumulation of clots. In this pilot study, the safety and feasibility of CPPF were evaluated and the effect on blood loss and other related complications was investigated. Methods Between November 2011 and April 2012 twenty-one adult patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) received CPPF from sternal closure up to 12 h postoperative. With an inflow Redivac drain that was inserted through one of the chest tube incision holes, an irrigation solution (NaCl 0.9% at 38 °C) was delivered to the pericardial cavity using a volume controlled flushing system. Safety aspects, feasibility issues and complications were registered. The mean actual blood loss in the CPPF group was compared to the mean of a retrospective group (n = 126). Results CPPF was successfully completed in 20 (95.2%) patients, and no method related complications were observed. Feasibility was good in this experimental setting. Patients receiving CPPF showed a 30% (P = 0.038) decrease in mean actual blood loss 12 h postoperatively. Conclusions CPPF after cardiac surgery was found to be safe and feasible in this experimental setting. The clinically relevant effect on blood loss needs to be confirmed in a randomized clinical trial., Graphical abstract, Highlights • This pilot study shows safety and feasibility of continuous postoperative pericardial flushing (CPPF) in experimental setting; • CPPF improves chest tube patency and postoperative drainage; • CPPF may reduce postoperative bleeding complications after cardiac surgery. Continuous postoperative pericardial flushing (CPPF) has specifically been designed to promote the evacuation of contaminated blood and clots out of the pericardial cavity in order to reduce postoperative blood loss and other bleeding complications. To our knowledge, there is no literature available on techniques similar to CPPF after cardiac surgery. Current state of the art techniques to reduce blood loss after cardiac surgery all have different targets and/or time of action. Regardless of their effects, the use of CPPF is an additional improvement to the current state of the art. We report that CPPF is safe and feasible in the experimental setting that was used and that CPPF may reduce postoperative blood loss and bleeding complications. The 30% reduction of blood loss that we found in this pilot study needs to be confirmed in a randomized clinical trial.

The expected future number of cardiovascular operations is estimated based on the predicted Japanese population and the rate of cardiovascular surgery performance calculated from 16845 cases treated by the Nagoya University group of hospitals between 2001 and 2013. The population of

Type 1 cardiorenal syndrome is one of the major diseases threatening human life in China. The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with acute heart failure (AHF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), cardiac surgery, and coronary angiography has been reported to be 32.2, 14.7, 40.2, and 4.5%, respectively. In the past 2 years, we derived and validated 4 risk scores for the prediction of AKI associated with the above acute heart diseases as well as for examination and treatment in Chinese cohorts. A univariable comparison and a subsequent multivariate logistic regression analysis of the potential predictive variables of AKI in the derivation set were conducted and used to establish the prediction scores, which were then verified in the validation set. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic test were performed to assess the discrimination and calibration of the prediction scores, respectively. These 4 prediction scores all showed adequate discrimination (area under the ROC curve, ≥0.70) and good calibration (p > 0.05). Both Forman's risk score (for AKI associated with AHF) and Mehran's risk score (for AKI associated with coronary angiography) are widely applied around the world. The external validation of these 2 risk scores was performed in our patients, but their discriminative power was quite low (area under the ROC curve, 0.65 and 0.57, respectively). Therefore, these prediction scores derived from Chinese cohorts might be more accurate than those derived from different races when they are applied in Chinese patients. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

AIM: Longitudinal ventricular contraction is a parameter of cardiac performance with predictive power. Right ventricular (RV) longitudinal function is impaired in patients with free pulmonary regurgitation (PR) following corrective surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). It remains unclear whether this is a consequence of the surgical repair, or whether it is inherent to PR. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between longitudinal, lateral and septal pumping in a porcine model of isolated PR.METHODS: Piglets were divided into a control (n = 8) group and a treatment (n = 12) group, which received a stent in the pulmonary valve orifice, inducing PR. After 2-3 months, animals were subjected to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. A subset of animals (n = 6) then underwent percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement (PPVR) with follow-up 1 month later. Longitudinal, lateral and septal contributions to stroke volume (SV) were quantified by measuring volumetric displacements from end-diastole to end-systole in the cardiac short axis and long axis.RESULTS: PR resulted in a lower longitudinal contribution to RV stroke volume, compared to controls (60.0 ± 2.6% vs. 73.6 ± 3.8%; P = 0.012). Furthermore, a compensatory increase in septal contribution to RVSV was observed (11.0 ± 1.6% vs. -3.1 ± 1.5%; P < 0.0001). The left ventricle (LV) showed counter-regulation with an increased longitudinal LVSV. Changes in RV longitudinal function were reversed by PPVR.CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that PR contributes to decreased RV longitudinal function in the absence of scarring from cardiac surgery. Measurement of longitudinal RVSV may aid risk stratification and timing for interventional correction of PR in TOF patients.

Summary Background The purpose of this study is to provide guidance for medical experts regarding malpractice claims on permanent hypoparathyroidism by analyzing the number of parathyroid glands (PGs) identified during thyroidectomy and the clinical outcome. Methods Parathyroid findings were documented in a standardized protocol for 357 patients undergoing thyroidectomy and treated by a single specialized surgeon. The resected thyroid was routinely dissected for accidentally removed PGs with consecutive autotransplantation and the pathological report also described unintentionally resected PGs. Follow-up was performed for 6 months. Results The mean number of identified PGs was 2.28. No PGs were found in 20 (5.6%), one in 56 (15.7%), two in 126 (35.3%), three in 114 (31.9%), and four in 41 (11.5%) cases. One patient (0.28%) had manifest permanent hypoparathyroidism, while ten patients (2.8%) had latent permanent hypoparathyroidism (hypocalcemia and normoparathyroidism). The risk factors identified for postoperative hypoparathyroidism were an increasing number of visualized PGs, autotransplantation, central neck dissection, and PGs in the histopathological work-up. For permanent hypoparathyroidism, PGs in the histology examination and neck dissection were significant, but the number of identified PGs was not. Conclusion Even an experienced surgeon is not always able to find all four PGs during thyroidectomy and occasionally identifies none. Rather than focusing on identifying a minimum number of PGs, it is more important not to miss them in risky positions. A documented awareness of PGs, i. e., knowledge of variable parathyroid positions and their saving, is a prerequisite for surgical quality and to protect surgeons from claims.

Acute liver failure usually develops in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and significantly increases the mortality risk in patients after cardiac surgery.To assess the safety and efficacy of extracorporeal liver support in patients with acute liver failure after cardiac surgery.We studied 39 adult patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and acute liver failure as postoperative complication, treated with Prometheus therapy. Inclusion criteria comprised clinical and laboratory signs of acute liver failure. Criteria to start Prometheus therapies were: serum bilirubin above 180 µmol/l (reference values: 3-17 µmol/l), hepatocyte cytolysis syndrome (at least 2-fold increase in aspartate aminotranspherase and alanine aminotranspherase concentrations; reference values 10-40 U/l) and decrease in plasma cholinesterase (reference values 4490-13 320 U/l).Extracorporeal therapy provided stabilization of hemodynamics, decrease in serum total bilirubin and unconjugated bilirubin levels, decrease in cytolysis syndrome severity and positive effect on the synthetic function of the liver. The 28-day survival rate in the group treated with Prometheus therapy was 23%.Prometheus procedures could be recommended as a part of combined intensive care in patients with acute liver failure after cardiac and major vessel surgery. The efficiency of this method could be improved by a multi-factor evaluation of patient condition in order to determine indications for its use.Do rozwoju ostrej niewydolności wątroby dochodzi zwykle w zespole niewydolności wielonarządowej. Zwiększa ona istotnie ryzyko zgonu u pacjentów po zabiegach kardiochirurgicznych.Ocena bezpieczeństwa i skuteczności pozaustrojowego wspomagania czynności wątroby u pacjentów z ostrą niewydolnością wątroby po zabiegach kardiochirurgicznych.Zbadano 39 dorosłych pacjentów z powikłaniami pooperacyjnymi w postaci zespołu niewydolności wielonarządowej i ostrej niewydolności wątroby, których leczono za pomocą systemu Prometheus. Kryteria włączenia obejmowały kliniczne i laboratoryjne oznaki ostrej niewydolności wątroby. Stosowane kryteria rozpoczęcia terapii Prometheus to: stężenie bilirubiny w surowicy powyżej 180 µmol/l (wartości referencyjne: 3–17 µmol/l), zespół cytolizy hepatocytów (przynajmniej dwukrotny wzrost stężeń aminotransferazy asparaginianowej i alaninowej; wartości referencyjne: 10–40 U/l) oraz zmniejszenie stężenia cholinesterazy w osoczu (wartości referencyjne: 4490–13 320 U/l).Leczenie pozaustrojowe spowodowało stabilizację hemodynamiczną, zmniejszenie całkowitego stężenia sprzężonej i niesprzężonej bilirubiny w surowicy, zmniejszenie nasilenia zespoły cytolizy oraz poprawę syntetycznej funkcji wątroby. Wskaźnik 28-dniowych przeżyć u pacjentów leczonych systemem Prometheus wyniósł 23%.Zastosowanie systemu Prometheus można zalecać w ramach intensywnej terapii pacjentów z ostrą niewydolnością wątroby po operacjach na sercu i dużych naczyniach. Skuteczność tej metody można zwiększyć, dokonując wieloczynnikowej oceny stanu pacjentów, aby ustalić wskazania do jej użycia.

// Xinzhong Chen 1 , Yanhong Yuan 1 , Yufeng Gao 2 , Qin Wang 1 , Fei Xie 1 , Dongsheng Xia 3 , Yutao Wei 1 and Ting Xie 4 1 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China 2 Department of Neurology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China 3 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003, China 4 Department of Cardiac Surgery, Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital, Hainan 570311, China Correspondence to: Xinzhong Chen, email: chen_xinzhong@sina.cn Keywords: ADIPOQ, adiponectin, atherosclerosis, polymorphism Received: June 13, 2017 Accepted: August 04, 2017 Published: September 23, 2017 ABSTRACT The burden of atherosclerosis is heritable and associated with elevated risk of developing CVDs. Here, we evaluated genetic variants of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene, which has important role in anti- atherosclerosis, with risk of atherosclerosis among a large Chinese population. Our results show that rs74577862 was significantly associated with risk of atherosclerosis (OR=2.08; 95%CI=1.48-2.91; P=2.2×10 -5 ). When stratified by atherosclerosis site, rs74577862 was associated with increased risk of both carotid atherosclerosis (OR=2.03; 95%CI=1.35-3.06; P=6.3×10-4) and coronary atherosclerosis (OR=2.11; 95%CI=1.44-3.09; P=1.1×10-4). In addition, we also carried out site-directed mutagenesis and dual-luciferase reporter assay to confirm the positive finding, which presents a significant decrease in luciferase expression for the reconstructed plasmid with rs74577862 A allele in comparison to the one with G allele (P

The following case report describes a complication of Swan-Ganz catheterization and its endovascular treatment with a single coil. Application of this particular catheter in the pulmonary artery during cardiac surgery may lead to mechanical perforation and creation of an extravascular sac, which is called a pseudoaneurysm. There are different methods that lead to tamponade or closure of the leakage. Interventional cardiology procedures are nowadays the most appropriate way of treatment of Swan-Ganz catheter induced vascular complications.

Background: Medical care for the Chinese population has been focused on first-line treatment, but with little follow-up on treated patients. As an important part of clinical work, follow-up evaluations are of great significance for the long-term survival of patients and for clinical and scientific research. However, the overall follow-up rate of discharged patients after surgery has been low for many years because of the limitations of certain follow-up methods and the presence of objective, practical problems. Objective: This study aimed to construct a new two-way interactive telemedicine follow-up platform to improve the collection of clinical data after cardiac surgery and provide reliable and high-quality follow-up services. Methods: Computer and network technologies were employed in the context of “Internet +” to develop follow-up databases and software compatible with a mobile network. Postoperative follow-up quality data including the follow-up rate and important postoperative indices were used as standards to evaluate the new follow-up management model after cardiac surgery. Results: This system has been officially operated for more than 5 years. A total of 5347 patients undergoing cardiac surgery have been enrolled, and the total follow-up rate was 90.22%. In addition, 6349 echocardiographic images, 4717 electrocardiographic images, and 3504 chest radiographic images have been uploaded during follow-up assessments. The international standardized ratio was 20,696 person-times. Conclusions: This new management follow-up platform can be used to effectively collect clinical data, provide technical support for academic research, extend medical services, and provide more help to patients. It is of great significance for managing patients after cardiac surgery.

Translational bioenergetics requires the measurement of mitochondrial function in clinically relevant samples and the integration of the data in a form that can be applied to personalized medicine. In the present study, we show the application of the measurement of the Bioenergetic Health Index (BHI) to cardiac surgery patients., Monitoring the bioenergetics of leucocytes is now emerging as an important approach in translational research to detect mitochondrial dysfunction in blood or other patient samples. Using the mitochondrial stress test, which involves the sequential addition of mitochondrial inhibitors to adherent leucocytes, we have calculated a single value, the Bioenergetic Health Index (BHI), which represents the mitochondrial function in cells isolated from patients. In the present report, we assess the BHI of monocytes isolated from the post-operative blood and post-operative pericardial fluid (PO-PCF) from patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Analysis of the bioenergetics of monocytes isolated from patients’ PO-PCF revealed a profound decrease in mitochondrial function compared with monocytes isolated from their blood or from healthy controls. Further, patient blood monocytes showed no significant difference in the individual energetic parameters from the mitochondrial stress test but, when integrated into the BHI evaluation, there was a significant decrease in BHI compared with healthy control monocytes. These data support the utility of BHI measurements in integrating the individual parameters from the mitochondrial stress test into a single value. Supporting our previous finding that the PO-PCF is pro-oxidant, we found that exposure of rat cardiomyocytes to PO-PCF caused a significant loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS). These findings support the hypothesis that integrated measures of bioenergetic health could have prognostic and diagnostic value in translational bioenergetics.

Objectives This study investigated factors determining the long-term outcome and quality of life of patients with a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay after cardiac surgery. Design A retrospective analysis was performed in 230 patients that had undergone cardiac surgery and suffered from a post-operative ICU stay of 7 or more days at our institution. Among 11 pre-, 13 intra-, and 14 post-operative variables, factors influencing 5-year outcome were identified by logistic regression analysis. Quality of life was determined using the Short Form-36 questionnaire. Results In-hospital mortality was 12%. One hundred and eleven of 187 patients (59%) were alive after 5 years. Non-survivors were older (70 vs. 65 years, p=0.005) and had a higher additive EuroSCORE (7 vs. 5, p=0.034). Logistic regression identified pre-operative atrial fibrillation (AF), (28 vs. 10%, p=0.003) as the strongest predictor for a 5-year outcome, followed by myocardial infarction (62 vs. 41%, p=0.005), and prolonged mechanical ventilation (8 vs. 5 days, p=0.036). Survivors did not show an impaired physical component summary SF-36 score (39 vs. 46, p=0.737) or mental component summary score (55 vs. 55, p=0.947) compared to an age-matched German Normative Sample. Conclusions Pre-operative AF proved to be the most important factor determining the 5-year outcome of patients with a prolonged ICU stay after cardiac surgery. Neither physical nor mental health appeared to be impaired in these patients.

Background: Pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, few reports have focused on evaluating intra- and post-operative independent risk factors for pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery with CPB. This study aimed to evaluate peri-operative independent risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications through investigating and analyzing 2056 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. Methods: From January 2005 to December 2012, the relevant pre-, intra-, and post-operative data of adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB in the department of cardiovascular surgery of Tongji Hospital of Tongji University in Shanghai were investigated and retrospectively analyzed. The independent risk factors for pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery with CPB were obtained through descriptive analysis and then logistic regression analysis. Results: One hundred and forty-three adult patients suffered from pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery with CPB, with an incidence of 6.96%. Through descriptive analysis and then logistic regression, independent risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications were as follows: older age (>65 years) (OR=3.31, 95%CI 1.71-7.13), preoperative congestive heart failure (OR=2.95, 95%CI 1.41-5.84), preoperative arterial oxygenation (PaO2) (OR=0.67, 95%CI 0.33-0.85), duration of CPB (OR=3.15, 95%CI 1.55-6.21), intra-operative phrenic nerve injury (OR=4.59, 95%CI 2.52-9.24), and postoperative acute kidney injury (OR=3.21, 95%CI 1.91-6.67). Postoperative pulmonary complication was not a risk factor for hospital death (OR=2.10, 95%CI 0.89-4.33). Conclusions: A variety of peri-operative factors increased the incidence of pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is recognized as a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The conventional biomarker creatinine is not sensitive enough to detect AKI until a significant decline in renal filtration has occurred. Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), part of an acute response to the release of tissue iron from cells, is an early biomarker and a predictor of AKI in a variety of clinical settings. We sought to evaluate the relationship between urine catalytic iron (unbound iron) and NGAL over the course of AKI due to cardiac surgery. Methods: Fourteen patients who underwent open heart surgery had the following measured: serum creatinine (0, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h postoperatively), urine NGAL and urine catalytic iron (0, 8, 24 and 48 h postoperatively). Urine NGAL and urine catalytic iron were quantified by immunoassay and bleomycin-detectable iron assay, respectively. AKI was defined by the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. Results: Urine catalytic iron increased significantly (p < 0.05) within 8 h and peaked at 24 h postoperatively in patients who developed AKI (n = 8, baseline 101.96 ± 177.48, peak 226.35 ± 238.23 nmol/l, p = 0.006), but not in non-AKI patients (n = 6, baseline 131.08 ± 116.21, peak 163.99 ± 109.62 nmol/l, p = 0.380). Urine NGAL levels also peaked at 24 h with significant increase observed only in AKI patients: AKI – baseline 34.88 ± 26.47, peak 65.50 ± 27.03 ng/ml, p = 0.043; non-AKI – baseline 59.33 ± 31.72, peak 71.00 ± 31.76 ng/ml, p = 0.100. The correlation between baseline levels of urine catalytic iron and NGAL and peak levels of urine catalytic iron and NGAL was r = 0.86, p < 0.0001. Conclusion: Urine catalytic iron appears to rise and fall in concert with NGAL in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and may be indicative of early AKI. Future research into the role that catalytic iron plays in acute organ injury syndromes and its potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications is warranted.

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI). The urinary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) level was previously shown to predict renal function recovery in AKI following cardiac surgery. Herein, we determine whether urinary mtDNA is a marker of severity and predictor of recovery in AKI due to other etiologies. Methods: We recruited 107 AKI patients. The urinary mtDNA level was measured, the severity of AKI was quantified, and patients were followed for 90 days. Results: The urinary mtDNA level had modest but statistically significant correlations with the peak serum creatinine level (Spearman's r = -0.248, p = 0.010) and the duration of hospital stay (r = -0.217, p = 0.025). Patients who required temporary dialysis also tended to have higher urinary mtDNA levels than those without dialysis (22.6 ± 4.5 vs. 24.9 ± 5.7 cycles, p = 0.06). There was no definite relation between the urinary mtDNA level and renal function recovery. Conclusion: The urinary mtDNA level is a marker of AKI severity, as reflected by its significant correlation with the peak serum creatinine level, duration of hospital stay, and probably the need for temporary dialysis. Our result suggests that urinary mtDNA has the potential to serve as a biomarker of AKI.