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In contrast to the results of previous studies, recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) failed to show a benefit of prophylactic aortic counterpulsation in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The present analysis aims to redefine the effects of this treatment modality in the light of this new evidence. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL/CCTR, Google Scholar and reference lists of relevant articles were searched for full-text articles of RCTs in English or German. Assessments for eligibility, relevance, study validity and data extraction were performed by two reviewers independently using prespecified criteria. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. A total of nine eligible RCTs with 1171 patients were identified: 577 patients were treated preoperatively with intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and 594 patients served as controls. The pooled odds ratio (OR) for hospital mortality (22 hospital deaths in the intervention arm, 54 in the control group) was 0.381 (95% CI 0.230-0.629; P < 0.001). The pooled analyses of five RCTs including only patients undergoing isolated on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (n[IABP] = 348, n[control] = 347) also showed a statistically significant improvement in mortality for preoperative IABP implantation (fixed-effects model: OR 0.267, 95% CI 0.129-0.552, P < 0.001). The pooled OR for hospital mortality from two randomized off-pump trials was 0.556 (fixed-effects model, 95% CI 0.207-1.493, P = 0.226). Preoperative aortic counterpulsation was associated with a significant reduction in low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) in the total population (fixed-effects model: OR 0.330, 95% CI 0.214-0.508, P < 0.001) as well as in the subgroup of CAGB patients (fixed-effects model: OR 0.113, 95% CI 0.056-0.226, P < 0.001), whereas there was no benefit in the off-pump population (fixed-effects model: OR 0.555, 95% CI 0.209-1.474, P = 0.238). Preoperative IABP implantation was associated with a reduction of intensive care unit (ICU) stay in all investigated populations with a greater effect in the total population [fixed-effects model: standard mean difference (SMD) -0.931 ± 0.198, P < 0.001] as well as in the subgroup of CAGB patients (fixed-effects model: SMD -1.240 ± 0.156, P < 0.001), compared with the off-pump group (fixed-effects model: SMD -0.723 ± 0.128, P < 0.001). Despite contradictory results from recent trials, the present study confirms the findings of previous meta-analyses that prophylactic aortic counterpulsation reduces hospital mortality, incidence of LCOS and ICU requirement in high-risk patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery. However, owing to small sample sizes and the lack of a clear-cut definition of high-risk patients, an adequately powered, prospective RCT is necessary to find a definite answer to the question, if certain groups of patients undergoing cardiac surgery benefit from a prophylactic IABP insertion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the efficiency of a new escalating treatment strategy with vernakalant, flecainide and electrical cardioversion (EC) in patients with new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery. Material and methods 24 patients with new onset AF after aortic valve surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery or combined procedures were evaluated in this study. Additional including criteria were age between 18 and 80, duration of AF less than four days, body weight less than 100 kg and no previous treatment with class I or III antiarrhythmic drugs. Exclusion criteria were poor left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF < 40%) and history of myocardial infarction within 30 days. The patients were divided into converters and non-converters according to their response to combination treatment with vernakalant and flecainide, and the groups were compared. Results The mean age of the population was 69.6 ± 6.3 years and 26.1% of patients were female. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of height, weight, gender distribution, comorbidities, preoperative medication, left ventricular function and left atrium diameter. Interventricular septum (IVS) in the non-converted group was significantly thicker compared to the converted group: 14.0 ± 1.00 vs. 10.40 ± 2.59 mm (p = 0.036). While 14 patients (60.9%) were successfully converted into stable sinus rhythm by pharmacological treatment with vernakalant and flecainide, 9 patients (39.1%, non-converted group) remained in AF. However, seven of them could be converted after additional EC. Conclusion The combination of vernakalant and flecainide improves the conversion rate into a stable sinus rhythm in postcardiotomy patients with new onset AF compared to single drug therapy. Furthermore it might be an excellent precondition for successful EC in patients who are not converted after using both antiarrhtythmic drugs. Furthermore, left ventricular hypertrophy might be a potential negative predictor of successful pharmacological cardioversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a 42-year-old woman with generalized cramps and sudden unconsciousness and ischemia. Transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomographic scan were performed, that revealed a floating mass in the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva. The patient went through a transverse aortotomy, and thrombotic mass from the aortic wall was removed with the use of normotermic cardiopulmonary bypass.

Abstract: Objective: Renal failure requiring dialysis represents a serious complication following cardiac surgery. This study was designed to determine the incidence and predictors of renal failure requiring dialysis in a contemporary patient population. We also aimed to create a model based on these risk factors that could serve as a tool for the prediction of renal failure requiring dialysis. Methods: Between October 2007 and June 2009, 2511 consecutive patients (mean age 69±12 years, 68% male) underwent on-pump cardiac surgery at our institution. The main outcome investigated was postoperative renal failure requiring temporary or permanent dialysis. Other postoperative parameters included in the analysis were hospital mortality, major morbidity, length of hospital stay, and discharge condition. Predictors of renal failure requiring dialysis were determined using multivariate regression models. The discriminatory power was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves (c-statistic). Results: Renal failure requiring dialysis occurred in 3.9% (n =98) of patients. Hospital mortality among patients with dialysis-dependent renal failure was 37.8% compared with a mortality rate of 1.3% in patients without this complication (p <0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed pulmonary hypertension (odds ratio (OR)=8.1), preoperative renal dysfunction (creatinine>2.0mgdl−1) (OR=4.6), cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time>120min (OR=3.9), peripheral vascular disease (OR=3.1), previous myocardial infarction (OR=3.0), atrial fibrillation (OR=2.8), age>75 years (OR=2.6), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV (OR=2.5), and diabetes (OR=2.0) as independent predictors for postoperative renal failure requiring dialysis. A logistic equation including the coefficients of the regression analysis accurately predicted individual patient''s risk for the occurrence of renal failure requiring dialysis (area under the ROC curve: 0.829, 95% confidence interval 0.78–0.86). Conclusions: Renal failure requiring dialysis remains a serious complication, particularly in patients with pulmonary hypertension and previous renal dysfunction. Our logistic risk model allows the prediction of renal failure requiring dialysis, based on the individual presentation of risk factors and, therefore, helps to determine the perioperative risk in cardiac surgery patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]