Search

Purpose of the present study is an evaluation of postoperative incidence for delirium after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Study addressed whether application of Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate (HTK) solution (Bretschneider) or blood cardioplegia (Calafiore) is associated with increased of postoperative delirium cases.In a retrospective, single center evaluation a total number of 273 patients were enrolled in the study from January 2017 to October 2021. There were 124 patients assigned to the Calafiore group blood cardioplegic solution (BCC) and 149 patients were included in the Bretschneider group (HTK). The primary endpoint was the postoperative delirium rate in its frequency of occurrence. Definition of the dilirium status was performed using the Confusion Assessment Method in the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) score during the first three postoperative days. Secondary endpoints were the time intervals of intensive care duration of stay, mechanical ventilation, total extracorporeal circulation, ischemia and reperfusion. Serum levels of the electrolytes Sodium, Potassium, ionized Calcium, and Chloride were monitored.Although no significant difference in delirium status between the groups were noticed, on third postoperative day, delirium rate dependent on cardioplegia solution used (HTK 12.0%; BCC 3.0%; p = .024) and duration of intensive care stay differed (HTK 4.5 vs. BCC 3.0 days; p = .001). Although Ischemic time (HTK 73.0 vs. BCC 83.0 min; p .001) and reperfusion time (HTK 35.0 vs. Calafiore 24.0 min; p .001) were extended in the BCC group less cases of delirium were diagnosed. Serum sodium levels after HTK cardioplegic infusion were decreased (HTK 129.68 vs. BCC 138.96 mmol/l; p .001). The significant difference persists up to the hundredth extracorporeal circulation circuit min (p = .005).The present data suggest an impact of the cardioplegic solution used upon postoperative delirium rates. Optimization of cardiac arrest protocols is needed. Present data encourage further prospective studies regarding the impact of cardioplegic solutions on electrolyte imbalance for postoperative delirium rates in CABG surgery.

The pathogenesis of mitral valve insufficiency is not yet fully understood. Several studies stressed the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the emergence of valvular pathologies. The primary objective of the present study is to analyze the role of selected MMPs and their inhibitors in mitral valve insufficiency.Eighty patients (33 female/47 male, mean age 67 years) underwent cardiopulmonary bypass surgery for mitral valve reconstruction between 2007 and 2015. All patients suffered from mitral insufficiency (MI) Stages iii and iv. When tissue resection was acquired specimens were taken immediately frozen and used for histological examination. Expression of MMP-1, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, and TIMP-2 was examined immunohistochemically and distribution was analyzed in regard to preoperative clinical, echocardiographic, and histopathological findings.A clear correlation between the MMP expression and the MI degree of severity could be shown. The expression of MMPs proved to be high in relation to mild insufficiencies and relatively weak in the case of severe ones. Additionally, the etiology of the MI was considered in the analysis and a significant difference in the expression of MMPs between the mitral valves with endocarditis and the ones featuring a degenerative disease could be shown. Within the group of valves with degenerative diseases, no significant difference could be established between the subgroups (myxoid and sclerosed valves).The increased expression of MMPs and their inhibitors in mild insufficiencies could prove that the molecular changes in the valve precede the macroscopical and thus the echocardiographically diagnosable changes. Hence, new options for early diagnosis and therapy of MIs should be examined in further studies, respectively. Herein, the correlation of the MMP blood levels with MMP tissue expression should be addressed for surgical therapeutical decisions.

Stroke in the postoperative time course after heart surgery remains a serious risk. Cranial computer tomography (CCT) is the first line option to detect severe intracranial damage. However, only few data are available to predict neurological outcome. Using visual rating scales (VRSs), this study addresses reliability and effectivity to indicate neurological status and likelyhood of improvement.In a single-center retrospective evaluation, 3719 patients underwent coronary bypass surgery. Because of a delayed recovery phase and neurologic deficits after cardiac surgery 109 patients had a cranial CT scan in the early postoperative period. The incidence of clinically relevant findings within the imaging was rated by an experienced neuroradiologist using two VRS, that is, the age-related white matter changes (ARWMCs) and the Mendes-Ribeiro visual rating scale (MRVRS). Both are computer-assisted measurement schemes to detect stroke-related intracranial damage. Follow-up was investigated with regard to clinical outcome and patient-related risk profiles.Of 109 patients with postoperative cranial CT scans due to prolonged recovery phases or proven neurological damage 44.5% had one cerebral defect in CCT imaging scans only. The others showed multiple defects. During hospital stay, 92.3% experienced neurological improvement exposing reduced ARWMC, while 7.1% had no improvement and correlating high scores. Of both scales, the ARWMC-VRS demonstrated superior accuracy and discrimination. The preoperative ejection fraction (EF), arteriosclerotic degeneration of carotid arteries, and reduced glomerular filtration rate were found to have a high correlation (r = 0.0005) with the latter group. In-hospital mortality of this cohort was 8.18%.Both the ARWMC and MRVRS were found to be appropriate. They reliably discriminate the groups of stroke patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the analysis of CCT images. When applied at the onset of neurological symptoms both scales are able to predict neurological reconvalescence upon hospital dismission. The ARWMC scale appeared superior as it demonstrated better accuracy and discrimination. The use of both VRS in patients with suspected stroke after CABG surgery can give insightful information toward a progression of neurological dysfunction or postoperative improvement.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication associated with on-pump cardiac surgery. Early recognition may alter their prognosis. Therefore, the urinary concentrations of TIMP-2 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2) and IGFBP7 (insulin-like growth factor-binding protein) as predictors for AKI were studied.Repetitive blood and urine samples were collected consecutively from 50 patients. Demographic, intra-, and postoperative data were recorded prospectively. To calculate the production of the TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 protein concentrations, urinary samples were taken preoperatively, intraoperatively at 30 and 60 min after aortic clamping and at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).AKI occurred in 14 patients (28%), all of them at Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes stage 1. Predictive value for [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] was shown at 0 and 24 h after admission to ICU. At 0 h, the sensitivity was 84.6% and the specificity 55.6% for an ideal calculated cutoff at 0.07. After 24 h, the ideal cutoff amounted to 0.35 with a sensitivity of 53.8% and a specificity of 88.2%. The receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated areas under the curve of 0.725 and 0.718. The suggested cutoffs of 0.3 and 2.0 could not be confirmed. The serum creatinine was reached to the peak median within 48 h after admission to ICU.Postoperative risk assessment for the development of AKI can be established by

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) was developed to decrease perioperative morbidity, some of which may be related to the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and to cross-clamping of the aorta. We report our initial experience with multivessel MIDCAB via distal mini-sternotomy (DIMS). DIMS is performed to gain access to the left and right internal thoracic arteries and to reach the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), diagonal branches, and right coronary artery (RCA). Between January 2016 and January 2017, 12 patients with significant coronary artery disease of the LAD and the RCA underwent multivessel, all-arterial MIDCAB through a distal midline skin incision from the fourth intercostal space to the xyphoid process, with L‑ or T‑shaped division of the sternum. The mean age of the patients was 61.5 ± 5.2 years (range: 52–71 years). We performed all-arterial revascularization using the left internal mammary artery in 12 patients, the radial artery in ten, and the right internal mammary artery in two patients. The mean number of grafts per patient was 2.08 ± 0.4 (range: 2–3). The mean length of the skin incision was 8.5 ± 1.3 cm (range: 7–11 cm). There was no perioperative ischemia, postoperative bleeding, or arrhythmia events. No postoperative cognitive dysfunction occurred. The mean hospital stay was 5.6 days. No major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred at the 12-month follow-up. At follow-up, all patients were in New York Heart Association class I and there were no wound complications. Although MIDCAB-DIMS is technically more demanding than conventional procedures and our experience is limited, we conclude that this technique can be used safely in selected patients, with promising 12-month follow-up results.

Objectives: The second mechanism of mitochondrial respiratory control was proposed to be physiologically most important for the regulation of complex IV (CytOx) activity, and also of mitochondrial respiration. According to this mechanism the mitochondrial ROS concentrations in myocardium is kept under low healthy values 1 by regulating the mitochondrial respiration and membrane potential 2. In an new experimental setting we show the correlation between 'kinetics' of CytOx activity and mitochondrial membrane potential together with ROS production in heart mitochondria. Methods: Rat heart mitochondria were isolated by standard procedure of isolation (n = 3 in each group). Protein estimation was performed by BCA method. In kinetics studies (w/wo inhibition of CytOx), oxygen consumption by CytOx in intact mitochondria was measured polarographically. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS concentrations were detected by DIOC6(3) and MitoSOX method, respectively, in fluorescence-based assays. Results: For the first time, a direct correlation of CytOx kinetics studies to the concentrations of ROS in intact mitochondria is shown. We found a sharp decrease in the ROS concentrations when the activity of CytOx is measured in the presence of ATP and regenerating system (Phosphoenolpyruvate + Pyruvate Kinase). Moreover, in the presence of allosteric ATP inhibition of CytOx, lowest concentrations of ROS were measured in intact rat heart mitochondria. Conclusion: ATP dependent inhibition of CytOx activity is crucial for mitochondrial bioenergetics as it maintains the redox balance by keeping the ROS concentrations at low values. References

Fig 2. Pthat originate from the neural crest. We report a case of successful surgical treatment of a noncatecholamineproducing cardiac paraganglioma in a 25-year-old white male patient with dyspnea on exertion and intermittent palpitations. Echocardiography revealed solid 4.64.3-cm tumor mass located in close relation to the left and right atria. A magnetic resonance image of the heart demonstrated the solid tumor mass adjacent mainly to the right atrium and in part to the left atrium with an early and strong arterial uptake of the contrast medium (see arrow in Fig 1). A coronary angiogram revealed a feeding blood supply primarily by the right and also left coronary artery systems. The highly vascularized tumor was located mainly in the epicardium with infiltrative growth. The intraoperative situs showed a large, primary epicardially capsulated tumor between the right and left atria compressing the inferior vena cava and the right upper pulmonary vein. The tumor was removed en bloc after clipping and oversewing the feeding vessels of the proximal right coronary artery and the first marginal

Paradoxical embolism is the result of systemic arterial embolism and pulmonary embolism. It indicates the presence of an intracardial defect in the area of the atrial or ventricular septum. The most frequent cause of an intracardiac defect associated with paradoxical embolism is a patent foramen ovale (PFO). In the case presented here, the symptoms, diagnostics and surgical therapy are discussed.

In patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), the right ventricular myocardium histologically discloses atrophy paralleled by fibrofatty or fatty replacement. Apoptosis is believed to be a putative major pathogenetic mechanism. Altogether, our knowledge of genetics, etiology and pathophysiology of ARVD has increased impressively in the last few years, and effective genetic tests now principally would be possible. Nevertheless, due to often uncharacteristic or even lacking symptoms, clinical diagnosis may be very difficult and could not be made during lifetime of patient presented here, partly due to additional, independent cardiac problems. The question of an effective preoperative diagnostic regimen for cardiosurgical interventions remains and seems to be currently open.

Postoperative myocardial infarction is a rare, but potentially severe complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Early markers for coronary bypass graft failure or native vessel occlusion are required, because immediate intervention could prevent major myocardial damage.One thousand patients with coronary artery disease consecutively underwent CABG. Postoperative coronary angiography was performed in 40 patients with suspected myocardial ischemia. Creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, leukocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase (GOT) were assessed at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after CABG as well as 12-lead standard electrocardiography (ECG).Postoperative angiography of 40 patients with suspected myocardial infarction revealed graft failure or occluded native vessels in 13 (32.5%) individuals. Patients with graft or vessel occlusion presented elevated (P.005) leukocyte counts (17,215 +/- 6632 vs 10,773 +/- 3902 G/L) immediately after CABG. CK-MB concentrations differed ( P.05) at 6 hours after CABG (54 +/- 48 vs 30 +/- 18 U/L). CK, CRP, LDH, and GOT did not show any differences between both groups. Frequency of ECG ST-segment elevation was increased (P.05) in ischemic patients (69.2% vs 29.6%).Common signs of myocardial ischemia usually allow to diagnose unstable angina or myocardial infarction under native conditions. In contrast, these criteria frequently fail after CABG. Combined diagnostic criteria of elevated leukocytes (14,000 G/L, at hour 0) and either ST elevation or CK-MB concentrations35 U/L (at hour 6) at least seem to be very useful in detecting myocardial infarction after bypass grafting. In parallel, CK-MB elevation (70 U/L, at hour 6) alone seems to predict ischemia. Both criteria should indicate angiography and potential revascularization. If these conditions were not fulfilled, the risk of perioperative myocardial infarction appears to be moderate.