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Since its inception in the early 2000s, hybrid arch repair (HAR) has evolved from a novel approach to a well-established treatment modality for aortic arch pathology in appropriately selected patients. HAR procedures have been proposed as a means to circumvent the perioperative morbidity and mortality associated with open total arch replacement. These procedures, all of which remain off-label applications of approved endograft technology, combine more conventional open surgical techniques, to create endograft landing zones, with thoracic endovascular aortic repair to exclude the aortic pathology from the circulation. The current classification system for HAR was proposed in 2013 and consists of three types, designated by the Roman numerals I, II and III. The current system has become outdated, however, with the advent of newer technologies, and herein we propose a new, updated classification system that is more encompassing with regards to the broad array of options available to treat aortic arch disease. Likewise, an institutional algorithm to guide patient and operative selection for HAR is presented. Patients are considered for HAR if they have either high-risk comorbidities or high-risk anatomy, with an important feature of the algorithm being that any decisions about repair strategy should be made by a surgical team with expertise in both open and endovascular techniques. Despite being performed for nearly two decades, the evidence around HAR consists mainly of single center series (level B–C evidence) with no randomized controlled trials. The data suggest HAR to be a safe alternative to open repair with acceptable short and mid-term results. As we as aortic surgeons continue to move towards less invasive approaches, both conventional open and hybrid techniques will remain important tools in the toolbox for arch repair, although the advent of multi-branched arch endografts will almost certainly reduce the extent of open or hybrid repair in many patients and eliminate it altogether in others.

Valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter procedures are the preferred option for redo valve replacement in patients who otherwise would be high risk for surgery. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an integral imaging modality for both peri-procedural and intra-procedural guidance during transcatheter ViV replacement. When intentional leaflet laceration is needed, such as with the BASILICA (Bioprosthetic or native Aortic Scallop Intentional Laceration to prevent Iatrogenic Coronary Artery obstructions during TAVR) or LAMPOON (Laceration of the Anterior Mitral valve leaflet to Prevent left ventricular Outlet ObstructioN) procedures, TEE is critical to proper guidewire positioning and achieving a successful laceration. In this paper we detail the role of TEE in ViV transcatheter valve replacement in patients with prior surgical aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonic valves.

As transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) expands into a younger and lower risk cohort of patients, many important clinical questions are raised, including the one of overall valve durability. Bioprosthetic valve dysfunction (BVD) is a complex clinical issue, of which structural valve deterioration (SVD) is a subcategory. Similar to surgical bioprosthesis, transcatheter heart valves (THVs) can fail over the years however, data on long-term THVs durability is lacking, especially in the lower risk cohort. Surgical explant with open aortic surgery or a second THV, described as redo-TAVR, are feasible options when the first THV fails. However long-term data in these patients is even more limited. Important clinical considerations such as the mechanism(s) of THV dysfunction, the type and timing of the second procedure must be carefully considered. There are also inherently important clinical concerns regarding redo-TAVR, such as coronary access and higher post procedure gradients. In the present keynote lecture, we review the diagnosis of THV dysfunction and transcatheter options available when SVD occurs.

The Ross procedure is the best operation to treat aortic stenosis (AS) in young and middle-aged adults. However, its role in non-repairable aortic regurgitation (AR) remains debated since many historical series have reported an increased risk of pulmonary autograft dilatation and subsequent need for reintervention in these patients. Some have attributed these findings to an unrecognized and poorly characterized inherited genetic defect that prevents adaptive remodelling of the pulmonary autograft. Herein, we review the contemporary evidence surrounding the use of the Ross procedure in young adults with AR and put forth the argument that with proper technical refinements, the Ross procedure may still be the best operation to treat these patients. We believe that by tailoring the operation to the patient's anatomy and ensuring strict postoperative blood pressure control, one can achieve excellent results with the Ross procedure, including in this challenging patient population.

The management of aortic stenosis has been revolutionized by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Initially only undertaken in patients at prohibitive or high surgical risk, as the evidence base and indications have expanded, TAVR is now approved and undertaken in patients at all risk levels. Evolution of valve technology, delivery systems and pathways for patient work-up have been rapid, with associated reductions in the complication profile, particularly vascular complications. Challenges remain as TAVR continues to advance, however, specifically achieving further reduction in paravalvular regurgitation, the requirement for permanent pacemaker implantation, and balancing the risks of thrombosis and bleeding. In this review, we outline the historical advances leading to contemporary TAVR practice, and discuss the future trajectory.

Degenerative aortic stenosis is the most frequent valvular heart disease in industrialized countries. Conservative treatment may beneficially influence symptoms but is never successful. Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) was the only recognized treatment option to provide substantially prolonged survival until 2008. Operative mortality of isolated SAVR has been reported as low as 0.5% to 1% in experienced institutions, while long-term survival is close to that observed in a control healthy population of similar age. A multitude of studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of SAVR with regard to improvement in quality of life and physical performance in the majority of symptomatic patients. In the last decade, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an equal treatment modality, first in patients with high surgical risk and more recently in patients with intermediate and low surgical risk. Paravalvular regurgitation and the higher rate of pacemaker implantation remain points of consideration. Additionally, the long-term durability of TAVI devices and occurrence of stroke late after TAVI require additional analyses. Sutureless (SU-SAVR) and rapid deployment valve (R-SAVR) were designed to simplify and accelerate a conventional or less invasive surgical procedure while allowing complete excision of the calcified native valve. From 3 different implants tested more than 10 to 15 years ago, only two are available on the market today: the Perceval(®) valve from Liva Nova and the Intuity(®) sutureless prosthesis from Edwards Lifesciences. There has been extensive experience with these two devices in previous years and the results obtained are comparable to those observed following the use of conventional implants. The sutureless devices may be of particular interest for more complex and combined surgical procedures. This review summarizes the sutureless (SU-SAVR) and rapid deployment valve technologies and presents a clinical outlook for the patient population managed with these devices.

The treatment options for patients with aortic valve disease have considerably expanded over the last decade. The remarkable advances in catheter-based technology, the popularizing of minimally invasive (MI) surgery, and the introduction of new valve technologies, such as sutureless and rapid-deployment (SURD) valves have led to a paradigm shift in the management of aortic valve pathologies. Yet, given their recent introduction, the current evidence on sutureless and rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement (SURD-AVR) has been limited thus far. The Sutureless and Rapid-Deployment Aortic Valve Replacement International Registry (SURD-IR) was established in 2015 by a consortium of 18 research centers to assess safety, efficacy, short- and long-term outcomes of SURD-AVR interventions. The present keynote lecture aims to assess and comment on the real-world evidence for SURD-AVR surgery generated from the SURD-IR.

We present a recapitulation of 15 years of experience starting with conception, inception, development, and clinical implementation and application of the E-vita open hybrid graft. Concomitantly, we delve into surgical techniques that shaped our clinical results. Introduced in February 2005, the novel "Essen I Prosthesis", was first-in-human surgically implanted. Follow on to this success, and within six months, eight further applications were performed. Once, the CE mark was attained, the prosthesis was branded as E-vita Open Prosthesis. In 2008, the blood-tight modification was introduced, and with time and clinical practice and application, the device's indications were expanded. Hence, the focus remained on managing complex thoracic aneurysmal disease and in particular acute and chronic type I aortic dissections. With the surge of our surgical experience and the integration of various surgical modifications, 30-days mortality was reduced to 12%, while morbidities such as stroke and spinal cord injury were reduced to 7% and 3%, respectively. The rate of re-intervention on distal aorta was significantly reduced; an attestation to the prosthesis's effectuated performance which contrasted proximal aortic repairs. With new additional device variations on the horizon, a wider range of patient-specific treatment options can now be offered.

Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (VIV TAVR) is currently indicated for the treatment of failed surgical tissue valves in patients determined to be at high surgical risk for re-operative surgical valve replacement. VIV TAVR, however, often results in suboptimal expansion of the transcatheter heart valve (THV) and can result in patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM), particularly in small surgical valves. Bioprosthetic valve fracture (BVF) and bioprosthetic valve remodeling (BVR) can facilitate VIV TAVR by optimally expanding the THV and reducing the residual transvalvular gradient by utilizing a high-pressure inflation with a non-compliant balloon to either fracture or stretch the surgical valve ring, respectively. This article, along with the supplemental video, will provide patient selection, procedural planning and technical insights for performing BVF and BVR.

Healthcare providers outside pulmonary hypertension (PH) centers having misinformation or insufficient education, and a general lack of treatment awareness contribute to a massive underdiagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), diagnostic delay and refusal of surgery by patients. Together with the subjective operability assessment, this leads to too few patients undergoing pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA); even though this surgery results in improved survival and exercise capacity. Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) survivors should undergo a CTEPH screening strategy. Patients screened positive and those with CTEPH symptoms (with or without history of PE), should undergo transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to determine the probability of PH. High PH probability patients should undergo a ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scan. A negative scan rules out CTEPH. Patients with a positive V/Q scan, but also patients with findings suggestive for CTEPH on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) to diagnose acute PE, should be referred to a CTEPH center. Further diagnostic work-up currently consists of catheter based pulmonary angiography, CTPA and right heart catheterization. However, new imaging technologies might replace them in the near future, with one single imaging tool to screen, diagnose and assess operability as the ultimate goal. Operability assessment should be performed by a multidisciplinary CTEPH team. PEA surgery should be organized in a single center per country or for each forty to fifty million inhabitants in order to offer the highest level of expertise. Informing patients about PEA should preferably be done by the treating surgeon. Based on the estimated incidence of CTEPH and with a better education of patients and healthcare providers, despite the advent of new interventional and medical therapies for CTEPH, the number of PEA surgeries performed should still have the potential to grow significantly. ispartof: ANNALS OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY vol:11 issue:2 pages:82-97 ispartof: location:China status: published

The 2016 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) guidelines for surgical treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) are question based and address questions of specific relevance to cardiac surgeons. Clinical scenarios in IE are often complex, requiring prompt diagnosis, early institution of antibiotics, and decision-making related to complications, including risk of embolism and timing of surgery when indicated. The importance of an early, multispecialty team approach to patients with IE is emphasized. Management issues are divided into groups of questions related to indications for and timing of surgery, pre-surgical work-up, preoperative antibiotic treatment, surgical risk assessment, intraoperative management, surgical management, surveillance, and follow up. Standard indications for surgery are severe heart failure, severe valve dysfunction, prosthetic valve infection, invasion beyond the valve leaflets, recurrent systemic embolization, large mobile vegetations, or persistent sepsis despite adequate antibiotic therapy for more than 5-7 days. The guidelines emphasize that once an indication for surgery is established, the operation should be performed as soon as possible. Timing of surgery in patients with strokes and neurologic deficits require close collaboration with neurological services. In surgery infected and necrotic tissue and foreign material is radically debrided and removed. Valve repair is performed whenever possible, particularly for the mitral and tricuspid valves. When simple valve replacement is required, choice of valve-mechanical or tissue prosthesis-should be based on normal criteria for valve replacement. For patients with invasive disease and destruction, reconstruction should depend on the involved valve, severity of destruction, and available options for cardiac reconstruction. For the aortic valve, use of allograft is still favored.

Acute type A aortic intramural hematomas (IMHs) are often included under the spectrum of acute aortic syndromes. The classical definition is the presence of hematoma in the media without identifiable intimal tear. Dissection occurring within two weeks of presentation is defined as acute. Acute type A IMH remains a subject of debate, especially regarding its definition and management. The classical theory of pathogenesis of IMHs is ruptured vasa vasorum in the aortic media. However, the majority of IMHs are now detected with an intimal defect using high-resolution computed tomography and intravascular ultrasound, which implies that IMHs may be a subset of aortic dissections (ADs), with very limited flow in the false lumen. Much controversy remains regarding IMH differences in presentation, diagnosis, and risk for progression. Geographic location and ethnicity, especially Asian vs. Western, possibly affect the natural history and outcomes of acute type A IMH. In this review, we describe the pathophysiology and management strategies for acute type A IMHs.

The majority of clinical pathways and paradigms utilized in the treatment and management of cardiogenic shock with temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS) are largely based on individual physician intuition and ad hoc problem-solving. Substantial mortality gains in the acute myocardial infarction cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) population were observed with the reported outcomes of the SHOCK trial in 1999 compared to previous populations with AMI-CS. Nonetheless even in the age of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the infarct related artery, survival rates continue to be only approximately 50%. The conventional focus since the SHOCK trial has centered on revascularization strategies and the subsequent medical management of these patients post-PCI with ever diminishing returns. Perhaps we have hit the “glass ceiling” with current strategies and it is time to explore novel strategies to salvage not only the heart but more importantly the patient and potentially more of both. Going forward, researchers need to focus on developing a systematic approach to problem solving in utilizing MCS for patients with cardiogenic shock. Effective methodologies that are evidence based will help physicians in their decision-making when considering temporary MCS for patients.

The success of ventricular assist devices (VADs) in the treatment of end-stage heart failure in the adult population has led to industrial innovation in VAD design, focusing on miniaturization and the reduction of complications. A byproduct of these innovations was that newer generation devices could have clinical applications in the pediatric population. Over the last decade, VAD usage in the pediatric population has increased dramatically, and the newer generation continuous flow (CF) devices have begun to supplant the older, pulsatile flow (PF) devices, formerly the sole option for ventricular assist in the pediatric population. However, despite the increase in VAD implants in the pediatric population, patient numbers remain low, and the need to share data between pediatric VAD centers has become that much more important for the continued growth of VAD programs worldwide. The creation of pediatric VAD registries, such as the Pediatric Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (PediMACS), the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) and the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION) has enabled the collection of aggregate data from VAD centers worldwide, and provides a valuable resource for clinicians and programs, as more and more pediatric heart failure patients are considered candidates for VAD therapy.

With heightened awareness of mitral valve disease and improvement in surgical techniques, the use of mitral valve bioprostheses has increased. There is a large aging population with prior surgical valvular interventions. Limited durability of the prosthesis due to valvular degeneration over time may necessitate the need for repair or replacement of the prior prosthesis in the future. This usually entails another surgical intervention in this population with elevated risk for a reoperation. There is an ongoing clinical need for newer, less invasive options that are feasible and carry a lower complication rate. The advent of transcatheter heart valve (THV) therapies has opened up a wide range of therapeutic options for treatment of a failed bioprosthesis. Their safety and feasibility are now well established. This article serves as a review of the currently available THVs for implantation in the mitral position, the pre-procedural assessment, the challenges associated with implantation, as well as outcomes associated with a mitral valve-in-valve (VIV) and a mitral valve-in-ring (VIR) procedure.

Different pathologies of the ascending aorta (AA), including aneurysms, acute and chronic dissections, and pseudoaneurysms, have been treated with open surgical repair with very good results, especially at aortic centers of excellence. There is, however, a subset of patients for whom open surgery is considered to pose high or prohibitive risk. These patients can benefit from a less invasive approach with catheters and wires, percutaneous techniques and stent grafts. However, the existing technology was developed to treat descending thoracic aortic pathologies; it is not approved for use in the AA by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The devices used for the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) have certain size and design limitations that make their application to the AA cumbersome at times. As a result, custom-made endografts have been used to treat pathologies in the AA, although their use is feasible only in elective procedures. In addition, the AA has specific anatomic and physiologic characteristics that raise concerns about the long-term durability of the current technology. In this review, we outline the limitations, challenges and current status of endovascular technology to treat pathologies of the AA.

Technological progress of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) towards rotary blood pumps and the optimization of medical management contributed to the significant improvements in patient survival as well as LVAD support duration. Even though LVAD therapy is now well-established for end-stage heart failure patients, the long-term occurrence of adverse events (AE) such as bleeding, infection or stroke, still represent a relevant burden. An early detection of AE, before onset of major symptoms, can lead to further optimization of patient treatment and thus mitigate the burden of AE. Continuous patient monitoring facilitates identification of pathophysiological states and allows anticipation of AE to improve patient management. In this paper, methods, algorithms and possibilities for continuous patient monitoring based on LVAD data are reviewed. While experience with continuous LVAD monitoring is currently limited to a few centers worldwide, the pace of developments in this field is fast and we expect these technologies to have a global impact on the well-being of LVAD patients.

Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) is associated with heart failure and impaired survival with an annual mortality risk in excess of 5% per year for unoperated patients. Despite availability of surgical mitral valve interventions, as many as half of all patients with severe MR do not receive interventions. Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair with MitraClip has been a revolutionary therapy for MR, with over 100,000 treated patients worldwide. The usage has also expanded to different challenging anatomies as well as tricuspid regurgitation. Additionally, other transcatheter edge-to-edge repair devices are being studied. The evolution of these devices as well as what to expect in the future will be discussed here.

Surgical mitral valve intervention for severe functional, or secondary mitral regurgitation is a viable option for patients deemed to be operative candidates and can be performed via traditional sternotomy or by minimally invasive techniques with similar outcomes. Transcatheter mitral valve replacement is an emerging technology with a potential role in the treatment of functional mitral valve regurgitation. A plethora of devices are currently in development and in various stages of clinical investigation. Operative approach to transcatheter mitral valve replacement varies from a percutaneous transseptal approach to a hybrid percutaneous/surgical apical approach. The Tendyne, Intrepid and Evoque systems show promising results from their early feasibility studies in treatment of patients with mitral regurgitation that were too high risk for surgery. In this review, we describe considerations for surgical and transcatheter mitral valve replacement for functional mitral valve regurgitation.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is now a mainstay of treatment in patients with aortic stenosis who are considered intermediate, high and prohibitive risk for surgery. Extended use of this innovative platform in treating other conditions has led to its approval in treating degenerated aortic bioprosthesis. Similarly, use of transcatheter devices in treating degenerated mitral bioprosthesis and failed mitral valve repairs with annuloplasty rings has opened a potential alternative to surgery in these patients. Experience in mitral valve-in-valve (MVIV) and valve-in-ring (VIR), while still limited, is on the rise. Although similar in many ways to the aortic VIV, it is different with respect to patient selection, planning and procedural steps. Familiarity with the bioprosthetic properties and dimensions can help an operator choose an appropriate transcatheter device and deploy it in an ideal position. Due to greater variability in construction and properties, mitral rings have led to poorer results compared to mitral valve-in-valve. Understanding the properties of mitral rings is critical and has been simplified by us in a stepwise manner. We also describe steps in patient preparation and procedure, which should help operators in performing this procedure. Certain unique complications, such as left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and risk of embolization, are discussed with tips to address these issues. Once these steps are followed, the procedure can be performed with minimal risk and good outcome.

Chordal replacement is a fundamental technique used in the surgical repair of primary mitral regurgitation, and can be an effective means of preserving the native valve without leaflet resection. Surgical chordal replacement can be challenging since it is performed on an open, non-beating heart, and choosing the correct chord length to restore the zone of coaptation requires both intuition and skill. Developing transcatheter, transfemoral, and transseptal approaches to mitral valve chordal replacement presents the opportunity for safer and potentially earlier treatment of patients with primary mitral regurgitation. In particular, transcatheter methods will allow adjustment of chordal length and position real-time on a beating heart under echocardiographic guidance. In this manuscript, we review the current transcatheter transseptal technologies in development and discuss the various issues related to device design, efficacy, durability, and clinical trial design.

With the recent success of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter options for the management of mitral valve pathology have also gained considerable attention. Valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is one such technique that has emerged as a safe and effective therapeutic option for patients with degenerated mitral valve bioprostheses at high-risk for repeat surgical mitral valve replacement. Several access strategies, including trans-apical, transseptal, trans-jugular, and trans-atrial access have been described for ViV-TMVR. Initial experiences were performed primarily via a trans-apical approach through a left mini-thoracotomy because it offers direct access and coaxial device alignment. With the advancements in TMVR technology, such as the development of smaller delivery catheters with high flexure capabilities, the transseptal approach via the femoral vein has emerged as the preferred option. This technique offers the advantages of a totally percutaneous approach, avoids the need to enter the thoracic cavity or pericardial space, and provides superior outcomes compared to a trans-apical approach. In this review, we outline key aspects of patient selection, imaging, procedural techniques, and examine contemporary clinical outcomes of transseptal ViV-TMVR.

International audience; Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common valvular heart disease. Its prognostic burden in patients suffering from idiopathic or ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction/dilation has been clearly demonstrated. Severe secondary MR is associated with an increased mortality and frequent heart failure hospitalizations. Although guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is the cornerstone of the management of secondary MR, a certain proportion of patients remain symptomatic. For these patients, several surgical techniques have been progressively developed during the last few decades (replacement, repair, sub-valvular apparatus interventions and other ventricular approaches). In the absence of evidence-based medicine, the benefits of these surgical procedures remains controversial, leading to a low level of recommendation in the guidelines. One way to anticipate the future is to look to the past. Recent prospective randomized trials evaluated surgical and percutaneous techniques and led to a better understanding of how best to treat this disease. In this article, we aim to describe the saga of the surgical and percutaneous treatments for secondary MR throughout the previous decades.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has developed into an established therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) across the spectrum of surgical risk. Despite improvements in transcatheter heart valve (THV) technologies and procedural techniques, cardiac conduction disturbances, including high degree atrioventricular block (AVB) requiring permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation and new-onset left bundle branch block (LBBB), remain frequent complications. TAVR-related conduction disturbances occur due to injury to the conduction system from interactions with interventional equipment and the transcatheter valve stent frame. Risk factors for post-TAVR conduction disturbances have been identified and include clinical characteristics, baseline electrocardiogram findings (right bundle branch block), anatomic factors, and potentially modifiable procedural factors (type of transcatheter valve, depth of implantation, over-sizing). New-onset LBBB and PPM implantation after TAVR have been shown to be associated with adverse long-term clinical outcomes, including mortality and heart failure hospitalization. These clinical consequences are likely to be of increasing importance as TAVR is utilized in younger and lower risk population. This review provides an updated overview of the literature regarding the incidence, predictors, and clinical outcomes of TAVR-related conduction disturbances, as well as proposed strategies for the management of this frequent clinical challenge.

In recent years, sutureless valves (SV) and rapid deployment valves (RDVs) have become interesting aortic valve substitutes, especially in minimally invasive aortic valve surgery, as they reduce cardio-pulmonary bypass and cross-clamp times. There are two valve types available, the sutureless Perceval and the rapid deployment Intuity valve prosthesis. When these valves fail, besides surgical re-replacement, the valve-in-valve concept has been reported in a small series of case reports. Our own experience includes four cases of failed Perceval valves, in which a balloon-expandable transcatheter valve was implanted in three patients, and a self-expanding transcatheter valve was implanted in a fourth patient. Here, we present these four cases with a focus on the specific valve design of the Perceval valve, as well as on important technical aspects. All cases were performed successfully with clinical improvement. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as a valve-in-valve concept seems to be a valuable option in selected patients with failed sutureless or RDVs.

Heart failure is a complex, growing problem with significant morbidity and mortality. Though heart transplantation remains the gold standard treatment for end-stage heart failure, there remains a national shortage of donor hearts. Mechanical circulatory support has provided an additional option for clinicians to support patients for the purposes of bridging patients to transplantation or to be used for destination therapy purposes. Despite generally favorable outcomes with univentricular support, in a subset of patients with biventricular heart failure, an isolated left ventricular assist device is not sufficient. Right ventricular failure has a negative impact on patient survival if not identified and treated promptly. The Total Artificial Heart (TAH) is the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved artificial heart used for bridging patients to transplantation. Outcomes in patients who undergo implantation of the TAH at experienced centers have been good and reproducible.

The introduction of the lung allocation score in 2005 prioritized patients with decreased transplant-free survival as the recipients of donor organs and effectively increased the number of critically-ill patients with end-stage lung disease waiting for transplantation. This change presented transplant programs with the challenge of how to both extend the lives of critically-ill, end-stage lung disease patients waiting for donor organs and maintain patient vitality to survival through the rigors of surgery and post-transplant recovery. Motivated by the dismal outcomes of patients maintained on mechanical ventilation pre-transplant, transplant centers increasingly deploy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a means of supporting patients with advanced disease as a bridge to successful lung transplantation. ECMO is an extracorporeal gas exchange device providing delivery of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide from blood passed through the circuit. The specific cannulation strategy determines whether ECMO provides primarily respiratory or circulatory support. The cannulation approach is tailored to the specific physiological manifestations of the pre-lung transplant candidate's disease process. For patients with profound hypoxic respiratory failure, a cannulation strategy that captures a large fraction of the venous return is required to maintain adequate support whereas lower circuit flows are sufficient for patients with predominantly hypercapnic respiratory failure. Improving outcomes and increasing experience with ECMO is motivating transplant centers to initiate support before patients require mechanical ventilation. Awake cannulation is increasingly common and is used to avoid the complications associated with intubation in advanced lung failure. Determining criteria for initiation of support and identifying the optimal approach to support patients with right heart failure in need of circulatory support are avenues of active investigation. Use of ECMO and other forms of extracorporeal support are rapidly becoming a mainstay in the care of the pre-lung transplant patient with advanced disease.

Surgical implantation of a complete or incomplete ring to reduce the mitral valve annulus and improve leaflet coaptation is the foundation of valve repair for degenerative and functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. The Cardioband system (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) is a catheter-delivered annular reduction system that mimics the surgical approach. Sequential anchors are used to secure the Cardioband implant from trigone to trigone. The Cardioband implant is contracted under transesophageal guidance until valvular regurgitation is reduced. In the initial clinical experience, the Cardioband system was safely deployed in patients with clinically significant functional mitral regurgitation (MR) and yielded durable MR reduction, improved quality of life, and improved exercise capacity. The early and still-evolving Cardioband experience for tricuspid regurgitation is also promising. The ongoing pivotal ACTIVE Trial is designed to demonstrate the superiority of the Cardioband system to guideline-directed medical therapy in patients with clinically significant functional MR (FMR) using a composite endpoint of mortality, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, quality of life, and exercise capacity.

The field of mitral valve disease diagnosis and management is rapidly evolving. New understanding of pathophysiology and improvements in the adoption of sophisticated multimodality imaging modalities have led to early diagnosis and to more complex treatment. The most common cause of mitral regurgitation (MR) in the western world is in the primary alteration of the valve, which leads to degenerative leaflet prolapse due to chordal elongation or rupture and annular dilatation. Untreated, significant MR has a negative impact prognosis, leading to reduction of survival. In the setting of degenerative MR, surgical repair currently represents the standard of care. Treatment of asymptomatic patients with severe MR in the Valve Center of Excellence, in which successful repair reaches more than 95% and surgical mortality less than 1%, symbolizes the direction for the next years. Transcatheter mitral valve repair with different devices, more recently the chordal replacement ones, is providing good outcomes and became a therapeutic option in high-risk patients with degenerative MR. In the future, more advances are expected from further development of interventional techniques, careful evaluation and better patient selection. This review will focus on long-term surgical outcomes of mitral valve repair with artificial chordae and on the emerging transcatheter chordal repair devices as therapeutic options for degenerative MR patients.

Laryngotracheal trauma is a rare but potentially life-threatening injury. It is usually seen in multiple-trauma patients and can go unrecognized and undertreated due to its scarcity. The presenting symptoms often do not correlate with the severity of the injury and injuries may range from an endolaryngeal hematoma to a complete tracheal transection. Accurate diagnosis of the extent of the injury can be achieved with a combination of high resolution computed tomography, flexible fiber optic laryngoscopy and flexible bronchoscopy. Treatment may include observation with symptomatic management, reduction and repair of laryngeal skeletal fractures, or complete tracheal or laryngeal reconstruction. Endolaryngeal stents are reserved for use in cases of significant mucosal trauma or injuries that disrupt the anterior commissure of the larynx. The most important goal in management is to first secure and reconstruct the airway. Once this has been achieved, the long-term goal of treatment is to restore the voice and swallowing mechanism.

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome that results from structural or functional cardiovascular disorders causing a mismatch between demand and supply of oxygenated blood and consecutive failure of the body’s organs. For those patients with stage D HF, advanced therapies, such as mechanical circulatory support (MCS) or heart transplantation (HTx), are potentially life-saving options. The role of risk stratification of patients with stage D HF in a value-based healthcare framework is to predict which subset might benefit from advanced HF (AdHF) therapies, to improve outcomes related to the individual patient including mortality, morbidity and patient experience as well as to optimize health care delivery system outcomes such as cost-effectiveness. Risk stratification and subsequent outcome prediction as well as therapeutic recommendation-making need to be based on the comparative survival benefit rationale. A robust model needs to (I) have the power to discriminate (i.e., to correctly risk stratify patients); (II) calibrate (i.e., to show agreement between the predicted and observed risk); (III) to be applicable to the general population; and (IV) provide good external validation. The Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) and the Heart Failure Survival Score (HFSS) are two of the most widely utilized scores. However, outcomes for patients with HF are highly variable which make clinical predictions challenging. Despite our clinical expertise and current prediction tools, the best short- and long-term survival for the individual patient, particularly the sickest patient, is not easy to identify because among the most severely ill, elderly and frail patients, most preoperative prediction tools have the tendency to be imprecise in estimating risk. They should be used as a guide in a clinical encounter grounded in a culture of shared decision-making, with the expert healthcare professional team as consultants and the patient as an empowered decision-maker in a trustful safe therapeutic relationship.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has evolved greatly in the last 40 years since its introduction by Andreas Grüntzig in 1977. Since then, we've observed an evolution in balloons, the development of stents, changes in stent structure, development of drug eluting stents, improvements in strut design, thickness and even their polymeric coating. Most recently we saw the rise and "fall" of bioabsorbable scaffolds for PCI. Trials with the most diverse devices for PCI and diagnostic techniques have been conducted. Two of the most recent trials were reported in the last year and deserve special attention-SYNTAX II and SYNTAX III. These trials are completely different in design but present valuable information for doctors managing coronary artery disease (CAD). Both trials take into account contemporary technology for assessing and treating CAD. The first uses so-called "state-of-the-art" PCI and compares the outcomes of that approach with the outcomes of the PCI arm of the pivotal SYNTAX trial. SYNTAX III Revolution on the other hand does not focus on clinical endpoints: it is a blinded trial that does not randomize patients but randomizes doctors ("the heart team") to make a decision on the best treatment for complex CAD. This decision was based either on multi-slice CT with physiological assessment using FFRCT or on conventional angiography. In this review we bring the most important aspects of those trials and the key messages for surgeons together; also, what the surgeon may expect in the future after the publication of these interesting concepts.

Open surgical repair has been the gold standard for treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA). Currently, open surgical repair has been reserved mostly for young and fit patients with connective tissue disorders, using separate branch vessel reconstructions instead of ‘island’ patches, and distal perfusion instead of a ‘clamp and go’ technique. Endovascular repair has gained widespread acceptance because of its potential to significantly decrease morbidity and mortality. Several large aortic centers have developed dedicated clinical programs to advance techniques of fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR) using patient-specific and off-the-shelf devices, which offers a less-invasive alternative to open repair. Although FB-EVAR was initially considered an option for older and frail patients, many centers have expanded its indications to any patient with suitable anatomy and no evidence of connective tissue disorders, independent of their clinical risk. In this article, we review current techniques and outcomes of endovascular TAAA repair.

Robotic mitral valve repair began in 1998 and has advanced remarkably. It arose from an interest in reducing patient trauma by operating through smaller incisions with videoscopic assistance. In the United States, following two clinical trials, the FDA approved the daVinci Surgical System in 2002 for intra-cardiac surgery. This device has undergone three iterations, eventuating in the current daVinci XI. At present it is the only robotic device approved for mitral valve surgery. Many larger centers have adopted its use as part of their routine mitral valve repair armamentarium. Although these operations have longer perfusion and arrest times, complications have been either similar or less than other traditional methods. Preoperative screening is paramount and leads to optimal patient selection and outcomes. There are clear contraindications, both relative and absolute, that must be considered. Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic studies optimally guide surgeons in operative planning. Herein, we describe the selection criteria as well as our operative management during a robotic mitral valve repair. Major complications are detailed with tips to avoid their occurrence. Operative outcomes from the author’s series as well as those from the largest experiences in the United States are described. They show that robotic mitral valve repair is safe and effective, as well as economically reasonable due to lower costs of hospitalization. Thus, the future of this operative technique is bright for centers adopting the “heart team” approach, adequate clinical volume and a dedicated and experienced mitral repair surgeon.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare and underdiagnosed complication of acute pulmonary embolism (APE). CTEPH is a common cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH) with distinct management strategy including pulmonary endarterectomy, balloon pulmonary angioplasty, long-term anticoagulation and PH drugs targeting endothelial cell dysfunction. Initially, PH in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease (CTEPD) was thought to be due exclusively to the intravascular obstruction of pulmonary arteries by unresolved fibrotic clots. However, it is now well accepted that pulmonary vascular remodelling can include significant pulmonary microvasculopathy, which plays a role in the development of CTEPH. The histological description and clinical consequences of CTEPH microvasculopathy are now better understood. These lesions may involve not only small muscular pulmonary arteries

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is a less invasive method for treating thoracic and some thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, dissections of the thoracic aorta and blunt traumatic aortic injury, compared with conventional open surgery. Maximizing the likelihood of a successful outcome requires diligent multidisciplinary (surgical, critical care, nursing, pharmacy, nutrition and physical therapy) perioperative care. In this article, we discuss fundamentals for managing patients after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. These principles focus on the transition between the operating room and the intensive care unit, prevention and management of spinal cord deficits (SCD), and vital neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal and hematological concerns. The better the care team understands the expected postoperative course, the earlier that deviations can be recognized and the more likely that successful rescue can be achieved to reduce the incidence and severity of adverse outcomes. Achieving optimal results after TEVAR requires attention to detail across the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative phases of care.

Because of the widespread distribution of fibrillin 1 in the body, Marfan syndrome (MFS) affects virtually every system. The expression of this single dominantly inherited gene is variable within a family, and between families. There is some genotype-phenotype correlation which is helpful in guiding long-term prognosis, and management. In general gene mutations have been reported in clusters, with those having mainly ocular manifestations occurring in exons 1 to 15 of this 65-exon gene; those causing cardiac problems often involving cysteine replacement in a calcium binding EGF-like sequence; the most severe mutations occurring in exons 25-32, causing neonatal MFS diagnosed at birth, and severe enough to cause death frequently before the age of 2. Other correlations will certainly be found in future. This condition is progressive, and the manifestations unfold according to age. For example, if the lens is going to dislocate this usually occurs by age 10; scoliosis usually presents itself between the ages of 8 and 15; height should be monitored carefully between the onset of puberty and cessation of growth approximately age 17 or 18. Holistic care should be offered by one doctor who oversees the patient's welfare. This should be a paediatrician, paediatric cardiologist, or general practitioner in the case of an affected child. Thereafter, the physician in charge of the most seriously affected system should be aware that other systems need to be managed through a referral network.

Surgical relief of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) requires more than septal myectomy. The procedure is currently the gold standard for all symptomatic HCM patients except those with comorbidities. The operation requires an individualized approach to restore the sophisticated functions of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) without injury to the surrounding vital structures. The procedure should be tailored to deal with all the varied components of the obstruction including fibrous trigones, accessory tissues, and papillary muscle fusion. Preoperative multimodality imaging and numerical modeling combined with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) are essential to define existing anomalies as well as assess the adequacy of the repair. The mitral valve can be conserved in virtually all patients. The operation can be conducted with very low mortality and morbidity with predictable good outcomes both in the short and long term. Nevertheless, surgical relief of LVOTO is still grossly underused.

Only 75% of severe tricuspid regurgitation is classified as functional, or related primarily to pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular dysfunction, or a combination of both. Non-functional tricuspid regurgitation occurs when there is damage to the tricuspid leaflets, chordae, papillary muscles, or annulus, independent of right ventricular dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension. The entities that cause non-functional tricuspid regurgitation include rheumatic and myxomatous disease, acquired and genetic connective tissue disorders, endocarditis, sarcoid, pacing, RV biopsy, blunt trauma, radiation, carcinoid, ergot alkaloids, dopamine agonists, fenfluramine, cardiac tumors, atrial fibrillation, and congenital malformations. Over time, severe tricuspid regurgitation that is initially non-functional, can blend into functional tricuspid regurgitation, related to progressive right ventricular dysfunction. Symptoms and signs, including a falling right ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac cirrhosis, ascites, esophageal varices, and anasarca, may occur insidiously and late, but are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Attempted valve repair or replacement at late stages carries a high mortality. Crucial to following patients with severe non-functional tricuspid regurgitation is attention to echo quantification of the tricuspid regurgitation and right ventricular function, patient symptoms, and the physical examination.

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition that increases the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Significantly more common in the Western world, risk factors include increased age, male sex, white race, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), central obesity, and cigarette smoking. The rates of progression to cancer depend on the grade of Barrett’s dysplasia. Screening for BE is recommended in patients with GERD and additional risk factors. Endoscopic surveillance of patients with BE likely improves overall outcomes. Advanced endoscopic imaging can help increase the efficiency of current endoscopic surveillance. Endoscopic therapy is safe and effective for the treatment of dysplastic BE and intramucosal EAC, but ongoing surveillance following treatment is necessary. This review will cover screening, surveillance, advanced imaging, chemoprevention, endoscopic treatment, and post-treatment surveillance of BE.

Establishment of the Heart Team concept in the field of cardiovascular medicine has resulted in quality improvement in the management of heart valve disease and heart failure. Similarly, the concept of an Endocarditis Team would be important in improving outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis (IE), given it is an uncommon clinical entity with general practitioners and low-volume centers lacking sufficient experience in its management. A multidisciplinary approach can substantially reduce the still unacceptably high morbidity and mortality in patients with IE, as it allows early diagnosis and appropriate comprehensive management. Decision-making within the Endocarditis Team must follow a standard protocol that is based on current clinical guidelines for the management of IE. If surgery is indicated, it is best performed sooner than later in most instances. Communication between referring hospitals and reference centers with an established Endocarditis Team must be smooth and definite protocols for transfer to experienced endocarditis centers with surgical facilities is essential. Follow-up and outpatient care following hospital discharge is crucial due to the possibility of residual infection and risk of development of recurrent endocarditis or heart failure, particularly within the first 2 years. Patient and health-care provider education is the mainstay for the accurate implementation of the Endocarditis Team concept. The following Keynote Lecture offers an overview of the current literature supporting the multidisciplinary management of IE and addresses multiple aspects related to the Endocarditis Team, highlighting its importance and necessity for the comprehensive treatment of this complex disease.

Aortic valve (AV) repair is the preferred surgical treatment in young patients with aortic regurgitation (AR) and/or proximal aorta aneurysm, as noted in the recent European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. However, this surgical option is still underused in clinical practice. This emphasizes the need to build a heart team dedicated to AV repair with expert surgeons and echocardiographers. Surgical techniques are now standardized in their approaches to enhance the reproducibility and expansion of AV repair. The objective of this keynote is to also demonstrate the need for a standardized pre-pump intra-operative echocardiography protocol to fulfill surgeon’s needs in providing a road map and predicting techniques to be used for an effective and durable repair.

Available evidence shows that aortic valve repair reduces valve-related mortality and improves quality of life compared to prosthetic aortic valve replacement. One of the most important predictors of bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve repair failure is the absence of treating a dilated aortic annulus greater than 25–28 mm. Competency of the aortic valve depends on multiple factors including the diameter of the annulus, sinotubular junction, valve cusps and commissures. Dystrophic aortic insufficiency (AI) is the commonest cause of AI in the Western world and is characterised by dilatation of the aortic annulus (≥25 mm), sinuses and/or sinotubular junction (≥30 mm). Depending on whether the sinuses of Valsalva and/or tubular ascending aorta are dilated, three phenotypes can be identified: dilated aortic root, dilated ascending aorta and isolated AI. All three phenotypes are associated with a dilated aortic annulus. Aortic annuloplasty reduces the dilated aortic annulus and improves the surface of coaptation, as in the case of mitral valve repair. In treating AI, it is also important to restore the physiological sinotubular junction/annulus ratio, which can be carried out with remodeling root repair + subvalvular annuloplasty (for dilated aortic root), tubular ascending aorta replacement + subvalvular annuloplasty (for dilated ascending aorta) and double sub- and supra-valvular annuloplasty (for isolated AI). Aortic annuloplasty is now considered an essential component of aortic valve repair and valve-sparing root surgery.

The increasing demand for robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) in Europe requires a structured and standardized training module. Until now, Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) has delivered the only available robotic surgery platform. Although the training program that is organized by Intuitive is divided in an initial and an advanced course, the success of the training depends on many external factors. Until now the training focused on experienced thoracic surgeons. The aim of this article is to offer a stepwise training module, which can be adopted by experienced open (thoracotomy) surgeons or video-assisted thoracic (VATS) surgeons but is primarily meant for thoracic surgery fellows and residents, as it is our sincere opinion that we should focus on training for this type of surgery as early in their careers as possible. In order to maintain surgical technique and minimize the chance of complications, on-going training and certification of the surgeons and the team is deemed necessary.

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is currently being investigated as a procedural alternative to surgical mitral valve repair or replacement (SMVR). Early data from first-in-man trials with current devices suggest that TMVR is technically feasible but carries a high mortality. This is substantially different from the early success transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has seen and is related to complexities of the mitral valve anatomy, differences in pathology that require mitral valve replacement as well as the impact that mitral valve replacement has on physiology and cardiac function, irrespective of the modality by which the mitral valve is replaced. Importantly, in the case of TAVR, a less invasive method is offered to accomplish the same as the traditional surgical intervention. On the other hand, valve replacement is not the recommended treatment option for the majority of mitral valve disease, and in fact is avoided whenever possible during surgery given the shortened life expectancy and increased morbidity with mitral valve replacement. Another distinction between TAVR and TMVR is the etiology and natural progression of the underlying disease and driving factors for intervention that are vastly different between aortic and mitral valve disease. The primary aortic disease treated has been aortic stenosis, which has several etiologic factors that cause a similar physiologic dysfunction and risk. Aortic valve replacement leads to improved survival and quality of life. The primary mitral valve disease targeted is regurgitation, which occurs as a primary valve defect and as a secondary consequence of ventricular dysfunction. Primary mitral regurgitation is treated by valve repair with excellent long-term outcomes. Secondary regurgitation has poor long-term outcomes with current commonly used repair techniques and limited data exists showing that correction of the regurgitation improves survival. Adoption of TMVR will require overcoming the anatomic challenges as well as generating data that supports improved survival and/or quality of life.

While aortic valve repair remains the ideal intervention to restore normal valvular function, the optimal aortic valve substitute for patients with a non-repairable aortic valve remains an ongoing subject for debate. In particular, younger patients with a non-repairable valve represent a unique challenge because of their active lifestyle and long life expectancy, which carries a higher cumulative risk of prosthesis-related complications. The Ross procedure, unlike prosthetic or homograft aortic valve replacement (AVR), provides an expected survival equivalent to that of the age and gender-matched general population. Contemporary data has shown that the Ross procedure can be performed safely in centers with expertise, and is associated with improved valvular durability, hemodynamics and quality of life.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) assure longer survival to patients, but exercise capacity is limited compared to normal values. Overall, LVAD patients show high wedge pressure and low cardiac output during maximal exercise, a phenomenon hinting at the need for increased LVAD support. Clinical studies investigating the hemodynamic benefits of an LVAD speed increase during exercise, ended in inhomogeneous and sometimes contradictory results. The native ventricle-LVAD interaction changes between rest and exercise, and this evolution is complex, multifactorial and patient-specific. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview on the patient-LVAD interaction during exercise and to delineate possible therapeutic strategies for the future. A computational cardiorespiratory model was used to simulate the hemodynamics of peak bicycle exercise in LVAD patients. The simulator included the main cardiovascular and respiratory impairments commonly observed in LVAD patients, so as to represent an average hemodynamic response to exercise. In addition, other exercise responses were simulated, by tuning the chronotropic, inotropic and vascular functions, and implementing aortic regurgitation and stenosis in the simulator. These profiles were tested under different LVAD speeds and LVAD pressure-flow characteristics. Simulations output showed consistency with clinical data from the literature. The simulator allowed the working condition of the assisted ventricle at exercise to be investigated, clarifying the reasons behind the high wedge pressure and poor cardiac output observed in the clinics. Patients with poorer inotropic, chronotropic and vascular functions, are likely to benefit more from an LVAD speed increase during exercise. Similarly, for these patients, a flatter LVAD pressure-flow characteristic can assure better hemodynamic support under physical exertion. Overall, the study evidenced the need for a patient-specific approach on supporting exercise hemodynamics. In this frame, a complex simulator can constitute a valuable tool to define and test personalized speed control algorithms and strategies. ispartof: ANNALS OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY vol:10 issue:3 pages:339-352 ispartof: location:China status: published

Prosthetic aortic valve replacements have long been the mainstay of valvular surgery due to their favorable outcomes and low operative complexity. Yet, mechanical valves require lifelong anticoagulation, whereas bioprosthetic valves increase the risk for earlier and more frequent reoperation. Alternative reconstructive techniques have been proposed to address these challenges. These include valve-sparing root replacement procedures if the native aortic valve can be salvaged, and the Ross procedure, which nearly eliminates prosthetic valve-related thromboembolism, anticoagulation-related hemorrhage and endocarditis. Both procedures are technically more complex and thus subject to surgeons’ volume and expertise compared to conventional aortic valve replacements. However, they are associated with more favorable outcomes compared to aortic valve replacements if performed by experienced surgeons, especially in younger patients. Nevertheless, despite the growing high-quality literature supporting both procedures, existing multi-society guidelines fail to acknowledge the strength of evidence in support of valve-sparing root replacement procedures and the Ross procedure. In this review, we summarize the existing long-term evidence for the use of each procedure, describe the current guidelines for the treatment of aortic valve pathology, and propose the reevaluation of guidelines based on the available clinical evidence.

The excellent clinical outcomes of the Ross procedure and previous histological studies suggest that the pulmonary autograft has the potential to offer young patients a permanent solution to aortic valve disease. We aim to study the early mechanobiological adaptation of the autograft. To this end, we have reviewed relevant existing animal models, including the canine models which enabled Donald N Ross to perform the first Ross procedure in a patient in 1967. Two research groups recently evaluated the isolated effect of systemic pressures on pulmonary arterial tissue in an ovine model of a pulmonary artery interposition graft in the descending aorta. While this model is ideal to study the artery's biological response and the effect of external support, it does not recreate the complex environment of the aortic root. The freestanding Ross procedure has been performed in pigs and sheep before. These studies offered valuable insights into leaflet growth and histological remodeling, yet may be less relevant to adults undergoing the Ross procedure, as pronounced autograft dilatation was achieved by using small, rapidly growing animals. Therefore, a large animal model remains needed to determine the ideal conditions and surgical technique to ensure long-term autograft remodeling and valve function. We set out to develop an ovine model of the Ross procedure performed as a freestanding root replacement, acknowledging that the sheep's specific anatomy and the setting of an animal laboratory would mandate several modifications in surgical strategy. This article describes the development, surgical technique and early outcomes of our animal model while highlighting opportunities for further research. ispartof: Annals Of Cardiothoracic Surgery vol:10 issue:4 pages:1-10 ispartof: location:China status: published

Annuloplasty is a fundamental component of surgical mitral valve repair, and is employed in nearly 100% of repair operations for both primary and secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR). Developing transcatheter techniques to replicate surgical annuloplasty has been the focus of significant innovation and development in recent years. Since many patients are not offered surgery due to high perceived surgical risk, transcatheter approaches will provide new treatment options. In this manuscript, we review technologies which allow transseptal and transcatheter mitral valve (MV) annuloplasty.