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Background: Axial flow pumps are standard treatment in cases of cardiogenic shock and high-risk interventions in cardiology and cardiac surgery, although the optimal anticoagulation strategy remains unclear. We evaluated whether laboratory findings could predict bleeding complications and acquired von Willebrand syndrome (avWS) among patients who were treated using axial flow pumps.Methods and Results: We retrospectively evaluated 60 consecutive patients who received Impella® devices (Impella® RP: n=20, Impella® CP/5.0: n=40; Abiomed Inc., Danvers, USA) between January 2019 and December 2020. Thirty-two patients (53.3%) experienced major or fatal bleeding complications (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium score of >3) despite intravenous heparin being used to maintain normal activated partial thromboplastin times (40–50 s). Extensive testing was performed for 28 patients with bleeding complications (87.5%). Relative to patients with left ventricular support, patients with right ventricular support were less likely to develop avWS (87.5% vs. 58.8%, p=0.035). Bleeding was significantly associated with avWS (odds ratio [OR]: 20.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.3–128.5; p=0.001) and treatment duration (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.09–1.55; p=0.003). Patients with avWS had longer Impella® treatment than patients without avWS (2 days [1–4.7 days] vs. 7.3 days [3.2–13.0 days]). Conclusions: Anticoagulation monitoring based on aPTT was not sufficient to prevent bleeding complications during axial flow pump support. A more targeted anticoagulation monitoring is needed for patients who receive Impella® devices.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence or spontaneous conversion to sinus rhythm (SR) are regarded as random events. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the probability of spontaneous conversion to SR decreases as more time is spent in AF. We attempt to quantify this phenomenon and investigate factors that can affect this probability. Methods: Cardiac rhythm histories of 1195 patients (age 73.0 ± 10.1, follow-up: 349 ± 40 days; 14533 AF episodes) with implantable devices were reconstructed and analyzed. No patients received cardioversion, AF ablation, or any obvious AF therapies during follow-up. Patients with no AF recurrence or continuous AF during follow up were excluded. Hierarchical regression methods were employed to investigate the time course of the probability of rhythm change and factors that influence it. Results: Probabilities of spontaneous conversion from AF to SR (solid blue line) and recurrence of AF in patients with SR (solid red line) are shown in the Figure. For patients in AF , spontaneous conversion probability significantly decreases with time spent in AF and plateaus after ~7 days (dotted blue line). Similarly for patients in SR, increasing time in SR reduces the probability of developing AF (solid red line) and plateaus after ~7 days (dotted red line). Patient age (p Conclusions: Spontaneous SR conversion or AF recurrence diminishes with increasing time spent in AF or SR, respectively, and are influenced by several patient-related factors. These findings suggest that patients should be closely monitored after AF recurrence or SR conversion.

Treatment of aortic-valve disease in young patients still poses challenges. The Ross procedure offers several potential advantages that may translate to improved long-term outcomes.This study reports long-term outcomes after the Ross procedure.Adult patients who were included in the Ross Registry between 1988 and 2018 were analyzed. Endpoints were overall survival, reintervention, and major adverse events at maximum follow-up. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for survival and the need of Ross-related reintervention.There were 2,444 adult patients with a mean age of 44.1 ± 11.7 years identified. Early mortality was 1.0%. Estimated survival after 25 years was 75.8% and did not statistically differ from the general population (p = 0.189). The risk for autograft reintervention was 0.69% per patient-year and 0.62% per patient-year for right-ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reintervention. Larger aortic annulus diameter (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.12/mm; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05 to 1.19/mm; p 0.001) and pre-operative presence of pure aortic insufficiency (HR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.68; p = 0.01) were independent predictors for autograft reintervention, whereas the use of a biological valve (HR: 8.09; 95% CI: 5.01 to 13.08; p 0.001) and patient age (HR: 0.97 per year; 95% CI: 0.96 to 0.99; p = 0.001) were independent predictors for RVOT reintervention. Major bleeding, valve thrombosis, permanent stroke, and endocarditis occurred with an incidence of 0.15% per patient-year, 0.07% per patient-year, 0.13%, and 0.36% per patient-year, respectively.The Ross procedure provides excellent survival over a follow-up period of up to 25 years. The rates of reintervention, anticoagulation-related morbidity, and endocarditis were very low. This procedure should therefore be considered as a very suitable treatment option in young patients suffering from aortic-valve disease. (Long-Term Follow-up After the Autograft Aortic Valve Procedure [Ross Operation]; NCT00708409).

Background: Surgical treatment of young and middle-aged patients suffering from aortic valve disease remains an unresolved issue due to the limited durability of bioprosthetic heart valve replacements and the valve-related morbidity of patients with mechanical valve substitutes. Theoretically, the “living valve” principle of the Ross operation may represent a potentially viable solution to this dilemma. In this paper, we report on the surgical techniques of the Ross procedure and present long-term post-operative outcomes using the reinforced full-root technique. Methods: From 1995 to 2020, a total of 832 consecutive patients (mean age, 43.4±13.7 years; 617 males) underwent a Ross operation using the full-root technique. Patients were prospectively monitored with clinical and echocardiographic follow-up. Total follow-up was 9,046 patients-years and was 92% complete. Mean-follow-up was 10.9±6.9 years (range, 0–24.9 years) Results: Survival at twenty years was 92% (95% CI: 90–94%). Freedom from autograft or right ventricle to pulmonary artery connection reoperation at twenty years was 79% (95% CI: 74–85%). Eighty-nine pulmonary autograft reoperations had to be performed in eighty patients; salvage of the pulmonary autograft could be performed in forty-six of them. Fifty-seven patients required sixty-three reoperations on the right ventricle to pulmonary artery connection. Major cerebral bleeding occurred in one patient and neurological events in seventeen patients, respectively. Conclusions: Over a follow-up interval of up to twenty-five years, the Ross operation with the reinforced full-root technique demonstrated excellent survival in young and middle-aged patients. The rate of pulmonary autograft and right ventricular outflow graft reoperations were low in this patient subset. Therefore, the Ross operation with the reinforced full-root technique represents an enduring and valid treatment option in young and middle-aged patients suffering from aortic valve disease.

The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that cerebral oxygen saturation (ScO2) measurements with the INVOS-5100-C and the ForeSight-Elite cerebral oximeters vary in their correlation with mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) upon changes in systemic oxygenation in extubated cardiac surgical patients. Additionally, we aimed to elucidate whether the ScO2 measurements of both devices can be used interchangeably to detect reduced SvO2. Forty-eight spontaneously breathing patients extubated after cardiac surgery were included in this prospective observational study. The patients were exposed to both high (10 oxygen L·min−1 via face mask) and low (room air) inspiratory oxygen concentrations. Bi-hemispherical ScO2 was determined with the INVOS and ForeSight Elite cerebral oximeters. The SvO2 was measured with a pulmonary artery catheter. Significant changes in oxygen delivery, ScO2 (by both cerebral oximeters), and SvO2 were observed upon variation of oxygenation. The minimum mean (standard deviation) ScO2 (ScO2min) using the INVOS and ForeSight did not differ significantly during high oxygen delivery [63.1 (8.6) % vs 65.8 (4.7) %, respectively; P = 0.07], but during low oxygen delivery, the INVOS value was significantly lower than that of the ForeSight oximeter [56.7 (8.9) % vs 61.3 (4.4) %, respectively; P = 0.003]. Both devices differed in the correlation between ScO2min and SvO2 for the combined oxygenation data (0.59, INVOS vs 0.28, ForeSight; correlation difference, 0.31; Bonferroni-adjusted 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08 to 0.54; P = 0.008). The receiver-operating curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.9; P = 0.005) for detecting an SvO2 below 50% by ScO2min with the INVOS and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.41 to 0.62; P = 0.92), respectively, with the ForeSight. These findings suggest that the cerebral oximeters tested react differently to variations in systemic oxygenation and in their relationship with SvO2 and thus give different information on cardiopulmonary function. These findings raise doubt about whether these devices should be used interchangeably.

Background It is hypothesized that decellularization of allografts used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction may result in decreased valve deterioration. This study compared the durability of fresh decellularized pulmonary allografts with standard cryopreserved pulmonary allografts in patients undergoing the Ross procedure. Methods The Ross procedure was performed in 144 patients with decellularized allografts (DA) from 2005 to 2014 and in 619 with standard cryopreserved allografts (SCA) from 1990 to 2014. Propensity score matching was used to compare early and midterm clinical outcome and echocardiographic allograft function over time between the two groups. Results We matched 94 DA patients (79.3% male; median age, 34.0 years; mean follow-up, 2.4 ± 1.9 years) to 94 SCA patients (78.3% male; median age, 35.0 years; mean follow-up, 9.4 ± 4.2 years). There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics after matching. The matched DA vs SCA groups, respectively, were comparable in actuarial 5-year freedom from allograft dysfunction (85.6% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 53.9% to 96.2%] vs 93.3% [95% CI, 85.7% to 96.9%], p = 0.892), freedom from allograft reintervention (98.8% [95% CI, 91.7% to 99.8%] vs 95.5% [95% CI, 88.5% to 98.3%], p = 0.383), survival (95.3% [95% CI, 87.8% to 98.2%] vs 97.7% [95% CI, 91.3% to 99.4%], p = 0.323), and event-free survival (83.5% [95% CI, 70.6% to 91.1%] vs 84.5% [95% CI, 75.2% to 90.5%], p = 0.515). Longitudinal echocardiographic analyses showed a similarly modest increase in allograft gradient and regurgitation grades over time in both groups, although direct statistical comparison was not possible. Conclusions Up to 5 years of follow-up, DA and SCA used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction in the Ross procedure are associated with comparably excellent clinical and hemodynamic outcome. Longer follow-up and dedicated echocardiographic studies will shed light on the long-term performance of DAs.

Background Growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is an emerging humoral marker for risk stratification in cardiovascular disease. Cardiac-surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI), an important complication in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, is associated with poor prognosis. The present secondary analysis of an observational cohort study aimed to determine the role of GDF-15 in predicting CSA-AKI compared with the Cleveland-Clinic Acute Renal Failure (CC-ARF) score and a logistic regression model including variables associated with renal dysfunction. Methods Preoperative plasma GDF-15 was determined in 1176 consecutive patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 were excluded. AKI was defined according to Kidney-Disease-Improving-Global-Outcomes (KDIGO) - creatinine criteria. The following variables were screened for association with development of postoperative AKI: age, gender, additive Euroscore, serum creatinine, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, duration of surgery, type of surgery, total circulatory arrest, preoperative hemoglobin, preoperative oxygen-supplemented cerebral oxygen saturation, diabetes mellitus, hemofiltration during ECC, plasma GDF-15, high sensitivity troponin T (hsTNT), and N-terminal prohormone of B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP). Results There were 258 patients (21.9 %) with AKI (AKI stage 1 (AKI-1), n = 175 (14.9 %); AKI-2, n = 6 (0.5 %); AKI-3, n = 77 (6.5 %)). The incidence of AKI-1 and AKI-3 increased significantly from the lowest to the highest tertiles of GDF-15. In logistic regression, preoperative GDF-15, additive Euroscore, age, plasma creatinine, diabetes mellitus, and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass were independently associated with AKI. Inclusion of GDF-15 in a logistic regression model comprising these variables significantly increased the area under the curve (AUC 0.738 without and 0.750 with GDF-15 included) and the net reclassification ability to predict AKI. Comparably, in receiver operating characteristic analysis the predictive capacity of the CC-ARF score (AUC 0.628) was improved by adding GDF-15 (AUC 0.684) but this score also had lower predictability than the logistic regression model. In random forest analyses the predictive capacity of GDF-15 was especially pronounced in patients with normal plasma creatinine. Conclusion This suggests that preoperative plasma GDF-15 independently predicts postoperative AKI in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery and is particularly helpful for risk stratification in patients with normal creatinine. Trial registration NCT01166360 on July 20, 2010. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-016-1482-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In the last three decades a profound transformation of the medical profession has taken place. The modern clinician is required to consume vast amounts of information from clinical studies, critically reviewing evidence that may or may not lead to changes in clinical practice. The present article presents some challenges that this era of information poses to clinicians and patients.

Objective: The management of the ascending aorta (AA) of diameters between 40 and 50 mm in patients undergoing aortic valve surgery is controversial. We present our experience and factors that influence our decision to replace or repair the ascending aorta in 1362 patients undergoing aortic valve surgery. Methods: 1362 patients (1044 male) undergoing aortic valve surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Mean follow up was 5.4 ± 3.6 years (range: 0–14 years, 7334 patient-years) and 96.5% complete. The individualized AA management decision process included mainly the AA diameter, age, body surface area, presence and type of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) as well as subjective factors such as the macroscopic AA configuration and the perceived tissue strength of the aortic wall. Three AA treatment groups were included in the analysis: no intervention, and intervention either by aortoplasty (AoP) or AA replacement (AAR). Recursive partitioning techniques using conditional inferences trees were used to investigate our AA decision process, how the effect of input variables (AA diameter, age, body surface area (BSA), BAV type) influenced this decision process, and the resulting patterns of AA intervention Results: In 66.5% of the patients (n = 906) no intervention was performed, in 12.6% (n = 172) an AoP and in 20.9 (n = 284) an AAR. Hospital mortality was 1.1% for no intervention, 0.6% for AoP and 0.4% for AAR (p = 0.4). 10 year survival was similar for all three groups and was comparable to that of the general population. Factors that exhibited a statistical significantly influence on our decision process to replace or repair the ascending aorta included: absolute ascending aorta diameter, BSA, presence of BAV and age (p

Transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation (TAVI-ViV) is an evolving treatment strategy for degenerated surgical aortic valve bioprostheses (SAVBs). However, there is some concern regarding coronary obstruction, especially after TAVI-ViV in calcified SAVBs with externally mounted leaflets. We investigated in vitro coronary flow and hydrodynamics after TAVI-ViV using 2 modern SAVBs with externally and internally mounted leaflets.Aortic root models including known risk factors for coronary obstruction served for the implantation of SAVBs with either externally mounted leaflets (St Jude Trifecta, size 25) or internally mounted leaflets (Edwards Perimount Magna Ease, size 25). Left and right coronary flow, as well as hydrodynamic parameters, were measured before and after TAVI-ViV with an Edwards Sapien XT transcatheter heart valve, size 23. After the first experimental run, the SAVB leaflets were artificially "calcified," and the measurements were repeated.In both models, noncalcified and calcified, there was no significant reduction in coronary flow with either the Trifecta or the Perimount Magna Ease SAVB. After TAVI-ViV, in the noncalcified model, the mean pressure gradient was increased (Trifecta, P = .0001; Perimount Magna Ease, P = .006) and the geometric orifice area was decreased (P .001 for both), whereas in the calcified model, the mean pressure gradient was decreased (P .001 for both) and the geometric orifice area was increased (P .001 for both).In our specific model, in noncalcified as well as calcified conditions, TAVI-ViV is feasible with either SAVB (Trifecta or Perimount Magna Ease) without an increased risk of coronary obstruction. Nevertheless, before clinical application of these results, thorough preoperative assessment, considering the different limitations of this model, is mandatory.