Search

Patients with high-gradient (HG) severe aortic stenosis (AS) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction are at high risk of death. The optimal timing for aortic valve replacement (AVR) is not defined by guidelines. The objective was to define the optimal timing to perform isolated AVR in patients with HG-AS and severe LV dysfunction.We retrospectively included 233 consecutive patients admitted for severe HG-AS (aortic valve area1cmPatients with HG-AS and severe LV dysfunction had a higher risk profile than those with LVEF35%. AVR was performed in 93% (218/233) of patients, 41% by surgery (SAVR) and 53% by transcatheter (TAVR). TAVR was the preferred method to treat HG-AS patients with LVEF ≤35%. All-cause mortality while waiting for AVR was higher in patients with severe LV dysfunction (22% vs. 2.0%,AVR should be performed promptly after Heart Team decision in patients with HG severe AS and LVEF ≤35% because of a very high and premature risk of death while waiting for intervention.

The three main cardiac amyloidosis (CA) types have different progression and prognosis. Little is known about the mode of death (MOD) which is commonly attributed to cardiovascular causes in CA. Improving MOD’s knowledge could allow to adapt patient care. This retrospective study describes the MOD that occurred during long-term follow-up in CA patients in light-chain (AL), transthyretin hereditary (ATTRv) or wild-type (ATTRwt). Patients referred to and cared for, at the French referral centre for CA, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil between 2010 and 2016 were included. Clinical information surrounding patient deaths were investigated and centrally evaluated by two blinded clinical committees which classified MOD as cardiovascular, non-cardiovascular or unknown and sub-classified it depending on its subtype. From the 566 patients included, 187 had AL, 206 ATTRv and 173 ATTRwt. During the 864 patient-year follow-up, 160 (28%) deaths occurred, with median survival time of 17.3 months (interquartile range 5.1–35.4). The most frequent MOD was cardiovascular (64%) of which worsening heart failure occurred most frequently and for which, 69% were of AL subtype, 79% ATTRv and 76% ATTRwt. Sudden death also occurred more frequently in AL subtype accounting for 29% of AL deaths. Non-cardiovascular MOD occurred in 26% of patients overall. Among these, infection was the most common non-cardiovascular MOD in any type of CA (80%). Mortality is high during natural course of CA and differs between subtypes. The main MOD were worsening heart failure, sudden death and infection, opening room to optimise management.

OBJECTIVES Despite growing evidence that aortic valve repair improves long-term patient outcomes and quality of life, aortic valves are mostly replaced. We evaluate the effect of aortic valve repair versus replacement in patients with dystrophic aortic root aneurysm up to 4 years. METHODS The multicentric CAVIAAR (Conservation Aortique Valvulaire dans les Insuffisances Aortiques et les Anévrismes de la Racine aortique) prospective cohort study enrolled 261 patients: 130 underwent standardized aortic valve repair (REPAIR) consisting of remodelling root repair with expansible aortic ring annuloplasty, and 131 received mechanical composite valve and graft replacement (REPLACE). Primary outcome was a composite criterion of mortality, reoperation, thromboembolic or major bleeding events, endocarditis or operating site infections, pacemaker implantation and heart failure, analysed with propensity score-weighted Cox model analysis. Secondary outcomes included major adverse valve-related events and components of primary outcome. RESULTS The mean age was 56.1 years, and valve was bicuspid in 115 patients (44.7%). Up to 4 years, REPAIR did not significantly differ from REPLACE in terms of primary outcome [Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.66 (0.39; 1.12)] but showed significantly less valve-related deaths (HR 0.09 [0.02; 0.34]) and major bleeding events (HR 0.37 [0.16; 0.85]) without an increased risk of valve-related reoperation (HR 2.10 [0.64; 6.96]). When accounting for the occurrence of multiple events in a single patient, the REPAIR group had half the occurrence of major adverse valve-related events (HR 0.51 [0.31; 0.86]). CONCLUSIONS Although the primary outcome did not significantly differ between the REPAIR and REPLACE groups, the trend is in favour of REPAIR by a significant reduction of valve-related deaths and major bleeding events. Long-term follow-up beyond 4 years is needed to confirm these findings.

Background: Evaluate the impact of valvular calcifications measured on cardiac computed tomography (CCT) in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Methods: Seventy patients with native IE (36 aortic IE, 31 mitral IE, 3 bivalvular IE) were included and explored with CCT between January 2016 and April 2018. Mitral and aortic valvular calcium score (VCS) were measured on unenhanced calcium scoring images, and correlated with clinical, surgical data, and 1-year death rate. Results: VCS of patients with mitral IE and no peripheral embolism was higher than those with peripheral embolism (868 (25–1725) vs. 6 (0–95), p &lt, 0.05). Patients with high calcified mitral IE (mitral VCS &gt, 100, n = 15) had a lower rate of surgery (40.0% vs.78.9%, p = 0.03) and a higher 1-year-death risk (53.3% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.04, OR = 8.5 (2.75–16.40) than patients with low mitral VCS (n = 19). Patients with aortic IE and high aortic calcifications (aortic VCS &gt, n = 18) present more frequently atypical bacteria on blood cultures (33.3% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.03) than patients with low aortic VCS (n = 21). Conclusion: The amount of valvular calcifications on CT was associated with embolism risk, rate of surgery and 1-year risk of death in patients with mitral IE, and germ’s type in aortic IE raising the question of their systematic quantification in native IE.

A floating thrombus in the ascending aorta is rarely found in clinical practice and is an uncommon cause of peripheral arterial embolization. When there is minimal atherosclerosis or a normal aorta, the management of such a lesion is poorly defined. Currently, there is no clear consensus concerning optimal treatment. Herein, we report 2 cases of ascending aortic thrombus that are complicated by a peripheral embolic event. Due to the risk of recurrent systemic embolism, particularly with strokes, surgical thrombectomy with ascending aortic wall replacements was performed. We believe that floating ascending aorta thrombus represents a serious source of systemic embolism and stroke. Surgical removal is easy to perform with good clinical outcomes. Conservative treatments such as anticoagulation or thromboaspiration may be considered in high-risk or inoperable patients.

Aims Cardiac fibrosis is associated with left ventricular (LV) remodelling and contractile dysfunction in aortic stenosis (AS). The fibrotic process in this condition is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the role of both local and systemic inflammation as underlying mechanisms of LV fibrosis and contractile dysfunction. The diagnostic values of 2D‐strain echocardiography and serum biomarkers in the evaluation of cardiac fibrosis in this condition were assessed through correlation analyses. Methods and results Patients with AS referred for surgical valve replacement were prospectively and consecutively included. They all had a comprehensive echocardiography including 2D strain. Blood samples were collected to measure cytokines and inflammatory biomarkers using Luminex bead‐based assays. A per‐surgical myocardial biopsy of the basal antero‐septal segment (S1) was performed. Serial sections of each biopsy were stained with Sirius red. Digital image analysis was used to quantify fibrosis. Immunostainings using specific antibodies against macrophage, glycoprotein (gp) 130, and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) were also performed. Patients were divided into tertiles reflecting the severity of fibrosis: mild, moderate, and severe load (TF1 to TF3). The mean age of the 58 included patients was 73 ± 11 years. Twenty‐four (43%) were in New York Heart Association III–IV. Mean aortic valve area was 0.8 ± 0.2 cm2. Mean aortic stenosis peak velocity and mean gradient were respectively 4.5 ± 0.8 m/s and 54 ± 15 mmHg. The mean LV ejection fraction was 54 ± 12%, and the global LV longitudinal strain was −15 ± 4%. The mean S1 strain, corresponding to the biopsied region, was −10 ± 6% and was strongly correlated to fibrosis load (R = 0.83, P

Aortic valve surgery in non-elderly patients represents a very challenging patient population. The younger the patient is at the point of aortic valve intervention, the longer their anticipated life expectancy will be, with longer exposure to valve-related complications and risk for re-operation. Although the latest international guidelines recommend aortic valve repair in patients with aortic valve insufficiency, what we see in the real world is that the vast majority of these aortic valves are replaced. However, current prosthetic valves has now been shown to lead to significant loss of life expectancy for non-elderly patients up to 50% for patients in their 40s undergoing mechanical aortic valve replacement. Bioprostheses carry an even worse long-term survival, with higher rates of re-intervention. The promise of trans-catheter valve-in-valve technology is accentuating the trend of bioprosthetic implantation in younger patients, without yet the appropriate evidence. In contrast, aortic valve repair has shown excellent outcomes in terms of quality of life, freedom from re-operation and freedom from major adverse valve-related events with similar life expectancy to general population as it is also found for the Ross procedure, the only available living valve substitute. We are at a time when the paradigm of aortic valve surgery needs to change for the better. To better serve our patients, we must acquire high quality real-world evidence from multiple centers globally - this is the vision of the AVIATOR registry and our common responsibility.

Summary Background Donor heart shortage has extended the waiting time and increased the mortality of patients on the transplant waiting list. Widening old standard donor criteria has successfully increased the number of heart transplantations, but for many years, a valve disease in a donor heart has been considered a primary contraindication for organ donation. Aims To analyse the results of aortic and mitral valvular surgery in marginal donor hearts with valvulopathy before orthotopic heart transplantation. Methods Between January 2012 and November 2015, we performed 53 heart transplantations in our department. In four donors, echocardiography performed at the time of organ procurement showed a valvular disease: three had moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation; and one had moderately severe aortic valve stenosis. Results The mean bench mitral repair and aortic replacement time, aortic cross-clamp time and total ischaemic time were: 18 (range 7–25) minutes, 78.7 (range 57–98) minutes and 184 (range 89–255) minutes, respectively. Intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography showed good mitral repair or aortic prosthetic valve function, and good right and left ventricular function. One patient died of infectious pneumonia after 1 month. The mean duration of follow-up for the patients discharged home was 75 ± 13 months, and all have returned to an active unrestricted lifestyle. Conclusions Our limited series demonstrates that conventional valvular procedures performed on otherwise healthy donor hearts with mitral and aortic valve pathology can efficaciously expand the donor pool for orthotopic cardiac transplantation and decrease the mortality rate on the waiting list.

Background Aortic valve calcification (AVC) quantification is computed from multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that three-dimensional (3D) transthoracic echocardiography can be used to provide a bedside method to assess AVC. Methods The study included 94 patients (mean age, 78 ± 12 years; mean aortic valve [AV] area, 1.0 ± 0.6 cm2) referred for MDCT and echocardiography for AV assessment. Apical 3D full-volume data sets focused on the AV region were acquired during transthoracic echocardiography, and a region-growing algorithm was applied offline to compute 3D transthoracic echocardiographic AVC (AVC-3DEcho). AVC-3DEcho was compared with AVC by MDCT and with calcium weight in the subgroup of patients referred for surgery, with explanted AVs analyzed by a pathologist (n = 22). Results In the explanted valve group, AVC-3DEcho score exhibited fair correlations with MDCT score (r = 0.85, P 1,054 mm3 identified severe aortic stenosis with specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 76%. In addition, AVC-3DEcho was associated with the presence of significant paravalvular regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Finally, intraobserver and interobserver variability for AVC-3DEcho score was 4.2% and 8.9%, respectively. Conclusions AVC-3DEcho correlated with calcium weight obtained from pathologic analysis and MDCT. These data suggest that a bedside method for quantifying AV calcification with ultrasound is feasible.

The risk of coronary artery injury during valve surgery is higher in case of anomalous coronary artery origin and trajectory. Unlike previous reports on coronary obstruction related to aortic or mitral surgery, we report the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of an anomalous left circumflex artery occlusion after tricuspid valve repair, and its successful percutaneous treatment.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of stroke, heart failure and all-cause mortality. The Cox-Maze procedure is the most effective approach to ablate persistent AF but presents a significant morbidity and mortality. Additionally, the classical endocardial ablation approach has limited efficacy to treat long lasting persistent AF. We described a new, minimally invasive hybrid approach, combining an endocardial and epicardial ablation named convergent procedure to treat long lasting persistent AF patients. Methods We studied 55 consecutive patients with long lasting persistent AF who underwent the convergent procedure in 2 French centers between 2010 and 2015. All patients had at least one previous failed endocardial ablation and were highly symptomatic. Patients with a history of thoracic surgery were excluded. A 24 hour-Holter ECG was performed systematically at 3, 6 and 12 months after the convergent procedure. All patients reached 1-year follow-up. Results No death, stroke, phrenic nerve palsy or tamponade occurred immediately after the procedure. Post-surgery average length of stay was 8±4 days. Later, 3 patients (5%) developed diaphragmatic hernia resulting in a modified surgery technique. At 12 months, 76% of patients were in sinus rhythm after an average of 1.43 ablation procedure. Finally, 91% of patients were maintained on antiarrhythmic drugs. Conclusions Thoracoscopic hybrid epicardial-endocardial ablation technique proved to be effective and safe to treat long lasting persistent AF patients with previous failed endocardial AF ablation.

Background - Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is standard therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high surgical risk. However, national data regarding procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes over time are limited. Objectives - The aim of this study was to assess nationwide performance trends and clinical outcomes of TAVR during a 6-year period. Methods - TAVRs performed in 48 centers across France between January 2013 and December 2015 were prospectively included in the FRANCE TAVI (French Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) registry. Findings were further compared with those reported from the FRANCE 2 (French Aortic National CoreValve and Edwards 2) registry, which captured all TAVRs performed from January 2010 to January 2012 across 34 centers. Results - A total of 12,804 patients from FRANCE TAVI and 4,165 patients from FRANCE 2 were included in this analysis. The median age of patients was 84.6 years, and 49.7% were men. FRANCE TAVI participants were older but at lower surgical risk (median logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation [EuroSCORE]: 15.0% vs. 18.4%; p < 0.001). More than 80% of patients in FRANCE TAVI underwent transfemoral TAVR. Transesophageal echocardiography guidance decreased from 60.7% to 32.3% of cases, whereas more recent procedures were increasingly performed in hybrid operating rooms (15.8% vs. 35.7%). Rates of Valve Academic Research Consortium-defined device success increased from 95.3% in FRANCE 2 to 96.8% in FRANCE TAVI (p < 0.001). In-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were 4.4% and 5.4%, respectively, in FRANCE TAVI compared with 8.2% and 10.1%, respectively, in FRANCE 2 (p

We report a case of spontaneous mechanical papillary muscle rupture. In theory, the papillary muscle works as a shock absorber that compensates for geometric changes of left ventricular wall. We believe that the aetiology of papillary muscle rupture, in this case, is linked to the physical and mechanical strains exerted on the papillary. We performed a mitral valve repair with excellent short- and long-term results.

Summary Background The use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting has been proposed for dialysis patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, primarily because of hypothetical long-term survival benefits. Aims To investigate the outcome of BITA grafting in dialysis patients. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of the use of BITA grafting in 105 consecutive patients with end-stage renal failure on chronic dialysis in three European centres with extensive experience in BITA. Baseline patient characteristics, operative data, early postoperative complications and late survival were reviewed. Outcomes of patients from one of the three centres who underwent either BITA (n = 40) or single internal thoracic artery (SITA) grafting (n = 19) were also analysed; a one-to-one propensity score (PS)-matched analysis was performed. Results There were 19 (18.1%) hospital deaths. Despite differences in preoperative patient characteristics and surgical features, in each centre, hospital mortality was greater than the 75th percentile of expected operative risk (EuroSCORE II). Diseased ascending aorta and extracardiac arteriopathy were found to be predictors of hospital death (odds ratio 9.7; P = 0.006) and complicated hospital course (odds ratio 2.54; P = 0.035), respectively. The 7-year non-parametric estimates of freedom from all-cause death and cardiac or cerebrovascular death were 59% (95% confidence interval: 52.3–65.7%) and 75.6% (95% confidence interval: 71.2–80%), respectively. There were no significant differences in early and late outcomes between BITA and SITA PS-matched groups. Conclusions BITA grafting remains a risky operation for chronic dialysis patients, even when performed routinely. No long-term survival benefits for the use of BITA versus SITA were proven.

Introduction Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a severe disease, often lethal. Little is known about cause of death during the natural course of CA. Identification of cause of death during CA is of particular interest to design clinical trials and identify therapeutic targets in this pathology. We aimed to describe mode of death in CA patients during long-term follow-up, according to the type of amyloidosis. Material and methods All patients consecutively referred to the French referral center for light-chain (AL), transthyretin hereditary (hTTR) or wild-type (WT-TTR) CA were consecutively included between 2010 and 2016 were included. Mode of death was centrally adjudicated by two blinded clinical committees, using multiple sources, and classified as cardiovascular (including worsening heart failure, sudden death, stroke) or non-cardiovascular (1). Results From the 565 patients included, 187 patients had AL amyloidosis, 220 had hTTR and 158 had WT-TTR amyloidosis. One hundred thirty-nine patients (25%) died during a follow-up of 864 patients-years, with median follow-up in survivors 14.6 months (IQR 3.7–33.9). One-year survival was 67% in AL patients, 92% in hTTR patients and 89% in WT-TTR patients (logrank Discussion and Conclusions Mortality is high during natural course of cardiac amyloidosis, significantly different according to CA type. Main causes of death were cardiovascular (mostly worsening heart failure and sudden death), opening room for optimal prevention and management.

Objective To identify clinical and electrical factors predicting delayed high-degree atrio-ventricular block (AVB) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Background TAVI is a new technique for treating severe aortic valve stenosis in patients at high surgical risk but can be followed by high-grade AVB requiring permanent pacing (PP). Methods and Results The study included 79 patients (82 ± 17 years, Euroscore = 23% ± 10%) free of PP need before and immediately after TAVI procedure. Delayed high-degree AVB was defined by types 2 or 3 AVB diagnosed at least 24 hr after the index procedure. Permanent pacemaker implantation was performed for all these patients. We compared clinical and electrical variables before and after TAVI in patients with delayed AVB or not. TAVI was performed successfully in all patients. The 21 (26%) patients who exhibited delayed high-grade AVB had significantly deeper prosthesis implantation (12 ± 4 mm vs. 9 ± 5 mm, P = 0.03) and wider post-TAVI QRS duration (155 ± 17 msec vs. 131 ± 25 msec, P = 0.0004), with no difference in baseline QRS duration. Post-TAVI QRS duration was the only independent predictor of post-TAVI permanent for delayed high-degree AVB (P = 0.02). After a mean follow-up of 10 ± 8 months, all 21 patients with post-TAVI QRS ≤128 msec were free of high-grade AVB, whereas 21/55 (38%) patients with post-TAVI QRS >128 msec had PP (P = 0.0016). Conclusion Delayed (>24 hr after the procedure) high-grade AVB necessitating PP is common after TAVI. QRS duration measured immediately after TAVI was the best independent predictor of PP in this population. Patients with QRS ≤128 msec immediately after TAVI had no risk of requiring PP. © 2012 Wiley, Periodicals, Inc.

Pulmonary artery dissection was diagnosed in a 32-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with intense chest pain. He had a history of pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty for congenital pulmonary stenosis at the age of 7 and no pulmonary hypertension. The operation was performed with cardiopulmonary bypass. The dissected pulmonary arterial trunk was removed with the distorted valve, and replaced with a pulmonary artery homograft. The postoperative course was uneventful. Histologic examination revealed medionecrosis. Pulmonary artery dissection is a rare but highly lethal pathology. In the absence of pulmonary hypertension, surgical treatment with homograft replacement can lead to excellent results.

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a strong predictor of poor outcomes in heart failure. Its prognostic meaning in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is under-investigated.Hundred and twenty nine patients with suspected CA and an interventricular septum thickness (IVST) ≥ 12 mm underwent echocardiography with measurement of left ventricular (LV) and RV longitudinal strain (LS), late gadolinium-enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI, and standard evaluation.Among 82 confirmed CA, types were immunoglobulin light chain (AL, n = 26), hereditary transthyretin (m-TTR, n = 37) and senile (WT-TTR, n = 19). Compared to those without, CA patients had significantly lower RV fractional shortening (RV-FS), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), tissue Doppler systolic velocity, and global RV-LS, without any difference among the CA types. RV-LGE, observed in 62% of CA patients, was associated with lower global and basal RV-FS. Median follow-up was 8(2; 16) months. Using multivariate analysis, NYHA-class and low TAPSE independently predicted major adverse cardiac event (MACE) defined as death, heart transplantation and acute heart failure. Independent determinants of TAPSE 14 mm, the best cut-off value, were LV ejection fraction (LVEF), estimated filling pressure (E/E'), NT-proBNP and pulmonary artery pressure, but not RV-LGE.RV dysfunction is common in CA. Its routine evaluation by a simple TAPSE may be an aid in assessing the prognosis of CA patients.

In a fraction of patients aged ≥90 years, less-invasive transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been considered a therapeutic option for aortic stenosis under careful clinical screening. However, the safety and effectiveness using TAVI in such a population has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of TAVI in nonagenarians. We prospectively enrolled 136 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis who were referred for TAVI. The procedural, early, and midterm clinical outcomes were compared between patients aged90 years (n = 110, average age 82.3 ± 8.3 years) and ≥90 years (n = 26; average age 91.6 ± 1.9 years). A comparison of the baseline characteristics revealed that among patients aged ≥90 years, the prevalence of women (50% vs 81%, p0.001) and the mean aortic valve gradient (45.5 ± 15.4 vs 56.3 ± 23.4 mm Hg, p = 0.005) were greater than those in patients aged90 years. Major vascular complications occurred more frequently in patients ≥90 years (5% vs 19%, p = 0.022), although the rate of procedural success and 30-day and 6-month mortality were not different between the 2 age groups (96% vs 100%, p = 0.58; 6% vs 15%, p = 0.22; and 14% vs 27%, p = 0.14, respectively). The mortality rates were greater among patients aged ≥90 years. At 6 months, both groups of survivors were similar in symptom status, with a New York Heart Association classification less than class II (89% vs 84%, p = 0.68). The cumulative survival (median 13.4 ± 8.0 months of follow-up) was not significantly different between the 2 age groups (p = 0.22, log-rank test). In conclusion, even very elderly nonagenarians can experience acceptable clinical results and benefits after TAVI.

Introduction Aortic valve (AV) calcium quantification by cardiac Computed Tomography (cardiac CT) has been proposed as an alternative for AV stenosis quantification when echocardiography is uncertain. To limit X-ray radiation and cost, we developed an alternative AV calcium score based on 3D-transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TOE). Methods The study enrolled 29 patients referred for AV assessment (21 men and 8 women who were 78 ± 11 years old, average transaortic peak velocity was 4.18 ± 1.5 m/s and average mean transaortic gradient was 45 ± 18 mmHg). All patients underwent 3D-TOE and calcium score was derived from AV 3D full volume data using home-made region growing algorithm developed on MatLab® ( Fig. 2 ). Calcium score obtained with 3D-TOE was compared to AV calcium scoring obtained by cardiac CT. In patients referred for cardiac surgery, AV calcium scoring by CT was repeated on the explanted AV and calcium weight was obtained by pathology analysis. Results Calcium score by 3D-TOE (8877 ± 4024 AU) and CT (3155 ± 2360 AU) were fairly correlated (R = 0.88; P Fig. 1 ). Similar correlation was observed with CT calcium score on explanted AV (R = 0.89; P = 0.0014) and pathology data (R = 0.63; P = 0.0516). Inter-observer and intra-observer variability coefficients were 11% and 11%, respectively ( Fig. 1 , Fig. 2 ). Conclusion AV calcium load can be quantified using 3D-TOE. Excellent correlation was observed with AV calcium score obtained by CT.

BackgroundOperative risk of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) surgery is currently based on right ventricular (RV) systolic function assessment while biological markers of RV congestion are under used. The aim of the study was to assess the additive value of biological markers of RV congestion in predicting postoperative mortality after TR surgery.MethodsThirty-seven patients (age 69±13 years) referred for surgical correction of isolated severe TR (n=13) or TR associated with a left-side heart valve disease were included. RV congestion was assessed preoperatively using natremia, uremia, creatinin and bilirubin. RV systolic function was assessed by echocardiography using tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and RV fractional area change (RVFAC). Outcome was defined as early postoperative mortality (

A 65-year-old patient presented with recurrent cardiac decompensation 12 years after aortic prosthesis replacement and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane pericardial substitution. Diagnosis of pericardial constriction was difficult. Only one cardiac imaging method, radionuclide ventriculography, was helpful. Upon re-operation, an epicardial fibrous strap which restricted right ventricle (RV) diastolic expansion was found between the anterior free wall and diaphragmatic portion of the RV. Clinical status dramatically improved after surgical removal of this bridle, as did ventricular filling curves in radionuclide imaging. This case shows that delayed cardiac constriction is possible after ePTFE pericardial substitution, especially if the membrane is applied to both anterior and diaphragmatic aspects of the heart.

The present study sought to assess the effectiveness of local anesthesia with conscious sedation (LACS) during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). On its introduction, TAVI was mostly performed with the patient under general anesthesia (GA); however, evidence supporting the use of less-invasive LACS has been increasing. The data from 174 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI by way of the femoral artery from December 2007 to December 2011 were analyzed. GA was mainly used in early phase of the study (n = 44); this was gradually shifted to LACS in the late phase (n = 130). The clinical outcomes were compared for those patients who received GA versus LACS. The incidence and causes of “LACS failure,” defined as conversion to GA from LACS during TAVI, were also assessed. The rates of procedural success and 30-day mortality were not different between the 2 groups (93.3% vs 95.3%, p = 0.60; 6.7% vs 7.8%, p = 0.55, respectively). Although the clinical backgrounds of the patients showed differences, these results were not significant after adjusting for other influential confounders. The intensive care unit stay and hospital stay were longer in the GA group than in the LACS group (3.9 ± 2.2 vs 3.3 ± 1.5 days, p = 0.044; and 12.2 ± 8.3 vs 8.1 ± 6.5 days, p = 0.001, respectively). LACS failure occurred in 6 patients (4.6%), and the causes were multifactorial, as follows: cardiac tamponade in 2, cardiac arrest in 2, myocardial infarction in 1, and stroke in 1. In conclusion, transfemoral TAVI with the patient under LACS could be successfully performed in most patients, with the advantage of early recovery, although the perioperative risks involved in the TAVI procedure should be considered.