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Objectives: Thoracic/abdominal aortic aneurysms and aortic stenosis may be concomitant diseases requiring both transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and endovascular aneurysm repair (T/EVAR) in high-risk patients for surgical approaches, but temporal management is not clearly defined yet. The aim of the study was to analyse outcomes of simultaneous versus staged TAVI and T/EVAR., Methods: Retrospective observational multicentre study was performed on patients requiring TAVI and T/EVAR from 2016 to 2022. Patients were divided into 2 groups: 'Simultaneous group' if T/EVAR + TAVI were performed in the same procedure and 'Staged group' if T/EVAR and TAVI were performed in 2 steps, but within 3 months. Primary outcomes were technical success, 30-day mortality/major adverse events and follow-up survival. Secondary outcomes were procedural metrics and length of stay., Results: Forty-four cases were collected; 8 (18%) had T/EVAR and 36 (82%) had EVAR, respectively. Upon temporal determination, 25 (57%) and 19 (43%) were clustered in Simultaneous and Staged groups, respectively. In Staged group, median time between procedures was 72 (interquartile range-IQR: 57-87) days. Preoperative and intraoperative figures were similar. There was no difference in 30-day mortality (Simultaneous: 0/25 versus Staged: 1/19; P = 0.43). Pulmonary events (Simultaneous: 0/25 versus Staged: 5/19; P = 0.01) and need of postoperative cardiac pacemaker (Simultaneous: 2/25 versus Staged: 7/19; P = 0.02) were more frequent in Staged patients. The overall length of stay was lower in the Simultaneous group [Simultaneous: 7 (IQR: 6-8) versus Staged: 19 (IQR: 15-23) days; P = 0.001]. The median follow-up was 25 (IQR: 8-42) months and estimated 3-year survival was 73% with no difference between groups (Simultaneous: 82% versus Staged: 74%; P = 0.90)., Conclusions: Both Simultaneous or Staged T/EVAR and TAVI procedures are effective with satisfactory outcomes. Despite the small numbers, simultaneous repair seems to reduce length of stay and pulmonary complications, maintaining similar follow-up survival., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.)

Background: The transfemoral (TF) approach is the most common route in TAVI, but it is still associated with a risk of bleeding and vascular complications. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes between surgical cut-down (SC) and percutaneous (PC) approach. (2) Methods: Between January 2018 and June 2022, 774 patients underwent a transfemoral TAVI procedure. After propensity matching, 323 patients underwent TAVI in each group. (3) Results: In the matched population, 15 patients (4.6%) in the SC group vs. 34 patients in the PC group (11%) experienced minor vascular complications ( p = 0.02), while no difference for major vascular complication (1.5% vs. 1.9%) were reported. The rate of minor bleeding events was higher in the percutaneous group (11% vs. 3.1%, p <.001). The SC group experienced a higher rate of non-vascular-related access complications (minor 8% vs. 1.2%; major 2.2% vs. 1.2%; p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: SC for TF-TAVI did not alter the mortality rate at 30 days and was associated with reduced minor vascular complication and bleeding. PC showed a lower rate of non-vascular-related access complications and a lower length of stay. The specific approach should be tailored to the patient's clinical characteristics.

In the current endovascular era, open surgery through left posterolateral thoracotomy with moderate to deep hypothermic circulatory arrest remains an alternative for treating chronic distal arch or proximal descending aortic diseases, allowing cardiovascular surgeons to definitively repair the aorta in a single stage. When utilizing this approach, this report illustrates an alternative surgical technique for antegrade body perfusion during cooling, antegrade selective cerebral perfusion and rewarming, through a prosthetic graft on the right subclavian artery. This report shows the safety and feasibility of this technique during open distal arch and/or proximal descending aortic surgery through left posterolateral thoracotomy, after shifting the patient from a supine to the right lateral decubitus position., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a fat depot located between the myocardium and the visceral layer of the epicardium, which, owing to its location, can influence surrounding tissues and can act as a local transducer of systemic inflammation. The mechanisms upon which such influence depends on are however unclear. Given the role EAT undoubtedly has in the scheme of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), understanding the impact of its cellular components is of upmost importance. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) constitute promising candidates to fill the gap in the knowledge concerning the unexplored mechanisms through which EAT promotes onset and progression of CVDs. Owing to their ability of transporting active biomolecules, EAT-derived EVs have been reported to be actively involved in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion injury, coronary atherosclerosis, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Exploring the precise functions EVs exert in this context may aid in connecting the dots between EAT and CVDs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Coronary flow obstruction following transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation (VIV-TAVI) is associated with a high mortality risk. The aim of this work was to quantify the coronary perfusion after VIV-TAVI in a high-risk aortic root anatomy. 3D printed models of small aortic root were used to simulate the implantation of a TAVI prosthesis (Portico 23) into surgical prostheses (Trifecta 19 and 21). The aortic root models were tested in a pulsatile in vitro bench setup with a coronary perfusion simulator. The tests were performed at baseline and post-VIV-TAVI procedure in aligned and misaligned commissural configurations under simulated hemodynamic rest and exercise conditions. The experimental design provided highly controllable and repeatable flow and pressure conditions. The left and right coronary mean flow did not differ significantly at pre- and post-VIV-TAVI procedure in any tested configurations. The commissural misalignment did not induce any significant alterations to the coronary flow. High-risk aortic root anatomy did not trigger coronary ostia obstruction or coronary flow alteration after transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a surgical bioprosthesis as shown from in-vitro flow loop tests., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Emerging treatments for tricuspid valve (TV) regurgitation require realistic TV pathological models for preclinical testing. The aim of this work was to investigate structural features of fresh and defrosted porcine right-heart samples as models of mild and severe functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) condition in ex-vivo pulsatile flow platform. Ten fresh hearts were tested ex-vivo under steady and pulsatile flow in typical right-heart loading conditions. Hemodynamics and 3D echocardiographic imaging of TV and right ventricle (RV) were acquired. Hearts were then kept frozen for 14 days, defrosted, and tested again with the same protocol. Morphometric parameters of TV and RV were derived from 3D reconstructions based on echo data. Fresh samples showed a slightly dilated TV morphology, with coaptation gaps among the leaflets. Sample freezing induced worsening of TV insufficiency, with significant (p < 0.05) increases in annulus size (annulus area and perimeter 7.7-3.1% respectively) and dilation of RV (9.5%), which led to an increase in tenting volume (123.7%). These morphologic alterations reflected into a significant increment of regurgitation fraction (27%). Together, such results suggest that fresh porcine heart samples may be a reliable ex-vivo model of mild FTR condition, which can be enhanced through freezing/thawing treatment to model a severe pathological condition., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Aortic stenosis is a highly prevalent cardiac valvular disease in adult population and increases with age. After symptoms onset in severe aortic stenosis, the prognosis begins to decline; however, new studies demonstrate an increased risk of death in patients with moderate disease. Although majority of patients with severe aortic stenosis are treated electively with surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, not all patients are candidates for the interventions. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty can be used successfully as a bridge to definitive treatment or as palliative therapy in patients who are not candidates for either procedure. In this paper, we discuss and justify the current indications and contraindications for balloon aortic valvuloplasty. Additionally, the step-by-step procedure technique and most frequent complications are described. Moreover, we presented the safety and feasibility of balloon aortic valvuloplasty in 33 consecutive patients on a waiting list for transcatheter aortic valve replacement at 3 expert Italian centers during the first and second waves of COVID-19, when clinical priorities focused on hospitalized patients with pneumonia. The procedural success in this cohort of patients was achieved in 31 patients (94%). Out of the 33 patients enrolled, 15 underwent TAVR within 5±2 months from the valvuloplasty, and at 6-month follow-up a total of 2 patients died for end-stage heart failure.

The increasing incidence of calcific aortic valve disease necessitates the elaboration of new strategies to retard the progression of the pathology with an innovative solution. While the increasing diffusion of the transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs) allows a mini-invasive approach to aortic valve substitution as an alternative to conventional surgical replacement (SAVR) in an always larger patient population, TAVR implantation still has contraindications for young patients. In addition, it is liable to undergo calcification with the consequent necessity of re-intervention with conventional valve surgery or repeated implantation in the so-called TAVR-in-TAVR procedure. Inspired by applications for non-cardiac pathologies or for vascular decalcification before stenting (i.e., coronary lithotripsy), in the present study, we show the feasibility of human valve treatment with a mini-invasive device tailored to deliver shockwaves to the calcific leaflets. We provide evidence of efficient calcium deposit ruptures in human calcified leaflets treated ex vivo and the safety of the treatment in pigs. The use of this device could be helpful to perform shockwaves valvuloplasty as an option to retard TAVR/SAVR, or as a pretreatment to facilitate prosthesis implantation and minimize the occurrence of paravalvular leak., Competing Interests: EF, DB, MCP, and EP are collaborators of the equity-financed company AorticLab S.r.l. AorticLab S.r.l. is an equity-financed Company for development of the TDD as a novel minimally invasive calcium debridement procedure in human pathologic valves. GG and CR were employed by ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Bernava, Fermi, Gelpi, Rizzi, Benettin, Barbuto, Romagnoni, Ventrella, Palmieri, Agrifoglio, Polvani, Bacci, Pasquino and Pesce.)

Objectives: Commissural orientation <160° is a recognized risk factor for bicuspid aortic valve repair failure. Based on this observation, repairing this subtype of aortic valve by reorienting the 2 commissures at 180° has recently been proposed., Methods: Nine porcine hearts with aortic annulus diameters of 25 mm were selected. A pathological model of a Sievers 1 bicuspid aortic valve was obtained by suturing the coaptation line between the left and right leaflets. Each heart underwent reimplantation procedures both in the native (120°) and the reoriented (180°) configuration. After the operation, each sample was tested on a pulse duplicator at rest (heart rate 60 beats per min) and with mild exercise (heart rate 90 beats per min) conditions., Results: No statistically significant difference was noted in mean and peak transvalvular aortic gradients between the 2 configurations at rest (18.6 ± 5 vs 17.5 ± 4 for the mean aortic gradient; 42.8 ± 12.7 vs 36.3 ± 5.8 for the peak aortic gradient) but the group with the 120°-oriented commissures had significantly higher mean transaortic gradients compared to the group with the 180°-oriented commissures at initial exercise stress conditions (30.1 ± 9.1 vs 24.9 ± 3.8; p value 0.002)., Conclusions: The 180° commissural reorientation of the asymmetrical bicuspid aortic valve does not improve the transvalvular aortic gradient in an acute model at rest conditions, but it could do so under stress situations. Even if it is surgically more complex and time-consuming, this approach could be a good strategy to improve long-term results, particularly in young patients., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Kommerrell's diverticulum of the right aberrant subclavian artery is a rare disease, its treatment is still controversial. We report the case of a patient with a six cm aneurysmal dilation successfully treated in a hybrid surgical/endovascular way., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives : Aortic arch disease is still a high-risk surgical challenge despite major advances both in surgical and anesthesiological management. A combined surgical and endovascular approach has been proposed for aortic arch disease treatment to avoid hypothermia and circulatory arrest in high-risk patients. Materials and Methods : Between June 2004 and June 2021, 112 patients were referred to our department for aortic arch surgery; 38 (33.9%) patients underwent supra-aortic debranching and endovascular treatment. Of these, 21 (55%) patients underwent type I aortic arch hybrid debranching procedure and in 17 (45%) patients a type II aortic arch hybrid debranching procedure was performed. None of the patients were emergent. Results : No intra-operative deaths were recorded. In the type I aortic arch hybrid debranching patients' group, one patient died at home waiting the endovascular step, one developed ascending aortic dissection and another one developed a pseudoaneurysm at the site of the debranching at follow-up. In the type II aortic arch hybrid debranching patients' group, left carotid artery branch closure was detected at follow-up in one patient. Thirty day/in-hospital rates of adverse neurological events for both the surgical and endovascular procedures were 3% for minor stroke, with no permanent neurological deficit and 0% for permanent paraplegia/paraparesis. In 100% of the cases, the endovascular step succeeded and the type Ia endoleak rate was 0%. Conclusions : Hybrid arch surgery is a valuable option for aortic arch aneurysm treatment in patients with high surgical risk. The choice of aortic arch debranching between type I or type II is crucial and depends on anatomic and clinical patient characteristics. Further larger scale studies are needed to better define the advantages of these techniques.

We propose a technique to minimize the neurological and systemic risks involved in rerouting the blood flow toward the brain in a "single remaining vessel" configuration with a 90% stenosis by means of complete hypothermic cerebral protection associated with normothermic systemic blood flow with a "restitutio ad integrum" of the supra-aortic trunks flow. The perfusion of the brain and the arms was almost completely separated from the systemic perfusion by the deployment 1 year before of a thoracic endoprosthesis in association with complete chronic occlusion of the brachiocephalic trunk and a functioning carotid-subclavian bypass. The Free Flow of the prosthesis, which acted as a hook, moved the calcium toward the left carotid ostium, creating a 90% stenosis with intermittent acute cerebral hypoperfusion and amaurosis. We achieved an optimal result: The patient was discharged on postoperative day 7 with no neurological problems and with patency and direct blood flow in all the supra-aortic trunks., (© The Author 2021. Published by MMCTS on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Aortic valve stenosis and aortic aneurysmal disease are increasingly prevalent with advancing age. When associated, their treatment is very challenging. A female patient with previous Tirone-David procedure presented to our hospital with acute heart failure. She was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, aneurysm of the aortic arch and the descending thoracic aorta. She underwent successful concomitant aortic arch TEVAR and transcatheter aortic valve repair, with optimal acute and mid-term result. Our case demonstrates that a careful pre-procedural planning, along with a good cooperation between interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, radiologists and clinical cardiologists, are essential in order to guarantee an excellent outcome for the patient.

Objectives: Our goal was to report the midterm results of hybrid treatment of extensive thoracic aortic aneurysm (ETAA) with the completion of thoracic endovascular aortic repair after proximal ascending-arch graft replacement., Methods: This was a multicentre, observational study. Data were collected prospectively between January 2002 and March 2019 and analysed retrospectively. Inclusion criteria for the final analysis were the treatment of elective or urgent ETAA performed in a single-stage or a planned two-stage approach. Early and late survival rates were the primary outcomes., Results: Indications for repair were degenerative ETAA in 27 (64.3%) patients and dissection-related ETAA in 15 (35.7%). The mean aortic diameter was 68 ± 16 mm (interquartile range 60-75). Five (11.9%) patients had a single-stage repair; and 37 underwent a two-stage approach. Three (7.1%) patients died in-hospital. The median follow-up was 49 months (range 0-204). During the follow-up period, 4 (9.5%) patients underwent aortic reintervention after a median of 32 months; however, no aortic rupture of the treated segment occurred. Overall, the estimated survival rate was 85% ± 6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 70.8-93] at 12 and 36 months and 69.5% ± 9% (95% CI 49.7-84) at 60 months., Conclusions: Hybrid repair of ETAA had satisfactory early results in this cohort of patients. At the midterm follow-up, the aneurysm-related mortality rate was acceptable with the reconstruction proving to be durable and safe with few distal aortic events., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to present our experience with the management of isolated left vertebral artery during hybrid aortic arch repairs with thoracic endovascular aortic repair completion., Methods: This is a single-center, observational, cohort study. Between January 2007 and December 2018, 9 patients (4.5%) of 200 who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair were identified with isolated left vertebral artery. The isolated left vertebral artery was the dominant vertebral artery in 4 cases and entered the Circle of Willis to form the basilar artery in all cases. Isolated left vertebral artery transposition was performed in 2 patients during open ascending/arch repair before thoracic endovascular aortic repair completion. In 4 patients, isolated left vertebral artery transposition was performed concomitant with carotid-subclavian bypass during thoracic endovascular aortic repair completion ("zone 2" thoracic endovascular aortic repair). Primary outcomes were early (<30 days) and late survival, freedom from aortic-related mortality, and isolated left vertebral artery patency., Results: Primary technical success was achieved in all cases. Isolated left vertebral artery-related complication occurred in 1 patient (Horner syndrome). Immediate thrombosis, vagus/recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, lymphocele, and chylothorax were never observed. Postoperative cerebrovascular accident or spinal cord injury was not observed. Median follow-up was 15 months (range, 3-72). We did not observe aortic-related mortality during the follow-up. Aortic-related intervention was never required. Both isolated left vertebral artery and carotid-subclavian bypass are still patent in all patients with no sign of anastomotic pseudoaneurysm or stenosis., Conclusions: Although isolated left vertebral artery is not a frequent occurrence, it is not so rare. It may pose additional difficulties during hybrid aortic arch surgical repairs, but isolated left vertebral artery transposition was feasible, safe, and a durable reconstruction., (Copyright © 2019 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: We present a comparison of renal function outcomes during HTAR with the use of a new hybrid vascular graft (GHVG) or standard graft., Methods: It is a multicenter, retrospective, observational study. Between January 2015 and March 2019, 36 patients were treated with HTAR. We compared HTAR performed with the use of the GHVG and with the use of standard bypass graft. Primary outcome measures were hospital mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI) at 30 days and GHVG patency., Results: Mean GHVG ischemia time was significantly lower for both renal arteries (right: GHVG, 4 ± 2 vs. standard graft, 15 ± 7 min; 95% CI 2.23-6.69, P < 0.001; left: GHVG, 3 ± 2 vs. standard graft, 13 ± 7 min; 95% CI 2.44-5.03, P < 0.001). Hospital mortality was 17% (6/36); while mortality did not differ between the two groups, postoperative acute kidney injury rate was 30.5% (11/36 patients) and was more common in the standard graft group (7% vs. 29%; OR 3.2, P = 0.074). Estimated primary patency was 92% ± 2 (95% CI 79.5-97%) at 36 months and was not different between the two groups (GHVG 94% ± 6 vs. standard graft 91% ± 6; log-rank χ 2  = 0.260, P = 0.610)., Conclusions: In our experience of HTAR, ischemia time was significantly shorter and postoperative AKI occurrence was lower with GHVG if compared to standard graft bypass, with satisfactory midterm patency rate comparable to that of standard graft bypass.

Purpose: To analyze the results of isolated left subclavian artery (LSA) revascularization during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) using carotid-subclavian bypass (CSbp) or chimney grafts (CGs)., Methods: A retrospective multicenter, observational study identified 73 patients (mean age 68±13 years, range 22-87; 56 men) with acute or chronic thoracic aortic lesions who underwent TEVAR with isolated LSA revascularization using either CSbp (n=42) or CGs (n=31) from January 2010 and February 2017. Primary endpoints were TEVAR-related mortality, postoperative stroke, freedom from type Ia endoleak, and LSA patency., Results: Primary technical success was achieved in all cases. Early TEVAR-related mortality was 4.2% (CSbp 2% vs CG 6%, p=0.571). Two (3%) patients had major ischemic strokes (one in each group). Mean follow-up was 24±21 months (range 1-72; median 15). Estimated freedom from TEVAR-related mortality was 93%±3% (95% CI 84.3% to 97.0%) at 12 and 36 months, with no significant difference between CSbp and CG (p=0.258). Aortic reintervention did not differ between the groups (CSbp 5% vs CG 6%, p=0.356); nor did freedom from type Ia endoleak (CSbp 98% vs CG 87%, p=0.134). Gutter-related endoleaks occurred in 4 (13%) CG patients, but none of the patients experienced sac enlargement or the need for reintervention and none died. Primary patency of the LSA was 100% for the entire group during the observation period., Conclusion: In our experience, LSA revascularization proved most satisfactory and equally effective with both the CSbp and CG techniques, without discernible differences at midterm follow-up.