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Objective Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Currently, there is no reliable way to determine preoperatively which patients will develop POAF following CABG. The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative left atrial (LA) strain analysis might identify patients destined to develop POAF following CABG. Methods From 2016 to 2018, 211 patients who had a preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction >50% and adequate preoperative, predischarge, and follow-up echo images for interpretation underwent isolated CABG surgery. Postoperatively, patients had continuous rhythm monitoring until hospital discharge. Retrospective speckle-tracking analysis of preoperative echocardiograms was performed to calculate preoperative left ventricular global longitudinal strain and LA compliance and contraction strains in 92 matched patients. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the predictors of POAF after CABG. Results POAF occurred in 50 patients (24%). They were older, had longer intensive care unit and hospital stays, and a slightly greater 30-day mortality (P = .07). Preoperative LA volume index was larger in the patients with POAF but still “normal” as defined by current guidelines. However, preoperative LA compliance and contraction strains were significantly lower in patients who developed POAF after CABG. Conclusions Decreased preoperative LA strain measurements, especially LA-fractional area change, LA-emptying fraction, and LA-reservoir strain, taken jointly, are more specific and sensitive than other preoperative parameters in identifying patients who will develop POAF following CABG. The ability to identify patients preoperatively who are destined to develop POAF following CABG provides a basis for limiting POAF prophylactic therapy to only those patients undergoing CABG who are most likely to benefit from it rather than to all patients undergoing CABG.

The notion that medically-refractory arrhythmias might one day be amenable to interventional therapy slowly began to appear in the early 1960's. At that time, there were no "interventional electrophysiologists" or "arrhythmia surgeons" and there was little appreciation of the relationship between anatomy and electrophysiology outside the heart's specialized conduction system.In this review, we describe the evolution of collaboration between electrophysiologists and surgeons.Although accessory atrio-ventricular (AV) connections were first identified in 1893 and the Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome was described 37 years later (1930), it was another 37 years (1967) before those anatomic AV connections were proven to be responsible for the clinical syndrome. The success of the subsequent surgical procedures for the WPW syndrome, AV node reentry tachycardia, automatic atrial tachycardias, ischemic and non-ischemic ventricular tachycardias and atrial fibrillation over the next two decades depended on a close, sometimes daily, collaboration between electrophysiologists and surgeons. In the past two decades, that tight collaboration was largely abandoned until the recent introduction of "hybrid procedures" for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.A retrospective assessment of the 50 years of interventional therapy for arrhythmias clearly demonstrates the clinical benefits of a close collaboration between electrophysiologists and arrhythmia surgeons, regardless of which one is actually performing the intervention.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing health problem and is associated with increased risk of stroke. The Cox-Maze surgical procedure has offered the highest success rate, but utilization of this technique is low due to procedure invasiveness and complexity. Advances in catheter ablation and minimally invasive surgical techniques offer new options for AF treatment.In this review, we describe current trends and outcomes of minimally invasive treatment of persistent and long-standing persistent AF.Treatment of persistent and long-standing persistent AF can be successfully treated using a team approach combining cardiac surgery and electrophysiology procedures. With this approach, the 1-year freedom from AF off antiarrhythmic drugs was 85%.There are a variety of techniques and approaches used around the world as technology evolves to help develop new treatment strategies for AF. Our report will focus on a hybrid treatment approach using surgical and electrophysiology approaches providing enhanced treatment options by replicating Cox-Maze IV lesions using skills from each specialty. Closure of the left atrial appendage as part of these procedures enhances protection from late stroke. A team approach provides a cohesive evaluation, treatment, and monitoring plan for patients. Development of successful, less invasive treatment options will help address the growing population of patients with AF.

Objective: Adverse events following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation are more common in women than in men, but the impact of gender differences on right ventricular (RV) failure is not well defined. Therefore, we calculated RV strain before and after LVAD implantation in matched groups of men and women to determine if gender differences in RV failure after LVAD might account for the gender differences in overall outcomes. Methods: RV free wall longitudinal strain (FWS) and fractional area change were calculated preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively using speckle-tracking echocardiography analysis. A total of 172 patients (86 women, 86 men) were then propensity score matched (1:1) for comparison. Results: Although women had higher preoperative CHA2DS2-VASc scores and more frequent moderate mitral regurgitation than men ( P = 0.018), the preoperative hemodynamic parameters were similar. Preoperative RV-FWS was −6.7% in women and −6.0% in men ( P = 0.65). Postoperatively, women had more progression to severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) than men (15% vs 7%, P = 0.06). At 3 months the RV-FWS was −7.7% in women and −7.0% in men ( P = 0.59). Postoperative TR was moderate–severe in 20% of women and in 9% of men ( P = 0.001). Women had a higher incidence of venous thromboembolism, cardiac arrhythmias, and bleeding compared with men. Women also had higher mortality rates at discharge and 30 days after surgery, but the survival rates at 5 years were similar. Conclusions: RV strain measurements track standard hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters and confirm that gender differences in outcomes following LVAD implantation are not related to gender differences in RV failure rates.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common of all cardiac arrhythmias, affecting roughly 1% of the general population in the Western world. The incidence of AF is predicted to double by 2050. Most patients with AF are treated with oral medications and only approximately 4% of AF patients are treated with interventional techniques, including catheter ablation and surgical ablation. The increasing prevalence and the morbidity/mortality associated with AF warrants a more aggressive approach to its treatment. It is the purpose of this invited editorial to describe the past, present, and anticipated future directions of the interventional therapy of AF, and to crystallize the problems that remain.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a curative procedure for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Right ventricular free wall strain (RV FWS) and right atrial strain (RAS) are not well studied in a CTEPH population. We sought to determine temporal trends in RAS and RV FWS in patients post-PTE. METHODS 28 patients undergoing PTE for CTEPH were prospectively enrolled in a surgical database. Comprehensive echocardiographic assessment of the right heart was performed including RV FWS, right atrial volume, and the three components of RAS: reservoir, conduit, and booster strain. RESULTS Patients undergoing PTE demonstrated improvement in NYHA functional class (P

Background Although cryosurgery has been used to treat cardiac arrhythmias for nearly 5 decades, the mechanism of action and the surgical technique that produces optimal cryolesions for the treatment of atrial fibrillation are still poorly understood. This has resulted in surgical outcomes that can be improved by a better understanding the mechanisms of cryothermia ablation and the proper surgical techniques that take advantage of those mechanisms. Methods The cryobiology underlying cryosurgical ablation is described, as are the nuances of cryosurgical techniques that ensure the reliable creation of contiguous, uniformly transmural atrial cryolesions. The oft-misunderstood “2-minute rule” for the application of cryothermia is clarified in detail, along with its variations that depend on target myocardial temperature. Results The creation of optimal cryolesions depends on cryoprobe temperature, the temperature of the target myocardium, the duration of cryothermia application, and the presence or absence of a “heat sink” or “cooling sink” created by intracavitary blood circulation. Cryothermia kills myocardial cells during both the freezing and thawing phases of cryoablation cycle. The critical lethal temperature for myocardium is –30°C. The slower the target tissue thaws, the higher the percentage of cell death. Conclusions The availability of cryosurgical techniques has revolutionized the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. By utilizing modern cryosurgical devices and adhering to the technical principles described, surgeons can now perform surgical procedures for atrial fibrillation that are quicker, safer, and as effective as the standard Maze-III/IV procedure.

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to determine if gender bias explains the worse outcomes in women than in men who undergo mitral valve surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation. METHODS Patients who underwent mitral valve surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation with or without concomitant ablation surgery for atrial fibrillation were identified from the Cardiovascular Research Database of the Clinical Trial Unit of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and were defined according to the Society of Thoracic Surgery National Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. Of the 1004 patients (33% female, mean age 62.1 ± 12.4 years; 67% male, mean age 60.1 ± 12.4 years) who met this criteria, propensity score matching was utilized to compare sex-related differences. RESULTS Propensity score matching of 540 patients (270 females, mean age 61.0 ± 12.2; 270 males, mean age 60.9 ± 12.3) demonstrated that 98% of mitral valve surgery performed in both groups was mitral valve repair and 2% was mitral valve replacement. Preoperative CHA2DS2-VASc scores were higher in women and fewer women were discharged directly to their homes. Before surgery, women had smaller left heart chambers, lower cardiac outputs, higher diastolic filling pressures and higher volume responsiveness than men. However, preoperative left ventricular and right ventricular strain values, which are normally higher in women, were similar in the 2 groups, indicating worse global strain in women prior to surgery. CONCLUSIONS The worse outcomes reported in women compared to men undergoing surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation are misleading and not based on gender bias except in terms of referral patterns. Men and women who present with the same type and degree of mitral valve disease and similar comorbidities receive the same types of surgical procedures and experience similar postoperative outcomes. Speckle-tracking echocardiography to assess global longitudinal strain of the left and right ventricles should be utilized to monitor for myocardial dysfunction related to chronic mitral regurgitation.

Background Surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) concomitant with cardiac surgery is a Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) class I recommendation, although the AF is frequently ignored. Analysis of the STS Database 30-day outcomes of isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) with and without AF ablation is presented. Methods Data on 87,426 surgical aortic valve replacement patients were extracted from the STS database (version 2.81, 2014-2017) and patients were divided into 3 groups: (1) No preoperative AF, (2) Preoperative AF with concomitant ablation, and (3) Preoperative AF without ablation. The latter 2 groups were propensity score–matched in 1-(up)-to-2 ratio to alleviate covariate imbalances and reduce bias. Thirty-day outcomes were evaluated and compared. Results Preoperative AF was present in 17.8% (15,596 of 87,426 patients). Ablation was performed in 33.1% (5,167 of 15,596), and 57.7% (2,983) had left atrial appendage closure. Propensity score matching (AF ablated n = 3692; AF non-ablated n = 5724), revealed that there was no difference between the AF ablated and AF non-ablated groups in mortality (2.8% vs 3.0%, respectively; P = .65) or for stroke (1.6% vs 1.7%, respectively; P = .82), but postoperative pacemaker implantation was higher in the AF ablated patients (6.8% AF ablated vs 5.0% AF non-ablated, P Conclusions Despite being a class I recommendation, AF ablation concomitantly with other cardiac surgical procedures remains lower than current guideline recommendation in surgical aortic valve replacement patients. Ablation for AF does not increase the 30-day operative mortality or perioperative morbidity compared with non-ablated patients, although new pacemaker requirements were higher in the AF ablated group.

The management of patients with shock is extremely challenging because of the myriad of possible clinical presentations in cardiogenic shock, septic shock and hypovolemic shock and the limitations of contemporary therapeutic options. The treatment of shock includes the administration of endogenous catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) as well as various vasopressor agents that have shown efficacy in the treatment of the various types of shock. In addition to the endogenous catecholamines, dobutamine, isoproterenol, phenylephrine, and milrinone have served as the mainstays of shock therapy for several decades. Recently, experimental studies have suggested that newer agents such as vasopressin, selepressin, calcium-sensitizing agents like levosimendan, cardiac-specific myosin activators like omecamtiv mecarbil (OM), istaroxime, and natriuretic peptides like nesiritide can enhance shock therapy, especially when shock presents a more complex clinical picture than normal. However, their ability to improve clinical outcomes remains to be proven. It is the purpose of this review to describe the mechanism of action, dosage requirements, advantages and disadvantages, and specific indications and contraindications for the use of each of these catecholamines and vasopressors, as well as to elucidate the most important clinical trials that serve as the basis of contemporary shock therapy.

OBJECTIVE Surgical reoperation for aortic homograft structural valve degeneration (SVD) is a high-risk procedure. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for homograft-SVD is an alternative to reoperation, but descriptions of implantation techniques are limited. This study compares outcome in patients undergoing into two groups by the type of previously implanted aortic valve prosthesis: TAVR for failed aortic homografts (TAVR-H) or for stented aortic bioprostheses (TAVR-BP). METHODS From 2015 to 2017, TAVR was performed in 41 patients with SVD. Thirty-three patients in the TAVR-BP group (six for SVD of valved conduits), and eight patients in the TAVR-H group. The Valve Academic Research Consortium criteria were used for outcome reporting purposes. RESULTS The patients with TAVR-BP had predominant prosthetic stenosis (94%, p = .002), whereas TAVR-H individuals presented mostly with regurgitation (88%, p =

In the 1980s when surgery was first introduced for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), one would often hear comments like "Every little old grandmother has AF. Why on earth would you operate on someone like that?".

Guidelines do not address preoperative atrial fibrillation when considering adding tricuspid annuloplasty to mitral surgery. Our purpose was to determine the occurrence of late tricuspid regurgitation in patients with less than moderate tricuspid regurgitation undergoing surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation and the importance of atrial fibrillation and tricuspid annular dilation.From 2004 to 2017, 1021 patients underwent surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation; 869 (85%) had less than moderate tricuspid regurgitation, and 846 (97%) underwent repair. Preoperative atrial fibrillation was present in 199 patients and ablated in 194 patients (97%). Tricuspid annular diameter was measured in 657 of 869 patients (76%).For patients who did not receive tricuspid annuloplasty, recurrent moderate or more late tricuspid regurgitation was 8% (45/576) in the no atrial fibrillation group and 25% (38/154) in the atrial fibrillation group (P .001; odds ratio, 2.42). In 75.2% of patients (494/657), the tricuspid annulus was less than 4.0 cm; in 17% of patients (112), the tricuspid annulus was 4.0 to 4.4 mm (mean 41.1 mm); and in 7.8% of patients (51), the tricuspid annulus was 45 mm or more (47.8 mm). Only tricuspid diameter 45 mm or more was a risk for late tricuspid regurgitation (P = .002; odds ratio, 3.25). Progression to moderate or higher tricuspid regurgitation was associated with an increase in long-term mortality: unadjusted hazard ratio, 3.58 (2.04-6.29) (P .001); adjusted hazard ratio, 2.37 (1.23-4.57) (P = .010).Preoperative atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor for late tricuspid regurgitation despite concomitant ablation surgery. Tricuspid annular dilation was not associated with late tricuspid regurgitation until the annulus was 45 mm or greater. Progression to moderate or greater tricuspid regurgitation was associated with an increase in late mortality.

Objective Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a safe, minimally invasive treatment for severe aortic stenosis in patients with moderate-to-high surgical risk. Monitored anesthesia is administered by an anesthesiologist. This study compares transcatheter aortic valve outcomes under monitored anesthesia vs general anesthesia. Methods Data were prospectively collected for 286 patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement at a single academic hospital from March 2012 to August 2016. The patients were grouped by type of anesthesia: monitored vs general. A propensity score match was performed to compare intraoperative and post-operative outcomes between groups. Results General anesthesia was used in 102 patients and moderate sedation in 184. Propensity score matching produced 80 pairs. Compared to procedures under general anesthesia, patients receiving monitored anesthesia had shorter procedure (1.6 [1.4, 2.0] vs 2.0 [1.6, 2.5] hours; P < 0.001) and fluoroscopy times (17 [14.5, 22.5] vs 25 [17.9, 30.3] minutes; P < 0.001) and shorter hospital length-of-stay (3 [2.0, 4.0] vs 5 [3.0, 7.0] days; P < 0.001) but no difference in intensive care unit length-of-stay. Blood transfusion was more common in patients undergoing general anesthesia, but there was no difference in stroke, renal failure, postoperative atrial fibrillation, or need for permanent pacemaker. More patients were discharged to home after monitored anesthesia (90% vs 64%; P < 0.001). There was no difference in 30-day mortality (0% vs 3%; P = 0.15). Conclusions Transcatheter aortic valve replacement under monitored anesthesia provides the safety of anesthesia-led sedation without intubation and general anesthetic. We found no compromise in patient safety or clinical outcomes.

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement with the Intrepid device is intended for patients who need mitral valve replacement and who are at an increased risk for conventional surgery. The early published results of the early feasibility trial are reviewed as well as device design and the implant procedure. The Apollo trial is reviewed: a randomized trial of the Intrepid device versus conventional surgery including a single arm study for inoperable patients. The mitral valve structure, pathophysiology, and postimplant physiology pose unique hurdles for any transcatheter implant.

PurposeThis study was performed to determine if there is a sex-based bias in referral practices, complexity of disease, surgical treatment, or outcomes in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery at our institution.MethodsData were collected from the Cardiovascular Research Database of the Clinical Trial Unit of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and they were defined according to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database ( www.sts.org ). All patients who had mitral valve replacement, mitral valve repair with annuloplasty ring placement, and mitral valve annuloplasty alone were evaluated, including patients who underwent concomitant tricuspid valve surgery, atrial fibrillation ablation, patent foramen ovale closure, and coronary artery bypass grafting. An unmatched comparison was made between the 836 men and 600 women in the entire cohort ( N = 1436) and propensity score-matching was performed in 423 pairs of men and women. Additional propensity score-matching for 219 pairs of men and women with Type II mitral valve functional class and no coronary artery disease and for 68 pairs of men and women with Type 1 or Type IIIb mitral valve functional class. Propensity score matching was used to compare sex differences involving a greedy algorithm with a caliper of size 0.1 logit propensity score standard deviation units.ResultsBetween 1 April 2004 and 30 June 2017, 1436 patients (41.8% women, mean age 61.1 ± 12.6 years (men), 62.9 ± 13.3 years (women)) underwent mitral valve surgery. The unmatched comparison for the entire cohort showed that, on average, at the time of surgery, women had higher Society of Thoracic Surgery risk scores, were older and had more heart failure, coronary artery disease, and mitral stenosis than men. Women received proportionately fewer mitral repairs and more atrial fibrillation ablation, and tricuspid valve surgery. Women had longer intensive care unit and hospital stays, required more dialysis, and suffered more transient ischemic attacks and cardiac arrests postoperatively, and 30-day mortality rate was higher for women. However, propensity score-matching of 846 of the patients (423 men; 423 women) indicated that both the surgical approaches and surgical outcomes were comparable for men and women who had similar levels of disease and co-morbidities. Additional propensity score-matching of only those patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) (219 men; 219 women) and those with Type 1 or Type III mitral valve disease showed no differences in the surgical procedures performed or in 30-day mortality rates.ConclusionsWomen appear to be referred for mitral valve surgery later in the course of their disease, which could possibly be on the basis of sex bias, but they may also have a more aggressive form of mitral valve disease than men. Regardless of the reasons for the later referral of women for mitral valve surgery, the clinical outcomes are dependent upon the severity of the mitral disease and associated co-morbidities at the time of surgery, not on the basis of sex bias.

Background This study was performed to determine whether strain can supplement the ability of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) to predict postoperative ventricular dysfunction in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR). Methods From 2004 to 2017, 520 patients with an LVEF of 60% or more underwent mitral valve surgery (98% repair) for DMR. All patients had preoperative, predischarge, and follow-up (mean, 5.0 ± 3.6 years) echocardiograms. Speckle tracking was performed in 119 of 520 patients (22.9%) to determine LV strain, right ventricular free-wall strain, and left atrial longitudinal strain. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression models were used in this subgroup to evaluate associations with early postoperative LV dysfunction and medium-term overall survival, respectively. Results Median preoperative LVEF of the entire cohort was 65%. Based on predischarge echocardiogram, 449 patients (86.3%) maintained postoperative LVEF of 50% or greater. Seventy-one patients (13.7%) had a predischarge LVEF of less than 50%, 49 (9.4%) had a predischarge LVEF of 40% to 49%, and 22 (4.2% overall) had a predischarge LVEF of less than 40%. Abnormal preoperative LV, right ventricular, and left atrial strain measurements were significantly associated with the development of postoperative LV dysfunction, but preoperative hemodynamic and non-strain echo parameters did not vary enough in absolute values to be clinically useful as predictors of postoperative LV dysfunction. Conclusions Preoperative strain measurements in DMR patients were significantly associated with superior capabilities of detecting underlying LV dysfunction despite preserved preoperative LVEF. Strain analysis may serve as another marker for optimal timing of surgical intervention in DMR patients.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is present in over 30% of patients undergoing mitral valve repair (MVR) for DMR. The relationship between the adverse outcomes associated with preoperative paroxysmal AF (PAF) and right ventricular (RV) function in these patients is poorly understood. The aim of this study

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a curative procedure for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). There is little evidence on whether right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain (e) improves after PTE. Twenty-three of 28 consecutive patients with CTEPH consented to this study

Left atrial (LA) dilatation is associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with DMR. However, the relationship between AF and right atrial (RA) function is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of paroxysmal AF (PAF) on RA function in DMR patients

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is curative in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The effects of PTE on right atrial (RA) strain (e) are not well studied. 23 patients with CTEPH enrolled in a registry prior to undergoing PTE had a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) prior

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) have improved dramatically over the past several decades but stroke remains a problem. There are multiple etiologies of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes associated with VADs. While this problem is yet to be solved, there are continuing efforts at improving the design of VADs to decrease the incidence of stroke and to improve long-term survival in patients requiring mechanical circulatory assistance. The purpose is to review the incidence and underlying causes of stroke in VAD patients.

Background Catheter ablation (CA) for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) is suboptimal, and open surgical ablation, although more successful, is too invasive to be a first-line therapy. Less invasive hybrid procedures that combine thoracoscopic surgery (TS) with CA have been only marginally more successful for LSPAF than CA alone. Methods Joint hybrid procedures for LSPAF are based on the assumption that AF surgery and CA procedures can be guided by intraoperative mapping. However, intraoperative mapping is not always dependable because of the transient nature of the sustaining reentrant drivers. The best results in patients with LSPAF have been attained with the non-guided, anatomy-based surgical Maze-III and Maze-IV procedures. Likewise, a staged TS/CA hybrid procedure that creates a combination of lesions that adhere to the concept of a Maze pattern, that is, a Hybrid Maze-IV procedure, should be more effective for LSPAF. Results Initial TS includes all lesions of the Maze-IV procedure except the mitral line, coronary sinus lesion, and one right atrial lesion. Follow-up CA at 3 months includes touching up any incomplete TS lesions, a cavotricuspid isthmus lesion, and a mitral line/coronary sinus lesion in the 10% to 15% of patients with post-TS perimitral flutter. This combination of TS and CA lesions creates a complete Maze-IV procedure. Conclusions It is possible to create the complete lesion pattern of a Maze-IV procedure with a staged TS/CA hybrid procedure. The success of this Hybrid Maze procedure in patients with LSPAF should be the same as that attained with an open surgical Maze-IV procedure.

Background There is concern that the right atrial lesions of the maze procedure lead to more permanent pacemakers postoperatively and that they provide little therapeutic advantage over left atrial lesions alone. Methods A discussion of the pertinent anatomy related to atrial fibrillation and the performance of the maze procedure, the potential ways that the specialized conduction system could theoretically be damaged by the procedure, non–procedure-related causes for increased postoperative pacemaker requirements, and the basis for the efficacy of the right atrial lesions of the maze procedure are presented. Several factors that can lead to a dysfunctional sinoatrial node preoperatively in patients with atrial fibrillation are also discussed. Results The reasons new permanent pacemakers are required after a maze procedure include the high success rates of the surgery with subsequent unmasking of preoperative sick sinus syndrome, excessive extracardiac dissection that damages the autonomic nerve input to the heart, premature pacemaker implantation for a temporary junctional rhythm immediately postoperatively, surgical error, and patient selection. Conclusions There are numerous reasons why patients need new pacemakers after a maze procedure, but the right atrial lesions of the procedure rarely, if ever, are the cause.

The initial surgical attempts to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) were isolation procedures designed to confine the arrhythmia to a specific area of the heart for relief of symptoms. The first surgical attempt to ablate AF was unsuccessful but was quickly followed by the Maze-I procedure on September 25, 1987. Because of several adverse sequelae of the Maze-I procedure, it was sequentially modified to the Maze-II and then Maze-III procedures. The Maze-IV procedure was introduced some 10 years later; these are the only 4 procedures that adhere to the concept of a maze pattern of lesions to ablate AF and leave both atria capable of being activated during normal sinus rhythm. The term maze procedure has become generic for virtually any operation designed to treat AF, but procedures that do not adhere to the concept of creating lesions of conduction block in the pattern of a maze are not maze procedures. These include, among others, the Wolf Mini-Maze, the Left-Sided Maze, and the 5-Box Maze, none of which are truly based on the maze-pattern concept. The cardinal feature of maze procedures that is necessary for both effectiveness and comparability to classical maze procedures includes lines of conduction block that preclude macro-reentry anywhere in either atrium while leaving both atria capable of activation by a sinus-generated impulse. Components essential to achieving this include appropriate lesions in both atria, the absence of gaps that allow electrical activity to bypass an intended line of block, and the absence of alternate pathways by which impulses can reach the intended maze exit.

Background Women and men have different perioperative hemodynamics, adverse event rates, and pump thrombosis-related mortality following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. However, gender differences in the subsequent development of right ventricular (RV) failure are not well defined. We evaluated the impact of gender on RV failure following LVAD implantation by speckle-tracking analysis of pre- and postoperative echocardiograms (echo). Methods Pre- and post-operative clinical, echo, and hemodynamic parameters were recorded in patients receiving LVADs from 2008-2018. Retrospectively, a subgroup of 74 women and 74 men were propensity score-matched 1:1 and chi square, t-tests, nonparametric tests, regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to compare event rates. RV free-wall longitudinal strain (RV-FLS) and RV Fractional Area Change (RV-FAC) were calculated retrospectively using speckle-tracking, Tomtec Arena. All echo and RV strain measurements were blinded to gender outcomes. Results Preoperative hemodynamic parameters were not different between the two groups. However, women were more likely to have non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (81% vs 65%; p Conclusions RV strain analysis tracks standard hemodynamic and echo parameters and does not add to the assessment of RV function in women and men undergoing LVAD implantation.

Purpose Pre- and post-operative RV function were analyzed by echocardiography, including RV longitudinal strain in 80 patients with moderate or higher pre-implant TR to evaluate the impact of concomitant tricuspid valve repair during LVAD implantation on post-operative RV function. Methods Between 2008 and 2017, 100 patients with moderate (Mod), moderate-severe (M/S), or severe (Sev) TR underwent LVAD implantation at our institution. Forty-four (44) patients had concomitant TV repair (TVR) and 56 did not have TV repair (No-TVR). Preoperative and postoperative clinical, echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters were recorded in 80 of the patients and included right ventricular (RV) freewall longitudinal strain (FLS) and RV Fractional Area Change (FAC) calculated retrospectively using speckle-tracking echocardiography. Results Preoperatively, 41% of patients in the TVR group and 77% in the No-TVR group had Mod TR (p Conclusion RV strain analysis tracks hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters and does not add to the assessment of RV function in patients undergoing LVAD implantation with or without TVR. Repairing moderate TV regurgitation at the time of LVAD implantation is not associated with improved outcomes and emphasizes the need for a definitive prospective trial.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) can be performed under general anesthesia (GA), during monitored anesthesia care (MAC) with an anesthesiologist present, or using the “minimalist approach” with no anesthesiologist present. This study compared the outcomes of performing TAVR using

To evaluate the effect of myocardial fibrosis on the left ventricular (LV) remodeling, left and right ventricular (RV) function and prognosis in patients with acquired heart disease using contrast MRI and 2D Speckle tracking. 28 patients (pts) with aortal and mitral valve disease were included: 14