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Background. The Ross operation was first proposed in 1967 by D. Ross, and numerous studies have shown that it has excellent long-term results. However, in some patients, it can lead to late dilatation of the pulmonary autograft, which in turn can contribute to repeat operations. To avoid this complication, technical modifications of the Ross operation have been proposed.Aim. To evaluate the immediate and five-year outcomes of the modified Ross surgery in adults.Methods. This retrospective study included patients aged 18 years and older with aortic valve lesions who underwent a modified Ross procedure by one surgeon between January 2014 and December 2019. The median follow-up period was 23 (12–68) months.Results. The study included 43 adult patients. The average age of the patients was 40.0 ± 11.7 years, and 33 (76.7%) were men. The main cause of aortic valve dysfunction was severe aortic regurgitation (32 patients, 74.4%). Infective endocarditis was diagnosed as a cause of aortic valve pathology in 13 (30.2%) patients. Bicuspid aortic valve was present in 29 cases (67.4%). In two cases (4.7%), mini-sternotomy (‘T-shape’) was performed. Ten (23.2%) patients underwent combined interventions. The median duration of cardiopulmonary bypass was 143 (129–160) minutes, and duration of aortic cross-clamp was 116 (109–131) minutes. The autologous inclusion technique was used in 22 (51.2%) cases and the Dacron inclusion technique in 21 (48.8%) cases. Outcomes included no in-hospital mortality, acute renal failure requiring haemodialysis in three patients (7%), pacemaker implantation in two (4.7%), resternotomy for bleeding and stroke in one patient (2.3%) and perioperative myocardial injury in two (4.7%). The five-year overall survival, freedom from reoperation and freedom from dilatation of the ascending aorta or pulmonary autograft ≥ 5 cm after the modified Ross operation were 97.4%, 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively.Conclusion. Modified Ross surgery in adults has excellent immediate outcomes with no in-hospital mortality. The five-year overall survival, freedom from reoperation and freedom from aortic dilatation or pulmonary autograft were 97.4%, 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively.Received 15 February 2021. Revised 3 June 2021. Accepted 4 June 2021.Funding: The study did not have sponsorship.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interests.Contribution of the authorsConception and study design: I.I. Chernov, S.T. Enginoev, D.A. Kondratyev, D.Yu. KozminData collection and analysis: E.R. Aliev, V.V. Demetskaya, D.A. Kondratyev, D.Yu. KozminStatistical analysis: S.T. EnginoevDrafting the article: I.I. Chernov, S.T. EnginoevCritical revision of the article: I.I. Chernov, D.G. TarasovFinal approval of the version to be published: I.I. Chernov, S.T. Enginoev, D.A. Kondratyev, D.Yu. Kozmin, V.V. Demetskaya, E.R. Aliev, D.G. Tarasov

Introduction Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) techniques are increasingly being adopted into clinical routine for various risk groups. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is seen in up to 75% of patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) presenting with typical angina pectoris. Due to high mortality rates and procedural complications in these patients, a hybrid concept of simultaneous transaortic TAVI and off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) can be a feasible treatment option. Methods Between April 2014 and July 2020, 10 consecutive high-risk patients underwent concomitant transaortic TAVI and OPCAB at our institution. All indications were discussed in Heart Team and decisions were made based on patients' comorbidities and complexity of CAD. The study endpoints were 30-day mortality, device success, and development of postoperative adverse events defined by the Valve Academic Research Consorium. Results The mean age of the patients was 77.9 ± 7.1 years old. All patients presented with multiple comorbidities (mean logistic EuroSCORE 26.5 ± 12.3%, median EuroSCORE II 5.13% [interquartile range 4.2-9.5], mean STS-Score 6.04 ± 1.6%). Five patients (50%) presented with porcelain aorta. No conversion to conventional procedures was needed. 30-day mortality occurred in one patient (10%). Complete revascularization was achieved in seven (70%) of the patients. Device success rate was 100%. No paravalvular leakage was detected. No stroke, myocardial infarction or vascular complications were observed. Conclusions A hybrid approach combining transaortic TAVI and OPCAB might be a safe and feasible method of treatment in high-risk patients presenting with severe AS and CAD who are not eligible for conventional surgical or interventional solutions.

Background: Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and small aortic annulus (SAA) who undergo surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) are more likely to receive smaller prostheses, predisposing them to prosthesis patient-mismatch (PPM). Since the Ozaki Procedure (aortic valve neocuspidization–AVNeo) has proved promising, we aimed to assess its immediate results in this scenario. Methods: AVNeo was performed in 106 consecutive patients from January 2017 to March 2019 at three centers. The records were prospectively collected and reviewed retrospectively. Most of the patients were older than 60 years and 97.2% had AS. Preoperative echocardiography showed average peak pressure gradient of 64.9±20.7mmHg and mean pressure gradient of 46.0±12.2mm Hg for patients with AS and an annular diameter of 19.8±1.1mm for all patients. EOA and iEOA averaged 0.7±0.2 cm2 and 0.4±0.2cm2/m2 before surgery, respectively. Results: There was no conversion to SAVR. Four patients needed reoperation for bleeding, but none needed reoperation due to early infective endocarditis. Median intensive care unit and hospital length of stay were 1.5±1.2 and 13.7± 5.1 days, respectively. There were 2 in-hospital deaths due to non-cardiac causes. Postoperative peak pressure gradient averaged 11.8±5.9mmHg and mean pressure gradient averaged 7.3±3.5mmHg, which means statistically significant average decreases of 58.1 and 38.7 mmHg, respectively. Postoperative EOA and iEOA averaged 2.5±0.4cm2 and 1.3±0.3cm2/m2, which means statistically significant average increases of 1.8cm2 and 0.9cm2/m2, respectively. Conclusions: AVNeo is feasible and reproducible with good immediate results. Our findings show that AVNeo produces immediate postoperative low-pressure gradients, larger EOA and minimal regurgitation of the aortic valve. CA extern

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) after off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting surgery.METHODS: A total of 8,442 patients undergoing OPCAB from April 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 956 were eventually enrolled on this study based on our exclusion criteria. All subjects were divided into two groups: group 1 (n=63) - DSWI; group 2 (n=893) - without DSWI. Patients were excluded if they had one of the following: acute coronary syndrome, conversion to OPCAB grafting surgery, redo procedure, concomitant cardiac surgery procedures.RESULTS: The prevalence of body mass index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m2 (7.9% vs. 1.9%, respectively; P=0.01), lower extremity atherosclerotic artery disease (23.8% vs. 7.2%, respectively; P=0.001) and use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (19.5% vs. 2.5%, respectively; P=0.008) was significantly higher in patients with DSWI. The incidence of morbidities, including reoperation for bleeding (26.4% vs. 2.1%, respectively; PCONCLUSIONS: A BMI of >40 kg/m2, lower extremity artery disease, use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) graft, postoperative stroke, sepsis, reoperation due to postoperative complications and blood product requirement significantly increased the risk of sternal infection after OPCAB.

BACKGROUND Aortic root and ascending aortic aneurysms are traditionally surgically treated through the deployment of a conduit with an artificial aortic valve, which significantly increases the risk of postoperative complications in the form of thrombosis. MATERIALS & METHODS We report a case of Wolfe procedure in a 78-year-old female patient with aortic root aneurysm at high risk for conventional Bentall surgery. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION We use this case to discuss the effectiveness and short-term results of this procedure.

Objective The main purpose of this article is to evaluate an impact of epicardial ligation of the left atrial appendage (LAA) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) on the development of ischemic stroke and mortality. Methods From 2009 to 2013, a total of 125 patients (86.4% men, mean age 64 ± 7 years, 95% confidence interval: 61–65 years) received a combined OPCAB and LAA ligation because of coronary artery disease and AF. All the subjects were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 57)—LAA ligation during OPCAB, group 2 (n = 68) without LAA ligation during OPCAB. Primary endpoints were postoperative incidence of ischemic stroke and mortality. Results No difference in the number of ischemic stroke (0 vs. 5.9%) and death (0 vs. 4.4%) in both groups during the hospital period (p > 0.05). Median overall follow-up was 41 (22–61) months: without difference for groups (p > 0.05). During follow-up, there was a difference in the number of ischemic stroke (0 vs. 17.6%, p 0.05). Conclusion Epicardial ligation of LAA during OPCAB in patients with AF may reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in long-term follow-up and does not affect the mortality.

Background: To investigate whether preoperative short-term extracorporeal life support therapy in patients undergoing continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation has an impact on the outcome regarding survival and adverse events. Methods: Between January 2011 and May 2018, 100 consecutive patients received HeartMate II, HeartWare, or HeartMate III for end-stage heart failure. Mean age was 64.2 ± 10.3 years. Three patient groups were identified: without preoperative extracorporeal life support (non-extracorporeal life support group, n = 80), with preoperative extracorporeal life support due to postcardiotomy shock after conventional cardiac surgery (postcardiotomy shock group, n = 9), and with preoperative extracorporeal life support without previous surgery (non-postcardiotomy shock group, n = 11). The primary endpoint was overall survival after device implantation. Secondary endpoints were adverse events during the follow-up period. Results: Survival was significantly different between the groups (p Conclusion: Continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation with prior extracorporeal life support appears to have a worse outcome regarding survival, right heart failure, renal and respiratory dysfunction (p

Objective: To determine the feasibility of aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo) with glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium. Methods: One hundred and seventy (170) AVNeo (84 males/86 females) were performed from January 2017 through March 2019 in three centers. All the records were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed. Results: Most of the patients were older than 60 years and over 95% were operated for aortic stenosis. Preoperatively, pressure gradients were 69.9±21.3 mmHg for patients with aortic stenosis, and the surgical annular diameter was 21.0±2.0 mm for all patients. Effective orifice area (EOA) and indexed EOA (iEOA) averaged 0.7±0.3 cm2 and 0.4±0.2 cm2/m2 for patients with aortic stenosis before surgery, respectively. There was no conversion to prosthetic aortic valve replacement. Eight patients needed reoperation for bleeding, but no patient needed reoperation due to early infective endocarditis. There were five in-hospital deaths due to noncardiac cause. Compared to preoperative echocardiographic measurements, postoperative peak pressure gradient decreased significantly (-58.7±1.7 mmHg; P mild). Conclusion: AVNeo is feasible and reproducible with good clinical results. Hemodynamically, AVNeo produces immediate postoperative low-pressure gradients, large EOA, and minimal regurgitation of the aortic valve. Further studies are necessary to evaluate mid- and long-term evolution.

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to compare results off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) combined mitral valve reconstruction (MVR) with standard on-pump approach. METHODS From January 2014 to December 2017, a total of 53 patients received a combined myocardial revascularization and MVR for multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) complicated by severe ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). All the subjects were divided into two groups: group I: 27 patients, received OPCAB + MVR, and group II (control group): 26 patients with on-pump myocardial revascularization (ONCAB) + MVR. RESULTS The aortic cross-clamp (ACC) and cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) times were longer in group II, 47.0 (44.0; 55.0) vs 94.5 (89.75; 105.5) minutes, P

Objective: To compare the in-hospital outcomes of a right-sided anterolateral minithoracotomy with those of median sternotomy in patients who received a mitral valve replacement (MVR) because of rheumatic mitral valve stenosis (RMS). Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 128 patients (34% male) with RMS between 2011 and 2015. The median age was 53 years (45; 56). The mean ejection fraction was 58.4±6.3%. All the subjects were divided into two groups - Group 1 contained 78 patients who underwent MVR via minithoracotomy (MT-MVR), while Group 2 contained 50 patients who underwent MVR via median sternotomy (S-MVR). Results: In the MT-MVR group, a mechanical prosthesis was implanted in 72% of cases, while it was implanted in 90% of cases in the S-MVR group (P=0.01). The duration of myocardial ischemia was similar (MT-MVR, 77±24 min; S-MVR, 70±18 min) (P=0.09). However, the cardiopulmonary bypass time was lower in the S-MVR group than in the MT-MVR group (99±24 min and 119±34 min, respectively) (P≤0.001). There was no difference in the duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit stay, and hospitalization period. Postoperative blood loss was lower in the MT-MVR group (P≤0.001) than in the S-MVR group. There are no statistically significant differences in postoperative complications (superficial wound infection, stroke, delirium, pericardial tamponade, pleural puncture, acute kidney insufficiency, and implantation of pacemaker). The overall in-hospital mortality was 3.9% (P=0.6) Conclusion: The minimally invasive approach for RMS is feasible and has an excellent cosmetic effect without increasing the risk of surgical complications.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) for mitral valve repair (MVRp) has been increasingly used. This study aimed to evaluate the early and late results of MICS for MVRp vs conventional sternotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A systematic review of randomized controlled trials or observational studies (with matched populations) comparing MICS and conventional MVRp reporting any of the following outcomes: mortality, MVRp failure, complications, blood transfusion, readmission within 30 days after discharge, long-term reoperation for mitral regurgitation, operative times, mechanical ventilation time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, or hospital stay. The pooled treatment effects were calculated using a random-effects model. RESULTS Ten studies involving 6792 patients (MICS: 3396 patients; Conventional: 3296 patients) met the eligibility criteria. In the pooled analysis, MICS significantly reduced the risk for blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR], 0.654; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.462-0.928; P = .017) and readmission within 30 days after discharge (OR, 0.615; 95% 0.456-0.829; P = .001). MICS was associated with a significantly longer cross-clamp time (mean difference 14 minutes; 95% CI, 7.4-21 minutes; P

In aortic valve disease cases, prosthetic valves have been used for valve replacement, however, these prostheses have inherent problems, and their quality in some countries is lower comparing to new-generation models, causing shorter durability. Aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo) has emerged as an option, which can be applied to a wide spectrum of these diseases. Despite the promising results, this procedure is not widely spread among cardiac surgeons yet. We developed a surgical technique combining Bentall and Ozaki procedures to treat patients with concomitant ascending aorta replacement and AVNeo and we describe it in this paper. The Russian conduit – combination of Bentall and Ozaki procedures.

In cases of aortic valve disease, prosthetic valves have been increasingly used for valve replacement, however, there are inherent problems with prostheses, and their quality in the so-called Third World countries is lower in comparison to new-generation models, which leads to shorter durability. Recently, transcatheter aortic valve replacement has been explored as a less invasive option for patients with high-risk surgical profile. In this scenario, aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo) has emerged as another option, which can be applied to a wide spectrum of aortic valve diseases. Despite the promising results, this procedure is not widely spread among cardiac surgeons yet. Spurred on by the last publications, we went on to write an overview of the current practice of state-of-the-art AVNeo and its results.