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Objective Data on patients requiring a second run of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support in patients affected by postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCS) are very limited. The authors aimed to investigate the effect of a second run of VA-ECMO on PCS patient survival. Design Retrospective analysis of an international registry. Setting Multicenter study, tertiary university hospitals. Participants Data on adult PCS patients receiving a second run of VA-ECMO. Measurements and Main Results A total of 674 patients with a mean age of 62.9 ± 12.7 years were analyzed, and 21 (3.1%) patients had a second run of VA-ECMO. None of them required more than two VA-ECMO runs. The median duration of VA-ECMO therapy was 135 hours (interquartile range [IQR] 61-226) in patients who did not require a VA-ECMO rerun. In the rerun VA-ECMO group the median overall duration of VA-ECMO therapy was 183 hours (IQR 107-344), and the median duration of the first run was 114 hours (IQR 66-169). Nine (42.9%) of the patients who required a second run of VA-ECMO died during VA-ECMO therapy, whereas five (23.8%) survived to hospital discharge. No differences between patients treated with single or second VA-ECMO runs were observed in terms of hospital mortality and late survival. In patients requiring a second VA-ECMO run, the actuarial survival estimates at three and 12 months after VA-ECMO weaning were 23.8% ± 9.3% and 19.6% ± 6.4%, respectively. Conclusions Repeat VA-ECMO therapy is a valid treatment strategy for PCS patients. Early and late survivals are similar between patients who have undergone a single or second run of VA-ECMO.

Objectives: The authors evaluated the outcome of adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Design: Multicenter retrospective, observational study. Setting: Ten tertiary referral university and community hospitals. Participants: Patients with confirmed severe COVID-19-related ARDS. Interventions: Venovenous or venoarterial ECMO. Measurements and Main Results: One hundred thirty-two patients (mean age 51.1 +/- 9.7 years, female 17.4%) were treated with ECMO for confirmed severe COVID-19-related ARDS. Before ECMO, the mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 10.1 +/- 4.4, mean pH was 7.23 +/- 0.09, and mean PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio was 77 +/- 50 mmHg. Venovenous ECMO was adopted in 122 patients (92.4%) and venoarterial ECMO in ten patients (7.6%) (mean duration, 14.6 +/- 11.0 days). Sixty-three (47.7%) patients died on ECMO and 70 (53.0%) during the index hospitalization. Six-month all-cause mortality was 53.0%. Advanced age (per year, hazard ratio [HR] 1.026, 95% CI 1.000-1-052) and low arterial pH (per unit, HR 0.006, 95% CI 0.000-0.083) before ECMO were the only baseline variables associated with increased risk of six-month mortality. Conclusions: The present findings suggested that about half of adult patients with severe COVID-19 -related ARDS can be managed successfully with ECMO with sustained results at six months. Decreased arterial pH before ECMO was associated significantly with early mortality. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that initiation of ECMO therapy before severe metabolic derangements subset may improve survival rates significantly in these patients. These results should be viewed in the light of a strict patient selection policy and may not be replicated in patients with advanced age or multiple comorbidities. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Introduction Postcardiotomy veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A-ECMO) is associated with significant mortality. Identification of patients at very high risk for death is elusive and the decision to initiate V-A-ECMO is based on clinical judgment. The prognostic impact of pre-V-A-ECMO arterial lactate level in these critically ill patients has been herein evaluated. Methods A systematic review was conducted to identify studies on postcardiotomy VA-ECMO for the present individual patient data meta-analysis. Results Overall, 1269 patients selected from 10 studies were included in this analysis. Arterial lactate level at V-A-ECMO initiation was increased in patients who died during the index hospitalization compared to those who survived (9.3 vs 6.6 mmol/L, p < 0.0001). Accordingly, in hospital mortality increased along quintiles of pre-V-A-ECMO arterial lactate level (quintiles: 1, 54.9%; 2, 54.9%; 3, 67.3%; 4, 74.2%; 5, 82.2%, p < 0.0001). The best cut-off for arterial lactate was 6.8 mmol/L (in-hospital mortality, 76.7% vs. 55.7%, p < 0.0001). Multivariable multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression model including arterial lactate level significantly increased the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (0.731, 95% CI 0.702–0.760 vs 0.679, 95% CI 0.648–0.711, DeLong test p < 0.0001). Classification and regression tree analysis showed the in-hospital mortality was 85.2% in patients aged more than 70 years with pre-V-A-ECMO arterial lactate level ≥6.8 mmol/L. Conclusions Among patients requiring postcardiotomy V-A-ECMO, hyperlactatemia was associated with a marked increase of in-hospital mortality. Arterial lactate may be useful in guiding the decision-making process and the timing of initiation of postcardiotomy V-A-ECMO.

OBJECTIVES Our goal was to study the immediate outcome after an emergency frozen elephant trunk procedure with a Thoraflex™ Hybrid prosthesis (THP) in patients included in the EPI-Flex national registry and operated on in 21 French centres. METHODS All patients operated on in France between April 2016 and April 2019 for acute aortic syndromes and who had an frozen elephant trunk procedure with a THP were included in the study. The main end point was in-hospital mortality. The secondary end point was neuromorbidity, including paraplegia. The evolution of the main end point was monitored using a variable life-adjusted display graph with cumulative sum derivatives in order to stop inclusions in case the observed mortality became out of range compared to an expected mortality between 15% and 20%. RESULTS Enrolment ended on the scheduled date and included 109 patients. Most cases (54%) were performed at 3 centres, where more than 10 THP each were implanted (10–26). The observed mortality in the large-volume centres (22%) was comparable to that observed in the low-volume centres (20%). The individually risk-adjusted cumulative sum revealed that observed in-hospital mortality was statistically in line with that predicted by the log EuroSCORE. Analysis of the secondary end point revealed 8% cases of paraplegia, all of which appeared after treatment of the thoracic type A aortic dissection. CONCLUSIONS In France, THP for emergency frozen elephant trunk surgery outside high-volume centres did not result in excessive in-hospital deaths. However, a word of caution must be expressed regarding the prevention of medullar ischaemia even in emergency aortic surgery.

Background: Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafting largely is underutilized in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), partly because of the perceived increased complexity of the procedure. Aims: In this study, we evaluated whether BIMA grafting can safely be performed also in centers, where this revascularization strategy infrequently is adopted. Methods: Out of 6,783 patients from the prospective multicenter E-CABG study, who underwent isolated non-emergent CABG from January 2015 to December 2016, 2,457 underwent BIMA grafting and their outcome was evaluated in this analysis. Results: The mean number of BIMA grafting per center was 82 cases/year and hospitals were defined as high or low volume, according to this cutoff value. Six hospitals were considered as centers with a high volume of BIMA grafting (no. of procedures ranging from 120 to 267/year; overall: 2,156; prevalence: 62.2%) and nine hospitals as centers with a low volume of BIMA grafting (no. of procedures ranging from 2 to 39/year; overall: 301; prevalence: 9.1%). Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis showed that the low- and high-volume cohorts had similar outcomes. Propensity score one-to-one matching analysis of 292 pairs showed that the low-volume cohort had a significantly shorter intensive care unit stay (2.2 ± 2.3 versus 2.9 ± 4.8 days, P = .020). The rates of in-hospital death (1.0% versus 0.3%, P = .625), deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis (3.8% versus 3.1%, P = .824), and 1-year survival (98.1% versus 99.7%, P = .180) as well as other outcomes were similar between the high- and low-volume cohorts. Conclusions: BIMA grafting can be safely performed also in centers in which this revascularization strategy is infrequently performed.

OBJECTIVES This study aims to investigate the incidence and determinants of major early adverse events in low-risk patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS The multicentre E-CABG registry included 7352 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG from January 2015 to December 2016. Patients with an European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II of RESULTS Out of 2397 low-risk patients, 11 (0.46%) died during the index hospitalization or within 30 days from surgery. Five deaths were cardiac related, 4 of which were secondary to technical failures. We estimated that 8 out of 11 deaths were potentially preventable. Logistic regression model identified porcelain aorta [odds ratio (OR) 34.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–346.3] and E-CABG bleeding grades 2–3 (OR 30.2, 95% CI 8.3–112.9) as independent predictors of hospital death. CONCLUSIONS Mortality and major complications, although infrequently, do occur even in low-risk patients undergoing CABG. Identification of modifiable causes of postoperative adverse events may be useful to develop preventative strategies to improve the quality of care of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Clinical Trial Registration NCT02319083 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02319083).

Objective There is a paucity of sex-specific data on patients’ postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). The present study sought to assess this issue in a multicenter study. Design Retrospective, propensity score–matched analysis of an international registry. Setting Multicenter study, tertiary university hospitals. Participants Data on adult patients undergoing postcardiotomy VA-ECMO. Measurements and Main Results Between January 2010 and March 2018, patients treated with postcardiotomy VA-ECMO at 17 cardiac surgery centers were analyzed. Index procedures considered were coronary artery bypass graft surgery, isolated valve surgery, their combination, and proximal aortic root surgery. Hospital and five-year mortality constituted the endpoints of interest. Propensity score matching was adopted with logistic regression. A total of 358 patients (mean age: 63.3 ± 12.3 years; 29.6% female) were identified. Among 94 propensity score–matched pairs, women had a higher hospital mortality (70.5% v 56.4%, p = 0.049) compared with men. Logistic regression analysis showed that women (odds ratio [OR], 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-3.16), age (OR, 1.06; 95%CI 1.04-1.08) and pre-ECMO arterial lactate (OR, 1.09; 95%CI 1.04-1.16) were independent predictors of hospital mortality. No differences between female and male patients were observed for other outcomes. Among propensity score–matched pairs, one-, three-, and five-year mortality were 60.6%, 65.0%, and 65.0% among men, and 71.3%, 71.3%, and 74.0% among women, respectively (p = 0.110, adjusted hazard ratio, 1.27; 95%CI 0.96-1.66). Conclusions In postcardiotomy VA-ECMO, female patients demonstrated higher hospital mortality than men. Morbidity and late mortality were similar between the two groups.

Background: Postoperative bleeding after cardiac surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We tested the hypothesis that patients with a preoperatively estimated high risk of severe perioperative bleeding may have impaired early outcome after on-pump versus off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Method: Data from 7,352 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG from January 2015 to May 2017 were included in the multicentre European Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting registry. The postoperative bleeding risk was estimated using the WILL-BLEED risk score. Of all included patients, 3,548 had an increased risk of severe perioperative bleeding (defined as a WILL-BLEED score ≥4) and were the subjects of this analysis. We compared the early outcomes between patients who underwent on-pump or off-pump CABG using a multivariate mixed model for risk-adjusted analysis. Results: Off-pump surgery was performed in 721 patients (20.3%). On-pump patients received more packed red blood cell units (on-pump: 1.41 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.99–1.86]; off-pump: 0.86 [95% CI, 0.64–1.08]; p

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) without cardiopulmonary bypass and minimal or no aortic manipulation may be associated with a lower risk of neurological complications. We investigated this issue in patients with a high risk of perioperative stroke. Methods: Data on 7352 patients who underwent isolated CABG from January 2015 to May 2017 were included in the multicenter study E-CABG (European Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) registry. Of these, 684 patients had an increased risk of neurological complications, ie, previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, severe carotid artery stenosis or occlusion, or previous carotid artery intervention. In this subgroup, we analyzed the rates of the combined primary endpoint comprising any postoperative stroke or transient ischemic attack. A comparative analysis between CABG with and without aortic cross-clamping was performed. Results: The primary endpoint was more often reached when aortic cross-clamping was used (propensity score matching, without vs with aortic cross-clamp: 0.9% vs 7.2%; P = .016). In comparison with all other revascularization techniques, off-pump CABG with avoidance of aortic manipulation was associated with the lowest rate of neurological complications (0.7%). Conclusions: In patients with increased risk of perioperative stroke, aortic manipulation including the use of cardiopulmonary bypass or partial clamping for central anastomoses is associated with higher rates of postoperative neurological complications. These patients may benefit from off-pump surgery without aortic manipulation if complete revascularization can be ensured.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of surgeon experience and centre volume on early operative outcomes in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. Method: Of 7,352 patients in the European Multicenter Study on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) registry, 1,549 underwent OPCAB and were included in the present analysis. Using adjusted regression analysis, we compared major early adverse events after procedures performed by experienced OPCAB surgeons (i.e., ≥20 cases per year; n=1,201) to those performed by non-OPCAB surgeons (n=348). Furthermore, the same end points were compared between procedures performed by OPCAB surgeons in high OPCAB volume centres (off-pump technique used in >50% of cases; n=894) and low OPCAB volume centres (n=307). Results: In the experienced OPCAB surgeon group, we observed shorter procedure times (β -43.858, 95% confidence interval [CI] -53.322 to -34.393; p

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s) Objectives: To compare the outcomes of patients with postcardiotomy shock treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) only compared with VA-ECMO and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). Design: A retrospective multicenter registry study. Setting: At 19 cardiac surgery units. Participants: A total of 615 adult patients who required VA-ECMO from 2010 to 2018. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on whether they received VA-ECMO only (ECMO only group) or VA-ECMO plus IABP (ECMO-IABP group). Measurements and Main Results: The overall series mean age was 63 +/- 13 years, and 33% were female. The ECMO-only group included 499 patients, and 116 patients were in the ECMO-IABP group. Urgent and/or emergent procedures were more common in the ECMO-only group. Central cannulation was performed in 47% (n = 54) in the ECMO-IABP group compared to 27% (n = 132) in the ECMO-only group. In the ECMOIABP group, 58% (n = 67) were successfully weaned from ECMO, compared to 46% (n = 231) in the ECMO-only group (p = 0.026). However, inhospital mortality was 63% in the ECMO-IABP group compared to 65% in the ECMO-only group (p = 0.66). Among 114 propensity score-matched pairs, ECMO-IABP group had comparable weaning rates (57% v 53%, p = 0.51) and in-hospital mortality (64% v 58%, p = 0.78). Conclusions: This multicenter study showed that adjunctive IABP did not translate into better outcomes in patients treated with VA-ECMO for postcardiotomy shock. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.

Background: It is unclear whether peripheral arterial cannulation is superior to central arterial cannulation for postcardiotomy veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar to identify studies on postcardiotomy VA-ECMO for the present individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis. Analysis was performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Results: The investigators of 10 studies agreed to participate in the present IPD meta-analysis. Overall, 1269 patients were included in the analysis. Crude rates of in-hospital mortality after central versus peripheral arterial cannulation for VA-ECMO were 70.7% vs. 63.7%, respectively (adjusted OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.08–1.75). Propensity score matching yielded 538 pairs of patients with balanced baseline characteristics and operative variables. Among these matched cohorts, central arterial cannulation VA-ECMO was associated with significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to peripheral arterial cannulation VA-ECMO (64.5% vs. 70.8%, p = 0.027). These findings were confirmed by aggregate data meta-analysis, which showed that central arterial cannulation was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality compared to peripheral arterial cannulation (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.04–1.76, I2 21%). Conclusions: Among patients requiring postcardiotomy VA-ECMO, central arterial cannulation was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality compared to peripheral arterial cannulation. This increased risk is of limited magnitude, and further studies are needed to confirm the present findings and to identify the mechanisms underlying the potential beneficial effects of peripheral VA-ECMO.

Summary The antiplatelet agent ticagrelor has recently been found to have bactericidal activity, demonstrated in vitro and in an in vivo mouse model, which warrants further clinical investigations. The aim of this study was to evaluate infectious complications after coronary artery bypass grafting in patients pre-operatively treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel. In a multi-centre trial, all adult patients who were pre-operatively treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel prior to isolated primary coronary artery bypass grafting were eligible. Propensity score matching was used. Outcome measures were any sternal wound infection, deep sternal wound infection, and any in-hospital use of postoperative antibiotics. Of 2311 patients who were included, 1293 (55.9%) received clopidogrel and 1018 (44.1%) ticagrelor pre-operatively. In both overall and propensity score matched analyses, ticagrelor was associated with a similar incidence of infectious complications compared to clopidogrel. Our findings do not support a clinically relevant bactericidal effect of ticagrelor in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Sternal wound infection (SWI) is a major complication occurring often after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafts. The aim of this study is to assess whether such a risk may be reduced by using incision negative pressure wound therapy (INPWT). Methods: Data on patients undergoing isolated CABG using BIMA grafts at the Reims University Hospital, France, from 2013 to 2016 without or with INPWT was prospectively collected. Results: INPWT was used in 161 patients and conventional sterile wound dressing was used in 266 patients. Propensity score matching resulted in 128 pairs with similar characteristics. SWIs were similarly distributed between the conventional sterile wound dressing (10.9%) and the INPWT cohorts (10.2%) (P = 1.00). Patients treated with INPWT had a lower rate of deep SWI/mediastinitis than patients who had conventional sterile dressing (5.5% versus 10.2%, P = .210), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Tests for interaction confirmed these findings in different patient subgroups. Conclusion: The routine use of INPWT may not significantly reduce the risk of SWI in patients undergoing BIMA grafting. In view of previous reports showing a benefit with the use of this method, a large randomized study is justified to assess the efficacy of INPWT in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objectives: With the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the year of 2020 the number of patients in need ofintensive care medicine increased dramatically in many countries. Several of them developed an acute respiratory distresssyndrome (ARDS) linked to the COVID-19 infection and many required the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO). Methods: We are retrospectively reviewing 141 patients who underwent ECMO for severe COVID-19-related ARDS in amulticenter study at 10 European ECMO centers. Result: A total of 141 patients (67.4% male, median age was 55.4 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 44-67.5) were treatedwith ECMO for confirmed (132) or suspected (9) severe COVID-19-related ARDS. Before ECMO, the median SequentialOrgan Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was 9.0 (IQR: 7.0-11.5), median pH was 7.25 (IQR: 7.20-7.30), and medianPaO /FiO ratio was 70 mm Hg (IQR: 60-77). Venovenous ECMO was provided in 130 patients (92%) and venoarterial ECMO in 11 patients (8%) The median duration ofECMO treatment by now was 11 days, IQR: 7-17). At the time of reporting, 71 confirmed COVID-19 patients (53.8%) arealive, of whom 33 (43.4%) are still in the intensive care unit (9 on ECMO, 24 weaned from ECMO and extubated). Overallmortality so far occurred in 62 patients (46.2%). By now advanced age, low arterial pH, and low platelet count before ECMO were independent risk factors for increasedmortality during the intensive care treatment. Conclusion: Despite a substantial overall mortality of over 40%, approximately half of the patients with severe COVID-19-related ARDS, refractory to conventional treatment, may be successfully managed with ECMO therapy.

Aims Veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCS) after adult cardiac surgery is associated with satisfactory hospital survival. However, data on long-term survival of these critically ill patients are scarce. Methods and results Between January 2010 and March 2018, 665 consecutive patients received VA-ECMO for PCS at 17 cardiac surgery centres and herein we evaluated their 5-year survival. The mean follow-up of this cohort was 1.7 ± 2.7 years (for hospital survivors, 4.6 ± 2.5 years). In this cohort, 240 (36.1%) patients survived to hospital discharge. Five-year survival of all patients was 27.7%. The PC-ECMO score was predictive of 5-year survival in these patients (0 point, 50.9%; 1 point, 44.9%; 2 points, 40.0%; 3 points, 34.7%; 4 points, 21.0%; 5 points, 17.6%; ≥6 points, 10.7%; P 70 years old having a remarkably poor 5-year survival ( Conclusion Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for PCS is associated with satisfactory 5-year survival in young patients without critical pre-ECMO conditions. The use of VA-ECMO for PCS in patients >70 years should be considered only after a judicious scrutiny of patient’s life expectancy. Future studies should evaluate whether satisfactory mid-term survival of these patients translates into a good functional outcome. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov—NCT03508505.

Transcarotid (TC) and transsubclavian (TSc) accesses are increasingly used as alternative approaches for TAVI when the transfemoral (TF) access is not suitable. However, concerns remain about the risk of peri-procedural stroke and long-term outcomes following TC or TSc TAVI. The present study sought to compare early- and long-term outcomes of TC/TSc vs. TF TAVI after propensity-score matching. 260 patients who underwent TAVI through a TF (n=220), TC (n=32) or TSc (n=8) approach at our institution during a 4 years period were identified. A 1:1 matching based on the propensity-score was performed, leading to a population of 40 TF and 40 TC/TSc. Primary endpoints were early complications whereas secondary endpoints were long-term outcomes. There was no difference in the baseline characteristics. At 30-day post-TAVI, there was no difference in mortality and stroke rates between TF and TC/TSc TAVI (5% vs. 5% mortality, p=1.0 and 2 vs. 1 stroke, p=1.0). After a median follow-up of 21 months, the risk of death (p=0.950), stroke (p=0.817) and myocardial infarction (p=0.155) did not differ between the 2 groups. After propensity-score matching, no significant difference in early and long-term outcomes was observed between TF and TSc/TSc TAVI. These findings should encourage Heart-Teams to consider a TC or TSc approach when TF access is not available. Table 1. 30-day and 1-year outcomes according to the arterial access (TF vs. TC/TSc) Variables TF-TAVI (n=40) TC/TSc-TAVI (n=40) p-value 30-day outcomes All-cause mortality 2 (5.0) 2 (5.0) 1.000 All-stroke 2 (5.0) 1 (2.5) 1.000 Life-threatening bleeding 4 (10.0) 1 (2.5) 0.375 Acute kidney injury stage 2 or 3 2 (5.0) 1 (2.5) 1.000 Major vascular complication 6 (15.0) 6 (15.0) 1.000 Coronary obstruction 0 0 – Early safety composite endpoint (VARC-2) 10 (25.0) 8 (20.0) 0.804 1-year outcomes All-cause mortality 6 (15.0) 7 (17.5) 1.000 Cardiovascular mortality 5 (12.5) 3 (7.5) 0.727 Stroke 3 (7.5) 2 (5.0) 1.000 Myocardial infarction 0 (0) 2 (5) 0.500 MACCE 8 (20.0) 9 (22.5) 1.000 Readmission for heart failure 6 (15.0) 2 (5) 0.219 Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Objective: To investigate the frequency, predictors, and outcomes of neurologic injury in adults treated with postcardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (PC-ECMO). Design: A retrospective multicenter registry study. Setting: Twenty-one European institutions where cardiac surgery is performed. Participants: A total of 781 adult patients who required PC-ECMO during 2010 to 2018 were divided into patients with neurologic injury (NI) and patients without neurologic injury (NNI). Measurements and Main Results: Baseline and operative data, in-hospital outcomes, and long-term survival were compared between the NI and the NNI groups. Predictors of neurologic injury were identified. A subgroup analysis according to the type of neurologic injury was performed. Overall, NI occurred in 19% of patients in the overall series, but the proportion of patients with NI ranged from 0% to 65% among the centers. Ischemic stroke occurred in 84 patients and hemorrhagic stroke in 47 patients. Emergency procedure was the sole independent predictor of NI. In-hospital mortality was higher in the NI group than in the NNI group (79% v 61%, p < 0.001). The one-year survival was lower in the NI group (17%) compared with the NNI group (37%). Long-term survival did not differ between patients with ischemic stroke and those with hemorrhagic stroke. Conclusion: Neurologic injury during PC-ECMO is common and associated with a dismal prognosis. There is considerable interinstitutional variation in the proportion of neurologic injury in PC-ECMO-treated adults. Well-known risk factors for stroke are not associated with neurologic injury in this setting. (Less)

Venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCS) in patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is controversial and the available evidence is confined to limited case series. We aimed to evaluate the impact of this salvage therapy in this patient population. Between January 2010 and March 2018, all TAAD patients receiving VA-ECMO for PCS were retrieved from the PC-ECMO registry. Hospital mortality and other secondary outcomes were compared with PCS patients undergoing surgery for other cardiac pathologies and treated with VA-ECMO. Among the 781 patients in the PC-ECMO registry, 62 (7.9%) underwent TAAD repair and required VA-ECMO support for PCS. In-hospital mortality accounted for 46 (74.2%) patients, while 23 (37.1%) were successfully weaned from VAECMO. No significant differences were observed between the TAAD and non-TAAD cohorts with reference to in-hospital mortality (74.2% vs 63.4%, p = 0.089). However, patients in the TAAD group had a higher rate of neurological events (33.9% vs 17.6%, p = 0.002), but similar rates of reoperation for bleeding/tamponade (48.4% vs 41.5%, p = 0.29), transfusion of >= 10 red blood cell units (77.4% vs 69.5%, p = 0.19), new-onset dialysis (56.7% vs 53.1%, p = 0.56), and other secondary outcomes. VA-ECMO provides a valid support for patients affected by PCS after surgery for TAAD. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Background Epiaortic ultrasonography (EAU) is a valid imaging method to detect atherosclerotic changes of the ascending aorta and to guide surgical strategies for the prevention of cerebral embolism in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, its use is not widespread. Methods The impact of EAU on the outcome after isolated CABG was investigated in patients from the European Multicenter Study on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) registry. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was performed to substantiate the findings of this observational study. Results EAU was performed intraoperatively in 673 of 7241 patients (9.3%) from the E-CABG registry. In the overall series, the rates of stroke without and with aortic manipulation were 0.3% and 1.3%, respectively (P = .003). In 660 propensity score–matched pairs, EAU was associated with significantly lower risk of stroke (0.6% vs 2.6%, P = .007). A literature search yielded 5 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria. These studies, along with the present one, included 11,496 patients, of whom 3026 (25.7%) underwent intraoperative EAU. Their rate of postoperative stroke was significantly lower than in patients not investigated with EAU (pooled rate, 0.6% vs 1.9%; risk ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.66; I2 = 0%). On the basis of these pooled rates, the number needed to treat to prevent 1 stroke is 76.9. Conclusions Avoiding aortic manipulation is associated with the lowest risk of stroke in patients undergoing CABG. When manipulation of the ascending aorta is planned, EAU is effective in guiding the surgical strategy to reduce the risk for embolic stroke in these patients.

Objective: To evaluate current results of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) ± coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Design: Independent, multicenter, prospective registry. Setting: Tertiary university hospitals. Participants: The study comprised 1,192 consecutive patients, stratified as low-, intermediate-, and high-risk according to EuroSCORE II ( 9, respectively). Interventions: SAVR ± coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Measurements and Main Results: Thirty-day mortality and major morbidity, 2-year actuarial survival and freedom from stroke, and independent predictors of mortality in each risk category were assessed. These data were considered in light of published randomized controlled trials. Thirty-day mortality was 1.0%, 3.0% and 2.1% in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients, with a 2-year actuarial survival of 98.6%, 93.8%, and 94.0%, respectively. Preoperative atrial fibrillation (odds ratio [OR] 8.3), minithoracotomy access (OR 5.8), postoperative dialysis (OR 3.4), type V acute myocardial infarction (OR 20.4), and moderate aortic regurgitation (OR 28.8) predicted 30-day mortality in the low-risk group. Preoperative dialysis (OR 18.3), critical state (OR 36.7), postoperative transfusions of plasma (OR 1.9 per unit transfused), and de-novo dialysis (OR 6.2) predicted 30-day mortality in the intermediate-risk group. Prior cardiac surgery (OR 18.1), postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (OR 9.8), and gastrointestinal complications (OR 17.2) predicted 30-day mortality in the high-risk group. Although baseline differences existed, low-risk patients demonstrated low 30-day mortality and 30-day to 12-month stroke in light of the PARTNER 3 and EVOLUT Low Risk trial results. Intermediate-risk patients demonstrated low 30-day to 2-year mortality, when the PARTNER 2 trial was considered, and low 30-day to 2-year stroke, when the PARTNER 2 and SURTAVI trials were considered. High-risk patients showed low 30-day to 2-year mortality in light of the results of the PARTNER 1 and CoreValve US trials. Conclusions: SAVR is still a safe and effective surgery for aortic stenosis regardless of risk category.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with early mortality after postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Methods: This is an analysis of the postcardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation registry, a retrospective multicenter cohort study including 781 patients aged more than 18 years who required venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiopulmonary failure after cardiac surgery from 2010 to 2018 at 19 cardiac surgery centers. Results: After a mean venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy of 6.9 ± 6.2 days, hospital and 1–year mortality were 64.4% and 67.2%, respectively. Hospital mortality after venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy for more than 7 days was 60.5% (P = 0.105). Centers that had treated more than 50 patients with postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation had a significantly lower hospital mortality than lower–volume centers (60.7% vs 70.7%, adjusted odds ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.41–0.82). The postcardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation score was derived by assigning a weighted integer to each independent pre–venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation predictors of hospital mortality as follows: female gender (1 point), advanced age (60–69 years, 2 points; ≥70 years, 4 points), prior cardiac surgery (1 point), arterial lactate 6.0 mmol/L or greater before venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (2 points), aortic arch surgery (4 points), and preoperative stroke/unconsciousness (5 points). The hospital mortality rates according to the postcardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation score was 0 point, 45.6%; 1 point, 40.5%; 2 points, 51.1%; 3 points, 57.8%; 4 points, 70.7%; 5 points, 68.3%; 6 points, 77.5%; and 7 points or more, 89.7% (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Age, female gender, prior cardiac surgery, preoperative acute neurologic events, aortic arch surgery, and increased arterial lactate were associated with increased risk of early mortality after postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Center experience with postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may contribute to improved results. PC-ECMO Study Group Collaborators of the PC-ECMO Study Group: Kristiina Pälve, MD, PhD, Vesa Anttila, MD, PhD, MD, Thomas Fux, MD, PhD, Gilles Amr, MD, Nikolaos Kalampokas, MD, Artur Lichtenberg, MD, Anders Jeppsson, MD, PhD, Marco Gabrielli, MD, Daniel Reichart, MD, Sidney Chocron, MD, PhD, Mariafrancesca Fiorentino, MD, Ugolino Livi, MD, Ivan Netuka, MD, Dieter De Keyzer, MD, Krister Mogianos, MD, Zein El Dean, MRCS, LLM, Angelo M. Dell’Aquila, MD, Nicla Settembre, MD, PhD, and Stefano Rosato, MSc.

Background We hypothesized that cannulation strategy in venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) could play a crucial role in the perioperative survival of patients affected by postcardiotomy shock. Methods Between January 2010 and March 2018, 781 adult patients receiving VA-ECMO for postcardiotomy shock at 19 cardiac surgical centers were retrieved from the Postcardiotomy Veno-arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation study registry. A parallel systematic review and meta-analysis (PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library) through December 2018 was also accomplished. Results Central and peripheral VA-ECMO cannulation were performed in 245 (31.4%) and 536 (68.6%) patients, respectively. Main indications for the institution VA-ECMO were failure to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass (38%) and heart failure following cardiopulmonary bypass weaning (48%). The doubly robust analysis after inverse probability treatment weighting by propensity score demonstrated that central VA-ECMO was associated with greater hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.18), reoperation for bleeding/tamponade (odds ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.37-2.81), and transfusion of more than 9 RBC units (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-3.67). The systematic review provided a total of 2491 individuals with postcardiotomy shock treated with VA-ECMO. Pooled prevalence of in-hospital/30-day mortality in overall patient population was 66.6% (95% confidence interval, 64.7-68.4%), and pooled unadjusted risk ratio analysis confirmed that patients undergoing peripheral VA-ECMO had a lower in-hospital/30-day mortality than patients undergoing central cannulation (risk ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.98). Adjustments for important confounders did not alter our results. Conclusions In patients with postcardiotomy shock treated with VA-ECMO, central cannulation was associated with greater in-hospital mortality than peripheral cannulation.

Aurélie Brunet,1 Yohan N’Guyen,1,* Annick Lefebvre,2,* Anne Poncet,3 Ailsa Robbins,1 Odile Bajolet,2 Yves Saade,3 Vito Giovanni Ruggieri,3,* Sylvain Rubin3,* 1Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology, Robert Debré University Hospital, Reims, France; 2Operational Hygiene Team, Robert Debré University Hospital, Reims, France; 3Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Robert Debré University Hospital, Reims, France*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yohan N’GuyenInternal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology, Robert Debré University Hospital, Avenue du général Koenig, Reims 51092, FranceTel (+33) 3 26 78 94 22Fax (+33) 3 26 78 40 90Email yohan.nguyen@wanadoo.frPurpose: Obesity remains statistically associated with coronary artery disease, for which coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) remains the standard of care. However, obesity is also associated with sternal wound infection (SWI) which is a severe complication of CABG despite advances in surgery and in infection prevention and control. Strategies to reduce the incidence of SWI are still being investigated, and we therefore conducted a retrospective study to revisit factors other than obesity associated with SWI after CABG.Patients and Methods: Data were extracted from the medical records of 182 patients who underwent elective on-pump CABG using one or both pedicled internal mammary artery grafts in Reims University Hospital between May 2015 and May 2016. All preoperative or perioperative variables with a p value< 0.10 in univariate analysis were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model.Results: Among the 182 patients (145 male (79.6%), median age 68.0 [45.0– 87.0] years), 138 (75.8%) underwent CABG using bilateral internal mammary artery grafts. Median BMI was 27.7 [18.7– 50.5] kg/m2, and there were 51 (28.0%) and 79 (43.4%) patients with obesity and overweight, respectively. Twenty-three out of the 182 patients (12.6%) developed SWI. In-hospital mortality was not statistically different between patients with and without SWI but the median length of stay was (6.0 [2.0– 38.0] versus 5.0[3.0– 21.0] days in the intensive care unit, p=0.03, and 26.0 [9.0– 134.0] versus 9.0 [7.0– 51.0] days in hospital, p< 0.0001). Obesity and preoperative anaemia were independently associated with SWI, as was the number of red blood cell (RBC) units transfused (OR 14.61 [2.64– 80.75], OR 4.64 [1.61– 13.34] and OR 1.27 [1.02– 1.58], respectively).Conclusion: The independent association of SWI with the number of RBC units transfused and the existence of preoperative anaemia and obesity suggests a mechanism of thoracic wall ischemia in SWI after CABG, thus leaving insufficient perfusion of the thoracic wall in patients with obesity. Medical strategies are warranted to try to prevent this costly complication.Keywords: obesity, preoperative anaemia, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, internal mammary arteries

Background: Patients with increased glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) seem to be at increased risk of sternal wound infection (SWI) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, it is unclear whether increased baseline HbA1c levels may affect other postoperative outcomes. Material and methods: Data on preoperative levels of HbA1c were collected from 2606 patients undergoing elective isolated CABG from 2015 to 2016 and included in the prospective, multicenter E-CABG registry. Results: The prevalence of HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) among non-diabetics was 5.3%, among non-insulin dependent diabetics was 53.5% and among insulin dependent diabetics was 67.1% (p < 0.001). The prevalence of HbA1c > 75 mmol/mol (9.0%) among non-diabetics was 0.5%, among non-insulin dependent diabetics was 5.8% and among insulin dependent diabetics was 10.6% (p < 0.001). Baseline levels of HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) was a significant predictor of any SWI (10.7% vs. 3.3%, adjusted p-value

Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafting is increasingly used in the elderly without evidence of its risks or benefits compared to single internal mammary artery (SIMA) grafting. Background. Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafting is increasingly used in elderly patients without evidence of its risks or benefits compared with single internal mammary artery (SIMA) grafting.Methods. In all, 2,899 patients aged 70 years or older (855 [29.5%] underwent BIMA grafting) operated on from January 2015 to December 2016 and included in the prospective multicenter Outcome After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) study were considered in this analysis.Results. One-to-one propensity matching resulted in 804 pairs with similar preoperative risk profile. Propensity score matched analysis showed that BIMA grafting was associated with a nonstatistically significant increased risk of inhospital death (2.7% versus 1.6%, p = 0.117). The BIMA grafting cohort had a significantly increased risk of any sternal wound infection (7.7% versus 5.1%, p = 0.031) as well as higher risk of deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis (4.0% versus 2.2%, p = 0.048). The BIMA grafting cohort required more frequently extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (1.0% versus 0.1%, p = 0.02), and the intensive care unit stay (mean 3.6 versus 2.6 days, p < 0.001) and inhospital stay (mean 11.3 versus 10.0 days, p < 0.001) were significantly longer compared with the SIMA grafting cohort. Test for interaction showed that urgent operation in patients undergoing BIMA grafting was associated with higher risk of inhospital death (5.6% versus 1.3%, p = 0.009).Conclusions. Bilateral internal mammary artery grafting in elderly patients seems to be associated with a worse early outcome compared with SIMA grafting, particularly in patients undergoing urgent operation. Until more conclusive results are gathered, BIMA grafting should be reserved only for elderly patients with stable coronary artery disease, without significant baseline comorbidities and with long life expectancy. (C) 2018 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Heart Teams are increasingly confronted with decision-making in anatomically and clinically complex surgical candidates. Herein, we discuss the versatility of the endoaortic occlusion device (Intraclude; Edwards Lifesciences Inc) for the management of a various array of complex primary and reoperative cardiac cases. Three clinical scenarios are illustrated (ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm, mitral valve surgery after previous CABG, extensive thoracic aortic surgery with continuous visceral perfusion), suggesting the effectiveness of the patient-specific strategy to minimize operative morbidity. Evolution of surgical techniques needs to be considered in decision-making among alternative treatment strategies.

International audience; Objectives: This study sought to describe the procedural and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing transcarotid (TC) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the Edwards Sapien 3 device.Background: The TC approach for TAVR holds the potential to become the optimal alternative to the transfemoral gold standard. Limited data exist regarding safety and efficacy of TC-TAVR using the Edwards Sapien 3 device.Methods: The French Transcarotid TAVR prospective multicenter registry included patients between 2014 and 2018. Consecutive patients treated in 1 of the 13 participating centers ineligible for transfemoral TAVR were screened for TC-TAVR. Clinical and echocardiographic data were prospectively collected. Perioperative and 30-day outcomes were reported according to the updated Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC-2).Results: A total of 314 patients were included with a median (interquartile range) age of 83 (78 to 88) years, 63% were males, Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk score 5.8% (4% to 8.3%). Most patients presented with peripheral artery disease (64%). TC-TAVR was performed under general anesthesia in 91% of cases, mostly using the left carotid artery (73.6%) with a procedural success of 97%. Three annulus ruptures were reported, all resulting in patient death. At 30 days, rates of major bleeding, new permanent pacemaker, and stroke or transient ischemic attack were 4.1%, 16%, and 1.6%, respectively. The 30-day mortality was 3.2%.Conclusions: TC-TAVR using the Edwards Sapien 3 device was safe and effective in this prospective multicenter registry. The TC approach might be considered, in selected patients, as the first-line alternative approach for TAVR whenever the transfemoral access is prohibited. Sapien 3 device was safe and effective in our multicenter cohort.

Background: We evaluated perioperative bleeding after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients preoperatively treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel, stratified by discontinuation of these P2Y₁₂ inhibitors. Methods: All patients from the prospective, European Multicenter Registry on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel undergoing isolated primary CABG were eligible. The primary outcome measure was severe or massive bleeding defined according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding, stratified by P2Y₁₂ inhibitor discontinuation. Secondary outcome measures included four additional definitions of major bleeding. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for differences in preoperative and perioperative covariates. Results: Of 2,311 patients who were included, 1,293 (55.9%) received clopidogrel and 1,018 (44.1%) ticagrelor preoperatively. Mean time between discontinuation and the operation was 4.5 ± 3.2 days for clopidogrel and 4.9 ± 3.0 days for ticagrelor. In the propensity score–matched cohort, ticagrelor-treated patients had a higher incidence of major bleeding according to Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding when ticagrelor was discontinued 0 to 2 days compared with 3 days before the operation (16.0% vs 2.7%, p = 0.003). Clopidogrel-treated patients had a higher incidence of major bleeding according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding when clopidogrel was discontinued 0 to 3 days compared with 4 to 5 days before the operation (15.6% vs 8.3%, p = 0.031). Conclusions: In patients receiving ticagrelor 2 days before CABG and in those receiving clopidogrel 3 days before CABG, there was an increased rate of severe bleeding. Postponing nonemergent CABG for at least 3 days after discontinuation of ticagrelor and 4 days after clopidogrel should be considered.

Background: There is uncertainty whether venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) should be used in older patients with cardiopulmonary failure after cardiac surgery. Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study of 781 patients who required postcardiotomy VA-ECMO for cardiopulmonary failure after adult cardiac surgery from 2010 to 2018 at 19 cardiac surgery centers. A parallel systematic review with meta-analysis of the literature was performed. Results: The hospital mortality in the overall Postcardiotomy Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (PC-ECMO) series was 64.4%. A total of 255 patients were 70 years old or older (32.7%), and their hospital mortality was significantly higher than in younger patients (76.1% vs 58.7%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.199; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.536 to 3.149). Arterial lactate level greater than 6 mmol/L before starting VA-ECMO was the only predictor of hospital mortality among patients 70 years old or older in univariate analysis (82.6% vs 70.4%; P = 0.029). Meta-analysis of current and previous studies showed that early mortality after postcardiotomy VA-ECMO was significantly higher in patients aged 70 years or older compared with younger patients (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.59 to 2.75; 5 studies including 1547 patients; I², 5.9%). The pooled early mortality rate among patients aged 70 years or older was 78.8% (95% CI, 74.1 to 83.5; 6 studies including 617 patients; I², 41.8%). Two studies reported 1-year mortality (including hospital mortality) of 79.9% and 75.6%, respectively, in patients 70 years old or older. Conclusions: Advanced age should not be considered a contraindication for postcardiotomy VA-ECMO. However, in view of the high risk of early mortality, meaningful scrutiny is needed before using VA-ECMO after cardiac surgery in older patients.

Background: The outcome after weaning from postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is poor. In this study, we investigated the prognostic impact of arterial lactate levels at the time of weaning from postcardiotomy VA. Methods: This analysis included 338 patients from the multicenter PC-ECMO registry with available data on arterial lactate levels at weaning from VA-ECMO. Results: Arterial lactate levels at weaning from VA-ECMO (adjusted OR 1.426, 95%CI 1.157&ndash, 1.758) was an independent predictor of hospital mortality, and its best cutoff values was 1.6 mmol/L (&lt, 1.6 mmol/L, 26.2% vs. &ge, 1.6 mmol/L, 45.0%, adjusted OR 2.489, 95%CI 1.374&ndash, 4.505). When 261 patients with arterial lactate at VA-ECMO weaning &le, 2.0 mmol/L were analyzed, a cutoff of arterial lactate of 1.4 mmol/L for prediction of hospital mortality was identified (&lt, 1.4 mmol/L, 24.2% vs. &ge, 1.4 mmol/L, 38.5%, p = 0.014). Among 87 propensity score-matched pairs, hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with arterial lactate &ge, 1.4 mmol/L (39.1% vs. 23.0%, p = 0.029) compared to those with lower arterial lactate. Conclusions: Increased arterial lactate levels at the time of weaning from postcardiotomy VA-ECMO increases significantly the risk of hospital mortality. Arterial lactate may be useful in guiding optimal timing of VA-ECMO weaning.

Objective In this paper, we present an endoscopic expandable sizer conceived to allow thoracoscopic aortic valve replacement with a sutureless prosthesis using a dynamic sizing of the aortic annulus. Methods Ten aortic torsos were prepared using a five-trocar thoracoscopic setting. Once the aortotomy was performed and the aortic valve leaflets removed, the technical feasibility of the endoscopic sizing (introduction into the trocar, expansion into the aortic annulus, determination of the valve size, and retraction) with the device was assessed. In case of successful thoracoscopic sizing, endoscopic implantation of a sutureless valve (five LivaNova Perceval prosthesis and five Medtronic 3f Enable bioprosthesis) was performed. Before ascending aorta closure, we assessed the appropriate sealing of the bioprosthesis in the native annulus with camera visualization and a nerve hook inspection. Results All the 10 endoscopic sizings were technically feasible. The scheduled aortic sutureless valve implantations were successfully performed. In all cases, fitting and placement of the sutureless bio-prosthesis in the flaccid heart was satisfactory, with no paraprosthetic leakage detectable by the nerve hook. Conclusions The use of the endoscopic expandable sizer is technically possible. In this early-stage test in the flaccid heart, selection of the valve size was satisfactory during thoracoscopic sutureless aortic bioprosthesis implantation. Further laboratory evaluation with fluid dynamics (aortic root pressurization) will be performed before a clinical study is started.

Objective Valve-in-valve (ViV) procedures are increasingly being considered as an alternative to redo surgery for the treatment of degenerated bioprosthetic heart valves in patients with excessive reoperative risk. The objective of our study was to evaluate the feasibility of computer guidance in transcatheter heart valve (THV) implantation during ViV procedures. Methods Preprocedural electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography–scan images were processed using semiautomatic segmentation of the degenerated bioprosthesis’ radiopaque landmarks and of the ascending aorta. Virtual three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions were created. A virtual plane was subsequently added to the 3D reconstructions, indicating the optimal landing plane of the THV inside the tissue valve. Within a hybrid operating theater, a 3D/2D registration was used to superimpose the 3D reconstructions, while dynamic tracking was allowed to maintain the superimposition onto the fluoroscopic images. The THV was afterward implanted according to the optimal landing plane. Projection of the ascending aorta and the coronary arteries was used to assess the risk of coronary ostia obstruction. Results Between January 2014 and October 2014, nine patients underwent aortic ViV procedures in our institution. Among those nine patients, five procedures were retrospectively evaluated as a validation step using the proposed method. The mean (SD) superimposition error was 1.1 (0.75) mm. Subsequently, two live cases were prospectively carried out using our approach, successfully implanting the THV inside the degenerated tissue valve. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the feasibility of a computer-guided implantation of THV in ViV procedures. Moreover, it suggests that augmented reality may increase the reliability of THV implantation inside degenerated bioprostheses through better reproducibility.

Background Recent studies suggested that prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) might be more effective than fresh frozen plasma (FFP) to reduce red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirement after cardiac surgery. Methods This is a comparative analysis of 416 patients who received FFP postoperatively and 119 patients who received PCC with or without FFP after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Results Mixed-effects regression analyses adjusted for multiple covariates and participating centres showed that PCC significantly decreased RBC transfusion (67.2% vs. 87.5%, adjusted OR 0.319, 95%CI 0.136–0.752) and platelet transfusion requirements (11.8% vs. 45.2%, adjusted OR 0.238, 95%CI 0.097–0.566) compared with FFP. The PCC cohort received a mean of 2.7 ± 3.7 (median, 2.0, IQR 4) units of RBC and the FFP cohort received a mean of 4.9 ± 6.3 (median, 3.0, IQR 4) units of RBC (adjusted coefficient, -1.926, 95%CI -3.357–0.494). The use of PCC increased the risk of KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) acute kidney injury (41.4% vs. 28.2%, adjusted OR 2.300, 1.203–4.400), but not of KDIGO acute kidney injury stage 3 (6.0% vs. 8.0%, OR 0.850, 95%CI 0.258–2.796) when compared with the FFP cohort. Conclusions These results suggest that the use of PCC compared with FFP may reduce the need of blood transfusion after CABG.

Background Aortic valve replacement (AVR) in small aortic roots remains a surgical dilemma with a higher risk of patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM). The Perimount Magna Ease aortic valve (PMEAV) represents an attractive device in such cases. We examined the early hemodynamic performance, the mid-term outcomes of the PMEAV, and the impact of PPM on outcome and functional class. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected in-hospital data, and a prospective single-center follow-up of 849 patients who received a 19 to 23 mm PMEAV (2008–2014). Concomitant mitral or tricuspid replacement was the exclusion criterion. Early hemodynamic features were prospectively collected; mid-term follow-up was conducted according to current guidelines. Results Size of implanted prosthesis was 19 mm in 11.5% of patients, 21 mm in 36.9%, and 23 mm in 51.5%. Operative mortality was 4.5% (3.1% for isolated AVR). The rate of severe and moderate PPMs was significantly higher in the 19 mm group. Follow-up was 99.9% complete (3.7 ± 2 years). Actuarial freedom from structural valve deterioration (SVD) at 5 years was 99.1%. At stratified Kaplan–Meier's analysis, PPM and age Conclusion This series shows satisfactory clinical outcomes of the PMEAV implanted in small aortic annuli at mid-term follow-up. Although PPM may occur in smaller sizes, it has limited clinical impact, and it is not associated with mid-term mortality or worse functional class. Few SVD events are evidenced; nonetheless, limited follow-up duration and its methodology need to be considered.

Aims No data exists on inter-institutional differences in terms of adherence to international guidelines regarding the discontinuation of antithrombotics and rates of severe bleeding in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods and results This is an analysis of 7118 patients from the prospective multicentre European CABG (E-CABG) registry who underwent isolated CABG in 15 European centres. Preoperative pause of P2Y12 receptor antagonists shorter than that suggested by the 2017 ESC guidelines (overall 11.6%) ranged from 0.7% to 24.8% between centres (adjusted P < 0.0001) and increased the rate of severe-massive bleeding [E-CABG bleeding grades 2-3, OR 1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-2.17; Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding (UDPB) bleeding grades 3-4, OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.16-1.93]. The incidence of resternotomy for bleeding (overall 2.6%) ranged from 0% to 6.9% (adjusted P < 0.0001), and surgical site bleeding (overall 59.6%) ranged from 0% to 84.6% (adjusted P = 0.003). The rate of the UDPB bleeding grades 3-4 (overall 8.4%) ranged from 3.7% to 22.3% (P < 0.0001), and of the E-CABG bleeding grades 2-3 (overall 6.5%) ranged from 0.4% to 16.4% between centres (P < 0.0001). Resternotomy for bleeding (adjusted OR 5.04, 95% CI 2.85-8.92), UDPB bleeding grades 3-4 (adjusted OR 6.61, 95% CI 4.42-9.88), and E-CABG bleeding grades 2-3 (adjusted OR 8.71, 95% CI 5.76-13.15) were associated with an increased risk of hospital/30-day mortality. Conclusions Adherence to the current guidelines on the early discontinuation of P2Y12 receptor antagonists is of utmost importance to reduce excessive bleeding and early mortality after CABG. Inter-institutional variation should be considered for a correct interpretation of the results in multicentre studies evaluating perioperative bleeding and use of blood products.

The impact of thrombocytopenia on postoperative bleeding and other major adverse events after cardiac surgery is unclear. This issue was investigated in a series of patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) from the prospective, multicenter E-CABG registry. Preoperative thrombocytopenia was defined as preoperative platelet count

International audience; Purpose - Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MIAVR) procedures remain more complex and technically challenging compared to conventional full sternotomy surgery. This technique involves a restricted surgical field and a limited workspace, which is, at present, strictly reserved for the most experienced surgeons. The MIAVR clinical outcomes are strongly dependent on the appropriate choice of the thoracic incision. This work presents a decision support system to optimize, through an interactive visualization interface, the exposure of the target structure in a limited field of view. Methods - Our approach is based on the computation of relevant anatomical measurements from preoperative CT images, and it takes into account the surgical guidelines in order to propose the surgical access that best fits the patient's morphology. Results - The proposed planning system was applied and tested on 30 datasets from patients affected by severe aortic stenosis for validation purposes. We evaluated the accuracy of the automatic detections and the measurements calculated by the system with those chosen manually by the expert. Conclusions - In 87% of thirty cases, the surgical strategy proposed by the decision support system was correct. For the remaining cases, the graphical user interface (GUI) allowed the user to manually adjust the anatomical features.

Background: Treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis (SAVS) is a hot topic due to improved life expectancy of general population, improvement of diagnostic tools, and consequent increased number of patients requiring aortic valve surgery. Traditional aortic valve replacement and recent transcatheter aortic prosthesis implantation have reported comparable or non-inferior mortality in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, RCTs have the limitation of the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, and cannot completely reflect the ‘real clinical world’. Recently sutureless prostheses, often implanted via minimally invasive approaches, have been reported as an alternative strategy. However, their definitive impact on clinical results is not yet completely evaluated because of the limited sample size of patients population of most of published studies, based on monocentric patients series. Methods: The aim of this prospective multicentre registry including all patients referred for aortic valve surgery and treated with all available techniques is to obtain a ‘real-world’ scenario of the clinical results arising from current surgical options. Results: The research protocol enrollment phase is ongoing. Therefore we have not yet results to publish. When available, the research findings deriving from E-AVR registry will be presented in the scientific community in international congresses and published in peer review international journals in the fields of cardiac surgery and cardiology. Conclusions: This multicenter, prospective, European registry has been designed with the aim to cast light on a lot of controversial issues, particularly those regarding the impact of patient baseline risk factors as well as treatment methods for SAVR, with or without coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), on the prognosis after treatment. We believe that the information derived from this registry can provide deep knowledge on the causes that lead to adverse outcomes after SAVR, to avoid them, and finally to identify the best treatment option for SAVS for each patient.

Background Multiple percutaneous coronary interventions ( PCIs ) are considered determinant of poor outcome in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting ( CABG ), but scarce data exist to substantiate this. Methods and Results Patients who underwent CABG without history of prior PCI or with PCI performed >30 days before surgery were selected for the present analysis from the prospective, multicenter E‐CABG (European Multicenter Study on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) registry. Out of 6563 patients with data on preoperative SYNTAX (Synergy between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score, 1181 patients (18.0%) had undergone PCI >30 days before CABG . Of these, 11.6% underwent a single PCI , 4.4% 2 PCI s, and 2.1% ≥3 PCI s. PCI of a single main coronary vessel was performed in 11.3%, of 2 main vessels in 4.9%, and of 3 main vessels in 1.6% of patients. Multivariable analysis showed that differences in early mortality and other outcomes were not significantly different in the study cohorts. The adjusted hospital/30‐day mortality rate was 1.8% in patients without history of prior PCI , 1.9% in those with a history of 1 PCI , 1.4% after 2 PCI s, and 2.5% after ≥3 PCI s (adjusted P =0.8). The adjusted hospital/30‐day mortality rate was 2.0% in those who had undergone PCI of 1 main coronary vessel, 1.3% after PCI of 2 main vessels, and 3.1% after PCI of 3 main coronary vessels (adjusted P =0.6). Conclusions Multiple prior PCI s are not associated with increased risk of early adverse events in patients undergoing isolated CABG . The present results are conditional to survival after PCI and should not be viewed as a support for a policy of multiple PCI as opposed to earlier CABG . Clinical Trial Registration URL : http://www.Clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT 02319083.

Background: The prognostic impact of cross-clamp time (XCT) in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has not been thoroughly investigated. Material and Methods: 2957 patients who underwent on-pump isolated CABG from the prospective multicentre E-CABG study were the subjects of this analysis. Results: The mean XCT in this series was 58 ± 25 minutes Cross-clamp time was >60 minutes in 1134 patients (38.3%), >75 minutes in 619 patients (20.9%) and >90 minutes in 296 patients (10.0%). Multivariate analysis showed that XCT was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (p < 0.0001, OR 1.027, 95%CI 1.015–1.039) along with age (p < 0.0001), female gender (p = 0.001), pulmonary disease (p = 0.001), poor mobility (p = 0.002), urgency status (p = 0.007), critical preoperative status (p = 0.002) and participating centres (p = 0.015). Adjusted risk of 30-day mortality was highest for XCT >75 minutes (2.9% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.002, OR 3.479, 95%CI 1.609–7.520). Analysis of 428 propensity score matched pairs showed that XCT >75 minutes was associated with significantly increased risk of early mortality, prolonged use of inotropes, postoperative use of intra-aortic balloon pump, use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, atrial fibrillation, prolonged stay in the intensive care unit and of composite major adverse events. Conclusions: Isolated CABG is currently performed with prolonged XCT in a significant number of patients and this seems to be a determinant of poor early outcome.

Objective This study was planned to pool existing data on outcome and to evaluate the efficacy of postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in adult patients. Design Systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. Setting Multi-institutional study. Participants Adult patients with acute heart failure immediately after cardiac surgery. Interventions VA-ECMO after cardiac surgery. Studies evaluating only heart transplant patients were excluded from this analysis. Measurements and Main Results A literature search was performed to identify studies published since 2000. Thirty-one studies reported on 2,986 patients (mean age, 58.1 years) who required postcardiotomy VA-ECMO. The weaning rate from VA-ECMO was 59.5% and hospital survival was 36.1% (95% CI 31.5-40.8). The pooled rate of reoperation for bleeding was 42.9%, major neurological event 11.3%, lower limb ischemia 10.8%, deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis 14.7%, and renal replacement therapy 47.1%. The pooled mean number of transfused red blood cell units was 17.7 (95% CI 13.3-22.1). The mean stay in the intensive care unit was 13.3 days (95% CI 10.2-16.4). Survivors were significantly younger (mean, 55.7 v 63.6 years, p = 0.015) and their blood lactate level before starting VA-ECMO was lower (mean, 7.7 v 10.7 mmol/L, p = 0.028) than patients who died. One-year survival rate was 30.9% (95% CI 24.3-37.5). Conclusions Pooled data showed that VA-ECMO may salvage one-third of patients unresponsive to any other resuscitative treatment after adult cardiac surgery.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of untreated asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CS) in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of data from a prospective multicentre observational study. Patients without history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack from the multicentre E-CABG registry who were screened for CS before isolated CABG were included. Results: Among 2813 patients screened by duplex ultrasound and who did not undergo carotid intervention for asymptomatic CS, 11.1% had a stenosis of 50–59%, 6.0% of 60–69%, 3.1% of 70–79%, 1.4% of 80–89%, 0.5% of 90–99%, and 1.1% had carotid occlusion. In the screened population post-operative stroke occurred in 25 patients (0.9%), with an incidence of 1.5% among patients with CS ≥ 50% (n = 649). Pre-operative screening had not found a relevant CS in 15 of 25 patients suffering stroke after CABG. Brain imaging identified cerebral ischaemic injury in 20 patients, which was bilateral in five patients (25%), ipsilateral to a CS ≥ 50% in six (30%), and ipsilateral to a CS ≥ 70% in three (15%). In univariable analysis, the severity of CS was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke (CS < 50%, 0.7%; 50–59%, 1.0%; 60–69%, 0.6%; 70–79%, 1.2%; 80–89%, 5.1%; 90–99%, 7.7%; occluded, 6.7%, p < .001). In multivariable analysis, a CS of 90–99% (OR 12.03, 95% CI 1.34–108.23) and the presence of an occluded internal carotid artery (OR 8.783, 95% CI 1.820–42.40) were independent predictors of stroke along with urgency of the procedure, severe massive bleeding according to the E-CABG classification, and the presence of a porcelain ascending aorta. Conclusions: Among screened patients with untreated asymptomatic patients, CS ≥ 90% was an independent predictor of post-operative stroke. As this condition has a low prevalence and when left untreated is associated with a relatively low rate of stroke, pre-operative screening of asymptomatic CS before CABG may not be justified. Clinical Trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02319083.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the impact of frailty on the outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and whether it may improve the predictive ability of European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE II). METHODS The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was assessed preoperatively in patients undergoing isolated CABG from the multicentre E-CABG registry, and patients were stratified into 3 classes: scores 1-2, scores 3-4 and scores 5-7. RESULTS Of the 6156 patients enrolled, 39.2% had CFS scores 1-2, 57.6% scores 3-4, and 3.2% scores 5-7. Logistic regression adjusted for multiple covariates showed that the CFS was an independent predictor of hospital/30-day mortality [CFS scores 3-4, odds ratio (OR) 3.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.19-7.14; CFS scores 5-7, OR 5.90, 95% CI 2.67-13.05] and resulted in an Integrated Improvement Index of 1.3 (P

Salvage coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is often performed for cardiogenic shock on compassionate basis without clinical data justifying this aggressive approach. The aim of this study was to analyze early and intermediate outcomes after salvage CABG. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 85 patients who underwent salvage CABG at 11 European cardiac surgery centers. Salvage CABG was defined according to the EuroSCORE criteria, that is, a procedure performed in patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (external cardiac massage) en route to the operating theater or before induction of anesthesia. A percutaneous coronary intervention procedure preceded salvage CABG in 55 patients (64.7%). Thirty patients (35.3%) died during the inhospital stay. The mean EuroSCORE II was 32.0% and the observed-to-expected ratio was 1.08. Salvage CABG was associated with high rates of postoperative stroke (9.4%), resternotomy for bleeding (23.5%), resternotomy for hemodynamic instability (15.3%), dialysis (18.8%), severe gastrointestinal complications (12.9%), and deep sternal wound infection (10.6%). Survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 58.6%, 49.8%, and 40.9%, respectively. Twenty patients (23.5%) were postoperatively treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The rates of adverse events after ECMO were particularly high (stroke 40%, resternotomy for bleeding 60%, dialysis 35%, gastrointestinal complications 30%, and deep sternal wound infection 30%). Of patients treated with ECMO, 8 (40%) survived to discharge, and 1-year survival was 29.2%. Salvage CABG is associated with high risk of immediate mortality and severe adverse events. However, the observed immediate and intermediate outcome justify coronary surgery in these critically ill patients. A number of these patients are currently treated by ECMO, and its results are encouraging.

Aim Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may pose specific challenges in pregnant women, including the need for prone decubitus ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We present our experience with ECMO during pregnancy and review the literature on this topic. Methods We performed a systematic literature review using the MEDLINE-NIH database. Papers describing single cases or clinical series of pregnant women treated with veno-venous ECMO for ARDS were retrieved; the clinical features and maternal and infant outcomes were presented in aggregate form. Results We describe the case of a 32-year-old primigravida who received ECMO starting at the 28th gestation week due to A/H1N1 influenza-related ARDS. This strategy allowed saving both mother and child; normal recovery without sequelae was evident at one year. The systematic review included 29 reported cases of ECMO employment during pregnancy; A/H1N1 influenza was the etiology of ARDS in 79% of cases. Maternal and infant mortality may reach 28%, while the rate of complications during ECMO support reaches 57%. Conclusions ECMO is a viable treatment for severe ARDS during pregnancy, after failure of other therapeutic strategies; the risk of spontaneous gynecological bleeding is limited. Issues remain about the timing of ECMO implantation and the management of gestation. Close fetal assessment and multidisciplinary discussion are pivotal for decision-making. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12605 (J Card Surg 2015;30:781–786)