The meta-analysis by He and collaborators [has the worth to cover, as much as possible, a gap of scientific evidence where conducting a randomized trial appears very complex for ethical and logistical reasons. The authors concluded that mitral valve repair (MVP) provide better pooled results, both early and late, with respect to mitral valve replacement (MVR). However, the superiority of MVP is driven by some single large cohort-studies where surgeons had wide experience in the field of MVP for IE. This finding is also confirmed by other studies. But if mitral repair produces such a better short- and long-term survival than replacement, why are there no clear indications from consensus and guidelines pushing surgeons toward the pursuit of a reconstructive procedure at almost any cost? We wonder but to repair or not to repair, is that really the question? The AATS consensus suggests to repair “whenever possible” but without providing more specific indications. If the two primary goals of surgery are total removal of infected tissues and reconstruction of cardiac morphology, including repair or replacement of the affected valve(s), probably MVP as to perform in case of less extensive tissue detriment by the infection. In more wide valve involvement, MVP may be the choice but only in very expert hands and in Centers with very large volume of valve repairing. This decision cannot therefore be the result of the choice of an individual but must derive from a careful multidisciplinary discussion to be held in an EndoTeam.

Technical details for complex cardiac tumor resection are sparse. We describe the operative technique of modified autotransplantation for resection of a complex pericardial synovial sarcoma in a 63-year-old, Caucasian female. Surgical exposure demonstrated tumor origin at the superior cavoatrial junction and invasion of the aorta, main pulmonary artery, superior pulmonary veins, and left atrial roof. Full macroscopic surgical resection was achieved. The patient received adjuvant radiation for microscopic positive margins and remains alive and with no tumor progression at one year postoperatively. We conclude that modified autotransplantation is a challenging but effective surgical technique when performed with careful patient selection and availability of skilled, cardiothoracic surgeons at a cardiac center of excellence.

Background and aim: On the basis of previously published accounts, coupled with our own experience, we have assessed the surgical approaches to patients with isomeric atrial appendages. Methods: We reviewed pertinent published studies on surgical treatment of individuals with isomeric atrial appendages, with the pertinent surgical details provided by most of the manuscripts. Results: Half of patients with right isomerism, and two-thirds of those with left isomerism have bilateral superior caval veins. Azygos extension of the inferior caval vein is reported in three-quarters of those with left isomerism. The coronary sinus is universally absent in right isomerism, along with totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection, and is absent in two-fifths of those with left isomerism.. Univentricular atrioventricular connections are expected in up to three-quarters of those with right isomerism. Atrioventricular septal defect is reported in up to four-fifths, more frequently in right isomerism, with such patients typically having discordant ventriculoatrial connections or double outlet right ventricle. Reported mortalities extend to 85% for those with right, and 50% for those with left isomerism. In right isomerism, mortality is up to 54% for systemic-to-pulmonary arterial shunting, up to 75% for univentricular repair, and up to 95% for repair of totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection itself. No more than one-quarter had undergone Fontan completion, with reported mortalities of 21%. Conclusion: Early surgical results are satisfactory in patients with left isomerism, but disappointing for those with right. Recent advances in cardiac and liver transplantation may offer improved survival.

Thin, metallic wires can easily penetrate the gastrointestinal system if ingested and cause serious cardiac issues in children. We report a pediatric case of such an object that caused cardiac tamponade after lodging in the left ventricle. The wire was extracted without cardiopulmonary bypass and a full recovery was made. Cardiac issues after ingestion of foreign objects are rare but immediate surgery is required for resolution.

Aortic valve regurgitation in patients undergoing LVAD implantation is a significant complication which occurs in up to 10% of patients in the INTERMACS database. Patients who have aortic valve regurgitation at the time of implant have been handled by several methods, including aortic valve leaflets approximation, to aortic valve replacement or even valve closure. We report a case where we used HAART Ring to repair a regurgitant aortic valve during LAVD implant for destination therapy.

Bilateral lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension with pulmonary artery aneurysmBerhane Worku MD1,2, Charles Mack MD1,3, Ivancarmine Gambardella MD1,2New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York NY 10021New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn NY 11215New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital, Queens NY 11335Corresponding AuthorBerhane Worku MD Brooklyn Methodist HospitalDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery506 6th StreetBrooklyn, NY [email protected] artery aneurysms (PAA) may be secondary to congenital cardiac defects such as a patent ductus arteriousus (PDA), atrial septal defect, or ventricular septal defect. They may also occur secondary to infection or connective tissue disease or they may be idiopathic in nature. Repair is undertaken to prevent the sequelae of rupture or dissection, although the specific size criteria at which repair is recommended remains controversial. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may also lead to PAA, in which case isolated repair is not recommended. Heart-lung transplant has classically been the treatment of choice for PH with PAA, especially when associated with congenital heart defects, right ventricular dysfunction, and pulmonic valve regurgitation.In the setting of PH with PAA and correctable cardiac defects, bilateral lung transplant (BLT) has been described. Concurrent PAA repair is required, and several techniques exist to allow for this. In the current issue of the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, Doi et. al. offer a review of PH with PAA, with a focus on strategies to allow for BLT and PAA repair, hence avoiding the need for HLT. They describe a case of a patient with PH secondary to a PDA and a 9cm PAA who underwent BLT and PAA repair. The donor descending aorta and a bovine pericardial tube was used to reconstruct the recipient main and right PA, respectively. The patient suffered from persistently elevated PA pressures postoperatively due to a kink in the anastomosis between the neo-main PA (donor descending aorta) and the neo-right PA (bovine pericardial tube) requiring surgical revision, but the patient otherwise made an excellent recovery1.The benefit with BLT (rather than HLT) stems from limitations in donor supply which may result in unacceptably long wait times and reduced waitlist survival in patients awaiting HLT. As right ventricular function typically improves after BLT for PH, the donor heart from a HLT bloc may be better served to another patient with terminal cardiac failure. A variety of techniques have been described to allow for repair of massive PAAs at the time of BLT. Harvesting of the entire donor PA to allow replacement of the PAA has been described and is feasible when the donor heart is unsuitable for transplantation2,3. When the donor main PA is unavailable for harvesting, pulmonary arterioplasty and replacement with donor descending aorta have been described at the time of BLT4-7. After resection of the PAA, the proximal donor aorta is anastamosed to the proximal PA with the distal aorta oriented towards the right lung. The distal donor aorta is anastamosed to the donor right PA. The innominate and left carotid orifices can be used for anastomoses to the donor left PA5,6. Extension of a short donor left PA with an autologous pericardial tube has been described5. Similarly, extension of a short donor right PA with a bovine pericardial tube is described in the current report1.Pulmonary valve (PV) regurgitation may occur secondary to annular dilation from the PAA. PV replacement has been described, including sutureless valve implantation with valves intended for percutaneous deployment4. Durability remains a concern, and valve sparing repair techniques (commisuroplasty) have also been described3. When the donor heart is not being harvested, BLT with procurement of the donor right ventricular outflow graft has been described8. HLT always remains a reasonable option in the setting of extremely massive PAA associated with severe PV regurgitation and right ventricular dysfunction, assuming adequate donor availability and ability of the recipient to tolerate the longer wait time9.Recovery of right ventricular function and tricuspid regurgitation after BLT for PH has been documented, supporting the shift from HLT to BLT for this entity. In the setting of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, severe pulmonary edema and hypoxia can be seen after BLT for PH as the LV is suddenly loaded, and in such a scenario ECMO has been utilized to allow time for LV remodeling. Various centers may prefer HLT over BLT for these cardiac consequences of prolonged PH10. In the absence of these complicating factors, BLT should be considered for PH in otherwise appropriate candidates. BLT for PH with PAA is likely best managed with harvesting the donor main PA when the donor heart is not being considered for harvest. When the donor PA is not available, the decision to attempt the abovementioned strategies for PAA repair such as neo-PA creation with donor aorta and the associated prolongation of donor ischemic time must be weighed against exposing the patient to elevated waitlist mortality while waiting for an acceptable heart-lung bloc to become available. Transplant center expertise and regional differences in heart and lung donor utilization rates will likely a relevant factor to consider when selecting the optimal strategy for each patient.REFERENCESDoi A, Gajera J, Niewodowski D, Gangahanumaiah S, Whitford H, Snell G, Kaye D, Joseph T, McGriffin D. Surgical management of giant pulmonary artery aneurysms in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension. J Card Surg; in press]Schwarz S, Benazzo A, Prosch H, Jaksch P, Klepetko W, Hoetzenecker K. Lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension with giant pulmonary artery aneurysm. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020;159:2543-50Shayan H, Sareyyupoglu B, Shigemura N, Thacker J, Bermudez C, Toyoda Y. Lung transplant, double valve repair, and pulmonary artery aneurysm resection. Ann Thorac Surg 2012;93:e3-5Pelenghi S, Primiceri C, Belliato M, Ghio S, Scelsi L, Totaro P. Is it time for a paradigm shift: Should double-lung transplant be considered the treatment of choice for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and giant pulmonary aneurysm? J Card Surg 2021;36:2996-2999Noda M, Okada Y, Saiki Y, Sado T, Hoshikawa Y, Endo C, Sakurada A, Maeda S, Oishi H, Kondo T. Reconstruction of pulmonary artery with donor aorta and autopericardium in lung transplantation. Ann Thorac Surg 2013;96:e17-9Force SD, Lau CL, Moazami N, Trulock EP, Patterson GA. Bilateral lung transplantation and pulmonary artery reconstruction in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a giant pulmonary artery aneurysm. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003;126:864-6.Oda H, Hamaji M, Motoyama H, Ikeda T, Minatoya K, Nakajima D, Chen-Yoshikawa TF, Date H. Use of a three-dimensional model in lung transplantation for a patient with giant pulmonary aneurysm. Ann Thorac Surg 2020;109:e183-5Zanotti G, Hartwig MG, Davis RD. A simplified technique for pulmonary artery aneurysm repair in a lung transplant recipient with right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2013;145: 295-6Eadington T, Santhanakrishnan K, Venkateswaran. Heart-lung transplantation for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and giant pulmonary artery aneurysm – case report. J Cardiothorac Surg 2020;15:169Budev MM, Yun JJ. Advanced circulatory support and lung transplantation in pulmonary hypertension.

Background The use of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for the management of uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (un-TBAD) remains controversial. There is a lack of consensus over whether pre-emptive TEVAR should be carried out in patients with un-TBAD at risk of progression to complicated TBAD. We present a review of current evidence and seek to suggest criteria where endovascular intervention in un-TBAD may prove beneficial relative to pharmacotherapy alone. Methods and Materials PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched using terms including: type B aortic dissection, risk factors, medical therapy, TEVAR, false lumen expansion, and mortality. Papers were selected based on title and abstract. Results Optimal medical therapy remains the mainstay treatment for patients with un-TBAD, however patients with un-TBAD present with varying degrees of disease progression risk. Factors such as age, aortic morphology, history of connective tissue disorders, false lumen thrombosis, and aortic branch involvement may potentiate progression from un-TBAD to complicated TBAD. Short- and long-term outcomes associated with TEVAR for TBAD remain promising. Conclusion Pre-emptive TEVAR may be beneficial in patients with un-TBAD presenting with the above factors, however further prospective research into the optimal timing for TEVAR in un-TBAD is required.

long-term survival after lung transplantation has increased over recent years, but still fall short of providing extensive life expectancy for more than 10 years.

Abstract: Background: Fluid overload (FO) and acute kidney injury (AKI) after CABG surgery are due to multiple perioperative etiologies associated with high failure to rescue rates (FTR) and associated with poor outcomes  1-,3. Diuretics, fluid restriction, ultrafiltration (UF) and renal replacement therapies are the treatment modalities implemented as monotherapy or in combination to address this severe complication. There is limited data on the use of simplified UF therapy as a fluid management strategy in post-operative cardiac surgery patients. Methods: A retrospective review of our post operative isolated CABG patients was done from Jan 1 st, 2020 to July 31 st, 2021. Those subjected to a simplified UF protocol incorporating Goal Directed Therapy (GDT) to treat fluid overload and/or acute kidney injury were evaluated for 30-day survival and readmission rates. Results: A total of 254 isolated CABG procedures were performed during this period. Ultrafiltration was used in 17 (6.7%) patients. The 30-day mortality for the entire CABG cohort was 5/254 (2.0%) patients and in the UF group 0/17 (0%). The mean age of UF therapy patients was 65.8 years (Range 41-89). The mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons STS mortality score of UF patients was 5.7% (Range 0.6-50.0). The 30-day survival for the 17 patients placed on UF therapy was 100% and their readmission rate was 2/17 (11.7%). Conclusions: The use of ultrafiltration in this patient population with relatively high STS scores provided a safe and effective modality to manage fluid balance but further studies are needed.

In total arch replacement, using frozen elephant trunk (FET) or elephant trunk techniques ensures proximalization of the distal anastomosis. However, in some cases, the left subclavian artery (LSCA) is deeply located and difficult to visualize. Therefore, surgeons face technical challenges during the LSCA reconstruction. We report an end-to-side anastomosis technique that enables safer and easier anatomical reconstruction of the LSCA.

Here, we report a case of a dissected thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair after frozen elephant trunk implantation, using aortic balloon occlusion technique to simplify the proximal anastomosis and avoid deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. In addition, detailed CT follow-up pictures showed that false lumen thrombosis is a time-dependent and reversible variable. Repeated measurements with time series analysis should be performed to explore false lumen remodeling.

Background: Initial clinical evaluation (ICE) is traditionally considered a useful screening tool to identify frail patients during the pre-operative assessment. However, emerging evidence supports the more objective assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) via cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to improve surgical risk stratification. Herein, we compared both subjective and objective assessment approaches to highlight the interpretive idiosyncrasies. Methods: As part of routine pre-operative patient contact, patients scheduled for major surgery were prospectively ‘eyeballed’ (ICE) by two experienced clinicians prior to more detailed history taking that also included American Society of Anaesthesiologists score classification. Each patient was subjectively judged to be either ‘frail’ or ‘not frail’ by ICE and ‘fit’ or ‘unfit’ from thorough review of the medical notes. Subjective data were compared against the more objective validated assessment of post-operative outcomes using established CPET ‘cut-off’ metrics incorporating peak pulmonary oxygen uptake ( V̇O 2PEAK), V̇O 2 at the anaerobic threshold ( V̇O 2-AT) and ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide that collectively informed risk stratification. These data were retrospectively extracted from a single-centre prospective National Health Service database. Data were analysed using the Chi-square automatic interaction detection decision tree method. Results: A total of 127 patients examined that comprised 58 % male and 42 % female patients aged 69 ± 10 y with a BMI of 29 ± 7 kg/m 2. Patients were poorly conditioned with a peak pulmonary oxygen uptake almost 20 % lower than that predicted for age, sex-matched healthy controls with 35 % exhibiting a V̇O 2-AT <11 mL/kg/min. Disagreement existed between the subjective assessments of risk with ~34 % of patients classified not frail on ICE were considered unfit by notes review ( P < 0.0001). Furthermore, ~35 % of patients considered not frail on ICE and ~31 % of patients considered fit by notes review exhibited a V̇O 2-AT <11 mL/kg/min and of these, ~28 % and ~19 % were classified as intermediate-to-high risk. Conclusions: These findings highlight the interpretive limitations associated with the subjective assessment of patient frailty with surgical risk classification underestimated in up to a third of patients compared to the validated assessment of CRF. They reinforce the benefits of a more objective and integrated approach offered by CPET that may help improve perioperative risk assessment and better direct critical care provision in patients scheduled for ‘high-stakes’ surgery including open TAAA repair.

Rheumatic mitral valve disease is now rare in high income countries, except for migrant and older residents, it remains an important and ongoing cause of preventable heart disease in Indigenous populations. Despite our major advances in medical technology and understanding, rheumatic fever remains a serious public health problem throughout the world.

A document by Akhil Raj Anumolu. Click on the document to view its contents.

We report a first case with the use of extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal system as a bridge to re-do lung transplant in complete situs inversus patient. A 29-year-old female with Kartagener syndrome and complete situs inversus underwent a double lung transplant for end stage lung disease. Within one year after transplant the patient had primarily hypercapnic respiratory failure with radiographic signs of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. To optimize her nutritional status and muscle strength before re-do lung transplantation, we decided to bridge her with an extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal system due to anatomical difficulty. She was listed and underwent an uneventful re-do double lung transplant with cardiopulmonary support.

The use of sutureless and rapid-deployment prostheses is generally avoided in patients with BAV due to anatomical concerns and the elevated risk of para-prosthetic leaks. Multiple studies have reported the use of these prostheses in patients with BAV with varying degrees of success. The focus of this review is to consolidate the available evidence on this topic. A scoping review was conducted using a comprehensive search strategy within Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials for relevant articles. All abstracts and full texts were screened by two independent reviewers according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of 1052 total citations, 44 underwent full text review and 13 (4 case reports, 6 retrospective analyses, and 3 prospective analyses) were included in the scoping review. Across all 13 studies, a total of 314 patients with BAV were used for data analysis. In sutureless and rapid-deployment prostheses, the mean postoperative aortic valvular gradients were less than 15mmHg in all studies with mean postoperative aortic valvular areas all greater than 1.3cm. There were 186 total complications for an overall rate of 59%. Individual complications included new onset atrial fibrillation (n=65), required pacemaker insertion (n=24), intraprosthetic aortic regurgitation (n=20), new onset atrioventricular block (n=18), and new onset paravalvular leakage (n=10). The use of sutureless and rapid deployment prostheses in patients with BAV showed comparable intraoperative and implantation success rates to patients without BAV. Various techniques have been described to minimize complications in patients with BAV receiving sutureless or rapid-deployment prostheses.

A document by Jordan Llerena-Velastegui. Click on the document to view its contents.

The use of sutureless valves in infective endocarditis has been previously reported. Singh et al have reported a single-center successful surgical treated pulmonary endocarditis in 2 cases with a sutureless bioprosthesis.