Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Aug 2013
B-type natriuretic peptide as a biochemical marker of left ventricular diastolic function: assessment in asymptomatic patients 1 year after valve replacement for aortic stenosis.
OBJECTIVES Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction after aortic valve replacement (AVR) carries a substantial risk of development of heart failure and reduced survival. In addition to echocardiography, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) provides a powerful incremental assessment of diastolic function. This study evaluates BNP as a marker of LV diastolic dysfunction in a cohort of patients with preserved LV ejection fraction who underwent AVR for pure aortic stenosis and the relationship between BNP values and the grade of LV diastolic dysfunction. ⋯ At receiver operating characteristic analysis, the BNP level of 120 pg/ml was 91% sensitive and 85% specific for diastolic disease, while 300 pg/ml was 80% sensitive and 91% specific for moderate or severe diastolic dysfunction. Twelve months after AVR, BNP values were strongly correlated with the significant echocardiographic parameters suggestive of diastolic dysfunction (P≤0.006 in all cases). CONCLUSIONS The BNP level following AVR is related to diastolic disease severity and may complement echocardiographic evaluation when symptoms are unclear and LV function is difficult to interpret.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Aug 2013
A modified technique for implantation of the HeartWare™ left ventricular assist device when using bivalirudin anticoagulation in patients with acute heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
In patients with acute heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) needing urgent cardiac surgery, bivalirudin is recommended as a first-line strategy for intraoperative anticoagulation. However, due to the unique elimination process of bivalirudin, careful adjustment of the perfusion and surgical strategy is mandatory as blood stasis in the circuit or prolonged interruption of areas or compartments containing blood from the systemic circulation may result in thrombus formation. We report here a modified surgical strategy for the implantation of the HeartWare™ left ventricular assist device, which avoids prolonged disconnection of the blood-filled device from the systemic blood flow, so that bivalirudin can be safely used as anticoagulant.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Aug 2013
Ongoing requirement for pacing post-transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established intervention for aortic stenosis. While it is known that the requirement for permanent pacing is higher following CoreValve (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) TAVI than after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), it remains uncertain whether pacing is required in the medium-to-long term. We hypothesized that complete heart block following TAVI is more likely to resolve than that following SAVR. ⋯ In keeping with previous reports, this single-centre experience demonstrates that patients undergoing TAVI have higher rates of pacemaker implantation than those following SAVR. However, pacing indication in the short-to-medium term may not persist for all paced patients post-TAVI and -SAVR with the suggestion that a significant proportion recover atrioventricular conduction, which tended to be greatest in TAVI paced patients.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Aug 2013
Case ReportsParaprosthetic leak closure 28 years after mitral caged-ball Starr-Edwards implantation.
In this case report, we present a patient 28 years after mitral valve replacement with the Starr-Edwards prosthesis complicated by periprosthetic leak with severe aortic stenosis and moderate tricuspid regurgitation. We successfully repaired the periprosthetic regurgitation in a patient with extensive mitral annular calcification, without replacement of the valve. ⋯ Moreover, aortic valve replacement and tricuspid annuloplasty were performed. One month after reoperation, the patient remained stable with improved clinical status and without any evidence for further paravalvular leak.
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Aug 2013
Modified Nuss procedure in the treatment of recurrent pectus excavatum after open repair.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the modified Nuss procedure with a subxiphoid incision in correcting recurrent pectus excavatum. ⋯ The modified Nuss procedure with subxiphoid incision and bilateral thoracoscopy can avoid cardiac injury to the greatest degree. It would be a minimally invasive and safe approach for patients with recurrent pectus excavatum after failed open repair.