Chitaru Kurihara

Resection of an Azygos Vein Aneurysm That Formed a Thrombus During a 6-Year Follow-Up Period

We report a resection of an azygos vein aneurysm that formed a thrombus during a 6-year follow-up period. An azygos vein aneurysm is commonly detected as an asymptomatic mediastinal mass. A thrombus could suddenly form without enlarging the aneurysm. Therefore we suggest that even asymptomatic azygos vein aneurysms causing blood stagnation should be resected before they can form a thrombus and cause a pulmonary embolism.

Total artificial heart implantation for biventricular failure due to eosinophilic myocarditis

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is a condition of unknown etiology characterized by proliferation of eosinophils and their infiltration into tissues. Although cardiac involvement is rare, eosinophilic myocarditis can lead to life-threating fulminant congestive heart failure. Treatment of patients with eosinophilic myocarditis is challenging as heart failure can be caused by biventricular dysfunction. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature describing a patient with acute severe biventricular heart failure caused by eosinophilic myocarditis with mural left ventricular apical thrombus who was successfully treated with implantation of a total artificial heart as a bridge to heart transplant.

Preoperative Prealbumin Level as a Predictor of Outcomes in Patients Who Underwent Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Malnutrition has been associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in patients who undergo cardiac surgery. However, many measurements of malnutrition have been inadequate prognostic markers. In this study, we sought to determine whether low preoperative serum prealbumin level was associated with morbidity and mortality in patients who underwent continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation. From November 2003 to March 2016, 526 patients with chronic heart failure underwent implantation of a CF-LVAD (HeartMate II, n = 403; HeartWare HVAD, n = 123). Our cohort comprised the 317 CF-LVAD recipients whose records included the preoperative serum prealbumin level. These patients were divided into 2 groups: those with a normal preoperative serum prealbumin level (>17 g/dL) and those with hypoprealbuminemia (≤17 g/dL). These groups were then compared with regard to preoperative demographics, incidence of postoperative complications, long-term survival rate, and cause of death. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with a low preoperative prealbumin level had significantly decreased survival rates at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months (p <0.001) after CF-LVAD implantation and higher overall mortality (p = 0.04) than the patients with a normal prealbumin level, and that exacerbated heart failure made up the majority of this difference within the first 6 months. However, we found no significant correlations between low prealbumin level and postoperative complications. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that preoperative serum prealbumin levels predict patient outcomes after CF-LVAD implantation.

Mechanical Circulatory Support to Bridge to a Long-Term Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device as a Bridge to Heart Transplantation

The use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices as a bridge to transplantation is becoming increasingly popular. Short-term MCS has become a necessary component of the therapeutic strategy for patients in cardiogenic shock, and short-term MCS devices are now being implanted as a bridge to decision. The purpose of using short-term MCS to bridge to decision is to stabilize a patient’s hemodynamic status and improve end-organ function to reduce surgical risks before implanting left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). Appropriate patient selection is the central tenet of the current paradigm of MCS.

Predictive value of preoperative serum albumin levels on outcomes in patients undergoing LVAD implantation

We performed a single‐center retrospective analysis to determine whether preoperative serum albumin levels were associated with postoperative adverse events and short‐ and long‐term survival in patients who underwent continuous‐flow left ventricular assist device (CF‐LVAD) implantation.

Acute kidney injury after implantation of a left ventricular assist device: a comparison of axial-flow (HeartMate II) and centrifugal-flow (HeartWare HVAD) devices

Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) are increasingly being used to treat advanced, refractory chronic heart failure. Herein, we sought to determine the incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in axial-flow (HeartMate II; HM-II) and centrifugal-flow (HVAD) CF-LVAD recipients, as well as the effect of AKI on mortality. The study cohort comprised 520 patients who received a HM-II (n = 398) or HVAD (n = 122) at our center between November 2003 and March 2016. Their records were reviewed to determine the incidence of RIFLE-defined AKI after LVAD implantation. We compared the perioperative characteristics, postoperative complications, and survival rates of the patients with and without AKI and differentiated the outcomes based on device type (HM-II or HVAD). Seventy-five patients (14.4%) developed AKI postoperatively. Patients with AKI after LVAD implantation had significantly reduced survival compared to patients without AKI (p = 0.01). Cox proportional hazards models showed that AKI was a significant independent predictor of mortality (HR = 1.54, p = 0.03). Preoperative mechanical circulatory support and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time were independent predictors of AKI. The incidence of AKI was similar for HM-II and HVAD recipients (p = 0.25). There was no significant difference in AKI rates for the HM-II and HVAD recipients. Developing AKI adversely affected survival.

Bridging to a Long-Term Ventricular Assist Device With Short-Term Mechanical Circulatory Support: BRIDGING TO A LONG-TERM VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE

Implanting short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices as a bridge-to-decision is increasingly popular. However, outcomes have not been well studied in patients who receive short-term MCS before receiving long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. We analyzed outcomes in our single-center experience with long-term continuous-flow (CF)-LVAD recipients with pre-implantation short-term MCS. From November 2003 through March 2016, 526 patients (mean age, 54.7 ± 13.5 years) with chronic heart failure (mean ejection fraction, 21.7 ± 3.6%) underwent implantation of either the HeartMate II (n = 403) or the HeartWare device (n = 123). Before implantation, 269 patients received short-term MCS with the TandemHeart, the Impella 2.5/5.0, an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), or the CentriMag. The short-term MCS patients were compared with the CF-LVAD-only patients regarding preoperative demographics, incidence of postoperative complications, and long-term survival. The 269 patients received the following short-term MCS devices: 57 TandemHeart, 27 Impella, 172 IABP, 12 VA-ECMO, and 1 CentriMag. Survival at 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years was 94.2, 87.2, 79.4, and 72.4%, respectively, for CF-LVAD-only patients versus 91.0, 78.1, 73.4, and 65.6%, respectively, for short-term MCS + CF-LVAD patients (P = 0.17). Within the short-term MCS group, survival at 24 months was poorest for patients supported with VA-ECMO or the TandemHeart (P = 0.03 for both), and survival across all four time points was poorest for patients supported with VA-ECMO (P = 0.02). Short-term MCS was not an independent predictor of mortality in multivariate Cox regression models (hazard ratio = 1.12, 95% confidence interval = 0.84-1.49, P = 0.43). In conclusion, we found that using short-term MCS therapy-except for VA-ECMO-as a bridge to long-term CF-LVAD support was not associated with poorer survival.

Left Ventricular Recovery with Explantation of Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device after 5 Years of Support

Mechanical circulatory support may result in sufficient myocardial recovery to allow for explantation of the left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The duration of support associated with left ventricular recovery has generally been 6-12 months. In this report, we present a patient in whom the left ventricle recovered after 5 years of support with a LVAD. Our report demonstrates that long-term monitoring for left ventricular recovery is prudent and may allow for late device explantation.

Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy in Adults with Transposition of the Great Vessels

An increasing number of children with congenital heart disease are surviving into adulthood and subsequently developing end-stage heart failure. Two example populations are adults who have been previously operated on for congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) and transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Implantation of a continuous flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) in these patients can present unusual anatomical and physiologic challenges. In this report, we describe outcomes of CF-LVAD implantation in three such patients. These cases demonstrate the feasibility of implanting a CF-LVAD in patients who have undergone surgery for CCTGA and/or TGA.

Frequency and Consequences of Right Sided Heart Failure after Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Postoperative right-sided heart failure (RHF) is a common complication after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation. Studies have examined RHF in the perioperative period, but few have assessed late-onset RHF. We analyzed the incidence of early and late RHF in patients with HeartMate II and HeartWare left ventricular assist devices and associated morbidity, mortality, and independent predictors of RHF. We retrospectively analyzed records of 526 patients with chronic heart failure who underwent continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation; 147 (27.9%) developed RHF (early RHF, n = 87, 16.5%; late RHF, n = 74, 14.4%). We examined demographics, postoperative complications, and long-term survival rate. Patients with RHF or late RHF had higher mortality (p <0.001) than those without RHF. Patients with RHF had a higher incidence of acute kidney injury (20.4% vs 11.9%, p = 0.01). Device type did not affect the incidence of early, late, or overall RHF. Patients with severe RHF requiring right ventricular assist device support had a low success of bridge to transplantation (11.1% vs 33.3%, p = 0.02). In Cox regression models, RHF was an independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 1.28 to 2.22, p <0.001), but no predictive variables of RHF were identified. RHF was significantly associated with increased mortality and a higher incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury. RHF decreased the success rate of bridging patients to transplantation when a right ventricular assist device was required.