Fabio Bertoldo

Simultaneous Hybrid Revascularization by Carotid Stenting and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting – The SHARP Study

OBJECTIVES In an attempt to reduce post-operative events we investigated a new therapeutic strategy consisting of a simultaneous hybrid revascularization by carotid artery stenting (CAS), immediately followed by an on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). BACKGROUND Preventing stroke and cardiovascular events after coronary artery revascularization in patients with elevated surgical risk is a complex and multifaceted problem. METHODS One hundred-one consecutive patients with severe carotid and coronary artery disease and a standard EuroSCORE >or=5 were included in this multicenter study. Immediately after CAS, patients underwent CABG. The primary end point was the incidence of stroke, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or death at 30 days. Secondary outcomes were transient ischemic attacks; major local complications; bleeding and systemic complications within 30 days after treatment; and any stroke, AMI, or death occurring from the 31st day to the end of the 12-month follow-up. All clinical outcomes were assessed by an independent monitoring board. RESULTS The rate of procedural success was 98%. The 30-day cumulative incidence of disabling stroke, AMI, or death was 4%: 2 patients died (2%) in the post-operative period, and 2 patients (2%) had a stroke immediately after CAS and before CABG. Three patients died from the 31st day to the 12th month after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that in high-risk patients with coronary artery disease suitable for CABG and carotid artery disease, the hybrid revascularization by CAS immediately followed by CABG is a promising and feasible therapeutic strategy.

Use of the Valsalva graft and long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE The Valsalva graft is a specifically designed Dacron graft that, on implantation and pressurization, generates pseudosinuses of Valsalva. We reviewed a multicenter experience of the reimplantation procedure with the Valsalva graft in patients with aneurysms involving the aortic root. METHODS A total of 278 patients underwent valve-sparing aortic root replacement using the Valsalva graft at 4 different Italian cardiac surgery centers and were studied by clinical assessment and echocardiography. Of the 278 patients, 220 were men (79%), with a mean age of 56 ± 15 years. Of the patients, 42 (15%) had Marfan syndrome, 31 (11%) had a bicuspid aortic valve, 13 (5%) had acute aortic dissection, and 136 (49%) had grade 3 or 4+ aortic insufficiency. Concomitant cardiac procedures were performed in 78 patients (28%). Additional aortic leaflet repair was necessary in 25 patients (9%). The mean crossclamp time was 120 ± 27 minutes. RESULTS There were 5 (1.8%) operative and 5 (1.8%) late deaths. The mean follow-up was 52 ± 28 months (range, 2-112 months) and was 100% complete. The cumulative actuarial survival was 95.2% (268 patients). A total of 32 patients (11%) had grade 3 to 4+ aortic insufficiency, and 17 of these required late aortic valve replacement (range, 3-78 months). At 10 years of follow-up, the freedom from aortic valve reoperation rate was 91%, and the rate of freedom from residual aortic insufficiency not needing reoperation was 88%. CONCLUSIONS The reimplantation type of valve-sparing procedure can be facilitated by the use of the Valsalva graft and can be performed with satisfactory perioperative and midterm results. How an optimal root reconstruction will affect the second decade of follow-up has yet to be determined.

Midterm Results of Different Surgical Techniques to Replace Dilated Ascending Aorta Associated With Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease

BACKGROUND This study evaluated effectiveness of three different surgical strategies for treating ascending aorta aneurysm, with or without involvement of the aortic root, associated with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). METHODS Between 2005 and 2011, 150 consecutive patients underwent a Bentall operation in the presence of ascending aorta and aortic root dilation exceeding 45 mm in diameter and malfunctioning BAV (n = 46, group 1); separate aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement in presence of ascending aorta dilation exceeding 45 mm, aortic root of less than 45 mm, and malfunctioning BAV (n = 77, group 2); or ascending aorta replacement, with or without BAV repair, in the presence of ascending aorta dilation exceeding 45 mm, aortic root of less than 45 mm, and normally functioning or mildly insufficient BAV (n = 27, group 3). RESULTS Compared with groups 2 and 3, group 1 patients were younger and affected by more severe BAV insufficiency and worse left ventricular function. In groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, operative mortality was 2.1%, 1.3%, and 0%, and 5-year survival was 94% ± 4%, 92% ± 3.4%, and 100%. At 5 years, no patient in any group required reoperation on the ascending aorta or experienced aortic complications. In groups 2 and 3, root dimensions did not increase and were also significantly smaller compared with preoperative measurements (p < 0.05). Aortic regurgitation grade in group 3 (0.5 ± 0.8/4+) did not increase compared with the preoperative grade (0.8 ± 0.9/4+). CONCLUSIONS At midterm follow-up, the Bentall operation remains associated with optimal results for the treatment of BAV, despite a worse preoperative presentation. In presence of a mildly diseased or normal aortic root and normal BAV function at the time of operation, less invasive surgical procedures, BAV-sparing, or repair procedures, appear to offer gratifying results.

Bicuspid aortic root spared during ascending aorta surgery: an update of long-term results

BACKGROUND Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) aortopathy is well known in literature even if only few data exist regarding isolated supra-coronary aneurysm with normally functioning valve and root. Aim of this study is to clarify the long-term fate of bicuspid aortic root spared at the time of ascending aorta surgery. METHODS We identified forty-seven patients (mean age, 57±11 y; range, 35-81 y, 31 males) who were treated by means of supracoronary aortic replacement in presence of normally functioning BAV and not significantly enlarged sinues of Valsalva. Clinical follow-up (mean 93±50 months; range, 21-207) was 98.9% complete. RESULTS Freedom from cardiac death at 5- and 10-year was 95%±5% and 83%±16%. Three surviving patients required reoperation for the development of aortic insufficiency [2 cases treated by aortic valve replacement (AVR)] or for progression of aortic stenosis (AS) [1 case treated by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)]. Freedom from new procedure on aortic valve was 100% and 94.4%±5.6% at 5- and 10-year. Composite event-free survival at 5- and 9-year was 82%±18% and 69%±30%. CONCLUSIONS Although in the setting of a BAV, aortic root integrity seems to remain stable during long term follow up with low rate of reoperation and occurrence of new adverse event.

Surgical Treatment of Aortic Valve Regurgitation Secondary to Ascending Aorta Aneurysm: Is Adjunctive Subcommissural Annuloplasty Necessary?

BACKGROUND Subcommissural aortic annuloplasty (SCA) has been recommended for treatment of functional aortic regurgitation (AR), but its association with sinotubular junction adjustment is still controversial. METHODS Sixty patients with moderate or severe functional AR secondary to proximal ascending aorta aneurysm operated on between May 2004 and December 2010 were reviewed. Forty patients underwent SCA and ascending aorta repair (SCA group; mean age, 65 ± 9 years) and 20 underwent ascending aorta repair alone (non-SCA group; mean age, 69 ± 8 years). Preoperative AR grades were comparable between groups (p = 0.9). Echocardiographic data at discharge and during follow-up (SCA group, 41 ± 13 months; non-SCA group, 46 ± 13 months) were analyzed. RESULTS Improvement of mean AR grade was better in the SCA group than in the non-SCA group at discharge (0.78 ± 0.9 vs 1.8 ± 0.1/4+, p = 0.0001) and at follow-up (0.44 ± 0.8 vs 2.4 ± 0.7/4+, p = 0.0001). Cox-regression analysis (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]) identified a higher residual AR at discharge (0.14 [0.012-0.37], p = 0.02) and the surgical technique, SCA or not (0.5 [0.03-0.899], p = 0.04), as predictors of more than grade 2/4+ AR at follow-up. Five-year freedom from more than grade 2/4+ AR was 94.4% ± 5.4% vs 58% ± 16% in SCA vs non-SCA (p = 0.02), respectively, and the survival rate was 95% ± 5% vs 89% ± 7.5% (p = 0.7). No valve stenosis was observed in the SCA group. CONCLUSIONS SCA is effective for treatment of functional AR, providing stable results even for significant AR. Our results suggest that it should be possibly associated to sinotubular junction adjustment. SCA seems to not impair normal aortic valve opening.

Early treatment of functional tricuspid regurgitation at the time of mitral valve surgery: an increased risk or an additional benefit?

© The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Early treatment of functional tricuspid regurgitation at the time of mitral valve surgery: an increased risk or an additional benefit?

New insights on the use of del Nido cardioplegia in the adult cardiac surgery

The use of cardioplegia solution represents the most important strategy to protect myocardial muscle during cardiac surgery (1). Cold crystalloid cardioplegia associated with mild-to-moderate hypothermia has the advantage to decrease the oxygen consumption, offers some degree of myocardial protection during period of low flow or low perfusion pressure.

Warm blood cardioplegia versus cold crystalloid cardioplegia for myocardial protection during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery

We retrospectively analyzed early results of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery using two different types of cardioplegia for myocardial protection: antegrade intermittent warm blood or cold crystalloid cardioplegia. From January 2015 to October 2016, 330 consecutive patients underwent isolated on-pump CABG. Cardiac arrest was obtained with use of warm blood cardioplegia (WBC group, n = 297) or cold crystalloid cardioplegia (CCC group, n = 33), according to the choice of the surgeon. Euroscore II and preoperative characteristics were similar in both groups, except for the creatinine clearance, slightly lower in WBC group (77.33 ± 27.86 mL/min versus 88.77 ± 51.02 mL/min) (P < 0.05). Complete revascularization was achieved in both groups. In-hospital mortality was 2.0% (n = 6) in WBC group, absent in CCC group. The required mean number of cardioplegia’s doses per patient was higher in WBC group (2.3 ± 0.8) versus CCC group (2.0 ± 0.7) (P = 0.045), despite a lower number of distal coronary artery anastomoses (2.7 ± 0.8 versus 3.2 ± 0.9) (P = 0.0001). Cardiopulmonary and aortic cross-clamp times were similar in both groups. The incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction (WBC group 3.4% versus CCC group 3.0%) and low cardiac output syndrome (4.4% versus 3.0%) were similar in both groups. As compared with WBC group, in CCC group CK-MB/CK ratio >10% was lower during each time points of evaluation, with a statistical significant difference at time 0 (4% ± 1.6% versus 5% ± 2.5%) (P = 0.021). In presence of complete revascularization, despite the value of CK-MB/CK ratio >10% was less in the CCC group, clinical results were not affected by both types of cardioplegia adopted to myocardial protection. As compared with cold crystalloid, warm blood cardioplegia requires a shorter interval of administration to achieve better myocardial protection.

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in a patient with a giant pericardial cyst

A 51-year-old male was admitted with fever, dyspnea, and peripheral edema.His past historywas significant for hypertension, diabetes, chronic renal failure, and a bilateral carotid endarterectomy. A cardiac computed tomography scan revealed a pericardial mass (12 × 7.3 cm) which extended to compress the right ventricle (Figure 1). T1 and T2 signal intensities suggested that thiswas consistentwith a fluid-filled pericardial cyst. A coronary angiogram showed a total occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery with serial stenosis of the right coronary artery (RCA). Amedian sternotomy revealed the pericardialmass adjacent to the right atriumandventricle andextended to thepulmonaryartery (Figure2). The mass was entered, serous fluid was removed, and the cyst wall was partially excised. It was extensively adherent to the area adjacent to the RCA. An off-pump left internal mammary artery to LAD anastomosis was performed. On the fifth postoperative day, two drug-eluting stents were

Sternal bone erosion by a giant chronic aortic pseudoaneurysm in a patient with previous surgery for type A aortic dissection.

Pseudoaneurysm may be defined as a tear through the arterial wall with persistent flow outside the vessel into a space contained by the surrounding tissue. Aortic pseudoaneurysm may occur after surgery for acute aortic dissection and commonly occurs at sites of aortic wall disruption. The arterial site cannulation and anastomosis lines are the main locations. It could develop subclinically, leading to chronic and complex pathological patterns, which make surgical management challenging. Therefore, accurate postsurgical imaging is essential in order to avoid later complications, often associated with fatal consequences. Surgical treatment is complex and often associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the therapeutic strategy