Manuel Carnero

Transapical mitral valve-in-valve implantation: a novel approach guided by three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography

Prosthesis deterioration rate, years after a previous surgical valve replacement, is rising. Usually, the standard management is reoperation, but for very high risk patients an alternative has arisen: the valve-in-valve approach. We present an 84-year-old Caucasian woman with a mitral bioprosthesis (Mosaic II, number 29) since 1994. Over the last few months the patient displayed worsening heart failure symptoms, until her current admission in NYHA III-IV functional class, because of a severely degenerated mitral prosthesis (severe regurgitation, severe pulmonary hypertension). The transapical access, conventionally used for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (Edwards SAPIEN THV 23) was chosen, guided by transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) with a new three-dimensional (3D) probe. After the procedure, the mitral regurgitation completely disappeared, an appropriate valve opening was achieved (valve area >2 cm(2)) and the patient was discharged 6 days later, remaining well in the outpatient follow-up. Only a restricted number of patients have been submitted to mitral transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation and to the best of our knowledge this is the first accurate description of the 3D TOE part, focusing on the surgeon requirements.

Early recurrence is a predictor of late failure in surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

We sought to determine if early recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after surgical ablation is a risk factor of late failure. Between February 2004 to May 2009, 106 patients underwent surgical ablation of concomitant permanent AF with radiofrequency. Operations primarily consisted of valve surgery in 85% of patients. Hospital mortality was 2.8% (n = 3). The median follow-up was 37 months (interquartile rank 12-77), and was complete in 99% of patients. Freedom from AF was 82%, 76% and 68% at one, two and three years, respectively. Patients with early recurrence of AF had less prevalence of sinus rhythm in late follow-up (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that AF duration [hazard ratio (HR) 1.014, 95% CI 1.009-1.020, P < 0.001] and early recurrence of AF (HR 3.45, 95% CI 1.50-7.95, P = 0.004) were independent risk factors for failure. In conclusion, in our series, early recurrence of AF after surgical ablation is a strong predictor of late failure.

Ascending Aorta and Aortic Root Reoperations: Are Outcomes Worse Than First Time Surgery?

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to analyze surgery and survival data in the midterm after aortic root and (or) ascending aorta reoperations and compare these results with those obtained after first time surgery. METHODS Over a 6-year period, 365 patients underwent an aortic root and (or) ascending aorta surgery procedure at our center. Mean patient age was 63.1 + or - 25.5 years; 27.1% were women. Fifty-eight patients had had prior ascending aorta and (or) aortic valve surgery (group I) and the remaining 307 patients were assigned to an initial surgery group (II). The reoperative procedures were Bentall in 45 (77.6%), ascending aorta and valve replacement in 8 (13.8%), and ascending aorta replacement in 5 (8.6%). RESULTS The reoperation group showed a worse preoperative risk profile indicated by a higher logistic European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation: group I (26.9) versus group II (9.9) (p < 0.0001). Hospital mortality was 7 of 58 (12.1%) in group I and 21 of 207 (6.8%) in group II (p = 0.18; relative risk 1.9 [0.8 to 4.6]). After adjusting for the different variables, reoperation could not be identified as an independent predictor of postoperative morbidity. Survival rates (including in-hospital mortality) were lower in group I at one year (77.9 + or - 1.11% vs 91.9 + or - 0.3%) and at 3 years (75.3 + or - 0.11% vs 88.9 + or - 0.03% [log-rank p = 0.005]). In the multivariate analysis, reoperation (p = 0.01; hazard ratio 2.6 [1.2 to 5.3]) was a determining factor for survival once corrected for variables predicting mortality during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Reoperations on the ascending aorta and aortic root showed acceptable morbidity and mortality. Their midterm survival was lower than for patients not requiring a repeat operation.

Risk score for cardiac surgery in active left-sided infective endocarditis

Objective To develop and validate a calculator to predict the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with active infective endocarditis (IE) undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods Thousand two hundred and ninety-nine consecutive patients with IE were prospectively recruited (1996–2014) and retrospectively analysed. Left-sided patients who underwent cardiac surgery (n=671) form our study population and were randomised into development (n=424) and validation (n=247) samples. Variables statistically significant to predict in-mortality were integrated in a multivariable prediction model, the Risk-Endocarditis Score (RISK-E). The predictive performance of the score and four existing surgical scores (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) I and II), Prosthesis, Age ≥70, Large Intracardiac Destruction, Staphylococcus, Urgent Surgery, Sex (Female) (PALSUSE), EuroSCORE ≥10) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons’s Infective endocarditis score (STS-IE)) were assessed and compared in our cohort. Finally, an external validation of the RISK-E in a separate population was done. Results Variables included in the final model were age, prosthetic infection, periannular complications, Staphylococcus aureus or fungi infection, acute renal failure, septic shock, cardiogenic shock and thrombocytopaenia. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the validation sample was 0.82 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.88). The accuracy of the other surgical scores when compared with the RISK-E was inferior (p=0.010). Our score also obtained a good predictive performance, area under the curve 0.76 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.88), in the external validation. Conclusions IE-specific factors (microorganisms, periannular complications and sepsis) beside classical variables in heart surgery (age, haemodynamic condition and renal failure) independently predicted perioperative mortality in IE. The RISK-E had better ability to predict surgical mortality in patients with IE when compared with other surgical scores.

Can estimated glomerular filtration rate improve the EuroSCORE

Several studies have shown that the glomerular filtration rate is a strong predictor of mortality following cardiac surgery. This study was designed to identify the estimated glomerular filtration rate using the MDRD-4 equation as an independent predictive variable of mortality and to determine whether the inclusion of this variable could improve the discriminating power of the EuroSCORE. Data from 2014 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery over a 3-year period were analysed. Mean glomerular filtration rate was 68.4+/-22.7 ml/min per 1.73 m(2); 704 patients (35%) showed a rate <or=60 ml/min/1.73 m(2). An estimated glomerular filtration rate <or=60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) was found to be an independent predictor of mortality adjusted for age, sex and EuroSCORE (P<0.001, OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.6-3.4). The discriminating power of the EuroSCORE improved when this variable was included: area under the ROC curve for EuroSCORE plus estimated glomerular filtration rate was 0.77 (0.73-0.81) compared to 0.75 (0.71-0.80) for the additive EuroSCORE (z=2.55, P<0.05) and 0.75 (0.71-0.80) for the logistic EuroSCORE (z=2.45, P<0.05). The estimated glomerular filtration rate using the MDRD-4 equation is an independent predictive factor of perioperative mortality in cardiac surgery. The inclusion of this variable could improve the discriminatory capacity of the EuroSCORE.

Relationship between serum levels of triglycerides and vascular inflammation, measured as COX-2, in arteries from diabetic patients: a translational study

BackgroundInflammation is a common feature in the majority of cardiovascular disease, including Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Levels of pro-inflammatory markers have been found in increasing levels in serum from diabetic patients (DP). Moreover, levels of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are increased in coronary arteries from DP.MethodsThrough a cross-sectional design, patients who underwent CABG were recruited. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) were cultured and COX-2 was measured by western blot. Biochemical and clinical data were collected from the medical record and by blood testing. COX-2 expression was analyzed in internal mammary artery cross-sections by confocal microscopy. Eventually, PGI2 and PGE2 were assessed from VSMC conditioned media by ELISA.ResultsOnly a high glucose concentration, but a physiological concentration of triglycerides exposure of cultured human VSMC derived from non-diabetic patients increased COX-2 expression. Diabetic patients showed increasing serum levels of glucose, Hb1ac and triglycerides. The bivariate analysis of the variables showed that triglycerides was positively correlated with the expression of COX-2 in internal mammary arteries from patients (r2 = 0.214, P < 0.04).ConclusionsWe conclude that is not the glucose blood levels but the triglicerydes leves what increases the expression of COX-2 in arteries from DP.

Role of TGF-β1 and MAP Kinases in the Antiproliferative Effect of Aspirin in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Background We aimed to test the antiproliferative effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from bypass surgery patients and the role of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). Methodology/Principal Findings VSMC were isolated from remaining internal mammary artery from patients who underwent bypass surgery. Cell proliferation and DNA fragmentation were assessed by ELISA. Protein expression was assessed by Western blot. ASA inhibited BrdU incorporation at 2 mM. Anti-TGF-β1 was able to reverse this effect. ASA (2 mM) induced TGF-β1 secretion; however it was unable to induce Smad activation. ASA increased p38MAPK phosphorylation in a TGF-β1-independent manner. Anti-CD105 (endoglin) was unable to reverse the antiproliferative effect of ASA. Pre-surgical serum levels of TGF-β1 in patients who took at antiplatelet doses ASA were assessed by ELISA and remained unchanged. Conclusions/Significance In vitro antiproliferative effects of aspirin (at antiinflammatory concentration) on human VSMC obtained from bypass patients are mediated by TGF-β1 and p38MAPK. Pre-surgical serum levels of TGF- β1 from bypass patients who took aspirin at antiplatelet doses did not change.

Validación del EuroSCORE II: ¿funciona en nuestro medio?

a b s t r a c t Objectives: Validate the new EuroSCORE (ESII) risk model in terms of discriminative and calibration power and compare this results with the classic EuroSCORE (ES).We also compare our data distribution with the ESII database. Methods: A 4166 patient population operated during a 7 year period was analyzed. The model was then tested on the validation data set for calibration (by comparing the observed and predicted mortality) and for discrimination (using the area under the ROC curve). Results: The predicted mortality by the ESII was higher than the ES: 9.1(SD: 10.4) vs 3.46 (SD: 4.3): p<0.001. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed a poor calibration for both models: ES (x 2 =26.6, p=<0.001),ESII (x 2 =58.19, p<0.0001). Areas under ROC curves were 0.75 (IC95% 0.72-0.78) for ES and 0.78 (IC95% 0.75-0.81) for ESII (p<0.233). Conclusions: The new EuroSCORE II risk model has a predicted mortality lower than EuroSCORE and a good predictive value in terms of calibration and poor discrimination. A non significant better discrimination power was observer in the ESII. The distribution of some variables was different between our data and ESII.

Decreased pre-surgical CD34+/CD144+ cell number in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting compared to coronary artery disease-free valvular patients

BackgroundCardiovascular disease has been linked to endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) depletion and functional impairment in atherosclerosis and aortic stenosis. EPCs may play a pivotal role in vascular grafting. However, the EPC depletion in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients has not been compared to coronary artery disease-free valvular replacement patients with aortic stenosis.MethodsWe aimed to assess the basal number of CD34+/KDR+ and CD34+/CD144+ cells in CABG patients, compared to aortic stenosis valvular replacement patients. 100 patients (51 CABG and 49 valvular surgery ones) were included in the present study. All CABG or valvular patients had angiographic demonstration of the presence or the absence of coronary artery disease, respectively. Numbers of CD34+/KDR+ and CD34+/CD144+ were assessed by flow cytometry of pre-surgical blood samples.ResultsWe found a lower number of CD34+/CD144+ cells in CABG patients compared to valvular patients (0.21 ± 0.03% vs. 0.47 ± 0.08%), and this difference remained statistically significant after the P was adjusted for multiple comparisons (P = 0.01428). Both groups had more EPCs than healthy controls.ConclusionsPre-surgical CD34+/CD144+ numbers are decreased in CABG patients, compared to valvular patients with absence of coronary disease.

Seguimiento ecocardiográfico a medio plazo de las alteraciones de la función sistólica y diastólica del ventrículo izquierdo tras rotura subaguda tratada quirúrgicamente

El papel de las revistas nacionales europeas en la formacion medica Peter Millsa, Adam Timmisb, Kurt Huberc, Hugo Ectord, Patrizio Lancellottic, Izet Masicc, Mario Ivanusac, Loizos Antoniadesc, Michael Aschermannc, Jorgen Videvaekc, Aleksandras Lauceviciusc, Pirjo Mustonenc, Jean-Yves Artigouc, Panos Vardase, Christodoulos Stefanadisc, Massimo Chiarielloc, Leonardo Bolognesec, Guiseppe Ambrosiof, Ernst E. van der Wallc, Piotr Kulakowskig, Fausto J. Pintoh, Eduard Apetreic, Rafael G. Oganovc, Gabriel Kamenskyc, Thomas F. Luscherc, Rene Lerchc, Habib Haoualac, Vedat Sansoyc, Valentin Shumakovc, Carlos Daniel Tajeri, Chu-Pak Laui, Manlio Marquezi, Rungroj Krittayaphongi, Kaduo Araii y Fernando Alfonsoj