Mariano Benzadón

Is the second internal thoracic artery better than the radial artery in total arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting? A propensity score–matched follow-up study

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of patients exclusively undergoing total arterial revascularization off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and to compare the performance of the radial artery and the right internal thoracic artery as a second conduit. METHODS We studied a consecutive series of 1700 patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, receiving a radial artery or right internal thoracic artery as a second graft for total arterial revascularization, between 2003 and 2010. A total of 1447 patients (85.11%) received bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting, and 253 patients (14.89%) received left internal thoracic artery and radial artery grafting. A propensity score-matched analysis was performed to compare the 2 groups, bilateral internal thoracic artery and left internal thoracic artery and radial artery, relative to overall survival, morbidity, and combined end points event-free survival. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox regression. RESULTS In the full unmatched patient population, the postoperative survival (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38-0.92; P = .021), incidence of reintervention/readmission (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.28-0.61; P < .001), and combined end points (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.35-0.63; P < .001) were significantly better in the bilateral internal thoracic artery group. In the propensity score-matched patient population, the incidence of reintervention/readmission (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.18-0.88; P = .02) and combined end points (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.32-0.92; P = .02) were significantly better in the bilateral internal thoracic artery group compared with the left internal thoracic artery-radial artery group. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study provide evidence for the superiority of the right internal thoracic artery graft compared with the radial artery as a second conduit in total arterial revascularization off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Impact of preoperative clopidogrel in off pump coronary artery bypass surgery: A propensity score analysis

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of recent clopidrogel use before off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting on the postoperative risk of bleeding. METHODS During the period January 2003 to December 2006, 1104 consecutive patients underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Patients were divided into two groups according to the recent use of clopidrogel (within 7 days). We performed a propensity score to further adjust for differences between the patients with and without recent use of clopidrogel. RESULTS Mean age was 64 +/- 14 years and 87% were male. The clopidrogel group had a greater incidence of patients in unstable condition, requiring emergency coronary bypass grafting, and with a high EuroSCORE. Propensity score analysis selected 88 patients with and 176 without recent use of clopidrogel. By propensity score, the clopidrogel group had higher requirements for fresh frozen plasma units (18.1% vs 8.5%; P = .02), reoperation owing to bleeding (5.6% vs 0.5%; P = .009), and higher need for postoperative mechanical ventilation (4% vs 10%; P = .04), whereas mortality and length of stay were similar between groups. CONCLUSION Recent use of clopidogrel before off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting is associated with greater risk for bleeding with similar mortality rate.

Immediate Extubation After Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in 1,196 Consecutive Patients: Feasibility, Safety and Predictors of When Not To Attempt It

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of immediate extubation (ultrafast-track anesthesia [UFTA]) in the operating room, and the predictors of when not to attempt it in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCAB). DESIGN Case series. SETTING A private hospital. PARTICIPANTS One thousand one hundred ninety-six patients undergoing OPCAB surgery, representing 4 years of a single anesthesia services practice (3 anesthesiologists), were evaluated for immediate extubation. All patients were considered amenable to immediate extubation if specific criteria were met. INTERVENTION Patients received general anesthesia (UFTA protocol) and underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS One thousand sixty-five patients (89%) met extubation criteria and were extubated successfully in the operating room. By multivariate analysis, the following independent predictors of avoiding immediate extubation were identified: reoperation (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9, p < 0.001), pre-existing renal disease (OR = 3.1, p < 0.0001), diabetes (OR = 1.7, p < 0.007), preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump placement (OR = 7.4, p < 0.0001), and total surgical time (OR = 3.7, p < 0.0001). Patients who met extubation criteria had lower in-hospital reintubation (2.5% v 16%, p < 0.001), myocardial infarction (1.03% v 4.58%, p = 0.001), renal insufficiency (2.2% v 7.63%, p < 0.001), stroke (0.4% v 2.29%, p = 0.032), and mortality rates (1.2% v 10.7%, p < 0.001) than patients who did not. CONCLUSIONS UFTA is feasible and safe in most patients undergoing OPCAB surgery. Baseline and intraoperative data predicted when immediate extubation should not be attempted.

Aortic Valve Replacement in a Patient With Osler-Rendu-Weber Disease

Osler-Rendu-Weber (hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia) disease is an uncommon disease characterized by the presence of abnormal telangiectasias and arteriovenous malformations that cause recurrent episodes of bleeding. We present a patient with Osler-Rendu-Weber disease, with a history of multiple major bleeding events and severe aortic valve stenosis, who underwent aortic valve replacement. Unexpectedly, the postoperative course was uneventful, and there was no untoward bleeding in the early or in the late postoperative follow-up.

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A SIMPLE CLINICAL RISK PREDICTION MODEL FOR POSTOPERATIVE ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. We aimed to develop and validate a simple clinical model for the prediction of POAF. Retrospective cohort study of consecutive postoperative cardiac surgery patients was conducted during 2004-2017. A

Impact of a hybrid decision support system to improve the adherence to implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy guidelines for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death

OBJECTIVES Despite the well-documented benefit of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, there is a large number of patients who had not been offered this therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the utility of a hybrid decision support system (hCDSS) to improve the adherence to indicate ICD therapy in our institution. METHODS We conducted a retrospective, observational and single-center study. An hCDSS focused on patients with severe deterioration of the left ventricular function was implemented, creating a mandatory field containing the value of left ejection fraction and three options to choose: >35%, ≤ 35% or unknown. When the option ≤ 35% is checked, an email is automatically sent to the electrophysiology section where the staff can contact the treating physician to discuss the indication of ICD therapy. We measured the number of ICDs implanted before the alert (month 1-21), immediate post and late post alert (month 22-27 and 28-48 months respectively) RESULTS: The rate of ICD implantation increased from 1.76% per month in the pre-intervention period to 4.48% after the intervention (p < 0.001). This increase in the rate of ICD implantation remained stable between the immediate and late post-intervention period (4.6 vs. 4.4; p = .8) CONCLUSION: The implementation of a hybrid decision support system was associated with improved adherence to clinical guidelines for prevention of sudden cardiac death, as evidenced by a rapid and sustained increase in the number of ICD implants in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction.