Mohamad Bashir

Acute type A aortic dissection in the United Kingdom: Surgeon volume-outcome relation

Objectives Surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAD) carries a high risk of operative mortality. We examined the surgeon volume‐outcome relation with respect to in‐hospital mortality for patients presenting with this pathology in the United Kingdom. Method Between April 2007 and March 2013, 1550 ATAD procedures were identified from the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research database. A total of 249 responsible consultant cardiac surgeons from the United Kingdom recorded 1 or more of these procedures in their surgical activity over this period. We describe the patient population and mortality rates, focusing on the relationship between surgeon volume and in‐hospital mortality. Results The mean annual volume of procedures per surgeon during the 6‐year period ranged from 1 to 6.6. The overall in‐hospital mortality rate was 18.3% (283/1550). A mortality improvement at the 95% level was observed with a risk‐adjusted mean annual volume >4.5. Surgeons with a mean annual volume <4 over the study period had significantly higher in‐hospital mortality rates in comparison with surgeons with a mean annual volume ≥4 (19.3% vs 12.6%; P = .015). Conclusions Patients with ATAD who are operated on by lower‐volume surgeons experience higher levels of in‐hospital mortality. Directing these patients to higher‐volume surgeons may be a strategy to reduce in‐hospital mortality.

Mitral valve repair or replacement in native valve endocarditis? Systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of this study is to review the morbidity and mortality associated with mitral valve repair versus replacement in infective endocarditis patients.

Unwarranted Variation in the Quality of Care for Patients With Diseases of the Thoracic Aorta

Background Thoracic aortic disease has a high mortality. We sought to establish the contribution of unwarranted variation in care to regional differences in outcomes observed in patients with thoracic aortic disease in England. Methods and Results Data from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and the National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit (NACSA) were extracted. A parallel systematic review/meta‐analysis through December 2015, and structure and process questionnaire of English cardiac surgery units were also accomplished. Treatment and mortality rates were investigated. A total of 24 548 adult patients in the HES study, 8058 in the NACSA study, and 103 543 from a total of 33 studies in the systematic review were obtained. Treatment rates for thoracic aortic disease within 6 months of index admission ranged from 7.6% to 31.5% between English counties. Risk‐adjusted 6‐month mortality in untreated patients ranged from 19.4% to 36.3%. Regional variation persisted after adjustment for disease or patient factors. Regional cardiac units with higher case volumes treated more‐complex patients and had significantly lower risk‐adjusted mortality relative to low‐volume units. The results of the systematic review indicated that the delivery of care by multidisciplinary teams in high‐volume units resulted in better outcomes. The observational analyses and the online survey indicated that this is not how services are configured in most units in England. Conclusions Changes in the organization of services that address unwarranted variation in the provision of care for patients with thoracic aortic disease in England may result in more‐equitable access to treatment and improved outcomes.

Is there a prospect for hybrid aortic arch surgery

The surge of endovascular repair of aortic aneurysm in current modern aortic surgery practice has been the key for surgical management of elective cases of thoracic aortic aneurysms. This has paved way for the combined hybrid approach to be amongst the armamentarium for the management of aortic arch disease. The pivotal understanding of the aortic arch natural history coupled with device technology advancement allowed surgeons insight into delivery of hybrid surgery with acceptable morbidity and mortality results. This review article provides current insights into hybrid technique of aortic arch aneurysm repair and the evidences behind its applicability to arch surgery. It is aimed to highlight the challenges encountered for this innovative approach and correlate its challenges to those that are met by the conventional open aortic arch repair.

Brain protection in aortic arch aneurysm: antegrade or retrograde?

During open aortic arch repair, there is an interruption of cerebral perfusion and to prevent neurological sequelae, the hypothermic circulatory arrest has been established to provide sufficient brain protection coupled with adjuncts including retrograde and antegrade cerebral perfusion. To date, brain protection during open aortic arch repair is a contested topic as to which provides superior brain protection with little evidence existing to suggest supremacy of one modality over the other. This article reviews current literature reflecting on key and emerging studies in brain protection and their associated outcomes in patients undergoing open aortic arch surgery.

Is there a role for biomarkers in thoracic aortic aneurysm disease

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) represents a major cause of mortality and morbidity in Western countries. The natural history of TAA is indolent, with patients usually being asymptomatic until a catastrophic event such as rupture or dissection ensues. As such, early diagnosis is crucial and the search is ongoing for a biomarker that can indicate the presence of TAA with sufficient accuracy to act as a screening tool. To date, no such marker has been developed for the diagnosis of non-familial or ‘sporadic’ TAA. However, our increased understanding of the pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic TAA has suggested potential candidates for diagnostic biomarkers. Many markers/pathways have been shown to have differential activity levels or expression in the aortic tissue of TAA. However, priority is given to markers that have shown differential levels in blood plasma, as blood tests represent the easiest route for mass screening for TAA. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of clinical tests already in use in diagnosing TAA, explore novel proposed biomarkers and identify key areas of future interest.

Aortic arch aneurysm surgery: what is the gold standard temperature in the absence of randomized data?

In the absence randomized data for assessing the best and optimal temperature for managing open aortic arch surgery patients, cerebral protection method is still performed through hypothermic circulatory arrest with or without the use of adjuncts. A recent consensus has emerged setting to define the temperature levels. In an attempt, this was aimed to establish a solid ground for future trials in aortic arch surgery. This article reviews the current literature and the evidences behind using different temperature methods and their outcomes in patients undergoing open aortic arch surgery.

Development and Validation of Elective and Nonelective Risk Prediction Models for In-Hospital Mortality in Proximal Aortic Surgery Using the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) Database

BACKGROUNDnTo facilitate patient choice and the risk adjustment of consultant outcomes in aortic operations, reliable predictive tools are required. Our objective was to develop a risk prediction model for in-hospital mortality after operation on the proximal aorta.nnnMETHODSnData for 8641 consecutive UK patients undergoing proximal aortic operation from the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research database from April 2007 to March 2013 were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Model calibration and discrimination were assessed.nnnRESULTSnIn-hospital mortality was 4.6% in elective operations and 16.5% in nonelective operations. In the elective model, previous cardiac operation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.0 to 4.7) and ejection fraction greater than 30% (adjusted OR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.7 to 3.1) were the strongest predictors of mortality (pxa0<xa00.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was 0.805 (95% CI: 0.802 to 0.807) with a bias-corrected value of 0.795. Model calibration was acceptable (pxa0= 0.427) on the basis of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. In the nonelective model, salvage operations (adjusted OR 9.9, 95% CI: 6.5 to 15.2) and previous cardiac operation (adjusted OF 3.9, 95% CI: 3.0 to 5.0) were the strongest predictors of mortality (p < 0.001). The AUROC curve was 0.761 (95% CI: 0.761 to 0.765) with a bias-corrected value of 0.756, and model calibration was also found to be acceptable (pxa0= 0.616).nnnCONCLUSIONSnWe propose the use of these risk models to improve patient choice and to enhance patients awareness of risks and risk-adjust aortic operation outcomes for case-mix.

Redo proximal thoracic aortic surgery: challenges and controversies

Reoperations on the proximal thoracic aorta represent a challenge. The mortality rate is at least three times higher than it is for the initial surgery and the complications after such procedures occur with disappointingly high frequency, leading to substantial morbidity and delayed recovery. This article aims to present the early and the late outcomes of these kinds of operations, to identify the causes for failure of the primary surgery, to underline the critical points during the perioperative management of those patients and finally to emphasize on the rapid evolution and advent of techniques over the last few years.

Decoding the volume–outcome relationship in Type A aortic dissection

Over the past few decades, the advents in monitoring, imaging, diagnostics, and implementation of multidisciplinary team approach in Type A aortic dissection surgery resulted in improved surgical outcomes. One other factor that needed to be targeted and carefully analyzed was the volume–outcome relationship on hospital and surgeon level in the settings of Type A dissection. This surely sprung form reports which indicated that supercenters providing aortic services with concentrated expert and expertise were performing better than smaller centers. We dwell in this article on the body of evidence to support concentration of experts and the effect of this organization on volume, referral, and outcome in Type A aortic dissection.