Sebastiano Castrovinci

Papillary muscle relocation in conjunction with valve annuloplasty improve repair results in severe ischemic mitral regurgitation.

OBJECTIVE The incidence of recurrent mitral regurgitation (MR) after restrictive annuloplasty (RA) was 5% to 20% in several reports. There are many opinions in favor of adding subvalvular procedures to RA to reduce the tenting forces and improve the repair results. METHODS From March 2003 to May 2010, 55 patients with severe ischemic MR who had undergone papillary muscle (PPM) relocation in conjunction with mitral annuloplasty in our institutions were enrolled. The patients were matched 1:1 with those who underwent isolated RA using the propensity score. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 42% ± 6%. The mean tenting area and coaptation depth was 3.2 ± 0.6 cm(2) and 1.3 ± 0.2 cm, respectively. The study endpoints were early mortality and clinical and echocardiographic outcomes, freedom from cardiac-related deaths, and cardiac-related events. RESULTS In-hospital death occurred in 5 patients (4.5%), without a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (P = .72). The 5-year freedom from cardiac-related deaths and cardiac-related events in the PPM relocation group versus the RA group was 90.9% ± 1.8% versus 89% ± 1.6% (P = .82) and 83% ± 2.1% versus 65.4% ± 1.2% (P < .001), respectively. Recurrent MR equal to or greater than moderate occurred in 2 (3.7%) and 6 (11.5%) patients in the PPM relocation group and RA group (P = .01), respectively. Moreover, we found statistically significant differences for the postoperative mean tenting area and coaptation depth in both groups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS PPM relocation in conjunction to mitral annuloplasty is an easy and safe method and can be performed without an increase in-hospital mortality. This technique reduced the tenting area and coaptation depth compared with isolated RA, leading to improvement in the incidence of recurrent MR. The PPM group of patients experienced fewer cardiac-related events.

Open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair in the modern era: results from a 20-year single-centre experience

OBJECTIVES The efficacy and durability of actual treatments (open, endovascular and hybrid) for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair are not yet completely defined. Open surgical repair using a multi-adjunct (ADJ) approach has been the standard of care for many years and may still be an effective treatment option. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of open TAAA repair since the introduction of the available ADJ. METHODS From 1994 to 2014, 542 consecutive patients underwent open TAAA repair in our institution, routinely receiving aortic distal perfusion and the other ADJ (either for visceral and spinal cord protection). The aetiology of TAAA was identified to be degenerative in 325 (60%) patients and chronic post-dissection in 160 (29.5%) patients. Other causes such as connective tissue disorders, vasculitis and infective aneurysms were less represented (10.5%). Extensive type I and II repair was required in 128 (23.6%) and 285 (52.6%) patients, respectively. All patients were followed up at 3 and 6 months after surgery and yearly thereafter using computed tomography angiogram. RESULTS The overall 30-day mortality and paraplegia rates were 8.5 and 4.2%, respectively. Age [odds ratio (OR) 1.07 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.13], female gender (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.27-4.99), urgency (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.12-6.20) and emergency (OR 3.81, 95% CI 1.00-11.50) emerged as independent risk factors for 30-day mortality. Follow-up was 100% complete (mean 6.32 years). Overall 1-, 5- and 10-year survival was 85.9 ± 1.5, 74.2 ± 2.0 and 61.6 ± 2.5%, respectively. The extent of surgical repair did not significantly influence late hospital death (P = 0.56). For patients surviving the first 30 days, a degenerative aneurysm aetiology negatively impaired long-term survival compared with the other diseases [hazard ratio = 1.66; 95% CI (1.13-2.44)]. Five- and 10-year freedom from reoperation was 86.3 ± 1.8 and 80.7 ± 2.3%, respectively, and 8.5% of patients required aortic reinterventions. CONCLUSIONS In elective cases, open TAAA repair has to be considered an effective option associated with low necessity of reoperation at follow-up. The extent of aortic resection did not affect long-term mortality. Conversely, survival was mainly determined by patient age and preoperative condition.

Frozen elephant trunk surgery in acute aortic dissection

OBJECTIVES Acute aortic dissection is a catastrophic condition, for which emergency surgery is the mainstay of therapy. In approximately 70% of patients who survive surgery, a dissected distal aorta remains, posing a risk of late aneurysmal degeneration, rupture, and malperfusion, and secondary extensive interventions are often required. METHODS In order to improve the long-term prognosis, a more extensive intervention, the frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure, has been introduced. This involves the simultaneous replacement of the aortic arch and antegrade stenting of the descending thoracic aorta (DTA). Although FET is assumed to produce total thoracic aortic remodeling by inducing both coverage of secondary entry tears located in the proximal DTA and obliteration of the false lumen at the proximal DTA, its role in patients with acute dissection remains controversial mostly because of its technical complexity and increased risk of paraplegia. RESULTS Data available in literature show that, after FET interventions, hospital death, stroke, and spinal cord injury occur in 10.0%, 4.8%, and 4.3% of patients with acute dissection, respectively. Available long-term data are sparse but suggest that aortic remodeling with partial or complete thrombosis of the persistent false lumen can be expected in approximately 90% of cases. CONCLUSIONS The FET technique is a promising approach in patients with acute dissection. Solid long-term data are warranted to validate the assumed short- and long-term benefits, but we believe that thoughtful patient selection criteria remain crucial.

Total Arch Replacement Versus More Conservative Management in Type A Acute Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND Surgical management of aortic arch in type A acute dissection (TAAD) is controversial. This study compared short-term and long-term outcomes of total arch replacement (TAR) interventions versus more conservative arch management (CAM). METHODS Between 1997 and 2012, 240 patients underwent TAAD surgery in our institution; 53 (22.1%) received TAR and 187 (77.9%) received CAM. Compared with CAM patients, those undergoing TAR were younger (59.1 vs 64.4 years, p = 0.004) and were less likely to present with cardiogenic shock (3.8 vs 14.4, p = 0.02). Distal site of intimal tear (arch or descending aorta) was predictive of TAR management (odds ratio [OR], 9.1; p < 0.001). RESULTS Hospital mortality was similar in the groups (24.1% vs 22.6%; p = 0.45), and no other significant differences were observed in terms of major postoperative complications. Age (OR, 1.047; p = 0.007) and cardiopulmonary bypass time (OR, 1.005 per minute; p = 0.05) emerged as independent predictors of hospital death. The TAR management did not affect hospital mortality (propensity score [PS] adjusted OR: 1.51, p = 0.36). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, 7-year survival (TAR, 52.1% ± 0.9% vs CAM, 57.2% ± 4.2%, log-rank p = 0.9) and freedom from aortic re-intervention (TAR, 71.6% ± 1.3% vs CAM, 85.4% ± 3.9%, log-rank p = 0.3) were similar. The PS-adjusted Cox regression showed no relationship between type of arch management and follow-up survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.001; p = 0.8) or need for re-intervention (HR, 1.507; p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS In our experience TAR and CAM were associated with similar hospital mortality and morbidity rates. Nevertheless, the more extensive arch interventions were not protective for long-term survival and freedom from aortic re-intervention. Thus, in TAAD patients TAR remains indicated by site of intimal tear and patient-specific factors.

Mitral valve annuloplasty and papillary muscle relocation oriented by 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography for severe functional mitral regurgitation

OBJECTIVE The study of the mitral valve apparatus and its modifications during functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is better revealed by 3-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TOE). To plan mitral valve repair by annuloplasty and papillary muscle (PPM) relocation, we proposed a valve repair procedure oriented by the new main features obtained by real-time 3D TOE reconstruction of the mitral valve apparatus. METHODS Since January 2008, 25 patients with severe FMR before mitral valve repair were examined. Mean coaptation depth and mean tenting area were 1.3 ± 0.2 cm and 3.2 ± 0.5 cm(2), respectively. Intraoperative 2D and 3D TOE were performed, followed by a 3D offline reconstruction of the mitral valve apparatus. A schematic mitral valve apparatus model was obtained. A geometric model like a truncated cone was traced in according to the preoperative measurements. The size of the prosthetic ring was selected preoperatively according to the anterior leaflet surface. The expected truncated cone after annuloplasty was retraced. A conventional normal coaptation depth about 0.6 cm was used to detect the new position of the PPM tips. RESULTS Offline reconstruction of the mitral valve apparatus and respective truncated cone were feasible in all patients. The expected position of the PPM tips desirable to reach a normal tenting area with a coaptation depth 0.6 cm or less was obtained in all patients. After surgery, all parameters were calculated and no statistically significant difference was found compared with the expected data. CONCLUSIONS PPM relocation plus ring annuloplasty reduce mitral valve tenting and may improve mitral valve repair results for patients with severe FMR. This technique may be easily and precisely guided by preoperative offline 3D echocardiographic mitral valve reconstruction.

Antegrade stenting of the descending thoracic aorta during DeBakey type 1 acute aortic dissection repair

Several studies have shown that after DeBakey type 1 acute aortic dissection (DB1-AAD) surgery, 70% of the surviving patients still present with a dissected distal aorta that can eventually dilate, rupture, lead to distal malperfusion or require secondary extensive interventions. In order to minimize these complications, different surgeons have advocated total thoracic aorta remodelling procedures during primary aortic repair to promote false-lumen obliteration and distal thrombosis. Such management, which includes arch replacement and antegrade stenting of the dissected descending thoracic aorta (DTA), remains controversial due to its perceived increased operative mortality. Furthermore, the desired long-term benefits remain to be confirmed. The present article aimed to evaluate results of antegrade stenting of DTA during surgery for DB1-AAD, focusing on in-hospital mortality and morbidity, and long-term survival, occurrence of distal aortic remodelling and freedom from aortic reinterventions. Early results from the identified studies suggested that hybrid repair of DB1-AAD with antegrade DTA stenting was associated with satisfactory in-hospital mortality (10.0%) and stroke (4.8%) rates, while the risk of spinal cord injury appeared to be higher (4.3%) than that reported from historical controls. Furthermore, antegrade stenting of DTA was associated with promising rates of partial/complete thrombosis of the peristent DTA false lumen (88.9%), suggesting that aortic remodelling is highly probable with this approach. Evidence on long-term results after proximal acute dissection repair is still sparse, and mostly jeopardized by limited data beyond 5 years. Further investigations with longer term follow-up and with specifically designed protocols to assess long-term clinical outcomes (late aortic mortality and freedom from distal aortic reinterventions) of total thoracic aortic remodelling procedures vs more conservative management are warranted to reach more definitive conclusions.

Frozen elephant trunk surgery-the Bologna's experience.

BACKGROUND Different approaches are available to treat patients with complex and extensive diseases of the thoracic aorta. This study aims to report and comment on our experience with the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique. METHODS Between January 2007 and July 2012, 122 patients (male: 86.9%; mean age: 61 years) underwent extensive thoracic aorta surgery using the FET approach with an E-vita open prosthesis. The most frequent indications for surgery included residual type A chronic dissection (45.9%), extensive degenerative aneurysm of the thoracic aorta (27%), and type A acute aortic dissection (7.4%). Sixty-nine patients had already undergone cardiac/aortic interventions through a median sternotomy. A total of 60 associated procedures were performed, with 76.6% on the aortic root. Selective antegrade cerebral perfusion and moderate hypothermia were used in all cases. RESULTS Overall, hospital mortality was 15.2%. Post-operatively, 7.4% and 9.0% of patients were complicated by permanent neurologic dysfunction and spinal cord injury, respectively. For the surviving patients, 1- and 3-year freedom from all-cause mortality was (91.7±2.8)% and (79.1±6.1)%, respectively. 1- and 3-year freedom from re-intervention was (83.1±3.5)% and (74.1±4.3)%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In our experience, FET surgery allowed treatment of complex patients with extensive thoracic aortic diseases with satisfactory short- and mid-term results. Acute and chronic dissections represent interesting subsets for FET application. While further larger and longer-term studies are required to show the survival benefits of the FET technique versus other types of management, new strategies for spinal cord injury (paraplegia/paraparesis) reduction should also be researched.

Long-term outcomes after aortic arch surgery: results of a study involving 623 patients.

OBJECTIVES To assess early and long-term outcomes in a large cohort of patients undergoing open aortic arch surgery. METHODS From 1996 to 2012, 623 consecutive patients (mean age: 62.8 years) underwent aortic arch interventions in our institution. Of these, 208 (33.4%) presented with an acute aortic syndrome (AAS) and 415 (66.6%) with a chronic aortic pathology (CAP). During the study period, our surgical strategy involved extensive resections of the diseased aortic tissue at elective interventions, and a tear-oriented aortic replacement in patients with acute dissection. More extensive interventions were often performed in younger patients, and in those with connective tissue diseases and bicuspid aortic valves. A total arch replacement was frequently performed (53.3%). Antegrade selective cerebral perfusion was used in all cases. RESULTS Overall in-hospital mortality was 23.1% in patients with AAS and 11.1% in patients with a CAP; in the same groups, postoperative permanent neurological dysfunction (PND) occurred in 9.6 and 5.6%, respectively. The follow-up was 94.4% complete. For in-hospital survivors, 5- and 10-year survival (%) were 79.4 ± 2.1 and 60.9 ± 3.2, respectively, not influenced by the underlying aortic disease. Cox regression identified age (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.048; P < 0.001), preoperative renal failure (HR: 2.3; P = 0.003), diabetes (HR: 1.805; P = 0.005) and PND (HR: 2.4; P = 0.03) to be independent predictors for the follow-up mortality. Overall, 109 (59% endovascular) aortic reinterventions were performed: 18.3% were proximal and 81.7% distal to the aortic arch. Five- and 10-year freedom from aortic redo (%) were 82.8 ± 1.9 and 77.7 ± 2.6, respectively. Aortic dissection (HR: 1.7; P = 0.03) was the only independent predictor of reoperative surgery at the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Aortic arch surgery was associated with satisfactory early and long-term outcomes. Survival was largely determined by patient comorbidities and postoperative PND. While the underlying aortic disease did not affect long-term mortality, chronic dissection was associated with increased need for aortic reinterventions.

Visceral organ protection in aortic arch surgery: safety of moderate hypothermia

OBJECTIVES Although antegrade selective cerebral perfusion (ASCP) provides good brain protection during aortic arch surgery, the issue of distal organ protection during circulatory arrest remains to be clarified. The aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate the outcome of aortic arch surgery using ASCP at different temperatures, focusing on visceral functions (VFs). METHODS Three hundred and thirty-four patients underwent elective aortic arch surgery using ASCP from November 1996 to March 2011. Those patients without early postoperative low cardiac output syndrome were included. VFs were evaluated by comparing preoperative and postoperative creatinine, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase and bilirubin. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed. RESULTS Three hundred and four patients represent the cohort of the study. Deeper systemic hypothermia (≤25°C) (Group A) was used in 194 patients (63.8%) and moderate hypothermia (>25°C) (Group B) in 110 patients (36.2%). The 30-day mortality rate was 3.6% in Group B and 5.2% in Group A (P = NS). Permanent neurological deficits occurred in 4 (3.6%) and in 14 patients (7.2%) of Group A and Group B, respectively (P = NS). Postoperative renal insufficiency requiring dialysis occurred in 6 patients (5.4%) in Group A and in 15 patients (7.7%) in Group B, the differences were not statistically significant. Biochemical markers of VFs increased in the postoperative period without differences between groups. At the multivariate analysis, cardiopulmonary bypass time >180 min (odds ratio (OR) = 2.16) was the only significant risk factor for renal dysfunction with or without liver dysfunction, while cardiopulmonary bypass time longer than 180 min (OR = 2.28) and hypothermia higher than 25°C (OR = 0.54) were found to be independently related to liver dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirmed that ASCP with moderate hypothermia at 26°C is a safe method for brain protection. Moreover, during circulatory arrest, moderate hypothermia also offers good protection of visceral organs and it should be preferred for limited periods (<60 min) of visceral ischaemia because it may reduce the systemic inflammatory response and the reperfusion organ injury.

The classic elephant trunk technique for staged thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair: Long-term results

OBJECTIVE The classic elephant trunk (ET) technique has become the standard approach for patients with diffuse aortic disease requiring a staged thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair. The aim of this study was to assess long-term outcomes and predictors for survival after surgical repair of extensive thoracic aortic disease with the ET technique. METHODS Between 1984 and 2013, 248 consecutive patients were treated in our institution and analyzed retrospectively. Follow-up consisted of outpatient clinic visits including postoperative computed tomography imaging at 3 months and annually thereafter. Second-stage intervention was indicated if the diameter of the descending or thoracoabdominal aorta was greater than or equal to 60 mm, in case of a rapidly growing aneurysm and/or symptoms. RESULTS Mean age was 65 ± 10 years; 44% were male. After first-stage ET, in-hospital mortality was 8% and permanent neurologic deficits were observed in 2% of patients. Median follow-up after the first stage was 48 months (range, 1-210 months). One hundred twelve patients (45%) underwent second-stage ET. Overall survival after first-stage ET was 75% and 67% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Survival in patients with second-stage ET was 87%, compared with 65% in the group who did not undergo second-stage ET at the 5-year follow-up (P < .001) and 67% compared with 36% at the 10-year follow-up (P < .001). Predictor for mortality was the absence of second-stage ET (P = .044). CONCLUSIONS A 2-stage approach for diffuse aortic disease is a safe method. The acceptable mortality at the first stage justifies the use of the classic ET technique and allows subsequent repair of the distal aorta. Long-term survival is increased when both stages are completed.