Sjef M.P.G. Ernst

Effectiveness of sotalol in preventing supraventricular tachyarrhythmias shortly after coronary artery bypass grafting

To investigate the effectiveness and safety of low-dose sotalol (a class III antiarrhythmic beta-blocking agent) in the prevention of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTs) and to identify predictors for the occurrence of these arrhythmias shortly after coronary artery bypass grafting, 300 consecutive patients were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled fashion. Patients with severely depressed left ventricular function or other contraindications for beta blockers were excluded. Beginning at 4 hours and up to the sixth day after surgery, 150 patients received 40 mg of sotalol every 6 hours. SVT was observed in 24 (16%) of 150 low-dose sotalol-and in 49 (33%) of 150 placebo-treated patients [p less than 0.005]. In patients receiving sotalol, atrial fibrillation was the only noted tachyarrhythmia, whereas in the placebo group, 42 (28%) patients had atrial fibrillation, 3 (2%) atrial flutter, 1 (0.7%) atrial tachycardia and 3 (2%) sinus tachycardia. Drug-related adverse effects necessitating discontinuation of the drug were noted in only 2 (1%) sotalol-treated patients and 4 (3%) placebo-treated patients (p = not significant). For both groups, univariate analysis indicated that older age, 1- or 2-vessel coronary artery disease, long bypass (greater than or equal to 150 minutes) and aorta cross-clamp time (greater than or equal to 120 minutes) were predictive variables for the occurrence of SVTs. Multivariate analysis showed that male sex (odds ratio 2.3), 1- or 2-vessel coronary artery disease (odds ratio 2.0) and older age (odds ratio 1.1) were independent risk factors for increased occurrence of postoperative SVT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Smoking and Cardiac Events After Venous Coronary Bypass Surgery A 15-Year Follow-up Study

BACKGROUND The long-term clinical effects of smoking and smoking cessation after venous coronary bypass surgery have not been well established. METHODS AND RESULTS Four hundred fifteen patients who underwent venous coronary bypass surgery between April 1976 and April 1977 were followed up prospectively for 15 years. Multivariate Cox survival analysis revealed that patients who smoked at the time of surgery had no elevated risks for clinical events compared with nonsmokers. However, smoking behavior at 1 and 5 years after surgery appeared to be an important predictor of clinical events during the subsequent follow-up period. Compared with patients who stopped smoking since surgery, smokers at 1 year after surgery had more than twice the risk for myocardial infarction and reoperation. Patients who were still smoking at 5 years after surgery had even more elevated risks for myocardial infarction and reoperation and a significantly increased risk for angina pectoris compared with patients who stopped smoking since surgery and patients who never smoked. Patients who started to smoke again within 5 years after surgery had increased risks for reoperation and angina pectoris. No differences in outcome were found between patients who stopped smoking since surgery and nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that smoking cessation after coronary bypass surgery may have important beneficial effects on clinical events during long-term follow-up.

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Initial results and long-term follow-up after Morrow septal myectomy.

BACKGROUND This study was performed to assess the initial results and long-term follow-up of Morrow septal myectomy for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 38 consecutive patients with HOCM (age, 13 to 74 years) who underwent a Morrow septal myectomy between 1977 and 1992. There were no perioperative deaths, and the postoperative course was uneventful for all except 2 of the patients. One patient required implantation of a pacemaker due to a complete heart block, and in 1 patient a small ventricular septal defect was caused. Follow-up (mean, 6.8 years) was 100% complete. No patient was reoperated for recurrent HOCM. All except 1 patient experienced a major functional improvement with a decrease of the mean New York Heart Association functional class from 3.0 before operation to 1.5 at follow-up (P < .001). Symptoms persisting during follow-up were angina pectoris in 3 of 22 patients (14%), dyspnea in 6 of 30 patients (20%), dizzy spells in 2 of 12 patients (17%), and syncope in 2 of 10 patients (20%). During follow-up no HOCM related death occurred. All patients were restudied by Doppler echocardiography. The peak gradient in the left ventricular outflow tract decreased from 72 +/- 30 mm Hg (range, 31 to 144 mm Hg) to 6 +/- 4 mm Hg (range, 0 to 20; P < .001). A systolic anterior movement was seen in 8 patients (21%) compared with 32 patients (97%) before the operation (P < .001). The left ventricular outflow tract diameter increased from 17 +/- 3 mm (range, 10 to 23 mm) to 22 +/- 3 mm (range, 15 to 33 mm; P < .001), and the mean subaortic septal thickness decreased from 23 +/- 5 mm (range, 15 to 35 mm) to 15 +/- 6 mm (range, 8 to 30 mm; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Morrow septal myectomy for patients with HOCM is a safe procedure with an excellent clinical and Doppler echocardiographic long-term follow-up.

Immediate sealing of arterial puncture sites after cardiac catheterization and coronary angioplasty using a biodegradable collagen plug: results of an international registry.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a biodegradable collagen plug that has been developed to reduce the arterial compression time required to achieve hemostasis at the arterial puncture site after diagnostic and interventional coronary procedures. BACKGROUND After diagnostic and interventional coronary catheterization procedures, local arterial compression is required to achieve hemostasis and complications may ensue, especially in patients on full anticoagulation. METHODS Between March 1991 and July 1991, 252 patients admitted for routine coronary angiography or angioplasty to four large hospitals received such a hemostatic device immediately after the procedure. Hemostasis was achieved with collagen in 87% of patients after a mean compression time of 4.8 min. Time to hemostasis was independent of the heparin load. A total of 54 hematomas (21%) was reported; all but 2 resolved without additional treatment. Two patients had a severe hematoma, requiring blood transfusion, and two patients required surgery to repair a pseudoaneurysm. During a follow-up period of 4 weeks no severe late complications were reported. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the collagen plug appears to be a safe device to achieve hemostasis at the arterial puncture site, independent of anticoagulation.

Endovascular stent-grafting for descending thoracic aortic aneurysms

OBJECTIVE Endoluminal placement of covered stent-grafts emerges as a less-invasive alternative to open surgical repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA). The present report describes our experience with endovascular stent-grafting in the treatment of descending TAA. METHODS From 1997 to 2001, 28 descending TAAs were treated in 27 patients (17 male, mean age 70 years) by endovascular stent-grafting. The aneurysms (mean diameter, 6.6 cm) had diverse causes, but the majority were due to atherosclerosis (71%). They were predominantly localized in the proximal (32%), central (39%), and distal part (22%) of the descending thoracic aorta. In two patients (7%), the entire thoracic aorta was treated. Preliminary subclavian-carotid artery transposition was performed in five patients. AneurX (n=6), Talent (n=9), and Excluder (n=13) stent-grafts were used. In 13 cases (46%), multiple stents were necessary for complete aneurysm exclusion. RESULTS In 27 of 28 cases (96%), the endovascular stent-grafts were successfully deployed. In one patient, stent dislocation into the aneurysm required open surgical repair in a subsequent procedure. There was no operative mortality. None of the patients developed paraplegia or paraparesis. No distal embolization occurred. After a median follow-up of 21 months (range, 1-49 months), there was one non-related late death. There was no aneurysm rupture. Maximal aneurysm diameter either remained stable or decreased slightly over time in all but one patient with evidence of an endoleak. Endoleaks occurred in eight patients (29%) during follow-up. In five of them the endoleaks sealed spontaneously, whereas in two patients a distal extension was inserted. CONCLUSIONS Endovascular repair of descending TAAs is a promising less-invasive alternative to open repair. Extended follow-up is necessary to determine its definite efficacy in the longer term.

Synchronous operation for ischemic cardiac and cerebrovascular disease: Early results and long-term follow-up

The late follow-up of 230 patients who underwent synchronous operation for extensive, obstructive extracranial and coronary artery disease from 1974 to 1989 was analyzed. Mean age at operation was 62.5 years; 161 patients (70%) were in New York Heart Association class III or IV, 185 (80%) had triple-vessel disease, and 67 (29%) had left main stem lesions of 50% or more. Previous myocardial infarctions were present in 132 patients (57%). Only 78 had normal left ventricular function. Included were 16 patients undergoing coronary reoperations, 17 patients with additional cardiac procedures, and 3 with synchronous pulmonary procedures. Symptomatic extracranial vascular disease or stabilized neurological deficits were present in 108 patients. Bilateral hemodynamically significant carotid disease was present in 91 patients and arch vessel lesions in 37. The hospital mortality in 8 patients (3.5%) was due to cardiac (n = 4), neurological (n = 1), or multiorgan failure (n = 3). Operative morbidity was mainly neurological (n = 20, 8.7%): 7 reversible deficits and 7 major strokes occurred, 2 reversible and 5 major strokes were related to the operated side(s), and 4 postoperative myocardial infarctions occurred. Actuarial survival at 5 years was 74% (+/- 3.3), at 10 years 54% (+/- 4.9), and at 15 years, 35% (+/- 6.6). This was mainly determined by late cardiac death (41/66). Late morbidity was mainly attributable to cardiac causes rather than neurological causes. At 5 and 10 years, respectively, 72% and 44% of the patients were free of major cardiac and neurological events or death. Synchronous revascularization can be performed relatively safely. The long-term outcome is determined by the extent and severity of the cardiovascular disease.

Randomized Comparison Between Stenting and Off-Pump Bypass Surgery in Patients Referred for Angioplasty

Background—Stenting improves cardiac outcome in comparison with balloon angioplasty. Compared with conventional surgery, off-pump bypass surgery on the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass may reduce morbidity, hospital stay, and costs. The purpose, therefore, was to compare cardiac outcome, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness 1 year after stenting and after off-pump surgery. Methods and Results—Patients referred for angioplasty (n=280) were randomly assigned to stenting (n=138) or off-pump bypass surgery. At 1 year, survival free from stroke, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization was 85.5% after stenting and 91.5% after off-pump surgery (relative risk, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.02). Freedom from angina was 78.3% after stenting and 87.0% after off-pump surgery (P =0.06). Quality-adjusted lifetime was 0.82 year after stenting and 0.79 year after off-pump surgery (P =0.09). Hospital stay after the initial procedure was 1.43 and 5.77 days, respectively (P <0.01). Stenting reduced overall costs by

Allograft aortic root replacement in prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis: a review of 32 patients.

2933 (26.2%) per patient (

Effect of Coumarins Started Before Coronary Angioplasty on Acute Complications and Long-Term Follow-Up A Randomized Trial

8276 versus

Additional value of three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography for patients with mitral valve stenosis undergoing balloon valvuloplasty

11 209; P <0.01). Stenting was more cost-effective in 95% of the bootstrap estimates. Conclusions—At 1 year, stenting was more cost-effective than off-pump surgery while maintaining comparable cardiac outcome and quality of life. Stenting rather than off-pump surgery, therefore, can be recommended as a first-choice revascularization strategy in selected patients.