Tom Kai Ming Wang

Stable bone density in HAART-treated individuals with HIV: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Longitudinal studies of bone mineral density (BMD) in HIV have reported conflicting results. OBJECTIVE We investigated whether temporal changes in BMD differ by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) status at baseline. DATA SOURCES Data sources included MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Web of Science for English language studies (1966 to September 2010) and conference abstracts (1997-2010). STUDY SELECTION Longitudinal studies reporting BMD at least 48 wk apart in adult patients with HIV with a comparable uninfected control group were eligible. Uncontrolled studies were included in secondary analyses. DATA EXTRACTION Data were independently extracted by two researchers. DATA SYNTHESIS Data were pooled using random-effects models. In the primary analysis of six controlled studies (follow-up 1.5-2.7 yr), there were no significant differences in the percent change from baseline in BMD at the total hip or femoral neck between HIV cohorts and controls and a decrease of 0.6% (95% confidence interval = -1.1 to -0.1) at the spine in the HIV cohorts. In the secondary analysis of 37 studies (31 uncontrolled, six controlled), cohorts treated with HAART at baseline had stable or slight increases in BMD at 1 yr, stable or slight decreases in BMD at 2 yr, and stable BMD at 2.5 yr or later. In cohorts that were HAART-naive/untreated at baseline, there was accelerated loss of BMD at all time points, and the annualized rate of BMD change was greatest at 1 yr, but thereafter decreased. CONCLUSION BMD is stable in HIV cohorts established on HAART, whereas cohorts initiating HAART have short-term accelerated BMD loss followed by a longer period of BMD stability/increases. Routine monitoring of BMD in many HAART-treated patients may not be necessary.

Bone Density in Heart or Lung Transplant Recipients-A Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND Osteoporosis is prevalent among heart or lung transplant (HLT) candidates. Bone loss is common posttransplant, with an associated increase in fracture risk. There is a lack of consensus regarding optimal management of bone health in HLT recipients. We report bone health data in a cohort of HLT recipients before and after transplantation and make recommendations for management. METHODS Patients over the age of 20 who had a heart or lung transplant between 2000 and 2011 were identified from the New Zealand HLT Service database, and demographic data, immunosuppressive regimens, bisphosphonate use, and serial bone mineral density (BMD) data were extracted. RESULTS Pretransplant BMD was available in 52 heart and 72 lung transplant recipients; 30 and 42, respectively, also had posttransplant BMD data. Pretransplant osteopenia or osteoporosis prevalence were 23% and 8% for heart candidates and 36% and 31% for lung candidates. Posttransplant, BMD decreased significantly at the femoral neck but not at the lumbar spine in the first year, with subsequent stabilization particularly in the presence of bisphosphonate use. Pretransplant BMD was the major predictor for developing osteopenia or osteoporosis after transplantation. CONCLUSION A significant proportion of HLT recipients have osteopenia or osteoporosis pretransplant, and this persists posttransplant. Pretransplant BMD is an important predictor of subsequent osteopenia or osteoporosis development, allowing risk stratification and targeted intervention.

Comparison of four contemporary risk models at predicting mortality after aortic valve replacement

OBJECTIVE Risk stratification for aortic valve replacement (AVR) is desirable given the increased demand for intervention and the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve implantation. We compared the prognostic utility of the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE), EuroSCORE II, Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score, and an Australasian model (Aus-AVR score) for AVR. METHODS We retrospectively calculated the 4 risk scores for patients undergoing isolated AVR at Auckland City Hospital from 2005 to 2012 and assessed their discrimination and calibration for short- and long-term mortality. RESULTS A total of 620 patients were followed up for 3.8 ± 2.4 years, with an operative mortality of 2.9% (n = 18). The mean EuroSCORE, EuroSCORE II, STS score, and Aus-AVR score was 8.7% ± 8.3%, 3.8% ± 4.7%, 2.8% ± 2.7%, and 3.2% ± 4.8%, respectively. The corresponding C-statistics for operative mortality were 0.752 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.652-0.852), 0.711 (95% CI, 0.607-0.815), 0.716 (95% CI, 0.593-0.837), and 0.684 (95% CI, 0.557-0.811). The corresponding Hosmer-Lemeshow test P and chi-square values for calibration were .007 and 21.1, .125 and 12.6, .753 and 5.0, and .468 and 7.7. The corresponding Brier scores were 0.0348, 0.0278, 0.0276, and 0.0294. Independent predictors of operative mortality included critical preoperative state, atrial fibrillation, extracardiac arteriopathy, and mitral stenosis. The log-rank test P values were all <.001 for mortality during follow-up for all 4 scores, stratified by quintile. CONCLUSIONS All 4 risk scores discriminated operative mortality after isolated AVR. The EuroSCORE had poor calibration, overestimating operative mortality, although the other 3 scores fitted well with contemporary outcomes. The STS score was the best calibrated in the highest quintile of operative risk.

Preoperative atrial fibrillation predicts mortality and morbidity after aortic valve replacement

OBJECTIVES Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest cardiac arrhythmia, becoming increasingly prevalent as the population ages. There is conflicting information around whether AF is associated with adverse outcomes after aortic valve replacement (AVR) from the few studies that have investigated this. We compared the characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing AVR with their history of AF. METHODS Isolated AVR patients at Auckland City Hospital 2005-2012 were divided into those with and without preoperative AF for comparative analyses. RESULTS Of 620 consecutive patients, 19.2% (119) had permanent or paroxysmal AF preoperatively. Patients with AF were significantly older (70.5 vs 63.4 years, P < 0.001) and were more likely to be New Zealand European (82.4 vs 68.1%, P = 0.004). They also had higher prevalence of NYHA class III-IV (55.4 vs 37.4%, P = 0.004), inpatient operation (62.1 vs 48.3%, P = 0.008), history of stroke (10.9 vs 5.0%, P = 0.031), lower creatinine clearance (73 vs 82, P = 0.001) and higher EuroSCORE II (5.2 vs 3.4%, P < 0.001). Operative mortality (6.7 vs 2.0%, P = 0.012) and composite morbidity (27.7 vs 16.5%, P = 0.006) were also higher in patients with AF. After adjusting for significant variables, preoperative AF remained an independent predictor of operative mortality with an odds ratio of 3.44 (95% confidence interval 1.29-9.13), composite morbidity of 1.79 (1.05-3.04) and a mortality during follow-up hazards ratio of 2.36 (1.44-3.87). CONCLUSIONS AF was associated with several cardiovascular and cardiac surgery risk factors, but remained independently associated with short- and long-term mortality. AF should be incorporated into cardiac surgery risk models and surgical AF ablation may be considered with AVR.

Characteristics and Outcomes for Right Heart Endocarditis: Six-year Cohort Study

Right heart endocarditis makes up 5-10% of all infective endocarditis involving valvular, congenital and artificial structures. Given the limited literature in this area, we reviewed the characteristics, management and outcomes of this condition in this retrospective cohort study. Thirty-five patients with right heart endocarditis admitted to Auckland City Hospital during 2005-2010 were followed-up for 3.4+/-2.5 years. In-hospital mortality was 11.4% (4), all occurring in those treated medically (20.0% (4) vs 0.0% (0), P=0.119). Surgical intervention was independently associated with reduced long-term mortality (HR 0.078, 95%CI 0.010-0.609, P=0.015) in multivariate analysis, while concurrent left heart endocarditis predicted both in-hospital mortality (HR 11.0, 95%CI 1.18-102, P=0.027) and long-term mortality (HR 3.20, 95%CI 1.03-9.92, P=0.044). Our study showed that surgical intervention and concomitant left heart endocarditis are positive and negative prognostic factors for outcomes after right heart endocarditis.

Valvular repair or replacement for mitral endocarditis: 7-year cohort study.

Background A few studies have compared mitral valve repair and replacement in the setting of infective endocarditis, with varying results. We compared the characteristics and outcomes of mitral repair and replacement in endocarditis patients. Methods All patients undergoing mitral valve repair or replacement for active mitral endocarditis during 2005–2011 were included. Operative and follow-up mortality, composite morbidity, recurrent endocarditis, and redo operations were prespecified endpoints for analyses. Results There were 25 and 35 patients undergoing mitral valve repair and replacement, respectively. They were followed-up for 3.9 ± 2.5 years. Valve replacement patients were older (p = 0.029), had a higher prevalence of intracardiac abscess (p = 0.035), previous endocarditis (p = 0.036), atrial fibrillation (p = 0.001), worse renal function (p = 0.013), higher risk scores (p = 0.004–0.020), and longer operation times (p < 0.001). Repair and replacement had similar rates of operative mortality (4.0% vs. 8.6%, p = 0.634), composite morbidity (16.0% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.357), survival (p = 0.564), recurrent endocarditis (p = 0.081), and redo operations (p = 0.813). Independent predictors of operative mortality were preoperative inotropic or intraaortic balloon pump support. The independent predictor of mortality during follow-up was dialysis. Independent predictors of composite morbidity were intracardiac abscess and hypercholesterolemia. The independent predictor of recurrent endocarditis was previous endocarditis, and the independent predictor of redo operation was previous stroke. Conclusion Mitral valve replacement candidates had more baseline risk factors and higher raw rates of postoperative mortality and morbidity, which did not reach statistical significance.

Performance of contemporary surgical risk scores for transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is considered for severe aortic valve disease at high and now intermediate risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. Risk stratification plays a critical role decision-making for intervention and modality. We compared the prognostic utility of surgical risk scores for TAVI in this meta-analysis. METHODS MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science databases from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 2015 were searched. Studies were systematically reviewed for inclusion, and data extracted for pooled analyses. RESULTS Amongst 1688 articles searched, 47 full-text articles were screened and 24 studies (12,346 TAVI cases) included for analyses. Pooled c-statistics (95% confidence interval) for operative mortality were EuroSCORE 0.62 (0.57-0.67), EuroSCORE II 0.62 (0.59-0.66), STS Score 0.62 (0.59-0.65). Pooled calibration odds ratios (95%CI) were EuroSCORE 0.31 (0.25-0.38), EuroSCORE II 1.26 (1.06-1.51), STS 0.95 (0.72-1.27). C-statistics (95%CI) for 1-year mortality were EuroSCORE 0.62 (0.57-0.67), EuroSCORE II 0.66 (0.61-0.71) and STS Score 0.58 (0.53-0.64). CONCLUSION Surgical risk scores at most modestly discriminated operative and 1-year mortality. The EuroSCORE grossly over-estimated operative mortality while the EuroSCORE II and STS Scores fitted better to TAVI outcomes with their own limitations. There is a need for the development and validation of TAVI-specific risk models.

Comparison of Risk Scores for Prediction of Complications following Aortic Valve Replacement

BACKGROUND Risk models play an important role in stratification of patients for cardiac surgery, but their prognostic utilities for post-operative complications are rarely studied. We compared the EuroSCORE, EuroSCORE II, Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Score and an Australasian model (Aus-AVR Score) for predicting morbidities after aortic valve replacement (AVR), and also evaluated seven STS complications models in this context. METHODS We retrospectively calculated risk scores for 620 consecutive patients undergoing isolated AVR at Auckland City Hospital during 2005-2012, assessing their discrimination and calibration for post-operative complications. RESULTS Amongst mortality scores, the EuroSCORE was the best at discriminating stroke (c-statistic 0.845); the EuroSCORE II at deep sternal wound infection (c=0.748); and the STS Score at composite morbidity or mortality (c=0.666), renal failure (c=0.634), ventilation>24 hours (c=0.732), return to theatre (c=0.577) and prolonged hospital stay >14 days post-operatively (c=0.707). The individual STS complications models had a marginally higher c-statistic (c=0.634-0.846) for all complications except mediastinitis, and had good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test P-value 0.123-0.915) for all complications. CONCLUSION The STS Score was best overall at discriminating post-operative complications and their composite for AVR. All STS complications models except for deep sternal wound infection had good discrimination and calibration for post-operative complications.

Thoracoscopic Lobectomy for Synchronous Intralobar Pulmonary Sequestration and Lung Cancer

Bronchopulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital pulmonary malformation for which surgical resection is recommended, and several reports have described successful resection by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Coexistence of sequestration with lung malignancy is extremely rare. We report the first case of thoracoscopic resection of synchronous intralobar pulmonary sequestration and non-small cell lung cancer.

First Bite Syndrome Following Ipsilateral Carotid Endarterectomy

First bite syndrome (FBS) is characterized by unilateral pain in the parotid region after the first bite of each meal, usually following ipsilateral neck surgery. The proposed mechanism is sympathetic denervation of the parotid gland, from iatrogenic injury to the sympathetic trunk supplying this gland. Local botulinum toxin injection has emerged as a promising treatment option with favorable results. To date, there are 3 published cases in the literature describing FBS after carotid endarterectomy. We present a case of a 75-year-old gentleman who developed FBS after carotid endarterectomy, to raise the awareness of this unusual and uncommon complication.