Transcatheter mitral valve repair: review of current techniques.

Mitral regurgitation is common and is associated with excess morbidity and mortality. Despite these poor outcomes, only a minority of affected patients undergo mitral surgery, for several reasons, which underlines the substantial unmet need for treatment for this disorder. Transcatheter mitral valve repair interventions have been developed to treat mitral regurgitation in an undertreated patient population.

Annuloplasty ring dehiscence after mitral valve repair: incidence, localization and reoperation.

Objectives: Mitral valve (MV) annuloplasty ring dehiscence with subsequent recurrent mitral regurgitation represents an unusual but challenging clinical problem. Incidence, localization and outcomes for this complication have not been well defined.

Methods: From 1996 to 2016, a total of 3478 patients underwent isolated MV repair with ring annuloplasty at the Leipzig Heart Centre.

Preoperative Predictors and Outcome of Triple Valve Surgery in 487 Consecutive Patients.

 Triple valve surgery (TVS) is associated with an elevated risk for operative mortality and thus remains a surgical challenge. We report our experience and results of TVS procedures, especially with respect to identification of preoperative risk factors, to improve patient selection.  Between December 1994 and January 2013, 487 consecutive patients (240 male, 247 female) underwent TVS at the Heart Center Leipzig, University of Leipzig.

The role of the heart team in complicated transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a 7-year single-centre experience.

Objectives: European guidelines recommend to perform transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) within a multidisciplinary heart team. However, there is a strong drive--despite existing guidelines--to perform TAVI outside of specialized centres. The aim of this study was to clarify the necessity of on-site cardiac surgery by providing a clear insight into the complications during/after TAVI that needed surgical management.

Improved mitral valve performance after transapical aortic valve implantation.

Background: Concomitant mitral regurgitation (MR) is frequently present before the performance of transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI). Our aim was to study the impact of MR on outcome and the effect of TA-AVI on MR using the Edwards SAPIEN prosthesis (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA).

Methods: A total of 439 patients aged 81.

Is the new EuroSCORE II a better predictor for transapical aortic valve implantation?

Objectives: Conventional surgical risk scores are used to identify suitable candidates for transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) at present. However, these scores do not consider multiple high-risk conditions, including porcelain aorta, mediastinal irradiation or frailty. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive ability of the new EuroSCORE II with the surgical risk scores currently in use.

Transapical aortic valve-in-valve-in-valve implantation as a procedural rescue option.

Device malposition and dysfunction with resultant severe aortic insufficiency are known complications of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Fortunately, these complications can often be successfully treated with a transcatheter valve-in-valve (VinV) implantation. However, prosthetic leaflet dysfunction or immobility from the VinV configuration can lead to severe central aortic insufficiency.

Surgical therapy of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) can be found in an increasing number of cardiac surgical patients due to a higher patient's age and comorbidities. Atrial fibrillation is known, however, to be a risk factor for a greater mortality, and one aim of intraoperative AF treatment is to approximate early and long-term survival of AF patients to survival of patients with preoperative sinus rhythm. Today, surgeons are more and more able to perform less complex, that is, minimally invasive cardiac surgical procedures.

Aortic valve calcium scoring is a predictor of significant paravalvular aortic insufficiency in transapical-aortic valve implantation.

Objective: Transapical-aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) has evolved as routine for selected high-risk patients. However, paravalvular leaks >1+ remain an unsolved issue using current generations of transcatheter valve devices. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of native aortic valve calcification on paravalvular leaks and outcomes using the Edwards SAPIEN™ prosthesis.