Surgical Removal of a Migrated WATCHMAN Device.

The WATCHMAN™ atrial appendage closure device is designed to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who are not suitable candidates for long-term oral anticoagulation therapy. However, the device also carries small risks, including procedural complications such as device migration, embolization, or pericardial effusion. We describe a case of WATCHMAN device migration requiring surgical retrieval.

Quo Vadis, ECMO? Multidisciplinary Hybrid Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation Rounds During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The complex care of patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) requires a high level of collaboration between multiple medical specialties and allied health professionals. Effective and timely communication between team members is imperative in ensuring patient safety. The COVID-19 pandemic posed unique challenges in the care of patients on ECMO.

Deep Sternal Wound Infection Caused by Species After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

Deep sternal wound infection is a rare complication of cardiac surgery that is typically caused by skin resident flora, such as species of and . Infections caused by fungi are less common and are generally caused by species. Regardless of etiology, these infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

Pulmonary Artery Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma Mimicking a Large Pulmonary Embolism.

A 39-year-old man presented with progressive dyspnea and lower extremity edema. Doppler ultrasound demonstrated bilateral leg partially occluded venous thromboses. A V/Q scan revealed a mismatched perfusion defect involving the entire right middle and lower lobes.

Practical Considerations for and Outcomes of Interfacility ECMO Transfer of Patients With COVID-19 During a Pandemic: Mayo Clinic Experience.

Interfacility transport of a critically ill patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may be necessary for a higher level of care or initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). During the COVID-19 pandemic, ECMO has been used for patients with severe ARDS with successful results. Transporting a patient after ECMO cannulation by the receiving facility brings forth logistic challenges, including availability of adequate personal protective equipment for the transport team and hospital capacity management issues.

Impact of statins on cellular respiration and de-differentiation of myofibroblasts in human failing hearts.

Aims: Fibroblast to myofibroblast trans-differentiation with altered bioenergetics precedes cardiac fibrosis (CF). Either prevention of differentiation or promotion of de-differentiation could mitigate CF-related pathologies. We determined whether 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors-statins, commonly prescribed to patients at risk of heart failure (HF)-can de-differentiate myofibroblasts, alter cellular bioenergetics, and impact the human ventricular fibroblasts (hVFs) in HF patients.

Comprehensive Analysis of Stroke in the Long-Term Cohort of the MOMENTUM 3 Study.

Background: The MOMENTUM 3 study (Multicenter Study of MagLev Technology in Patients Undergoing Mechanical Circulatory Support Therapy With HeartMate 3) has demonstrated that the HeartMate 3 (HM3) pump is associated with reduced strokes compared with the HeartMate II (HMII) device. We now perform a comprehensive analysis of stroke events to evaluate their longitudinal occurrence, clinical correlates, patterns, and impact on outcome across the 2-year duration of support.

Methods: MOMENTUM 3 is a randomized controlled trial of the HM3 centrifugal-flow pump versus the HMII axial-flow pump in patients with advanced heart failure, regardless of the intended goal of support (bridge to transplantation or destination therapy).

Xenoreactive antibodies and latent fibrin formation in VAD and cardiac transplant recipients can confound the detection and measurement of anti-AT1R antibodies.

Autoantibodies to the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) are thought to be important in antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), especially in the absence of anti-HLA antibodies. We used a variety of methods to examine the specificity of a commercially available kit designed to quantitate anti-AT1R antibodies. We found that fibrin formation in serum samples from patients awaiting cardiac transplantation with ventricular assist devices (VADs) can produce falsely elevated anti-AT1R values.

Enhanced store-operated Ca influx and ORAI1 expression in ventricular fibroblasts from human failing heart.

Excessive cardiac fibrosis, characterized by increased collagen-rich extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, is a major predisposing factor for mechanical and electrical dysfunction in heart failure (HF). The human ventricular fibroblast (hVF) remodeling mechanisms that cause excessive collagen deposition in HF are unclear, although reports suggest a role for intracellular free Ca in fibrosis. Therefore, we determined the association of differences in cellular Ca dynamics and collagen secretion/deposition between hVFs from failing and normal (control) hearts.

Pharmacological strategies for prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) complicating cardiac surgery continues to be a major problem that increases the postoperative risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and costs and can affect long-term survival. The incidence of AF after surgery has not significantly changed over the last two decades, despite improvement in medical and surgical techniques. The mechanism and pathophysiology underlying postoperative AF (PoAF) is incompletely understood and results from a combination of acute and chronic factors, superimposed on an underlying abnormal atrial substrate with increased interstitial fibrosis.

Practical value of identifying antibodies to cryptic HLA epitopes in cardiac transplantation.

Background: Identification of antibodies to human leukocyte antigens (HLA) by single antigen bead arrays has led to the common practice of virtual crossmatching. However, inappropriate assignment of anti-HLA specificities can lead to false-positive virtual crossmatching, resulting in the decline of potentially crossmatch-negative organ offers. In this study we describe identification of antibodies to cryptic HLA present on denatured forms of HLA on single antigen bead array and provide a reassessment of calculated panel-reactive antibody (CPRA) based on elimination of false-positive reactions due to antibodies to cryptic HLA epitopes.

Cardiac sarcoid: a chameleon masquerading as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy in the same patient.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem, granulomatous disease of unknown etiology often seen in young adults, with cardiac involvement in more than one-quarter of sarcoid patients. The clinical presentation of cardiac sarcoid depends upon the location and extent of myocardium involved. Although cardiac sarcoid may produce asymmetrical septal hypertrophy, it is most commonly considered in the differential diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Positive heparin-platelet factor 4 antibody complex and cardiac surgical outcomes.

Background: Given the large number of patients undergoing cardiac operations annually, it is important to identify populations at high risk for adverse outcomes. This observational study was conducted to determine the incidence of preoperative heparin-platelet factor 4 (HPF4) antibodies and to assess the associated risk of postoperative adverse outcomes in a nonselected cardiac surgery patient population.

Methods: Between March 2002 and December 2004, 1114 (92%) of 1209 patients undergoing cardiac surgery with heparin were tested in an unselected manner for HPF4 antibodies.

Comparison of Novacor and HeartMate vented electric left ventricular assist devices in a single institution.

We compared the survival outcomes, left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-related hospitalization, stroke, infection, panel reactive antibody, and blood product use data among 13 Novacor and 51 HeartMate system recipients. Stroke was significantly higher in Novacor patients, as was blood product use at the time of heart transplantation, likely due to long-term anti-coagulation, while the LVAD-related hospitalization and infections did not differ between the 2 groups. A positive panel reactive antibody was seen more among the HeartMate patients, but did not have a significant clinical impact and may not represent a true allosensitization.

A review of leukofiltration in cardiac surgery: the time course of reperfusion injury may facilitate study design of anti-inflammatory effects.

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a well-recognized phenomenon attending cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery. SIRS leads to costly complications and several strategies intended to ameliorate the symptoms have been studied, including leukocyte reduction using filtration. Although the body of work suggests that leukoreduction attenuates SIRS, discrepancies remain within the literature.