Acquired Coronary Cameral Fistula Mimicking Prosthetic Aortic Valve Regurgitation.

A coronary cameral fistula (CCF) is an abnormal communication between a coronary artery and any of the 4 cardiac chambers. Although congenital cases are more common, acquired CCFs, particularly after cardiac surgery, are rare. We present an unusual case of acquired CCF that occurred after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement and septal myectomy and that mimics prosthetic regurgitation.

A nomogram predicting pneumonia after cardiac surgery: a retrospective modeling study.

Background: Postoperative pneumonia (POP) is the most prevalent of all nosocomial infections in patients who underwent cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to identify independent risk factors for pneumonia after cardiac surgery, from which we constructed a nomogram for prediction.

Methods: The clinical data of patients admitted to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from October 2020 to September 2021 who underwent cardiac surgery were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had POP: POP group (n=105) and non-POP group (n=1083).

Postoperative hyper-inflammation as a predictor of poor outcomes in patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) undergoing surgical repair.

Background: Postoperative hyper-inflammation is a frequent event in patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) after surgical repair. This study's objective was to determine which inflammatory biomarkers could be used to make a better formula for identifying postoperative hyper-inflammation, and which risk factors were associated with hyper-inflammation.

Methods: A total of 405 patients were enrolled in this study from October 1, 2020 to April 1, 2023.

Diagnosis of Early Bacterial Pneumonia and Sepsis After Cardiovascular Surgery: A Diagnostic Prediction Model Based on LASSO Logistic Regression.

Background: Early postoperative bacterial pneumonia and sepsis (ePOPS), which occurs within the first 48 hours after cardiovascular surgery, is a serious life-threatening complication. Diagnosis of ePOPS is extremely challenging, and the existing diagnostic tools are insufficient. The purpose of this study was to construct a novel diagnostic prediction model for ePOPS.

Comparison of Effects of Liuzijue Exercise and Conventional Respiratory Training on Patients after Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of Liuzijue exercise (LE) for the clinical effect in patients after cardiac surgery.

Methods: Totally 120 patients who underwent cardiac surgery and were admitted to the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between July and Oclober, 2022 were allocated to the LE group, the conventional respiratory training (CRT) group, and the control group by a random number table at a ratio of 1:1:1; 40 patients in each group. All patients received routine treatment and cardiac rehabilitation.

Analysis of risk factors for postoperative mortality in acute type A aortic dissection patients under different critical levels.

We built up a risk stratification model to divide acute type A aortic dissection (aTAAD) patients into low- and high-risk groups, further, to evaluate the risk factors for postoperative mortality. A total of 1364 patients from 2010 to 2020 in our center were retrospectively analyzed. More than twenty clinical variables were related with postoperative mortality.

A machine learning approach for predicting descending thoracic aortic diameter.

Background: To establish models for predicting descending thoracic aortic diameters and provide evidence for selecting the size of the stent graft for TBAD patients.

Methods: A total of 200 candidates without severe deformation of aorta were included. CTA information was collected and 3D reconstructed.

The low-dose colchicine in patients after non-CABG cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Recent high-quality trials have shown that the anti-inflammatory effects of colchicine reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients suffering post-myocardial infarction and chronic coronary disease. The effect of colchicine in patients undergoing non-coronary artery bypass grafting (non-CABG) with cardiopulmonary bypass remains unclear. We aim to evaluate the effect of colchicine on myocardial protection in patients who underwent non-CABG cardiac surgery.

Relationship between preoperative lymphocyte to monocyte ratio and surgery outcome in type A aortic dissection.

Background: Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is associated with the mortality of cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship between preoperative LMR and the prognosis of patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD) undergoing surgical treatment remains to be determined.

Methods: We enrolled 879 patients with TAAD undergoing surgical treatment between January 2018 and December 2021.

Serum Oxylipin Profiles Identify Potential Biomarkers in Patients with Acute Aortic Dissection.

Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening cardiovascular disease with a dismal prognosis. Inflammation plays an important role in AD. Oxylipins are bioactive lipids involved in the modulation of inflammation and may be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AD.

Epicardial injection of allogeneic human-induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in patients with advanced heart failure: protocol for a phase I/IIa dose-escalation clinical trial.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a growing global public health burden. However, due to the very limited regenerative capacity of mature cardiomyocytes in the adult mammalian heart, conventional treatments can only improve the symptoms of HF but fail to restore cardiac function. Heart transplantation is limited by a severe shortage of donors.

Left Atrial Appendage Circular RNAs Are New Predictors of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Surgical Ablation in Valvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after ablation will increase mortality and morbidity during follow up. We attempted to evaluate the relationship between circular RNAs (circRNA) and AF recurrence to establish a predictive model for early intervention.

Methods: Patients who received surgical ablation retrospectively were analyzed.

Modified "" arch replacement with an integrative frozen elephant trunk device for acute type A aortic dissection.

Background: Total arch replacement (TAR) and frozen elephant trunk (FET) has been proposed as the primary arch repair method for acute type A aortic dissection (aTAAD). We introduce a modified "" arch replacement with an integrative FET device for aTAAD.

Methods: From January 2018 to December 2019, 507 aTAAD patients from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital received surgical therapy; among them, 57 patients with modified island total arch replacement (MiTAR) and 138 patients with TAR were enrolled.

Malperfusion syndromes in acute type A aortic dissection do not affect long-term survival in Chinese population: A 10-year institutional experience.

Background: Preoperative malperfusion of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) remains a catastrophic complication that is associated with high postoperative morbidity and mortality. The relationship between malperfusion and long-term survival in the Chinese population is unknown.

Methods: A total of 771 patients who underwent ATAAD surgery between January 2009 and December 2018 at our center were included.

Clinical outcomes of postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in Stanford type a aortic dissection.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support may be considered to reduce mortality but survival and clinical outcomes are uncertain after Stanford type A Aortic dissection (TAAD). We analyzed the data of TAAD patients with postoperative ECMO support in our institution to investigate clinical outcomes.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, all clinical data of TAAD patients with postoperative ECMO support from January 2013 to October 2019 in our institution were harvested.

Expression Profiles of Circular RNA in Human Atrial Fibrillation With Valvular Heart Diseases.

Circular RNAs (circRNA) are involved in a variety of human heart diseases, however, circRNA expression profiles and circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in human atrial fibrillation (AF) especially with valvular heart diseases (VHD) remain poorly understood. A high-throughput RNA sequencing was used to investigate the differentially expressed circRNAs in left atrial appendage from VHD patients with or without persistent AF. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed to predict the potential functions of the host genes of differentially expressed circRNA and their downstream targets.

Preoperative monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio predicts early recurrence after radiofrequency maze procedure of valvular atrial fibrillation.

Background: Monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein (M/H) ratio has emerged as a novel cardiovascular prognostic biomarker. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic values of M/H with early recurrence in persistent valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients after radiofrequency (RF) maze procedure.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 131 consecutive persistent AF patients with valvular heart diseases who were followed up 3 months after RF maze procedure.

Evaluation of β-blocker therapy for long-term outcomes in patients with low ejection fraction after cardiac surgery.

Background: Preoperative low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been reported as an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality. However, there were few studies evaluating the long-term mortality in these patients. We, therefore, conducted this study to investigate long-term outcomes of surgery on patients with LVEF≤35% undergoing a broad range of cardiac procedures.

Different aortic arch surgery methods for type A aortic dissection: clinical outcomes and follow-up results.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes and follow-up results among 5 main aortic arch surgery methods for type A aortic dissection in a single centre.

Methods: From 2002 to 2018, 958 type A aortic dissection patients who received surgical repair were divided into 5 groups according to the arch surgery method: hemiarch replacement (n = 206), island arch replacement (n = 54), total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk (n = 425), triple-branched stent (n = 39) and fenestrated stent (n = 234). The indications for the different arch methods were related to the patient's preoperative status, the location and extent of the dissection and the surgical ability of the surgeons.

Mitral Valve Surgery via a Right Infra-axillary Thoracotomy in High-Risk Reoperative Patients.

Background: A right infra-axillary thoracotomy can offer excellent exposure of the mitral valve. This study evaluated this incision for high-risk patients undergoing redo mitral valve procedures.

Methods: Of a series of 189 patients who had redo mitral valve surgery, 32 were reoperated via vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy based on previous aortic valve replacement, dense adhesion, location of patent bypass grafts, and peripheral vascular disease.

"Double Jacket Wrapping" Root Reconstruction for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.

This report describes a simple and effective method of aortic root repair and reconstruction in acute type A aortic dissection to reduce the risks of hemorrhage and late aortic root new intimal tear and dilation. "Double jacket wrapping" (DJW) has 2 steps: the first jacket is used for aortic root "sandwich" repair, with a patch between the outer and inner layers; and the second jacket is wrapped outside the reconstructed root at the level of the supracoronary ostium. Compared with aortic root replacement, the DJW method may avoid prosthetic valve-related complications and decrease the complexity of valve-sparing root replacement; thus, DJW is a method worthy of wide use.

Vacuum-assisted closure . bilateral pectoralis major muscle flaps for deep sternal wounds infection.

Background: Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a life-threatening complication after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the outcomes of reconstructing infected poststernotomy wounds with either vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) after previous debridement or bilateral pectoralis major muscle flaps (BPMMFs).

Methods: In total, 565 patients with postoperative DSWI were enrolled in this study from January 1, 2014, to June 1, 2018.

Root reconstruction for proximal repair in acute type A aortic dissection.

Background: Retrospective compared the results of root reconstruction and root replacement for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) patients and observed the rate of aortic insufficiency (AI) and aortic root dilation in the midterm follow-up period.

Methods: From 2008-2016, 427 ATAAD patients received surgical therapy in our center. There were 328 male and 99 female patients, aging from 22 to 83 years with a mean age of (51.

Preliminary observation of chemokine expression in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection.

Stanford type A Aortic dissection (TAAD) is a deadly cardiovascular disease but the relationship between inflammatory cytokines and disease pathogenesis is still unclear. Observation of the changes of different chemokines may help to explore the etiology of TAAD much further. Clinical data was collected from TAAD patients (TAAD group) and healthy controls (HC group) in our institute between October 2013 and December 2014.

Clinical Experience of Aortic Valve Surgery in Patients With Aortitis Disease.

Objective: To investigate single center's clinical experiences of aortic valve surgery for aortitis patients.

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2018, 15 patients with aortitis disease were treated in our center. Among them, there were 7 males and 8 females with an average age of 48.