Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after coronary artery bypass grafting: Results of a multicenter study.

Background: The evidence of the benefits of using venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is scarce.

Methods: We analyzed the outcomes of patients who received VA-ECMO therapy due to cardiac or respiratory failure after isolated CABG in 12 centers between 2005 and 2016. Patients treated preoperatively with ECMO were excluded from this study.

Dietary plant stanols or sterols neither accumulate in stenotic aortic valves nor influence their structure or inflammatory status.

Background & Aims: Consumption of plant stanols and plant sterols decreases LDL cholesterol level and increases serum concentrations of plant stanols/sterols, but it is practically unexplored whether also their tissue concentrations increase. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess whether consuming plant stanols/sterols increases their concentrations in stenotic aortic valves and affect the valvular structure (collagen and elastin) or inflammation (macrophages and mast cells).

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind controlled intervention patients with severe aortic stenosis consumed margarine without (n = 11) or with 2 g of plant stanols (n = 12) or sterols (n = 13) until valve replacement surgery (2.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are present in stenotic aortic valves and may interfere with the mechanisms of valvular calcification.

Objective: To determine whether differences exist in valvular high density lipoprotein (HDL) content between non-stenotic and stenotic aortic valves, and whether HDL could retard valvular calcification locally.

Methods: Stenotic aortic valves were obtained from valve replacement surgery and non-stenotic control valves from cardiac transplantations or at autopsy. The valvular localization and concentration of apolipoproteinA-I (apoA-I) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and ELISA.