Molecular mechanisms of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) promotes atrial remodeling and fibrosis, providing a substrate for atrial fibrillation (AF). Herein, we investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms of AF in association with OSA in a cohort of cardiac surgery patients. A prospective study including patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Real-world 6-month outcomes of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement with the EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve system.

Objectives: We report on real-world safety and performance outcomes of minimally invasive rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement using the EDWARDS INTUITY Elite aortic valve system.

Methods: The study valve system was used in a European, prospective, multicentre post-market study. Various procedural, haemodynamic and clinical outcomes were evaluated through 6 months of post-implant.

Risk Factors for Postoperative Pacemaker Implantation After Rapid Deployment Aortic Valve Replacement: Results from the RADAR Registry.

Introduction: Rapid deployment aortic valve replacement has been recently introduced in clinical practice. Different studies have reported a significant reduction in surgical times with excellent hemodynamic profiles and short-term results. However, an increase in permanent pacemaker requirements compared with conventional aortic valve replacement has been described.

Incidence and causes of pacemaker implantation during postoperative period of aortic valve replacement with rapid deployment prosthesis.

Background: Aortic stenosis is currently the most frequently occurring valve pathology. Developments, such as transcatheter prostheses and rapid deployment prostheses, allow for the offer of a valve replacement to higher risk patients, but these techniques are linked with a higher need for a permanent pacemaker during the immediate postoperative period.

Methods: We studied the incidence and the factors associated with permanent pacemaker implantation after aortic valve replacement with Edwards Intuity rapid deployment prosthesis.

Von Willebrand factor is associated with atrial fibrillation development in ischaemic patients after cardiac surgery.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery. Von Willebrand factor (vWF) has been proposed as a biomarker of endothelial damage/dysfunction. We hypothesized that vWF levels could be used as valuable biomarker for AF occurrence after cardiac surgery.

DXA in the assessment of subchondral bone mineral density in knee osteoarthritis--A semi-standardized protocol after systematic review.

Introduction: Subchondral bone mineral density (sBMD) contributes to the initiation and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Reliable methods to assess sBMD status may predict the response of specific OA phenotypes to targeted therapies. While dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the knee can determine sBMD, no consensus exists regarding its methodology.

Ellis-van Creveld syndrome in adulthood: extending the clinical spectrum.

Ellis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive malformation disorder. Cardiac defects are observed in about 50% of EvC cases. Surgical data is lacking on the prognosis and life expectancy of EvC patients.

Radiotherapeutic management of the chyloperitoneum following abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Chyloperitoneum is a rare but life-threatening complication with no uniformity concerning the treatment. We present a 77-year-old male with chylous ascites after open abdominal aneurysmectomy refractory to conservative and surgical strategies. After failure of re-exploration with periaortic lymphatic cauterization and drainage, he was treated with five cycles of retroperitoneal radiotherapy.

[Initial experience with the Impella left ventricular assist device for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock and unprotected left coronary artery angioplasty in patients with a low left ventricular ejection fraction].

Low-output syndrome is one of the leading causes of death following open-heart surgery or high-risk angioplasty. Ventricular assist devices have been used to treat patients who suffer from postoperative cardiogenic shock despite use of an intraaortic balloon pump and maximum inotropic support. The Impella pump (Impella Cardiosystems AG, Aachen, Germany) is a newly introduced left ventricular assist device that has been shown to reduce infarct size and to accelerate recovery of stunned myocardium.

Intraoperative myocardial rupture heralded by contrast echocardiography.

This case report shows the use of bedside transthoracic contrast echocardiography in the diagnosis of subacute myocardial rupture after acute myocardial infarction and indication of urgent surgery. Usefulness of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography for detection of sudden complete myocardial rupture leading to pericardial tamponade during anesthetic induction, and prompt lifesaving surgical procedure are also presented.

Statins and postoperative risk of atrial fibrillation following coronary artery bypass grafting.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting. Atrial remodeling has been observed in AF and has been associated with the development of this arrhythmia. Because 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitors (statins) have been demonstrated to modify remodeling, we hypothesized a protective role of statins against postoperative AF.

Preoperative statin therapy and troponin T predict early complications of coronary artery surgery.

Background: Pretreatment with statins reduces early ischemic events after percutaneous coronary interventions, primarily in patients with a high level of inflammation markers. We sought to examine the association between preoperative statin therapy, systemic inflammation, and myocardial ischemia with the occurrence of early cardiac complications after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

Methods: One hundred forty-one consecutive patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery from two university tertiary hospitals were stratified according to their preoperative status of statin therapy (87 treated and 54 nontreated).

Perirenal fat diameter measured by echography could be an early predictor of lipodystrophy in HIV type 1-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Echographically measured thicknesses of perirenal and subcutaneous fat, as well as serum metabolic and anthropometric parameters, were evaluated in 74 human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 22 of whom were HAART-naive at baseline, who were followed-up for 27 months to detect predictive factors of lipodystrophy. Perirenal fat diameter (PRFD) at baseline differed in HAART-naive and HAART-experienced patients (P<.001), and it was the best predictor of lipodystrophy changes after 12 months of follow-up in the HAART-naive patients (hazard ratio, 7.

Constrictive pericarditis due to Coxiella burnetii.

Q fever is characterized by its clinical polymorphism. Cardiac involvement in acute Q fever is rare. We report a case of pleuro-pericarditis that rapidly evolved to pericardial constriction during an acute episode of Coxiella burnetii infection.

In vivo interleukin-6 protects neutrophils from apoptosis in osteomyelitis.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils are critical for resolution of bacterial infections. In tissues, most of the neutrophils quickly die through apoptosis. Using propidium iodide DNA staining and DNA gel electrophoresis, we found that spontaneous apoptosis of neutrophils from patients suffering osteomyelitis (n = 52) was significantly decreased in relation to control neutrophils (n = 20) (40.

Endovascular repair of concomitant celiac trunk and abdominal aortic aneurysms in a patient with Behçet's disease.

Purpose: To report endovascular repair of dual aneurysms in a patient with Behçet's disease.

Case Report: A 37-year-old man diagnosed 6 months prior with Behçet's disease presented with a pulsating abdominal mass. Computed tomography revealed a 70-mm-diameter pseudoaneurysm in the abdominal aorta and another (20 mm) in the celiac trunk 5 mm from the aorta.

Successful biventricular assistance after heart transplantation.

We present a successful use of biventricular pneumatic assistance during seven days allowing the recovery from a severe primary graft failure that occurred in the operating room. Suboptimal donors are associated with higher rates of immediate graft failure; however proper use of mechanical assistance can help to recover graft function.

IL-1 alpha (-889) promoter polymorphism is a risk factor for osteomyelitis.

As osteomyelitis (OM) induces the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines and IL-1 mediates bone resorption by osteoclasts we determined if there is an association between certain common polymorphisms of the genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1 alpha and beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha) and OM in adults. The IL-1 alpha (-889) TT genotype was significantly more frequent among 52 OM patients than in 109 healthy controls (13/52, [25.0%] vs.