Safety of prolonged bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion in aortic arch surgery with moderate hypothermia.

Objectives: This study investigates the impact of bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) time on outcomes in aortic arch surgery.

Methods: In total, 961 patients underwent either hemiarch (n = 385) or total arch replacement (n = 576) with bilateral ACP and moderate hypothermia management between 2006 and 2020 across 2 aortic centres. ACP time was categorized into 4 groups (≤30 min: n = 169, 30-60 min: n = 298, 60-90 min: n = 261, >90 min: n = 233).

Importance of surgeon's experience in practicing valve-sparing aortic root replacement.

Background: Valve-sparing root replacement (VSRR) requires a unique skill set. This study aimed to examine the influence of surgeon's procedural volume on outcomes of VSRR.

Methods: This retrospective study included 1697 patients from 2 large, high-volume aortic centers who underwent aortic root replacement (ARR) between 2004 and 2021 and were potentially eligible for VSRR.

Prosthetic Valve Fate in Patients With Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Prosthetic valve-related morbidity and mortality in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) remain unclear. We retrospectively reviewed patients who received a HeartMate II or 3 LVAD at our center between April 2004 and December 2022. Patients with a valve prosthesis in any position were included.

Adverse Technical Events During Aortic Root Replacement.

Background: Although adverse technical events during aortic root replacement (ARR) are not uncommon and are extremely challenging, there is scant literature to help surgeons prepare for such situations. We describe our experience of outstanding technical events during ARR.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 830 consecutive ARRs at a single center from 2012 to 2022.

Long-term outcomes after aortic root replacement for bicuspid aortic valve-associated aneurysm.

Objective: Patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve often require root replacement. This study aims to describe their long-term rates of mortality and reoperation.

Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective study of 747 patients with bicuspid aortic valve who underwent aortic root replacement for aortic aneurysm between 2004 and 2020.

Is surgical risk of aortic arch aneurysm repair underestimated? A novel perspective based on 30-day versus 1-year mortality.

Objectives: The decision to undergo aortic aneurysm repair balances the risk of operation with the risk of aortic complications. The surgical risk is typically represented by perioperative mortality, while the aneurysmal risk relates to the 1-year risk of aortic events. We investigate the difference in 30-day and 1-year mortality after total arch replacement for aortic aneurysm.

An Ex Vivo Porcine Model for Hydrodynamic Testing of Experimental Aortic Valve Procedures and Novel Medical Devices.

The options for testing new cardiac procedures and investigative medical devices prior to use in an animal model are limited. In this study, we present a method for mounting a porcine aortic valve in a pulse duplicator to evaluate its hydrodynamic properties. These properties can then be evaluated before and after the procedure under investigation is performed and/or the investigative medical device is applied.

Long-term outcome of hemiarch replacement in a proximal aortic aneurysm repair: analysis of over 1000 patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of hemiarch replacement in patients undergoing an open repair of proximal thoracic aortic aneurysm without arch aneurysm.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 1132 patients undergoing proximal aortic aneurysm repair at our Aortic Center between 2005 and 2019. Inclusion criteria were all patients undergoing root or ascending aortic aneurysm repair with or without hemiarch replacement.

Reactions to the opioid epidemic: A text-mining analysis of tweets.

This study analyzed public reactions to the opioid epidemic using Twitter discourse. One month of unique tweets (n = 26,079) from July 23, 2018 to August 22, 2018 were identified using the keyword "opioid" in conjunction with the words "crisis, epidemic, misuse, prescription, and death." Twelve topics, each representing more than 1% of all tweets, together accounted for 17,206 (66%) of identified tweets.

Themes in published obituaries of people who have died of opioid overdose.

This study gauged public perceptions of the opioid epidemic in online obituaries related to opioid overdose by analyzing emotional themes and tones. A thematic analysis was performed on a consecutive listing of online obituaries from the United States. Three hundred electronic obituaries of people who died due to opioid, heroin, and prescription drug overdose, identified in an online obituary platform (Legacy.

Quantifying Hydrogen-Bond Populations in Dimethyl Sulfoxide/Water Mixtures.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) disrupts the hydrogen-bond networks in water. The widespread use of DMSO as a cosolvent, along with its unusual attributes, have inspired numerous studies. Herein, infrared absorption spectroscopy of the S=O stretching mode combined with molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry models were used to directly quantify DMSO/water hydrogen-bond populations in binary mixtures.