Surgical revision after percutaneous mitral valve repair by edge-to-edge device in high-risk patients.

Background: Patients scheduled for surgery after unsuccessful MitraClip® intervention present increasingly with multiple comorbidities, and they are often referred to the heart team to suggest the most appropriate intervention. The publication of successful results of initial patient cohorts treated with the MitraClip device has resulted in recruitment of more seriously ill patients, who otherwise would have been denied catheter-based/surgical treatment. There has been increasingly reports on conventional surgery after failed mitral valve repair with the MitraClip device.

Genome-wide association study of myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, acute stroke, acute kidney injury and delirium after cardiac surgery - a sub-analysis of the RIPHeart-Study.

Background: The aim of our study was the identification of genetic variants associated with postoperative complications after cardiac surgery.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized trial (RIPHeart). We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 1170 patients of both genders (871 males, 299 females) from the RIPHeart-Study cohort.

RIPHeart (Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for Heart Surgery) Study: Myocardial Dysfunction, Postoperative Neurocognitive Dysfunction, and 1 Year Follow-Up.

Background: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) has been suggested to protect against certain forms of organ injury after cardiac surgery. Previously, we reported the main results of RIPHeart (Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for Heart Surgery) Study, a multicenter trial randomizing 1403 cardiac surgery patients receiving either RIPC or sham-RIPC.

Methods And Results: In this follow-up paper, we present 1-year follow-up of the composite primary end point and its individual components (all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and acute renal failure), in a sub-group of patients, intraoperative myocardial dysfunction assessed by transesophageal echocardiography and the incidence of postoperative neurocognitive dysfunction 5 to 7 days and 3 months after surgery.

Remote ischaemic preconditioning for heart surgery. The study design for a multi-center randomized double-blinded controlled clinical trial--the RIPHeart-Study.

Aims: Transient ischaemia of non-vital tissue has been shown to enhance the tolerance of remote organs to cope with a subsequent prolonged ischaemic event in a number of clinical conditions, a phenomenon known as remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC). However, there remains uncertainty about the efficacy of RIPC in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The purpose of this report is to describe the design and methods used in the "Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning for Heart Surgery (RIPHeart)-Study".

Transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR) in patients with unstable angina and low ejection fraction.

Objective: Does perioperative use of the intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) improve the postsurgical outcome of patients presenting with endstage coronary artery disease, unstable angina and low ejection fraction transferred for transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR)?

Methods: TMLR, as sole therapy combined with the perioperative use of an intraaortic balloon pump has been assessed in seven patients with endstage coronary artery disease, unstable angina and low ejection fraction (EF < 35%). Six out of seven patients had signs of congestive heart failure. These patients are compared with 23 patients with endstage coronary artery disease, stable angina and EF > 35%, who were treated with TMLR as sole therapy without the use of IABP.