Impact of concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting on the outcomes of total arch repair with frozen elephant trunk for type A aortic dissection.

Objectives: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is often performed alongside type A aortic dissection (TAAD) repair. However, the association between concomitant CABG and the clinical outcomes of TAAD repair remains uncertain.

Methods: This study included 1002 consecutive TAAD patients who underwent total aortic arch replacement (TAR) with frozen elephant trunk from June 2019 to January 2024.

Uncommon presentation of acute type A aortic dissection: sleeve-severed and everted proximal right coronary artery intima without myocardial ischaemia.

Background: Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) with coronary involvement is rare but potentially fatal. Proper myocardial protection during surgery is essential.

Case Presentation: Here, we describe a 52-year-old woman who presented with sudden chest pain.

Clinical outcomes of aortic root repair using pericardial autograft for acute type a aortic dissection.

Background: For acute type A aortic dissection involving the aortic root with root diameter no more than 45 mm, there are various aortic root repair techniques. In this study, a novel surgical technique using a pericardial autograft for aortic root repair was introduced. We described its surgical steps in detail and compare its clinical outcomes with direct suture technique.

A visceral organ function-focused therapeutic strategy using a 6-hour time window for patients with acute type a aortic dissection complicated by mesenteric malperfusion.

Background: Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) complicated by mesenteric malperfusion is a critical and complicated condition. The optimal treatment strategy remains controversial, debate exists as to whether aortic dissection or mesenteric malperfusion should be addressed first, and the exact time window for mesenteric ischemia intervention is still unclear. To solve this problem, we developed a new concept based on the pathophysiological mechanism of mesenteric ischemia, using a 6-hour time window to divide newly admitted patients by the time from onset to admission, applying different treatment protocols to improve the clinical outcomes of patients with ATAAD complicated by mesenteric malperfusion.

Non-linear associations of HOMA2-IR with all-cause mortality in general populations: insights from NHANES 1999-2006.

Background: The association between homeostatic model assessment (HOMA2-IR) and mortality in obese and non-obese populations has not been clearly explained.

Methods: A total of 7,085 individuals aged ≥ 20 years from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the study. Study endpoints were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Clinical outcomes of the cuff wrapping technique in the modified Bentall procedure: a propensity score-matched study.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of our modified cuff wrapping Bentall (M-Bentall) procedure, which uses a cuff wrapping technique with remnant aortic root tissue.

Methods: From July 2017 to December 2021, a total of 136 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. Among them, patients who underwent the modified Bentall procedure using the cuff wrapping technique were included in the M-Bentall group (n=46), while patients who underwent the classic Bentall (C-Bentall) procedure were categorized into the C-Bentall group (n=90).

C/EBP-Mediated Transcriptional Activation of PIK3C2A Regulates Autophagy, Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression, and Phenotypic of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Aortic Dissection.

Purpose: To investigate the function of C/EBP in the development of aortic dissection (AD) and the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were isolated, cultured, and identified from AD rats. Then, C/EBP and PIK3C2A were knockdown or overexpressed by siRNA or plasmid transfection, respectively.

Endovascular surgery for thoracic aortic pathologies involving the aortic arch.

Background: Aortic arch pathologies are serious clinical conditions associated with a very dismal prognosis. Traditional open surgery has a high mortality and is not suitable for critically ill patients. Recently years, endovascular treatment of thoracic aorta has made rapid progress and has been gradually applied to the treatment of aortic arch pathologies.

A new patch technique for valve-sparing aortic root repair in acute type A aortic dissection.

Valve-sparing aortic root replacement is an attractive option for younger patients with acute type A aortic dissection. This study aimed to design a new patch technique for reconstructing the aortic root and preserving the aortic valve following aortic dissection. Between July 2017 and December 2018, 35 patients underwent valve-sparing aortic root repair using this new patch technique.

Concomitant Tricuspid Annuloplasty in Patients Undergoing Totally Endoscopic Mitral Valve Surgery: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty (TAP) in patients undergoing totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery.

Methods: It is a single-center, retrospective study that enrolled a total of 173 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery combined with tricuspid annuloplasty between January 2019 and June 2020 in our institution. Patients who underwent totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery with concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty were categorized into the MIMVS-TAP group (N = 51), and patients who underwent mitral valve surgery with concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty through a median sternotomy were categorized into the MVS-TAP group (N = 122).

Hospital outcome of concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty during totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery: a propensity matched study.

Background: This study aimed to determine how concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty (TAP) affects the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery.

Methods: This was a single-centre, retrospective study. Between January 2019 and June 2020, 143 patients who underwent totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery in our institution were enrolled.

Totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery: early experience in 188 patients.

Introduction: Totally endoscopic technique has been widely used in cardiac surgery, and minimally invasive totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery has been developed as an alternative to median sternotomy for many patients with mitral valve disease. In this study, we describe our experience about a modified minimally invasive totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery and reported the preliminary results of totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the results of totally endoscopic technique in mitral valve surgery.

Peripheral vascular complications following totally endoscopic cardiac surgery.

Background: Clinical application of minimally invasive cardiac surgery has increased annually. Cardiopulmonary bypass is established by peripheral cannulation during minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The methodology of peripheral cannulation has unique characteristics, which have associated risks and complications.

Combined femoral and axillary perfusion strategy for Stanford type a aortic dissection repair.

Background: The optimal cannulation strategy in surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection is critical to patient survival but remains controversial. Different cannulation strategies have their own advantages and drawbacks during cardiopulmonary bypass. Our centre used a combined femoral and axillary perfusion strategy for the surgical treatment of type A aortic dissection.

The use of the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and rating scale to evaluate the cosmetic outcomes of totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery.

Background: Conventional median sternotomy is widely used in cardiac surgery, while thoracoscopic cardiac surgery, which is considered to have aesthetic advantages, is being performed increasingly more often in China because patients' requests for minimally invasive procedures yielding aesthetically pleasing results have significantly increased. Few studies have been conducted to assess surgical scars after cardiac surgery. Compared to the median sternotomy approach, multiple-incision totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery requires smaller but numerous and scattered incisions.

Health-related quality of life following minimally invasive totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery.

Background: To compare the impact of two different types of mitral valve surgery on health-related quality of life, we conducted a retrospective study comparing modified totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery with median sternotomy mitral valve surgery.

Methods: A total of 163 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery at our institution between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 were enrolled. For these 163 patients, mitral valve surgery was performed using either a modified totally endoscopic approach or median sternotomy approach.

Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Removal of Sewing Needle in the Ventricular Septum.

Clinical cases of intracardiac foreign bodies are rare. We report a case of a sewing needle embedded in the ventricular septum of a patient reporting chest pain. The needle was removed under video-assisted thoracoscopic cardiac surgery.

Low-power-penalty wavelength multicasting for 36 Gbit/s 16-QAM coherent optical signals in a silicon waveguide.

All-optical wavelength multicasting has been experimentally demonstrated for 36 Gbit/s 16-quadrature amplitude modulation signals based on four-wave mixing processes in a silicon waveguide with multiple pumps. In our experiment, dual pumps are injected together with the signal into the waveguide and nine idlers are generated, involving five wavelength multicasting channels. Coherent detection and advanced digital signal processing are employed, and the recovered constellation diagrams of the multicasting idlers show a root-mean-square error vector magnitude degradation as small as 2.

All-optical wavelength conversion and five-channel multicasting for 20 Gbit/s QPSK signals in a silicon waveguide.

Wavelength conversion and five-channel multicasting for 20  Gbit/s quadrature phase-shift keying signals have been experimentally demonstrated based on four-wave mixing in a silicon waveguide with digital coherent detection. The eye diagrams and constellation diagrams of the converted and multicasting idlers are successfully observed. Moreover, the bit-error rates (BERs) of the generated idlers are measured and the power penalties are all less than 0.

Performance analysis of blind timing phase estimators for digital coherent receivers.

The performances of various blind timing phase estimators (TPE) for digital coherent receiver are analyzed. The equivalence among four TPE algorithms is analytically presented, showing that two TPE algorithms applying squaring pre-filters are in fact identical. Three TPE algorithms applicable to Nyquist signals are proposed based on the equivalence analysis.