The Saphenous Vein Graft: Can a Frog Become a Princess?

The saphenous vein graft (SVG) has been a cornerstone of coronary bypass surgery, but its long-term patency is limited by accelerated atherosclerosis. Recent advancements, including the no-touch technique and the use of SVG as a limb of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA), have shown promise in improving outcomes. Both approaches enhance nitric oxide (NO) availability, a key factor in promoting endothelial stability and arterial-like behavior in the SVG.

Comparison of Outcomes Between Low-Risk Aortic Valve Replacement Trials and a Surgical Registry.

Importance: It remains unknown whether outcomes of the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves 3 (PARTNER 3) and Evolut Low Risk trials are comparable with surgical outcomes in nontrial settings, considering the added risk of concomitant cardiac operations.

Objective: To compare 30-day mortality and stroke incidences of patients in the surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) arm of low-risk trials with those of similar patients in the US Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS ACSD).

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cross-sectional sampling study was conducted of adults in the STS ACSD with severe aortic stenosis at low surgical risk for AVR who underwent SAVR during the years low-risk AVR trials (PARTNER 3 and Evolut Low Risk) were enrolling (calendar years 2016-2018).

Arterial conduits for coronary bypass grafting: the set-point concept.

Endothelial cells control the vascular tone of arterial grafts used for coronary artery bypass surgery and react to changes in local shear stress. The vascular adaptations induced by endothelial cell activation affect the outcome of surgical grafts and can be predicted based on the set-point theory. In this Hypothesis piece, it is proposed that the set-point concept should inform surgical decision making for coronary artery bypass surgery.

Amino Acid Infusion for Kidney Protection in Cardiac Surgery Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Secondary Analysis of the PROTECTION Trial.

Background: In the PROTECTION trial, intravenous amino acids (AA) decreased the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in cardiac surgery patients with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Recruitment of renal functional reserve may be responsible for such protection. However, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have diminished renal functional reserve, and AA may be less protective in such patients.