Transfemoral Compared to Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Chronic Dialysis-Dependent Patients.

Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD) represent a high-risk population in terms of both development of and death by cardiovascular diseases. Outcome data of ESRD patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) treated by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (AVI) are scarce. We aim to compare the outcome of ESRD patients undergoing transfemoral (TF) or transapical (TA) AVI.

Clinical Outcomes After Mitral Valve Replacement With Epic and Mosaic Bioprosthetic Valves.

Background: Comparative studies of outcomes between different biological mitral valve prostheses are scarce. This study compares the late clinical results of valve replacement with the Epic and Mosaic bioprostheses.

Methods: Patients undergoing isolated elective mitral valve replacement (MVR) between 2005 and 2019 were eligible for inclusion.

Five-year comparison of clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of pure aortic stenosis with pure aortic regurgitation or mixed aortic valve disease in the COMMENCE trial.

Objective: To compare outcomes of aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with pure aortic stenosis (Pure AS) and those with pure aortic regurgitation (Pure AR) or mixed AS and AR (MAVD) in the COMMENCE trial.

Methods: Of 689 patients who underwent AVR in the COMMENCE trial, patients with moderate or severe AR with or without AS (Pure AR + MAVD; n = 135) or Pure AS (n = 323) were included. Inverse probability of treatment weighting Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used for time-to-event endpoints, and longitudinal changes in hemodynamics were evaluated using mixed-effects models.

Mitral valve replacement versus repair for severe mitral regurgitation in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

Objective: This study compares early and long-term outcomes following mitral valve (MV) repair and replacement in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: Patients with primary or secondary MR and LVEF <50% who underwent MV replacement or repair (with/without atrial septal defect closure and/or atrial fibrillation ablation) between 2005 and 2017 at our center were retrospectively analyzed using unadjusted and propensity score matching techniques (42 pairs).

Results: A total of 356 patients with either primary (n = 162 [45.

Comparison of Del Nido and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia solutions: an animal study with prolonged ischaemia.

Objective: Myocardial protection is important for a successful procedure cardiac surgery, and the key element of myocardial protection is cardioplegia. We compared Del Nido cardioplegia (DN) and Bretschneider histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia (HTK) regarding cardioprotective effects in a porcine model of prolonged ischaemia.

Methods: Landrace pigs weighing 50-60 kg were randomized to receive either DN ( = 9) or HTK ( = 9).

Diminished spinal cord perfusion despite distal aortic perfusion: an acute translational large animal experiment with occluded segmental arteries.

Objectives: Neuroprotective measures have been established in open thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair to reduce the incidence of postoperative paraplegia. Distal aortic perfusion (DaP) is meant to increase blood flow to the abdominal organs and the spinal cord. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage is part of peri- and postoperative clinical routine.

Echocardiographic Predictors of Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator.

Aim: To evaluate the predictive value of preoperative echocardiographic parameters for occurrence of VAs in patients with preexisting ICD undergoing LVAD implantation.

Methods And Results: All consecutive patients (n = 264) with previous ICD who underwent LVAD surgery between May 2011 and December 2019 at our institution were included. The patients were predominantly male (89%) with NICM (59%) and a mean age of 59 ± 10 years.

Outcomes of single versus sequential vein grafts in isolated coronary artery bypass surgery: Insights from a large tertiary care center.

Background: Saphenous venous grafts remain the most widely used conduits in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Data comparing outcomes of single saphenous venous grafting (SinCABG) versus sequential venous grafting (SeqCABG), however, are limited.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2012, 2375 patients with 3-vessel coronary artery disease underwent isolated elective CABG at the Leipzig Heart Center with a left internal mammary artery graft to left anterior descending artery and ≥2 distal saphenous vein graft anastomoses.

Aortic and Mitral Valve Endocarditis-Simply Left-Sided Endocarditis or Different Entities Requiring Individual Consideration?-Insights from the CAMPAIGN Database.

: Aortic valve infective endocarditis (AV-IE) and mitral valve infective endocarditis (MV-IE) are often grouped together as one entity: left-sided endocarditis. However, there are significant differences between the valves in terms of anatomy, physiology, pressure, and calcification tendency. This study aimed to compare AV-IE and MV-IE in terms of patient characteristics, pathogen profiles, postoperative outcomes, and predictors of mortality.

Interrater Variability of ML-Based CT-FFR in Patients without Obstructive CAD before TAVR: Influence of Image Quality, Coronary Artery Calcifications, and Location of Measurement.

CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) can improve the specificity of coronary CT-angiography (cCTA) for ruling out relevant coronary artery disease (CAD) prior to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, little is known about the reproducibility of CT-FFR and the influence of diffuse coronary artery calcifications or segment location. The objective was to assess the reliability of machine-learning (ML)-based CT-FFR prior to TAVR in patients without obstructive CAD and to assess the influence of image quality, coronary artery calcium score (CAC), and the location of measurement within the coronary tree.

Acute Aortic Dissection during Pregnancy: Hideous Clinical Quandaries with Young Lives on the Line-The Role of Hereditary Genetic Syndromes.

Acute aortic dissection is a rare but frequently fatal aortic catastrophe with high morbidity and mortality. Especially in pregnant patients, acute dissection is often misdiagnosed putting two lives on the line. Due to its scarcity, only case reports have been reported.

Presentation and outcomes of women and men undergoing surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation.

Objectives: Degenerative mitral regurgitation is associated with heart failure, arrhythmia and mortality. The impact of sex on timing of surgical referral and outcomes has not been reported comprehensively. We examined preoperative status and surgical outcomes of male versus female degenerative mitral valve regurgitation patients undergoing surgery.

Outcomes following heart valve surgery in patients with infective endocarditis and preoperative septic cerebral embolism: insights from the CAMPAIGN study group.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the impact of preoperative septic cerebral embolism on early and late postoperative outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis undergoing valve surgery.

Methods: Retrospective multicentric study based on the Clinical Multicentric Project for Analysis of Infective Endocarditis in Germany (CAMPAIGN) registry comprising patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve surgery between 1994 and 2018 at 6 German centres. Patients were divided into 2 groups for statistical comparison according to the presence or absence of preoperative septic cerebral embolism.

Infective endocarditis and spondylodiscitis-impact of sequence of surgical therapy on survival and recurrence rate.

Objectives: To date, there are no standardized treatment algorithms or recommendations for patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and concomitant spondylodiscitis (SD). Therefore, our aim was to analyse whether the sequence of surgical treatment of IE and SD has an impact on postoperative outcome and to identify risk factors for survival and postoperative recurrence.

Methods: Patients with IE underwent surgery in 4 German university hospitals between 1994 and 2022.

Long-term outcomes following mitral valve replacement in children at heart center Leipzig: a 20-year analysis.

Background: Although mitral valve repair is the preferred surgical strategy in children with mitral valve disease, there are cases of irreparable severe dysplastic valves that require mitral valve replacement. The aim of this study is to analyze long-term outcomes following mitral valve replacement in children in a tertiary referral center.

Methods: A total of 41 consecutive patients underwent mitral valve replacement between February 2001 and February 2021.

E-vita OPEN NEO in the treatment of acute or chronic aortic pathologies: first interim results of the NEOS study.

Objectives: The aim of this multicentre study was to demonstrate the safety and clinical performance of E-vita OPEN NEO Stent Graft System (Artivion, Inc.) in the treatment of aneurysm or dissection, both acute and chronic, in the ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta.

Methods: In this observational study of 12 centres performed in Europe and in Asia patients were enrolled between December 2020 and March 2022.