Ionic homeostasis, acid-base balance and the risk of citrate accumulation in patients after cardiovascular surgery treated with continuous veno-venous haemofiltration with post-dilution regional citrate anticoagulation - An observational case-control study.

Background: Patients after cardiovascular surgery, requiring renal replacement therapy, can benefit from adequate non-heparin circuit anticoagulation. Simplified regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) protocol proposes the use of citric acid dextrose formula A (ACD-A) during post-dilutional continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) with standard bicarbonate buffered calcium containing replacement solution. Citrate accumulation diagnosed upon total to ionized calcium ratio (tCa/iCa) and low ionized calcium (iCa) are considered as the biggest risks related to regional citrate accumulation.

Brain and Muscle Oxygen Saturation Combined with Kidney Injury Biomarkers Predict Cardiac Surgery Related Acute Kidney Injury.

Background: Early identification of patients at risk for cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) based on novel biomarkers and tissue oxygen saturation might enable intervention to reduce kidney injury.

Aims: The study aimed to ascertain whether brain and muscle oxygenation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in addition to cystatin C and NGAL concentrations, could help with CS-AKI prediction.

Methods: This is a single-centre prospective observational study on adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Transfermoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation using self-expanding Allegra bioprosthesis: One-year single-center outcomes.

Background: The NAUTILUS study aimed to evaluate the safety and performance of the Allegra bioprosthesis in high-risk recipients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation and previously reported 30-day outcomes. In the current investigation 1-year results of the trial are presented.

Methods: Twenty-seven recipients with severe, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis at high surgical risk, who underwent treatment using the next-generation self-expanding Allegra via transfemoral approach were prospectively enrolled.

The new insight into extracellular NAD degradation-the contribution of CD38 and CD73 in calcific aortic valve disease.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD ) is crucial for cell energy metabolism and many signalling processes. Recently, we proved the role of ecto-enzymes in controlling adenine nucleotide-dependent pathways during calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). This study aimed to investigate extracellular hydrolysis of NAD and mononucleotide nicotinamide (NMN) in aortic valves and aorta fragments of CAVD patients and on the inner aortic surface of ecto-5'-nucleotidase knockout mice (CD73-/-).