Effect of severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction on hospital outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation or surgical aortic valve replacement: results from a propensity-matched population of the Italian OBSERVANT multicenter study.

Objective: Despite demonstration of the superior outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) versus optimal medical therapy for severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, studies comparing TAVI and surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in this high-risk group have been lacking.

Methods: We performed propensity matching for age, gender, baseline comorbidities, previous interventions, priority at hospital admission, frailty score, New York Heart Association class, EuroSCORE, and associated cardiac diseases. Next, the 30-day mortality and procedure-related morbidity of 162 patients (81 TAVI vs 81 AVR) with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction ≤ 35%) were analyzed at the Italian National Institute of Health.

Renal function changes and seasonal temperature in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Some observations in humans and other mammalians suggest that serum creatinine (SC) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) may change during the warm season. The objective of this study is to determine if temperature-dependent seasonal changes in levels of SC and eGFR are detectable in cardiac surgery patients, with associated changes in postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) incidence. This is a single-center retrospective study based on the institutional database of cardiac surgery in the period 2000-2012.

FIBTEM PLUS provides an improved thromboelastometry test for measurement of fibrin-based clot quality in cardiac surgery patients.

Background: The viscoelastic functional fibrinogen (FF) and FIBTEM assays measure the contribution of fibrin to clot strength. Inhibition of platelet function is a necessary precondition for these tests to work. We investigated a novel test for measuring fibrin-based clotting, FIBTEM PLUS, in cardiac surgery and compared it with FF and FIBTEM.

The 6-minute walking test and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing a post-cardiac surgery rehabilitation program.

Background: The 6-minute walking test (6mWT) is used to prescribe physical activity in cardiac surgery patients. The clinical value of a pre-discharge 6mWT and its association with outcome is not well defined.

Design And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 313 patients (age 66 ± 11 years, 23% females, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 52 ± 11%, Hb 10.

A randomized controlled trial of preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump in coronary patients with poor left ventricular function undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery*.

Objective: Preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump use in high-risk patients undergoing surgical coronary revascularization is still a matter of debate. The objective of this study is to determine whether the preoperative use of an intra-aortic balloon pump improves the outcome after coronary operations in high-risk patients.

Design: Single-center prospective randomized controlled trial.

Results differ between transaortic and open surgical aortic valve replacement in women.

Background: Despite the well-known impact of female sex on outcome after surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR), few studies investigated its role after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods: After propensity-matching for age, baseline comorbidities, previous interventions, priority, frailty score, New York Heart Association class, left ventricular function and associated cardiac diseases, hospital mortality, and procedure-related morbidities of 388 women (194 TAVR versus 194 sAVR)-of 5,231 patients enrolled in 70 centers participating in this prospective multicenter national registry-were analyzed at a central management unit of the Italian National Institute of Health.

Results: Although hospital mortality was comparable (4.

Model-based causal closed-loop approach to the estimate of baroreflex sensitivity during propofol anesthesia in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft.

Cardiac baroreflex is a fundamental component of the cardiovascular control. The continuous assessment of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) from spontaneous heart period (HP) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) variations during general anesthesia provides relevant information about cardiovascular regulation in physiological conditions. Unfortunately, several difficulties including unknown HP-SAP causal relations, negligible SAP changes, small BRS values, and confounding influences due to mechanical ventilation prevent BRS monitoring from HP and SAP variabilities during general anesthesia.

Different impact of sex on baseline characteristics and major periprocedural outcomes of transcatheter and surgical aortic valve interventions: Results of the multicenter Italian OBSERVANT Registry.

Background: Despite the widespread use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), the role of sex on outcome after TAVI or surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) has been poorly investigated. We investigated the impact of sex on outcome after TAVI or AVR.

Methods: There were 2108 patients undergoing TAVI or AVR who were enrolled in the Italian Observational Multicenter Registry (OBSERVANT).

Thienopyridines resistance and recovery of platelet function after discontinuation of thienopyridines in cardiac surgery patients.

Objectives: Patients who undergo cardiac operations under the effects of thienopyridines have a greater risk of major postoperative bleeding, transfusions and surgical revision due to bleeding. Discontinuation of thienopyridine is suggested but an adequate recovery period following discontinuation is still under debate, with opinions ranging from 3 to 7 days. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of recovery of thienopyridine-resistant patients and the time taken for resumption of platelet function after discontinuation of thienopyridine, in the setting of patients scheduled for cardiac operations.

Efficacy and safety of recombinant factor XIII on reducing blood transfusions in cardiac surgery: a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.

Objectives: Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass frequently leads to excessive bleeding, obligating blood product transfusions. Because low factor XIII (FXIII) levels have been associated with bleeding after cardiac surgery, we investigated whether administering recombinant FXIII after cardiopulmonary bypass would reduce transfusions.

Methods: In this double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial, 409 cardiac surgical patients at moderate risk for transfusion were randomized to receive an intravenous dose of recombinant FXIII, 17.

Cardiac catheterization and postoperative acute kidney failure in congenital heart pediatric patients.

Background: Acute renal failure (ARF) is a severe complication of cardiac operations in pediatric patients. Angiography with the exposure to contrast media is a risk factor for ARF. In the present study, we explored the association between timing of angiography, dose of contrast media, and the incidence of ARF after cardiac operations in pediatric patients.

Association of gender and lowest hematocrit on cardiopulmonary bypass with acute kidney injury and operative mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background: Nadir hematocrit on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a known risk factor for worse outcomes after cardiac surgery. Whether women, because of lower nadir hematocrit on CPB, are more prone to worse outcomes than men after cardiac surgery remains unknown.

Methods: We evaluated 13,734 patients (31.

Major bleeding, transfusions, and anemia: the deadly triad of cardiac surgery.

Background: Postoperative bleeding is common after cardiac surgery. Major bleeding (MB) is a determinant of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, especially in patients with preoperative anemia. Preoperative anemia and RBC transfusions are recognized risk factors for operative mortality.

Porcine bioprosthetic valve in the pulmonary position: mid-term results in the right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction.

Pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) for pulmonary valve insufficiency (PVI) currently represents the most frequent reoperation performed for adults with congenital heart disease. A variety of pulmonary valve substitutes have been used, but none has proved to be ideal. This report reviews the authors' experience using a porcine prosthetic valve in the pulmonary position.

Aortic cross-clamp time, new prostheses, and outcome in aortic valve replacement.

Background And Aim Of The Study: A number of sutureless bioprosthetic aortic valves have been recently introduced in clinical practice, their main advantage being a reduction in the aortic cross-clamp time (AXCT). The study aim was to investigate if AXCT was a determinant of cardiovascular morbidity in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) to treat aortic valve stenosis, and to identify any subset of patients who might benefit from a reduction in AXCT.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 979 consecutive patients with aortic valve stenosis who underwent surgical AVR.

Effect of haematocrit on fibrin-based clot firmness in the FIBTEM test.

Background: Point-of-care thromboelastometry (ROTEM(®)) can be used to assess coagulation in whole blood. In the ROTEM(®) FIBTEM test, cytochalasin D eliminates the contribution of platelets to the whole blood clot; hence, only the remaining elements, including fibrinogen/fibrin, red blood cells and factor XIII, contribute to clot strength. We investigated the relationships between FIBTEM maximum clot firmness (MCF), whole blood fibrinogen concentration and plasma fibrinogen concentration to determine the impact of haematocrit on these parameters during cardiac surgery.

Acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and coronary angiography on the same day.

Background: Contrast media used for coronary angiography may result in a contrast-induced nephropathy. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of cardiac surgery. It has been hypothesized that cardiac surgery in close succession to coronary angiography may increase the risk of postoperative AKI.

Preoperative antithrombin supplementation in cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Purified antithrombin supplementation in cardiac surgery has been suggested for the treatment of heparin resistance and the prevention of thromboembolic complications. This study is a randomized controlled trial of preoperative purified antithrombin supplementation, with the primary end point of avoiding low (<58%) postoperative antithrombin activity levels and secondary end points including avoidance of heparin resistance, clinical outcome, and safety end points.

Methods: Two hundred patients were randomly allocated to the antithrombin group and the control group.

The additional prognostic value of left atrial volume on the outcome of patients after surgical ventricular reconstruction.

Background: Left atrial volume (LAV) is a powerful predictor of outcome in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). It is unknown whether LAV provides additional prognostic information in patients undergoing surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR). Our objective was to assess the prognostic power of LAV on survival in patients with HF after undergoing SVR.

Accuracy, calibration and clinical performance of the new EuroSCORE II risk stratification system.

Objectives: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) has been used for many years since its introduction in 1999. Recently, a new EuroSCORE (EuroSCORE II) has been developed to update the previous version. The EuroSCORE II includes some different predictors and/or introduces a new classification of the already existing predictors.

Impact of preoperative anemia on outcome in adult cardiac surgery: a propensity-matched analysis.

Background: Preoperative anemia is not considered an operative mortality risk factor by the majority of the risk stratification tools used in cardiac surgery. However, retrospective studies have found associations between preoperative anemia and morbidity and mortality in cardiac operations. The present study compares the postoperative outcome of a group of moderate-to-severe anemic patients with a propensity-matched group of nonanemic patients undergoing cardiac operations.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation versus surgical aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis: results from an intermediate risk propensity-matched population of the Italian OBSERVANT study.

Background: Few studies have yielded information on comparative effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) versus surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) procedures in a real-world setting. The aim of this analysis is to describe procedural and post-procedural outcomes in a TAVI/SAVR intermediate risk propensity-matched population.

Methods: OBSERVANT is an observational prospective multicenter cohort study, enrolling AS patients undergoing SAVR or TAVI.

Bivalirudin and post-cardiotomy ECMO: a word of caution.

Bivalirudin has been proposed as the sole anticoagulant in patients under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or cardiopulmonary bypass. Owing to the pharmacodynamic properties of bivalirudin, areas of blood stagnation should be carefully avoided in order to limit the risk of thrombosis. The ECMO circuit has no reservoir and is usually devoid of blood stagnation areas.