A predictive model for early mortality after surgical treatment of heart valve or prosthesis infective endocarditis. The EndoSCORE.

Background: The aim of this large retrospective study was to provide a logistic risk model along an additive score to predict early mortality after surgical treatment of patients with heart valve or prosthesis infective endocarditis (IE).

Methods: From 2000 to 2015, 2715 patients with native valve endocarditis (NVE) or prosthesis valve endocarditis (PVE) were operated on in 26 Italian Cardiac Surgery Centers. The relationship between early mortality and covariates was evaluated with logistic mixed effect models.

Surgery for prosthetic valve endocarditis: a retrospective study of a national registry.

Objectives: We described clinical-epidemiological features of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and assessed the determinants of early surgical outcomes in multicentre design.

Methods: Data regarding 2823 patients undergoing surgery for endocarditis at 19 Italian Centers between 1979 and 2015 were collected in a database. Of them, 582 had PVE: in this group, the determinants of early mortality and complications were assessed, also taking into account the different chronological eras encompassed by the study.

Antiplatelet versus oral anticoagulant therapy as antithrombotic prophylaxis after mitral valve repair.

Objective: To verify the rate of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications during the first 6 months after mitral valve repair and to assess whether the type of antithrombotic therapy influenced clinical outcome.

Methods: Retrospective data were retrieved from 19 centers. Inclusion criteria were isolated mitral valve repair with ring implantation.

Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Acute Fulminant Myocarditis in Adult Patients: A 5-Year Multi-Institutional Experience.

Background: Acute fulminant myocarditis (AFM) may represent a life-threatening event, characterized by rapidly progressive cardiac compromise that ultimately leads to refractory cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) provides effective cardiocirculatory support in this circumstance, but few clinical series are available about early and long-term results. Data from a multicenter study group are reported which analyzed subjects affected by AFM and treated with VA-ECMO during a 5-year period.

Long-term follow-up of stentless prosthesis.

Background: Stentless prostheses have an interesting hemodynamic performance when compared to stented prostheses and are recommended in cases of small aortic annulus.

Materials And Methods: From January 1996 to January 2004, 138 patients suffering from aortic disease, underwent aortic valve replacement. • Group A: 93 patients underwent stentless aortic valve implantation [stentless Biocor (Biocor Industria e Pesguisa Ltda, Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and stentless Sorin (Sorin Group, Saluggia, Italy)].

Nuss procedure in adult pectus excavatum: a simple artifice to reduce sternal tension.

Nowadays the Nuss operation represents the standard surgical choice for pectus excavatum repair in children and teenagers. Some concerns have been raised regarding its applicability in adults, as compared with younger patients, in view of the higher rate of complications after surgery. We describe an easy trick that has been performed on a 36-year old man with a moderate pectus excavatum after an unsatisfactory Nuss procedure.

The day when the echocardiographist went mushrooming….

We report a case of partial congenital absence of the pericardium associated with severe aortic stenosis on a bicuspid valve in a 72-year-old man. Diagnosis was based on echocardiography and confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging, and the patient benefited from pericardioplasty and aortic valve replacement.

Safe management of cesarean section in a patient of Eisenmenger syndrome.

We report our experience of a 29-year-old female with a complete atrio-ventricular septal defect leading to a single ventricle physiology and Eisenmenger syndrome. The patient successfully underwent spinal anesthesia for cesarean section in the 31 st week of pregnancy. A multidisciplinary approach involving cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, obstetrician, and anesthesiologist was utilized to achieve a safe pregnancy and cesarean for the delivery of the baby.

Pulsed or continuous flow in long-term assist devices: a debated topic.

The end-stage cardiomyopathy is an increasing worldwide problem. Cardiac transplantation lacks sufficient donors to treat all patients, and there is thus debate about alternative strategies. The use of left ventricular assist devices for long-term support is increasing with a positive impact on patient survival.

The 37-year durability of a Björk-Shiley Delrin-disc aortic valve prosthesis.

We report the exceptional longevity of a Björk-Shiley Delrin-disc prosthetic aortic valve that had been implanted in a man who underwent surgical correction of an ascending aortic aneurysm 37 years later. Upon explantation of the valve, the Delrin disc had only shallow abrasion on the ventricular surface, and none on the aortic surface. We discuss the soundness and durability of this valve in our patient, in contrast with its short functional prosthetic life in other patients.

Hypothermic cardiac arrest in the homeless: what can we do?

Accidental deep hypothermia with body temperature < 28 degrees C induces high mortality rates for neurological and cardiac complications. Although several reports described successful treatment of hypothermic arrest by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the field of warming in the homeless is almost completely unquestioned although the malnutrition and the co-morbidities are usually believed as relevant risk factors for poor outcome. This article describes the experience of successful warming by ECMO in two homeless victims of unwitnessed cardiac arrest, who survived without neurological or cardiac complications.

Preoperative mobilization of bone marrow-derived cells followed by revascularization surgery: early and long-term outcome.

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD), along with its main complications such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and congestive heart failure (CHF), remains a serious worldwide problem and affects many patients despite the improvement of medical treatment. The possibility of the replacement of the infarcted areas by the re-generation of the myocardial cells has been long discussed and the mobilization of the stem cells from bone marrow (BMCs) to the peripheral blood (PB) induced by cytokines, represents a potential pathway to activate the regenerative process.

Patients And Methods: We describe BMC mobilization and direct/indirect revascularization in 15 patients operated on for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or mitral valve surgery and/or ventricular remodeling combined to multiple trans-myocardial punctures (Sen technique) in ungraftable non-viable fibrotic areas.

Right minithoracotomy versus full sternotomy for the aortic valve replacement: preliminary results.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for aortic valve replacement (AVR) is going to increase with different techniques described so far. We hereby report the results of AVR through a right minithoracotomy (RM) compared to a median sternotomy (MS).

Materials And Methods: One hundred patients operated for isolated AVR by the same surgeon (chief of the department) were enrolled and allocated to: MS (group A, 50 patients, 26 females, mean age 69.

Left ventricular remodeling, hemodynamics and early clinical outcomes after aortic valve replacement with the Pericarbon Freedom stentless bioprosthesis: results from the Italian Prospective Multicenter Trial.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The aims of this multicenter prospective observational trial were to evaluate: (i) the left ventricular remodeling, hemodynamics and early clinical outcomes of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) with the Pericarbon Freedom (PF) stentless bioprosthesis; and (ii) the impact of the two suture techniques--continuous and interrupted--on the hemodynamic performance of the bioprosthesis.

Methods: Between November 2001 and April 2004, a total of 226 patients (131 females, 95 males; mean age 73.2 +/- 8.

Transomental titanium plates for sternal osteomyelitis in cardiac surgery.

Introduction: Wound infection is a devastating complication resulting in a high mortality rate from 7% to 80%. The risk of recurrences depends on the depth and the extension of the infection. We present our experience of omentoplasty using transomental sternal plates.

Late angiograms ten years after transmyocardial laser revascularization.

We present the angiograms of a patient after transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR), which were performed 10 years before by the application of holmium laser pulses. Thirteen years before the TMR procedure, the patient underwent coronary artery bypass graftings complicated by graft occlusion with no longer possibility of direct revascularization. Then, refractive angina required an alternative approach for symptom relief as the indirect revascularization by the application of the holmium laser pulses.

The role of psychological support in cardiac surgery: initial experience.

The scientific literature has pointed out several predictors of negative outcome after surgery such as pain and depression, negatively affecting the postoperative outcome in cardiac surgery. From January 2009 until June 2010, 15 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were enrolled. The patients were assessed by psychological evaluation either in the hospital stay either in the rehabilitation period with the aim of identifying their emotional condition (sentiments about the onset of the disease, support received from family and friends) even by means of preformed tests for anxiety and depression (tests of Stay and Back).

Acute endocarditis of the patch caused by Staphylococcus capitis in treated tetralogy of Fallot. An unusual location by an unusual bacterium.

We present the case of a 46 year-old male, HCV infected, treated with corrective surgery for tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) immediately after percutaneous closure of the Blalock Taussig shunt. Four months later, the patient had infective endocarditis by Staphylococcus capitis localised on the right side of the patch, treated by oxacillin and gentamycin. The particularity of our report is the unusual location of the acute endocarditis and the bacterium involved: the pulmonary valve is much more likely to be involved in endocarditis in TOF patients and the patch endocarditis has rarely been reported.

Clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of "all-comers" undergoing transapical aortic valve implantation: results from the Italian Registry of Trans-Apical Aortic Valve Implantation (I-TA).

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-TAVI) in patients enrolled in the Italian Registry of Trans-Apical Aortic Valve Implantation (I-TA).

Methods: From April 2008 until November 2010, 504 patients from 20 Italian centers were enrolled in the I-TA registry. Mean logistic EuroSCORE and Society of Thoracic Surgeons score were 24% ± 16% and 11% ± 4%, respectively.

Is total debranching a safe procedure for extensive aortic-arch disease? A single experience of 27 cases.

Objective: Thoracic, arch, and proximal descending thoracic aorta diseases are still considered an enormous challenge. The hybrid approach developed in recent years (supra-aortic trunks debranching and thoracic endovascular repair aortic repair; TEVAR) may improve the morbidity and mortality of the population at risk. The aim of this study was to analyze retrospectively our experience in the hybrid treatment of aortic-arch aneurysms and dissections.

Internal snaring of the caval veins by Foley catheters in case of reoperation via right thoracotomy.

Use of the Foley catheter has been described in cardiac surgery over a wide range of applications. In recent years, the interest in minimally-invasive surgery has increased, providing several advantages in terms of mortality and morbidity. Unfortunately, challenging situations, such as re-do surgery may be encountered, and innovative strategies to reduce the invasiveness of the surgical approach need to be developed.

The 'packing of the groin' technique: an innovative approach for groin lymphocele.

Groin lymphocele is a serious complication of vascular and cardiac surgery as well as of interventional procedures that cannulate the femoral vessels, whose treatment lacks standardization because of high risk of failure. The aim of the technique we describe is the sealing of open lymphatic channels thanks to prolonged external compression of the groin by application of prolene or silk stitches tied upon plastic pledgets. We have used our technique, called 'packing of the groin', as first treatment in 10 patients affected by lymphocele of the groin: nine patients had complete resolution of the lymph leakage, followed by normal healing of the wound whereas one patient had infective complication with treatment failure.

Aneurysm of the aberrant right subclavian artery: surgical and hybrid repair of two cases in a single center.

The aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) aneurysm is rare; however, the risk of rupture and thromboembolism is high, with a postrupture mortality rate of 50%. In this report, we have described two cases of this anomaly. In the first case, a 62-year-old male patient presented with a symptomatic aneurysm of ARSA (maximum diameter of 4 cm) causing chest pain with dyspnea during moderate physical effort.