Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation with Concomitant Replacement of the Ascending Aorta.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the main causes for end-stage heart failure. Until the transplantation, left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have become an established treatment. We report a case of a 66-year-old patient with ischemic and DCM and suspected aortic ulcer formation.

A successful cardiac transplant in a patient with situs inversus totalis and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries.

A heart transplant is the gold standard therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure. In this case report, situs inversus totalis and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries led to a unique and complex preoperative setting. Extended donor organ harvesting, donor graft rotation of 45° to the right and post-operative stenting of the superior vena cava were essential steps in the interdisciplinary management of this case.

Three-Dimensional Bioprinting of Ovine Aortic Valve Endothelial and Interstitial Cells for the Development of Multicellular Tissue Engineered Tissue Constructs.

To investigate the pathogenic mechanisms of calcified aortic valve disease (CAVD), it is necessary to develop a new three-dimensional model that contains valvular interstitial cells (VIC) and valvular endothelial cells (VEC). For this purpose, ovine aortic valves were processed to isolate VIC and VEC that were dissolved in an alginate/gelatin hydrogel. A 3D-bioprinter (3D-Bioplotter Developer Series, EnvisionTec, Gladbeck, Germany) was used to print cell-laden tissue constructs containing VIC and VEC which were cultured for up to 21 days.

Combining aortic arch dissection stent implantation and root surgery for aortic dissection type A.

Background: Acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) is associated with high perioperative morbidity and mortality. A novel non-covered hybrid prosthesis (AMDS, CryoLife, Kennesaw, USA) can be easily implanted to stabilize the true lumen. However, the role of AMDS for patients requiring additional aortic root surgery has not been described.

Twisting is key: Removing an infected nitinol wire braided uncovered stent from the aortic arch and the descending aorta.

Prosthesis infection after aortic surgery is a critical complication that most commonly requires surgical treatment with removal of the infected material. In this video tutorial, we remove a novel nitinol wire braided stent. It was introduced to stabilize the true lumen and prevent distal anastomotic new entry.