Safety and efficacy of the automated suture system in valvular heart surgery: a multicenter, prospective registry.

Background: In the last years, the Cor-Knot device has been increasingly used in heart valve surgery. Our aim was to investigate the incidence of valvular complications in patients who underwent valvular surgery using the Cor-Knot device in multicentric cohorts at one-year follow-up.

Methods: Three hundred and sixty-eight patient underwent heart valve repair or replacement surgery using automated titanium suture fasteners in four cardiothoracic surgery departments between September 2018 and January 2020.

Malperfusion syndrome in patients undergoing repair for acute type A aortic dissection: Presentation, mortality, and utility of the Penn classification.

Background: The current study aims to report the presentation of the malperfusion syndrome in patients with acute type A aortic dissection admitted to surgery and its impact on mortality.

Methods: Data were retrieved from the multicenter European Registry of Type A Aortic Dissection. The Penn classification was used to categorize malperfusion syndromes.

Circumflex distortion following mitral valve repair.

Mitral valve repair or replacement poses a potential risk of injury to the left circumflex coronary artery (LCx). Such injuries can arise from either direct LCx injury caused by encircling or transfixing stitches, or indirect occlusion resulting from the distortion of adjacent tissues. We provide and illustrate a representative image depicting LCx distortion.

Association Between Aortic Wall Thrombus and Thromboembolic Events After Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Thromboembolic events, particularly strokes, remain a major complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Embolic protection devices have failed to show significant clinical benefit in large randomized clinical trials. Aortic wall thrombus (AWT) is often observed on multidetector computed tomography during TAVR work-up, but its prognostic significance is uncertain.

Baseline risk factors of in-hospital mortality after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection: an ERTAAD study.

Background: Surgery for type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is associated with high risk of mortality. Current risk scoring methods have a limited predictive accuracy.

Methods: Subjects were patients who underwent surgery for acute TAAD at 18 European centers of cardiac surgery from the European Registry of Type A Aortic Dissection (ERTAAD).

Preoperative arterial lactate and outcome after surgery for type A aortic dissection: The ERTAAD multicenter study.

Background: Acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. In this study we evaluated the prognostic significance of preoperative arterial lactate concentration on the outcome after surgery for TAAD.

Methods: The ERTAAD registry included consecutive patients who underwent surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) at 18 European centers of cardiac surgery.

Resection and double pericardial patch repair of a congenital aneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa.

Mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms are rare entities but can lead to different, unpredictable and sometime dramatic complications. We report the case of a young woman presenting a congenital form of this aneurysm. Given the clinical and symptomatological progression, surgical treatment is mandatory.

Current Outcome after Surgery for Type A Aortic Dissection.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of different surgical strategies for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD).

Summary Background Data: The optimal extent of aortic resection during surgery for acute TAAD is controversial.

Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent surgery for acute TAAD at 18 European hospitals.

Interinstitutional analysis of the outcome after surgery for type A aortic dissection.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of individual institutions on the outcome after surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD).

Methods: This is an observational, multicenter, retrospective cohort study including 3902 patients who underwent surgery for TAAD at 18 university and non-university hospitals.

Results: Logistic regression showed that four hospitals had increased risk of in-hospital mortality, while two hospitals were associated with decreased risk of in-hospital mortality.

Outcome after Surgery for Iatrogenic Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.

(1) Background: Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD) may complicate the outcome of cardiovascular procedures. Data on the outcome after surgery for iatrogenic acute TAAD is scarce. (2) Methods: The European Registry of Type A Aortic Dissection (ERTAAD) is a multicenter, retrospective study including patients who underwent surgery for acute TAAD at 18 hospitals from eight European countries.

Porcine pulmonary valve decellularization with NaOH-based vs detergent process: preliminary in vitro and in vivo assessments.

Background: Glutaraldehyde fixed xenogeneic heart valve prosthesis are hindered by calcification and lack of growth potential. The aim of tissue decellularization is to remove tissue antigenicity, avoiding the use of glutaraldehyde and improve valve integration with low inflammation and host cell recolonization. In this preliminary study, we investigated the efficacy of a NaOH-based process for decellularization and biocompatibility improvement of porcine pulmonary heart valves in comparison to a detergent-based process (SDS-SDC0, 5%).

Outcomes of palliative right ventricle to pulmonary artery connection for pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect.

Objectives: To determine the early, intermediate and long-term outcomes of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA/VSD) Types I, II and III initially palliated by a right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RVPA) connection.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study from 2000 to 2014 that included 109 patients with PA/VSD who had undergone an RVPA connection (tetralogy of Fallot and PA/VSD Type IV excluded). The end-points of this strategy were adequate pulmonary artery tree post-palliation, second palliation, biventricular repair, right ventricular pressure post-biventricular repair and late reoperation.

Single coronary artery and neonatal arterial switch operation: early and long-term outcomes.

Objectives: The presence of single coronary artery (CA) in the arterial switch operation (ASO) for neonatal treatment with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) has been reported to be an independent risk factor for early death after surgical repair and late reintervention. The study objective was to evaluate the mortality and the CA stenosis risk at early and long term in neonatal ASO for TGA and single CA.

Methods: Between January 1987 and January 2010, 979 neonates underwent an ASO, of which 73 had a single CA (7.

Left Ventricular Transmural Gradient in Mitochondrial Respiration Is Associated with Increased Sub-Endocardium Nitric Oxide and Reactive Oxygen Species Productions.

Objective: Left ventricle (LV) transmural gradient in mitochondrial respiration has been recently reported. However, to date, the physiological mechanisms involved in the lower endocardium mitochondrial respiration chain capacity still remain to be determined. Since, nitric oxide (NO) synthase expression in the heart has spatial heterogeneity and might impair mitochondrial function, we investigated a potential association between LV transmural NO and mitochondrial function gradient.

Novel method of surgical preparation for transcatheter completion of Fontan circulation: creation of an extracardiac pathway.

Background: The alliance between surgeons and interventionists has inspired creative techniques to surgically precondition the heart for subsequent transcatheter repair. The interest stems from the need to avoid repeated surgeries. Transcatheter Fontan completion of intracardiac pathway has been reported.

The prothrombotic paradox of severe obesity after cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Obesity is suggested to reduce postoperative bleeding in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) but perioperative hemostasis variations have not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the effects of severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥35kg/m(2)) on chest tube output (CTO) and hemostasis in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB.

Materials And Methods: We prospectively investigated 2799 consecutive patients who underwent coronary and/or valve surgery using CPB between 2008 and 2012.