Surgical Outcomes in Indigenous Peoples Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Introduction: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in indigenous peoples, however cardiac surgical outcomes in this group are rarely studied. We hypothesized that complication rates in indigenous peoples undergoing cardiac surgery would be similar to Caucasians.

Methods: From 2014 to 2020, 1,594 patients underwent cardiac surgery; 36 patients were identified as indigenous peoples.

Impact of Emergency Medical Service Provider Training and Institutional Volume Experience on ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patient Outcomes in Rural Setting.

Introduction: Rural sites provide management challenges for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. The impact of emergency medical service (EMS) training and institutional volume experience on STEMI outcomes was examined.

Methods: All STEMI patients transferred to Sanford from 32 sites in rural South Dakota from 2010-2019 were analyzed.

Pledgeted plication: A novel technique to treat dialysis access-related steal syndrome.

Steal syndrome is a potential complication of surgically created arteriovenous fistulas that can result in sensory and/or motor deficits, or tissue loss in the affected limb. Several surgical techniques have been developed to treat steal syndrome, but all have potential drawbacks. We detail a novel, modified plication technique which involves sequential, longitudinal application of pledgets along the venous outflow to gradually narrow it, and consequently decrease flow.

Determining the cross-talk between smooth muscle cells and macrophages on a cobalt-chromium stent material surface using an in vitro postimplantation coculture model.

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and macrophages are important cellular components involved in the development of complications following the implantation of cardiovascular devices. This leads to various disorders such as restenosis, chronic inflammation, and may ultimately result in device failure. In this study, we developed a postimplant stent coculture model using different ratios of SMCs and macrophages seeded on to cobalt-chromium alloy.

In vitro particulate and in vivo drug retention study of a novel polyethylene oxide formulation for drug-coated balloons.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the newly developed drug-coated balloon (DCB) using polyethylene oxide (PEO) as a platform and to compare it directly with a commercially available DCB in a preclinical experimental setting.

Methods: The PEO balloon was characterized for coating morphology and degree of paclitaxel (PAT) crystallinity. PAT tissue levels were then measured up to 30 days in a healthy porcine model (10 swine, 20 vessels) after treatment with either a PEO balloon or a commercially available DCB.

Polytetrafluoroethylene topographies determine the adhesion, activation, and foreign body giant cell formation of macrophages.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is one of the commonly used materials in making various cardiovascular implants. However, the success rates of these implants in several occasions are hindered by unwanted immune responses from immune cells, such as macrophages. In this study, we investigated the response of macrophages with different structures (flat, expanded, and electrospun) of PTFE having varied surface topographies: smooth planar surface (flat PTFE), node-fibrils (ePTFE), and randomly oriented microfibers (electrospun PTFE).