Defining optimal left ventricular assist device short-term outcomes may provide insight into programmatic quality assessment.

Background: Patients have substantial variability in perioperative outcomes after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant. A perioperative multidimensional tool integrating mortality, adverse events (AEs), and patient-reported outcomes to assist in quality improvement initiatives is needed.

Methods: Patients undergoing HeartMate 3 LVAD implant (January 1, 2017 to January 31, 2024) in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' Intermacs registry were studied.

Long-term outcomes after recurrent acute thoracic aortic dissection: Insights from the International Registry of Aortic Dissection.

Objective: With an aging population and advancements in imaging, recurrence of thoracic aortic dissection is becoming more common.

Methods: All patients enrolled in the International Registry of Aortic Dissection from 1996 to 2023 with type A and type B acute aortic dissection were identified. Among them, initial dissection and recurrent dissection were discerned.

Postoperative acute kidney injury after thoracic endovascular aortic repair for acute type B aortic dissection.

Background: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has evolved as the standard for treating complicated acute type B aortic dissection (ATBAD). Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients and is commonly observed in patients with ATBAD. The purpose of the study was to characterize AKI after TEVAR.

Cardiovascular Interactions of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: The effects of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in cardiovascular system have been described based on small studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between aldosterone and plasma renin activity (PRA) and cardiovascular structure and function.

Methods: We studied a random sample of Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants who had aldosterone and PRA blood assays at 2003-2005 and underwent cardiac magnetic resonance at 2010.

Systematic review and network meta-analysis of various nadir temperature strategies for hypothermic circulatory arrest for aortic arch surgery.

Background: The optimal nadir temperature for hypothermic circulatory arrest during aortic arch surgery remains unclear. We aimed to assess and compare clinical outcomes of all three temperature strategies (deep, moderate, and mild hypothermia) using a network meta-analysis.

Methods: After literature search with MEDLINE and EMBASE through December 2021, studies comparing clinical outcomes with deep (<20°C), moderate (20-28°C), or mild (>28°C) hypothermic circulatory arrest were included.

External applicability of the Effect of ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in diabEtes Mellitus patients Intervention Study (THEMIS) trial: An analysis of patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease in the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry.

Aims: THEMIS is a double-blind, randomized trial of 19,220 patients with diabetes mellitus and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) comparing ticagrelor to placebo, in addition to aspirin. The present study aimed to describe the proportion of patients eligible and reasons for ineligibility for THEMIS within a population of patients with diabetes and CAD included in the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry.

Methods And Results: The THEMIS eligibility criteria were applied to REACH patients.

Results of the North American Complex Abdominal Aortic Debranching (NACAAD) Registry.

Background: Hybrid debranching repair of pararenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms was initially designed as a better alternative to standard open repair, addressing the limitations of endovascular repair involving the visceral aorta. We reviewed the collective outcomes of hybrid debranching repairs using extra-anatomic, open surgical debranching of the renal-mesenteric arteries, followed by endovascular aortic stenting.

Methods: Data from patients who underwent hybrid repair in 14 North American institutions during 10 years were retrospectively reviewed.

Differences in Cardiovascular Risk, Coronary Artery Disease, and Cardiac Events Between Black and White Individuals Enrolled in the PROMISE Trial.

Importance: Race and ethnicity have been studied as risk factors in cardiovascular disease. How risk factors, epicardial coronary artery disease, and cardiac events differ between Black and White individuals undergoing noninvasive testing for coronary artery disease is not known.

Objective: To assess differences in cardiovascular risk burden, coronary plaque, and major adverse cardiac events between Black and White individuals assigned to receive coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) or functional testing for stable chest pain.

Long-term survival on LVAD support: Device complications and end-organ dysfunction limit long-term success.

Background: Preoperative variables can predict short term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) survival, but predictors of extended survival remain insufficiently characterized.

Method: Patients undergoing LVAD implant (2012-2018) in the Intermacs registry were grouped according to time on support: short-term (<1 year, n = 7,483), mid-term (MT, 1-3 years, n = 5,976) and long-term (LT, ≥3 years, n = 3,015). Landmarked hazard analyses (adjusted hazard ratio, HR) were performed to identify correlates of survival after 1 and 3 years of support.

Threshold for intervention upon ascending aortic aneurysms: an evolving target and implication of bicuspid aortic valve.

With the proliferation of non-invasive thoracic imaging modalities, the question of when to operate on asymptomatic ascending aortic aneurysms for non-syndromic patients is becoming increasingly relevant. Operation is extensive, often involves circulatory arrest, and subjects the patient to significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Surgery is performed to avert fatal aortic adverse events, which carry a markedly poor prognosis.

Comprehensive electrocardiogram-to-device time for primary percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: A report from the American Heart Association mission: Lifeline program.

Background: Assessing hospital-related network-level primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performance for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is challenging due to differential time-to-treatment metrics based on location of diagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG) for STEMI.

Methods: STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI at 588 PCI-capable hospitals in AHA Mission: Lifeline (2008-2013) were categorized by initial STEMI identification location: PCI-capable hospitals (Group 1); pre-hospital setting (Group 2); and non-PCI-capable hospitals (Group 3). Patient-specific time-to-treatment categories were converted to minutes ahead of or behind their group-specific mean; average time-to-treatment difference for all patients at a given hospital was termed comprehensive ECG-to-device time.

Acute aortic syndromes: diagnosis and management, an update.

Acute aortic syndromes (AAS) encompass a constellation of life-threatening medical conditions including classic acute aortic dissection (AAD), intramural haematoma, and penetrating atherosclerotic aortic ulcer. Given the non-specific symptoms and physical signs, a high clinical index of suspicion is necessary to detect the disease before irreversible lethal complications occur. In order to reduce the diagnostic time delay, a comprehensive flowchart for decision-making based on pre-test sensitivity of AAS has been designed by the European Society of Cardiology guidelines on aortic diseases and should be thus applied in the emergency scenario.

Contemporary Trends and Outcomes Associated With the Preprocedural Use of Oral P2Y12 Inhibitors in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2).

Objectives: We sought to describe trends in the use of preprocedural P2Y12 inhibitors and their clinical impact in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Oral P2Y12 inhibitors are ubiquitously used medications; however, the specific timing of initial P2Y12 inhibitor administration remains intensely debated.

Methods: Our study population comprised 74,053 consecutive patients undergoing PCI at 47 hospitals in Michigan from January 2013 through June 2015.

Association Between Chronic Kidney Disease and Rates of Transfusion and Progression to End-Stage Renal Disease in Patients Undergoing Transradial Versus Transfemoral Cardiac Catheterization-An Analysis From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment Reporting and Tracking (CART) Program.

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for bleeding, transfusion, and dialysis after cardiac catheterization. Whether rates of these complications are increased in this high-risk population undergoing transradial access compared with transfemoral access is unknown.

Methods And Results: From the Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinical Assessment Reporting and Tracking program, we identified 229 108 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization between 2007 and 2014, of which 48 155 (21.

Natural History of Iatrogenic Pediatric Femoral Artery Injury.

Background: Iatrogenic femoral artery trauma complicates the course of critically ill neonates and children. Complications from persistent arterial occlusion may include claudication and limb length discrepancies. Data supporting risk factors for such and need for revascularization are lacking.

T-Cells Specific for a Self-Peptide of ApoB-100 Exacerbate Aortic Atheroma in Murine Atherosclerosis.

On the basis of mouse I-A-binding motifs, two sequences of the murine apolipoprotein B-100 (mApoB-100), mApoB-100 (designated P3) and mApoB-100 (designated P6), were found to be immunogenic. In this report, we show that P6 is also atherogenic. Immunization of mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) with P6 resulted in enhanced development of aortic atheroma as compared to control mice immunized with an irrelevant peptide MOG or with complete Freund's adjuvant alone.

Valvular Regurgitation After Implantation of Prostheses Secured With Cor-Knot Automated Fasteners.

Valvular regurgitation is a recognized complication of aortic and mitral valve procedures, with paravalvular leak the primary mechanism and transvalvular leak less common. The Cor-Knot automated fastener (LSI Solutions, Victor, NY) has been shown to be a safe, viable alternative to knot pushers or manual tying for use in these procedures. Here we present two patients in whom the orientation of the Cor-Knot fastener appeared to result in transvalvular regurgitation necessitating a redo operation.