Texas Heart Institute journal
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Review Meta Analysis
Does minimal-access aortic valve replacement reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation?
As the most common sequela of cardiac valvular surgery, atrial fibrillation (AF) has an important impact on postoperative morbidity. Minimal-access aortic valve replacement (AVR), with purported benefits on operative outcomes, has emerged as an alternative to conventional AVR. We used meta-analysis to determine whether minimal access influences the incidence of postoperative AF after AVR. ⋯ Sensitivity analysis that included only high-quality studies similarly showed no significant difference in the incidence of AF and further showed several intraoperative variables as potential sources of heterogeneity between studies. Therefore, minimal access may not have a significant effect on postoperative AF. Future randomized studies must take into account the potential sources of heterogeneity identified here to better demonstrate any differences between the 2 approaches in the onset of AF.
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Review Case Reports
Iatrogenic circumflex coronary lesion in mitral valve surgery: case report and review of the literature.
Ischemic iatrogenic lesions can complicate surgical procedures on the mitral valve. One of the causative mechanisms is direct injury to or distortion of the circumflex coronary artery. The risk of damaging the circumflex coronary artery depends mainly upon the proximity of that vessel to the posterior segment of the mitral annulus, and this varies from patient to patient. ⋯ Emergency cardiac catheterization revealed a subocclusion of the distal circumflex coronary artery. Dual percutaneous angioplasty and stenting (Taxus, 2.5 x 24 mm) was performed with optimal result. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient showed good results of the mitral annuloplasty.
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Cardiovascular adaptations during pregnancy are normally well tolerated in healthy women. However, 2% to 4% of women of childbearing age have some degree of concomitant heart disease, and these changes may compromise cardiac function. Of these, a few who do not respond to medical treatment may require surgical correction. ⋯ Modulation of the fetoplacental response to cardiopulmonary bypass may prevent placental dysfunction and sustained uterine contractions, which underlie fetal hypoxia and acidosis. In this article, we review cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy and the pathophysiologic effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on the mother, fetus, and fetoplacental unit, and we talk about whether manipulation of these responses can help in improving fetal outcome. Finally, approaches regarding perfusion management and off-pump cardiac surgical techniques in pregnancy are discussed.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Diagnostic accuracy of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in the evaluation of postoperative left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
We compared the diagnostic accuracy of N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with that of echocardiography in the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction after coronary artery bypass grafting. Thirty patients were studied prospectively. Patients who had recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, or low ejection fraction with systolic dysfunction were excluded. ⋯ The NT-proBNP had 87.5% sensitivity and 55% specificity, whereas E/Ea had 87.5% sensitivity and 86.4% specificity. Plasma NT-proBNP levels are significantly related to mitral E/Ea ratio, which is a predictor of diastolic stage. Therefore, elevated NT-proBNP levels may indicate the time for a Doppler echocardiographic evaluation and identify a subgroup of patients at high risk who need closer monitoring during the early postoperative period.