High-grade AV block requiring PPM implantation is a common complication following TAVI and could be predicted by a deeper implantation of the prosthesis. Patients with preexisting RBBB also seem to be at risk for the development of high-grade AV block and subsequent pacemaker implantation.

Note: This guideline is for information purposes and should not replace the clinical judgment of a physician, who must ultimately determine the appropriate treatment for each patient.

One third of patients required PPM after TAVI and full recovery of advanced conduction abnormalities seems unlikely. Unfavorable aortic root orientation may hinder the deployment of the valve and contribute to the continued impairment of the conduction system. Porcelain aorta was a strong predictor of pacemaker dependency.

IntroductionThe impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) on outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has not been clarified. Furthermore, less is known about the indication and strategy of revascularization in these high risk patients.AimsThis study sought to determine the prevalence and prognostic impact of CAD in patients undergoing TAVI, and to assess the safety and feasibility of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before TAVI.MethodsPatients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing TAVI were included into a prospective single center registry from 2007 to 2012. Clinical outcomes were compared between patients with and without CAD. In some patients with CAD, it was decided to perform elective PCI before TAVI after decision by the Heart team. The primary endpoints were 30-day and 2-year all-cause mortality.ResultsA total of 91 consecutive patients with mean age of 79 ± 9 years (52% men) underwent TAVI with a median follow-up duration of 16 months (interquartile range of 27.6 months). CAD was present on 46 patients (51%). At 30-day, the incidences of death were similar between CAD and non-CAD patients (9 and 5%, p = 0.44), but at 2 years were 50% in CAD patients and 24% in non-CAD patients [crude hazard ratio with CAD, 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1–4.6; p = 0.04]. Adjusting for age, gender, left ventricular ejection fraction, and glomerular filtration rate, the hazard of death was 2.6-fold higher in patients with CAD (95% CI, 1.1–6.0; p = 0.03). Elective PCI before TAVI was performed in 13 patients (28% of CAD patients). There were no more adverse events in patients who underwent TAVI + PCI when compared with those who underwent isolated TAVI.ConclusionIn severe symptomatic AS who underwent TAVI, CAD is frequent and adversely impacts long-term outcomes, but not procedure outcomes. In selected patients, PCI before TAVI appears to be feasible and safe.

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The objectives of this study were to describe a novel statewide registry for cardiac surgery in Brazil (REPLICCAR), to compare a regional risk model (SPScore) with EuroSCORE II and STS, and to understand where quality improvement and safety initiatives can be implemented. Methods A total of 11 sites in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, formed an online registry platform to capture information on risk factors and outcomes after cardiac surgery procedures for all consecutive patients. EuroSCORE II and STS values were calculated for each patient. An SPScore model was designed and compared with EuroSCORE II and STS to predict 30day outcomes: death, reoperation, readmission, and any morbidity.

It is observed that death rates in cardiac surgery has decreased, however, root causes that behave like triggers of potentially avoidable deaths (AD), especially in low-risk patients (less bias) are often unknown and underexplored, Phase of Care Mortality Analysis (POCMA) can be a valuable tool to identify seminal events (SE), providing valuable information where it is possible to make improvements in the quality and safety of future procedures. Our results show that in São Paul State, only one third of AD in low-risk cardiac surgery was related to specific surgical problems. After a revisited analysis, 75% of deaths could have been avoided, which in the pre-operative phase, the SE was related judgment, patient evaluation and preparation. In the intra-operative phase, most occurrences could have been avoided if other surgical technique had been used. Sepsis was responsible for 75% of AD in the intensive care unit. In the ward phase, the recognition/management of clinical decompensations and sepsis were the contributing factors. Logistic regression model identified age, previous coronary stent implantation, coronary artery bypass grafting + heart valve surgery, ≥ 2 combined heart valve surgery and hospital-acquired infection as independent predictors of AD.

IntroductionAdvances in modern medicine have led to people living longer and healthier lives. Frailty is an emerging concept in medicine yet to be explored as a risk factor in cardiac surgery. When it comes to CABG surgery, randomized controlled clinical trials have primarily focused on low-risk (ROOBY, CORONARY), elevated-risk (GOPCABE) or high-risk patients (BBS), but not on frail patients. Therefore, we believe that off-pump CABG could be an important technique in patients with limited functional capacity to respond to surgical stress. In this study, the authors introduce the new national, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial "FRAGILE", to be developed in the main cardiac surgery centers of Brazil, to clarify the potential benefit of off-pump CABG in frail patients.MethodsFRAGILE is a two-arm, parallel-group, multicentre, individually randomized (1:1) controlled trial which will enroll 630 patients with blinded outcome assessment (at 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years), which aims to compare adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events after off-pump versus on-pump CABG in pre-frail and frail patients. Primary outcomes will be all-cause mortality, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation, low cardiac output syndrome/cardiogenic shock, stroke, and coronary reintervention. Secondary outcomes will be major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, operative time, mechanical ventilation time, hyperdynamic shock, new onset of atrial fibrillation, renal replacement therapy, reoperation for bleeding, pneumonia, length of stay in intensive care unit, length of stay in hospital, number of units of blood transfused, graft patency, rate of complete revascularization, neurobehavioral outcomes after cardiac surgery, quality of life after cardiac surgery and costs.DiscussionFRAGILE trial will determine whether off-pump CABG is superior to conventional on-pump CABG in the surgical treatment of pre-frail and frail patients.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02338947. Registered on August 29th 2014; last updated on March 21st 2016.