BackgroundTo review the experience of surgical repair of post-infarction ventricular septal rupture (VSR) and analyze the associated outcomes and prognostic factors.MethodsFollowing approval from the Singhealth Centralised Institutional Review Board (reference: 2011/881/C), a retrospective review was performed on 38 consecutive patients who had undergone surgical repair of post-infarction VSR between 1999 and 2011. Continuous variables were expressed as either mean ± standard deviation or median with 25th and 75th percentiles. These were compared using two-tailed t-test or Mann–Whitney U test respectively. Categorical variables were compared using chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. To identify predictors of operative mortality, univariate analysis of perioperative variables followed by multivariate analysis of significant univariate risk factors was performed. A two-tailed p-value < 0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance.ResultsMean age was 65.7 ± 9.4 years with 52.6% males. The VSR was anterior in 28 (73.7%) and posterior in 10 patients. Median interval from myocardial infarction to VSR was 1 day (1, 4). Pre-operative intra-aortic balloon pump was inserted in 37 patients (97.8%). Thirty-six patients (94.7%) underwent coronary angiography.Thirty-five patients (92.1%) underwent patch repair. Mean aortic cross clamp time was 82 ± 40 minutes and mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 152 ± 52 minutes. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was performed in 19 patients (50%), with a mean of 1.5 ± 0.7 distal anastomoses. Operative mortality within 30 days was 39.5%.Univariate analysis identified emergency surgery, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, inotropic support, right ventricular dysfunction, EuroSCORE II, intra-operative red cell transfusion, post-operative renal failure and renal replacement therapy (RRT) as predictors of operative mortality. Multivariate analysis identified NYHA class and post-operative RRT as predictors of operative mortality.Ten year overall survival was 44.4 ± 8.4%. Right ventricular dysfunction, LVEF and NYHA class at presentation were independent factors affecting long-term survival. Concomitant CABG did not influence early or late survival.ConclusionsSurgical repair of post-infarction VSR carries a high operative mortality. NYHA class at presentation and post-operative RRT are predictors of early mortality. Right ventricular dysfunction, LVEF and NYHA class at presentation affect long-term survival. Concomitant CABG does not improve survival.

Surgical management of endocarditis continues to be challenging and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This report of 191 patients who underwent valve surgery for IE shows that in-hospital mortality is influenced by preoperative renal function and stroke at the time of presentation. The optimal timing for surgery in patients with stroke remains controversial. Long-term survival was negatively influenced by increasing age, moderate to severely impaired LVEF, prosthetic valve IE and S. aureus infection.

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Cardiac arrest with cerebral ischaemia frequently leads to severe neurological impairment. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) has emerged as a valuable adjunct in resuscitation of cardiac arrest. Despite ECLS, the incidence of permanent neurological injury remains high. We hypothesize that patients receiving ECLS for cardiac arrest treated with therapeutic hypothermia at 34 °C have lower neurological complication rates compared to standard ECLS therapy at normothermia. Early results of this randomized study suggest that therapeutic hypothermia is safe in adult patients receiving ECLS, with similar complication rates as ECLS without hypothermia. Further studies are warranted to measure the efficacy of this therapy.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as a viable alternative endovascular technique in selected patients with severe aortic stenosis, who are either inoperable or at high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. We report a case of delayed displacement and rotation of an aortic bioprosthesis, 43 days after successful TAVI via the transfemoral approach, with the patient surviving the subsequent open heart surgery required for device retrieval.

Despite the high mortality rates associated with intestinal ischaemia following cardiac surgery, early diagnosis and surgical intervention remain the only effective means to reduce mortality.

Most mitral paravalvular leaks (PVLs) occur during the first year after mitral valve replacement (MVR). This report describes the surgical management of 6 patients who developed very late mitral PVLs.The median interval between MVR and initial diagnosis of PVL was 16.5 years. All patients presented with congestive cardiac failure and haemolytic anaemia. The median EuroSCORE II was 9.5%. Two patients (33%) had failed attempts at transcatheter closure. Five patients underwent suture repair of the PVL. One patient underwent MVR after removal of the previous prosthesis. No in-hospital mortalities occurred. At latest follow-up (median 3.3 years), 5 patients (83%) were asymptomatic with no residual PVL. Haemolytic anaemia persisted in 1 patient with a mild residual PVL. PVL occurring decades after MVR is a rare but serious complication. Reoperative surgery can be performed in these high-risk patients with satisfactory early and midterm outcomes. J Thorac Dis 2016;8(9):E952-E956 jtd.amegroups.com images were available for 5 patients (Figure 1). The median EuroSCORE II was 9.5% (range: 4.0% to 42.2%). The median left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 61% (range: 55% to 67%).Two patients had undergone unsuccessful percutaneous closure of PVL, which failed due to either significant residual regurgitation or the closure device interfering with the existing mitral prosthesis. One patient who received 2 occluder devices required emergency surgery due to cardiogenic shock, resulting from a closure device being caught between the leaflets of the mitral prosthesis. Five patients with discrete PVLs in the presence of a calcified mitral annulus underwent direct suture repair without removal of the existing mitral prosthesis. One patient with multiple PVLs at various sites along the sewing ring underwent MVR after extirpation of the previous prosthetic valve. Concomitant procedures were performed in 4 patients ( Table 1). The median aortic cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 50 minutes (range, 42 to 119 minutes) and 99 minutes (range, 72 to 196 minutes), respectively.There were no in-hospital mortalities. Postoperative complications are listed in Table 1. No patients suffered from postoperative stroke, myocardial infarction or required insertion of a permanent pacemaker. Upon discharge from hospital, five patients (83.3%) had no residual PVL and 1 patient (16.7%) had mild residual PVL.All patients were reviewed at our institution during scheduled clinic consultations. The median follow up period was 3.3 years (range: 1.9 to 4.8 years). There were no late mortalities. Five patients (83.3%) were in NYHA class I and had no recurrence of haemolytic anaemia. Four patients (66.7%) had no recurrence of PVL and two patients (33.3%) had mild PVL during follow-up echocardiographic assessment ( Table 1). In the patient who underwent salvage surgery following failed transcatheter repair, haemolysis persisted despite surgical correction, due to a turbulent jet flowing through a mild residual PVL. The patient op...

The open Seldinger-guided technique for axillary artery cannulation is safe and effective. We strongly recommend this technique, given its speed and simplicity. The vessel is not snared, thereby preserving distal arterial flow and minimizing the risk of acute limb ischaemia. Furthermore, the limited manipulation of the artery lowers the risk of local complications.