Research Spotlight

Robertson, J. O., D. C. Naftel, S. L. Myers, R. J. Tedford, S. M. Joseph, J. K. Kirklin and S. C. Silvestry (2018). “Concomitant mitral valve procedures in patients undergoing implantation of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices: An INTERMACS database analysis.” J Heart Lung Transplant 37(1): 79-88.

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BACKGROUND: Management of existing mitral valve (MV) disease in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation remains controversial. METHODS: Among continuous-flow LVAD patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation entered into the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) database between April 2008 and March 2014 (n = 4,930), outcomes were compared between patients who underwent MV repair (MVr, n = 252), MV replacement (MVR, n = 11) and no MV procedure (no MVP, n = 4,667). Impact on survival was analyzed by stratified actuarial and hazard function multivariable methodology. Post-operative functional capacity and quality of life were assessed. RESULTS: Patients who underwent MVPs had higher pre-operative pulmonary vascular resistance (3.6 +/- 2.9 vs 2.9 +/- 2.6 Wood units; p = 0.0006) and higher pulmonary artery systolic pressures (55.1 +/- 13.8 vs 51.5 +/- 14.0 mm Hg; p = 0.0003). Two-year survival was 76% for patients with concomitant MVr, 57% for those with MVR and 71% for those with no MVP (p = 0.15). By multivariable analysis, neither MVr nor MVR affected early or late survival. Although improvements in post-operative functional status as evaluated by 6-minute walk distances were comparable across groups, visual analog score assessments of quality of life suggested a benefit of concomitant MVPs at 1-year post-implant (79.00 +/- 1.73 vs 74.45 +/- 0.51; p = 0.03), with fewer re-admissions observed for MVP patients (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant MVPs are not associated with increased survival overall. However, MVPs are associated with benefits in terms of reduced hospital re-admission and improved quality of life in select patients.

Roberts, W. C. and A. E. Berry (2017). “Frequency of Coronary Endarterectomy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting at a Single Tertiary Texas Hospital 2010 to 2016 With Morphologic Studies of the Operatively Excised Specimens.” Am J Cardiol 120(12): 2164-2169.

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This study examines the frequency of coronary endarterectomy (CE) procedures during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and determines the quantity of plaque in the specimens. Of the 2,268 CABG operations performed from January 2010 to June 2016, 35 patients had CE during CABG. The specimens were incised into 5-mm cross sections, stained by the Movat method, and examined. The number of CEs performed ranged from 0.21% to 4.01%. A total of 140 cm of specimens were examined, and all 140 cm contained considerable quantities of atherosclerotic plaque and narrowed lumens. The quantity of plaque present was similar to or greater than that observed in previously studied patients with fatal coronary artery disease. The frequency of CE during CABG varies greatly in surgeons. The quantity of plaque is enormous, and the lumens are severely narrowed.

Rangaswami, J., R. O. Mathew and P. A. McCullough (2018). “Resuscitation for the specialty of nephrology: is cardionephrology the answer?” Kidney Int 93(1): 25-26.

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The specialty of nephrology faces major fellowship recruitment challenges, with ongoing declining interest among internal medicine residents. The field of Cardionephrology can help instill new interest and enthusiasm in choosing nephrology as a career amongst trainee physicians.

Pollock, B. D., G. Filardo, B. da Graca, T. K. Phan, G. Ailawadi, V. Thourani, R. J. Damiano, Jr. and J. R. Edgerton (2018). “Predicting New-Onset Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Atrial Fibrillation With Existing Risk Scores.” Ann Thorac Surg 105(1): 115-121.

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BACKGROUND: New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation is associated with poorer survival. Blanket prophylaxis efforts have not appreciably decreased incidence, making targeted prevention for high-risk patients desirable. We compared predictive abilities of existing scores developed/used to predict adverse CABG outcomes (Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ [STS] risk of mortality) or AF not associated with cardiac operation (the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology [CHARGE]-AF score, the CHA2DS2-VASc score), and a risk model for predicting postoperative AF following cardiac operations (POAF score), with age (the most consistently identified post-CABG AF risk factor). METHODS: Data submitted to the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database were used to assess new-onset AF in 8,976 consecutive patients without preoperative AF undergoing isolated CABG from 2004 to 2010 at five participating centers. Five logistic regression models (for CHA2DS2-VASc score, CHARGE-AF score, POAF score, STS risk score, and age, respectively, all modeled with restricted cubic splines) with a random effect for site were fitted to predict post-CABG AF. Estimates were used to compute and compare receiver operating characteristic (ROC) areas. RESULTS: New-onset AF occurred in 2,141 patients (23.9%). The ROC area was greatest for CHARGE-AF (0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67-0.69), followed by age (0.66, 95% CI: 0.65-0.68), POAF score (0.65, 95% CI: 0.64-0.66), CHA2DS2-VASc (0.59, 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.60), and STS risk of mortality (0.58, 95% CI: 0.56-0.59). CHARGE-AF was significantly more predictive than age (p < 0.0001); the other scores were significantly less predictive (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Only CHARGE-AF performed better than age alone. Its performance was moderate and comparable with published risk models specifically targeted at new-onset post-isolated CABG AF. Future research should continue to focus on developing better predictive models.

Parsa, P., J. Eidt, A. Rios, D. Gable and J. Vasquez, Jr. (2018). “Case Report: An Innovative Endovascular Technique for Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm following an Open Coarctation Repair.” Ann Vasc Surg 46: 205.

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It was once postulated that open surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta during childhood patients was cured. However, long-term follow-up has been significant for late problems such as an aneurysm. The incidence of such aneurysm after open surgical coarctation repair is 11-24%. If such an aneurysm is left untreated, patients are at a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Prior to the endovascular era, patients would require a redo open repair which in itself is a highly morbid operation. Currently, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been reported as a feasible and safe alternative to open surgical reprocedures in this context. However, TEVAR might be challenging due to the proximity of the pathology to supraaortic vessels and the ongoing presence of the coarctation. We are reporting a unique case of a 48-year-old male undergoing TEVAR due to aortic aneurysm after previous surgical coarctation treatment and successful closure of the coarctation with a vascular plug device.