Surgical left atrial appendage occlusion: evaluation of a novel device with magnetic resonance imaging

Objective: Management of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is considered an important adjunct to ablation in cardiac surgical patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, current surgical techniques, both cut-and-sew and stapling, have been associated with incomplete LAA occlusion and complications. Using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we studied the safety and effectiveness of a new device for LAA occlusion in a primate model. Methods: Seven adult baboons underwent off-pump placement of an LAA clip (AtriCure Inc., Westchester, Ohio). LAA occlusion was confirmed intraoperatively by direct incision. All animals had MRI before and after clip placement to assess LAA perfusion, architecture, and overall cardiac function. Pathologic and histological studies were performed at 7, 30 and 180 days. Results: Clip placement was successful in all (n=7) without any clip related complications. Complete LAA occlusion was demonstrated intraoperatively in all subjects. LAA occlusion was confirmed on pre-sacrifice MRI, and left and right ventricular function were unchanged from preoperative studies; however, clip placement caused small reductions in left ventricular end-diastolic, end-systolic, and stroke volumes. At sacrifice, direct inspection confirmed stable location, persistent LAA exclusion, tissue in-growth and homogenous epithelialization without damage to adjacent structures. Histological analysis revealed a regular in-growth pattern in all studied specimens. Conclusion: We demonstrated a safe, straightforward, persistent and effective method for LAA occlusion with this new LAA clip. MRI effectively demonstrated LAA occlusion and only minor changes in left ventricular volume

Predicting Hospital Mortality and Analysis of Long-Term Survival After Major Noncardiac Complications in Cardiac Surgery Patients

Background. This study was designed to investigate the incidence of and early and midterm outcomes after major complications in cardiac surgery patients. We determined independent predictors of operative mortality to create a model for prediction of outcome. A particular focus was the fate of patients after the occurrence of these complications. Methods. Prospectively collected data of 6,641 patients (mean age, 64 +/- 14 years; n = 2,499 female [38%]) undergoing cardiac surgery between January 1998 and December 2006 were retrospectively analyzed. Outcome measures were six index complications: respiratory failure, sepsis, dialysis-dependent renal failure, mediastinitis, gastrointestinal complication, and stroke; and their impact on operative mortality, hospital length of stay, and midterm survival using multivariate regression models. The discriminatory power was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (C statistic). Results. A total of 1,354 complications were observed in 826 (12.4%) patients: respiratory failure (n = 634; 9.5%), sepsis (n = 202; 3%), stroke (n = 163; 2.5%), dialysis-dependent renal failure (n = 145; 2.2%), mediastinitis (n = 111; 1.7%), and gastrointestinal complication (n = 99; 1.5%). Overall operative mortality was 20% and correlated with the number of complications (single, 12.0%; n = 58 of 485; double, 25.5%; n = 52 of 204; >= 3, 40.1%; n = 55 of 137). Ten preoperative and five postoperative predictors of operative mortality were identified and included in the logistic model, which accurately predicted outcome (C statistic, 0.866). One-year survival was less than 50% in patients with three or more complications and a length of stay greater than 60 days. Conclusions. With a worsening in the risk profile of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, an increasing number of patients develop major complications leading to increased length of stay and mortality, which is correlated to the number and severity of these complications. Our predictive model based on preoperative and postoperative variables allowed us to determine with accuracy the operative mortality in critically ill patients after cardiac surgery. One-year survival after multiple complications and prolonged length of stay remains marginal

Results and predictors of early and late outcome of coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with ejection fraction less than 20%

SummaryBackgroundSeverely depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (EF≤20%) has historically been a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in medically and surgically managed coronary artery disease. Recent studies have suggested that outcomes in patients with EF less or equal to 20% undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are improving, but the trend in the outcomes remains unclear.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed prospectively collected data from 2909 consecutive patients undergoing isolated CABG between January 1998 and August 2006. One hundred and eighty five patients (6.4%) had an ejection fraction less or equal to 20%. Primary outcome measures for this study included hospital mortality, major postoperative complications, and long-term survival.ResultsThe median age in the overall patient population was 65years (interquartile range 58–73) and 69% (n=2015) of patients were male. The overall hospital mortality among our study population was 2.3% (n=67). The mortality among patients with EF less or equal to 20 was 5% (n=11) compared to 2% (n=56) in patients with EF above 20% (p=0.001). The proportion of patients with a high EuroSCORE (>9%) was significantly greater in the group with EF less or equal to 20% (49%) than in the group with EF above 20% (20%). EF less or equal to 20% was not shown by multivariable logistic regression analysis to be an independent predictor of operative mortality. Survival rates at one year were 85±2.8%, 93±0.9%, and 98%±0.3% for patients with EF less or equal to 20%, over 20–40% and greater than 40% respectively; and at five years: 72±0.4%, 81±0.2% and 89±0.1%, respectively (p<0.001).ConclusionWe demonstrate acceptable mortality rates in patients with an EF less or equal to 20%, and show that EF less or equal to 20% does not appear to be an independent predictor of hospital mortality in our practice. Incremental changes in practice including improved patient selection and peroperative management may have reduced the impact of EF less or equal to 20% on mortality following CABG