Surgical treatment of lone atrial fibrillation

Currently, off-pump video-assisted thoracoscopic epicardial pulmonary vein isolation offers an attractive alternative to on-pump Maze procedures for surgical treatment of lone atrial fibrillation. Nevertheless, on-pump Maze procedures through a mid-sternotomy approach still play an important role in patients with lone atrial fibrillation on many occasions, especially in patients with failed percutaneous pulmonary vein alone. The aim of this article was to give a brief review of the surgical strategies for treating lone atrial fibrillation, and present the possible indications for on-pump Maze procedures through a mid-sternotomy approach

Impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on short- and long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a frequent co-morbidity among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of DM on the early- and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent isolated CABG. Methods We performed an observational cohort study in a large tertiary medical center over a period of 11 years. All data from patients who had undergone isolated CABG surgery between 2004 and 2014 were obtained from our departmental database. The study population included 2766 patients who were divided into two groups: Group I (1553 non-diabetic patients), and Group II (1213 patients suffering from type 2 DM). Group II patients were then divided into two subgroups: subgroup IIA (981 patients treated with oral antihyperglycemic medications) and subgroup IIB (232 insulin-treated patients with or without additional oral antihyperglycemic drugs). In-hospital, 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year mortality outcome variables were evaluated. Mean follow-up was 97 ± 41 months. Results In-hospital mortality was similar between Group I and Group II patients (1.87% vs. 2.31%, p = 0.422) and between the subgroups IIA and IIB (2.14% vs. 3.02%, p = 0.464). Long-term mortality (1, 3, 5 and 10 years) was higher in Group II (DM type 2) compared with Group I (non-diabetic patients) (5.3% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.038; 9.3% vs. 5.6%, p < 0.001; 15.3% vs. 9.3%, p < 0.001 and 47.3% vs. 29.6% p < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that all-cause mortality was higher in Group II compared with Group I (p < 0.001) and in subgroup IIB compared with subgroup IIA (p = 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that DM increased the mortality hazard by twofold, and among diabetic patients, insulin treatment increased the mortality hazard by twofold. Conclusions Diabetic and non-diabetic patients have similar in-hospital mortality rates. Survival rates of diabetic patients start to deteriorate 3 year after surgery. Type 2 DM is an independent predictor for long-term mortality after isolated CABG surgery. Mortality is even higher when the diabetes treatment strategy included insulin

The routine use of preoperative non-contrast chest computerized tomography and carotid arteries Doppler prior to cardiac surgery

Abstract Introduction There is no consensus as to which patients should undergo Non-Contrast Chest Computerized Tomography (NCCCT) and carotid arteries Doppler (CD) prior to cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to examine whether preoperative imaging modalities provide clinical benefits and a change in surgical strategy. Methods We routinely performed NCCCT and CD in all non-urgent cardiac surgery patients. Major NCCCT/CD findings related to cardiovascular findings (aortic calcification/atherosclerosis, carotid artery plaque/stenosis), or other incidental findings (lung kidney, thyroid, adrenal, gastrointestinal sites etc.) were documented. The results were divided into 3 categories: (A) findings requiring both changes in surgical strategy and post-operative evaluation/treatment; (B) findings requiring changes in surgical strategy, but not requiring a specific post-operative evaluation/treatment; (C) findings not requiring changes in surgical strategy but requiring post-operative evaluation/treatment. Results In this cohort, 93 (18.6%) out of 500 patients had significant cardiac and extra-cardiac findings on NCCCT and/or CD. Among the 93 patients with significant findings, 33.33% (31 patients, 6.2% of all patients) were in group A, 7.5% (7 patients, 1.4% of all patients) were in group B, and 59.14% (55 patients, 11% of all patients) were in group C. Change in surgical strategies included, for example, switching from planned on-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery (CABG) to off-pump CABG and performing additional procedures to the originally planned heart surgery. Conclusion Routine preoperative NCCCT and CD evaluation in all non-urgent cardiac surgical patients is an effective measure for uncovering cardiac and extra-cardiac findings prior to surgery

Type 2 diabetes mellitus increases long-term mortality risk after isolated surgical aortic valve replacement

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) adversely affects morbidity and mortality for major atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases and is associated with increased risk for the development of aortic stenosis. Clinical data regarding the impact of DM on outcomes of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) have revealed inconsistent results. The aim of the current study was to investigate and compare the impact of type 2 DM on short-, intermediate- and long-term mortality between DM and non-DM patients who undergo isolated AVR. Methods We performed an observational study in a large tertiary medical center over a 14-year period (2004–2018), which included all patients who had undergone isolated AVR surgery for the first time. Of the 1053 study patients, 346 patients (33%) had type 2 DM (DM group) and were compared with non-DM (non-DM group) patients (67%). Short-term (in-hospital), intermediate (1- and 3-years), and late (5- and 10-years) mortality were evaluated. Mean follow-up of was 69 ± 43 months. Results Short-term (in-hospital) mortality was similar between the DM compared with the non-DM group: 3.5% and 2.5% (p = 0.517). Intermediate-term mortality (1- and 3-year) was higher in the DM group compared with the non-DM group, but did not reach statistical significance: 8.1% vs. 5.7% (p = 0.169) and 12.1% vs. 8.3% (p = 0.064) respectively. Long-term (5- and 10-year) mortality was significantly higher in the DM group, compared to the non-DM group: 19.4% vs. 12.9% (p = 0.007) and 30.3% vs. 23.5% (p = 0.020) respectively. Among the 346 DM patients, 55 (16%) were treated with insulin and 291 (84%) with oral antiglycemic medication only. Overall in-hospital mortality among insulin-treated DM patients was 7.3% compared with 2.7% among non insulin-treated DM patients (p = 0.201). Long-term mortality was higher in the subgroup of insulin-treated DM patients compared with the subgroup of non-insulin treated DM patients with an overall mortality rate of 36.4% vs. 29.2% (p = 0.039). Furthermore, predictors for late mortality included DM (HR 1.39 CI 1.03–1.86, p = 0.031) and insulin treatment (HR 1.76 CI 1.05–2.94, p = 0.033), as demonstrated after adjustment for confounders by multivariable analysis. Conclusions Type 2 DM is an independent predictor for long-term mortality after isolated AVR surgery