Immunological aspects of clinical and experimental cardiac valve allograft implantation

The documented history of allogeneic cardiac valve implantation began in 1952. In that year, the first successful implantation of an canine aortic valve in the descendlng aorta of another dog, was carried o

A modified echocardiographic classification of mitral valve regurgitation mechanism: The role of three-dimensional echocardiography

In this report, we provide an overview of a new, updated echocardiographic classification of mitral regurgitation mechanisms to provide a more comprehensive and detailed assessment of mitral valve disorders. This is relevant to modern mitral valve repair techniques, with special attention to the added value of 3D-echocardiography

Simultaneous Endo-Epicardial Mapping of the Human Right Atrium: Unraveling Atrial Excitation

Background The significance of endo-epicardial asynchrony (EEA) and atrial conduction block (CB), which play an important role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation (AF) during sinus rhythm is poorly understood. The aim of our study was therefore to examine 3-dimensional activation of the human right atrium (RA). Methods and Results Eighty patients (79% men

The role of experience in echocardiographic identification of location and extent of mitral valve prolapse with 2D and 3D echocardiography

Contradiction exists on the incremental value of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) over 2D transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for the detection of mitral valve (MV) prolapse in readers with different echocardiographic experience. Twenty patients and five healthy persons were retrospectively identified who had undergone 2D-TTE, 2D-TOE and 3D-TOE. Fifteen (75 %) patients had surgical evidence of prolapse of the posterior MV leaflet and five patients (25 %) had a dilated MV annulus without prolapse. Three reader groups with different echocardiographic expertise (novice, trainees, cardiologists) scored thus in total 675 posterior scallops. Overall there was an improvement in agreement and Kappa values from novice to trainees to cardiologists. Diagnostic accuracies of 2D-TOE were higher than those of 2D-TTE mainly in novice readers. The incremental value of 3D-TOE over 2D-TOE was mainly seen in specificities. Time to diagnosis was dramatically reduced from 2D to 3D-TEE in all reader groups (all P < 0.001). 3D-TOE also improved the agreement (+12 to +16 %) and Kappa values (+0.14 to +0.21) in all reader groups for the exact description of P2 prolapse. Differences between readers with variable experience in determining the precise localization and extent of the prolapsing posterior MV scallops exist in particular in 2D-TTE analysis. 3D-TOE analysis was extremely fast compared to the 2D analysis methods and showed the best diagnostic accuracy (mainly driven by specificity) with identification of P1 and P3 prolapse still improving from novice to trainees to cardiologists and provided optimal description of P2 prolapse extent

QUest for the Arrhythmogenic Substrate of Atrial fibRillation in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery (QUASAR Study): Rationale and Design

The heterogeneous presentation and progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) implicate the existence of different pathophysiological processes. Individualized diagnosis and therapy of the arrhythmogenic substrate underlying AF may be required to improve treatment outcomes. Therefore, this single-center study aims to identify t

A novel intra-operative, high-resolution atrial mapping approach

Purpose: A new technique is demonstrated for extensive high-resolution intra-operative atrial mapping that will facilitate the localization of atrial fibrillation (AF) sources and identification of the substrate perpetuating AF. Methods: Prior to the start of extra-corporal circulation, a 8 × 24-electrode array (2-mm inter-electrode distance) is placed subsequently on all the right and left epicardial atrial sites, including Bachmann’s bundle, for recording of unipolar electrograms during sinus rhythm and (induced) AF. AF is induced by high-frequency pacing at the right atrial free wall. A pacemaker wire stitched to the right atrium serves as a reference signal. The indifferent pole is connected to a steal wire fixed to subcutaneous tissue. Electrograms are recorded by a computerized mapping system and, after amplification (gain 1000), filtering (bandwidth 0.5–400 Hz), sampling (1 kHz) and analogue to digital conversion (16 bits), automatically stored on hard disk. During the mapping procedure, real-time visualization secures electrogram quality. Analysis will be performed offline. Results: This technique was performed in 168 patients of 18 years and older, with coronary and/or structural heart disease, with or without AF, electively scheduled for cardiac surgery and a ventricular ejection fraction above 40 %. The mean duration of the entire mapping procedure including preparation time was 9 ± 2 min. Complications related to the mapping procedure during or after cardiac surgery were not observed. Conclusions: We introduce the first epicardial atrial mapping approach with a high resolution of ≥1728 recording sites which can be performed in a procedure time of only 9±2 mins. This mapping technique can potentially identify areas responsible for initiation and persistence of AF and hopefully can individualize both diagnosis and therapy of AF

Uncertainties and challenges in surgical and transcatheter tricuspid valve therapy: a state-of-the-art expert review

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a frequent and complex problem, commonly combined with left-sided heart disease, such as mitral regurgitation. Significant TR is associated with increased mortality if left untreated or recurrent after therapy. Tricuspid regurgitation was historically often disregarded and remained undertreated. Surgery is currently the only Class I Guideline recommended therapy for TR, in the form of annuloplasty, leaflet repair, or valve replacement. As growing experience of transcatheter therapy in structural heart disease, many dedicated transcatheter tricuspid repair or replacement devices, which mimic well-established surgical techniques, are currently under development. Nevertheless, many aspects of TR are little understood, including the disease process, surgical or interventional risk stratification, and predictors of successful therapy. The optimal treatment timing and the choice of proper surgical or interventional technique for significant TR remain to be elucidated. In this context, we aim to highlight the current evidence, underline major controversial issues in this field and present a future roadmap for TR therapy

A case report of an interrupted inferior vena cava and azygos continuation

Background: Femoral cannulation is commonly used in minimally invasive cardiac surgery to establish extracorporeal circulation. We present a case with a finding that should be evaluated when screening candidates for minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Case summary: A 57-year-old male patient was scheduled for minimally invasive repair of the mitral and tricuspid valve and a MAZE procedure. During surgery there was difficulty advancing the venous cannula inserted in the right femoral vein. On transoesophageal echocardiography a guidewire advanced from the femoral vein was observed entering the right atrium from the superior vena cava. Despite inserting a second venous cannula in the jugular vein, venous drainage was insufficient for minimal invasive surgery. The approach was converted to a median sternotomy with bicaval cannulation. Re-examination of the preoperative computed t

Epicardial atrial mapping during minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery

Mapping of the unorganized activation patterns of atrial fibrillation requires a high-resolution mapping approach to diagnose substrate-mediated pathophysiological mechanisms. At present, epicardial mapping is the only approach that is able to acquire electrograms of >200 high-density sites simultaneously. This study introdu