Impact of COVID-19 on the prescribing pattern of oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

Background: Because of logistic challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) were favored over warfarin in patients presenting postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery in our institution. Considering the limited evidence supporting the use of DOAC in this context, we sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this practice change. Methods: A retrospective study was performed with patients from the Quebec City metropolitan area who were hospitalized at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval following cardiac surgery and who required oral anticoagulant (OAC) for postoperative AF. The primary objective was to compare the pre- and peri-COVID-19 period for OAC prescribing patterns and the incidence of thrombotic and bleeding events at 3 months post-surgery. The secondary objective was to compare DOAC to warfarin in terms of thrombotic events and bleeding events. Results: A total of 233 patients were included, 142 from the pre-COVID-19 and 91 from the peri-COVID-19 period, respectively. Both groups had equivalent proportions of preoperative AF (48%) and new-onset postoperative AF (52%). The proportion of patients treated with a DOAC increased from 13% pre-COVID-19 to 82% peri-COVID-19. This change in practice was not associated with a significant difference in the incidence of thrombotic or bleeding events 3 months postoperatively. However, compared to DOAC, warfarin was associated with a higher incidence of major bleeding. Only 1 thrombotic event was reported with warfarin, and none were reported with DOAC. Conclusion: This study suggests that DOAC are an effective and safe alternative to warfarin to treat postoperative AF after cardiac surgery and that this practice can be safely maintained

Postoperative atrial fibrillation predicts long-term survival after aortic-valve surgery but not after mitral-valve surgery: a retrospective study

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) has been reported to be associated with reduced long-term survival after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of POAF on long-term survival after valvular surgery. Methods: The authors retrospectively analysed the preoperative and operative data of 2986 consecutive patients with no preoperative history of atrial fibrillation undergoing first valvular surgery (aortic-valve replacement (AVR), mitral valve replacement or mitral valve repair (MVR/MVRp) with or without coronary artery bypass grafting surgery) in their institution between 1995 and 2008 (median follow-up 5.31 years, range 0.1-15.0). The authors investigated the impact of POAF on survival using multivariable Cox regression. Results: Patients with POAF were older, and were more likely to have hypertension or renal failure when compared with patients without POAF. The 12-year survival in patients with POAF was 45.7±2.8% versus 61.4±2.1% in patients without POAF (p<0.001). On a multivariable analysis, when adjusting for age and other potential confounding factors, POAF tended to be associated with lower long-term survival (HR for all-cause death (HR)=1.17, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.38, p=0.051). The authors also analysed this association separately in patients with AVR and those with MVR/MVRp. In the multivariable analysis, POAF was a significant predictor of higher long-term mortality in patients with AVR (HR=1.22, CI 1.02 to 1.45, p=0.03) but not in patients with MVR/MVRp (HR=0.87, CI 0.58 to 1.29, p=0.48). Conclusions: POAF is significantly associated with long-term mortality following AVR but not after MVR/MVRp. The underlying factors involved in the pathogenesis of POAF after MVR/MVRp may partially account for the lack of association between POAF and survival in these patients

Metabolic syndrome increases operative mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the metabolic syndrome (MS) on operative mortality after a coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). BACKGROUND: Diabetes and obesity are highly prevalent among patients undergoing CABG. However, it remains unclear whether these factors have a significant impact on operative mortality after this procedure. We hypothesized that the metabolic abnormalities associated with MS could negatively influence the operative outcome of CABG surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 5,304 consecutive patients who underwent an isolated CABG procedure between 2000 and 2004. Of these 5,304 patients, 2,411 (46%) patients met the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for MS. The primary end point was operative mortality. RESULTS: The operative mortality after CABG surgery was 2.4% in patients with MS and 0.9% in patients without MS (p < 0.0001). The MS was a strong independent predictor of operative mortality (relative risk 3.04 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.73 to 5.32], p = 0.0001). After adjusting for other risk factors, the risk of mortality was increased 2.69-fold (95% CI 1.43 to 5.06; p = 0.002) in patients with MS and diabetes and 2.36-fold (95% CI 1.26 to 4.41; p = 0.007) in patients with MS and no diabetes, whereas it was not significantly increased in the patients with diabetes and no MS. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report that MS is a highly prevalent and powerful risk factor for operative mortality in patients undergoing a CABG surgery. Thus, interventions that could contribute to reduce the prevalence of MS in patients with coronary artery disease or that could acutely modify the metabolic perturbations of MS at the time of CABG might substantially improve survival in these patient

Impact of Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch on Long-Term Survival After Aortic Valve Replacement Influence of Age, Obesity, and Left Ventricular Dysfunction

ObjectivesThis study was designed to evaluate the effect of valve prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) on late survival after aortic valve replacement (AVR) and to determine if this effect is modulated by patient age, body mass index (BMI), and pre-operative left ventricular (LV) function.BackgroundWe recently reported that PPM is an independent predictor of operative mortality after AVR, particularly when associated with LV dysfunction.MethodsThe indexed valve effective orifice area (EOA) was estimated in 2,576 patients having survived AVR and was used to define PPM as not clinically significant if it was >0.85 cm2/m2, as moderate if >0.65 and ≤0.85 cm2/m2, and severe if ≤0.65 cm2/m2.ResultsAfter adjustment for other risk factors, severe PPM was associated with increased late overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.38; p = 0.03) and cardiovascular mortality (HR: 1.63; p = 0.0006) in the whole cohort. Severe PPM was also associated with increased overall mortality in patients <70 years old (HR: 1.77; p = 0.002) and in patients with a BMI <30 kg/m2 (HR: 2.1; p = 0.006), but had no impact in older patients or in obese patients. Moderate PPM was a predictor of mortality in patients with LV ejection fraction <50% (HR: 1.21; p = 0.01), but not in patients with preserved LV function.ConclusionsModerate PPM is associated with increased late mortality in patients with LV dysfunction, but with normal prognosis in those with preserved LV function. Notwithstanding the previously demonstrated deleterious effect of severe PPM on early mortality, this factor appears to increase late mortality only in patients <70 years old and/or with a BMI <30 kg/m2 or an LV ejection fraction <50%

Sternal reentry in a patient with previous deep sternal wound infection managed with horizontal titanium plate fixation

Redo open-heart surgery and sternal reentry in patients with previous deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) and absence of sternal integrity can be a delicate and morbid task due the lack of a dissection plane between the heart and the surrounding soft tissues. Delayed sternal reconstruction and osteosynthesis with horizontal titanium plating fixation (Synthes) following vacuum assisted therapy (KCI) has recently been proposed and adopted for the treatment of DSWI. We present such a case of a patient who was successfully reoperated for valve replacement three years after coronary artery bypass grafting complicated by DSWI and initially treated with titanium plate fixation

Revue d'histoire du Bas-Saint-Laurent, vol. 12 (3-4)

Mot de l'éditeur -- Au micro de CJBR -- La grande histoire de CJBR -- Jules-A. Brillant et le poste CJBR -- Avec CJBR, un bon en avant pour le Bas St-Laurent -- CJBR, l'école -- L'annonceur: un éducateur populaire -- Sandy Burgess : le journaliste que j'ai connu -- "Ce pays qui est le mien" -- Un demi-siècle d'information: que de nouvelles! -- Journaliste de père en fils à CJBR -- Le théâtre à CJBR -- 50 ans de musique à CJBR, le château fort de la mélodie française -- Poésie, théâtre, jazz et originalité avec Michel Garneau -- Les "Chroniques du dimanche", l'âge d'or de la critique culturelle à CJBR -- "Si CJBR m'était conté..." -- L'évolution technologique, un élément-clef de l'histoire des 50 ans de radiodiffusion -- La publicité à CJBR, quarante ans de croissance -- Des pionnières à CJBR -- 1958-1972, des années enrichissantes -- De Trois-Pistoles à Rimouski -- Le sport et son enracinement dans le milieu régional -- "Debout c'est l'heure", c'est Jean Brisson qui sonne le réveil -- "Par une belle journée de tempête" -- Et on repart vers la centain

Overexpression of RoDELLA impacts the height, branching, and flowering behaviour of Pelargonium × domesticum transgenic plants

Key message We reported the cloning of a rose DELLA gene. We obtained transgenic Pelargonium lines overexpressing this gene which presented several phenotypes in plant growth, root growth, flowering time and number of inflorescences. Abstract Control of development is an important issue for production of ornamental plant. The plant growth regulator, gibberellins (GAs), plays a pivotal role in regulating plant growth and development. DELLA proteins are nuclear negative regulator of GA signalling. Our objective was to study the role of GA in the plant architecture and in the blooming of ornamentals. We cloned a rose DELLA homologous gene, RoDELLA, and studied its function by genetic transformation of pelargonium. Several transgenic pelargonium (Pelargonium × domesticum ‘Autum Haze’) lines were produced that ectopically expressed RoDELLA under the control of the 35S promoter. These transgenic plants exhibited a range of phenotypes which could be related to the reduction in GA response. Most of transgenic plants showed reduced growth associated to an increase of the node and branch number. Moreover, overexpression of RoDELLA blocked or delayed flowering in transgenic pelargonium and exhibited defects in the root formation. We demonstrated that pelargonium could be used to validate ornamental gene as the rose DELLA gene. RoDELLA overexpression modified many aspects of plant developmental pathways, as the plant growth, the transition of vegetative to floral stage and the ability of rooting

Improvement of in vitro donor plant competence to increase de novo shoot organogenesis in rose genotypes

A procedure was developed for in vitro propagation of Rosa genotypes along with an efficient de novo shoot organogenesis (DNSO) method. We tested, on one genotype (hybrid of Rosa wichurana), the effects of MS basal medium complemented with two growth regulators to achieve either shoot elongation or shoot multiplication of plants. These media were complemented with carbohydrate concentrations from different sources. Then, the impacts of various carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, maltose, sorbitol, sucrose) on the growth and development of several rose genotypes during donor plant subculturing were studied on SMM. The results showed high variability in growth and development between genotypes. Contrary to other members of the Rosaceae family, no correlation was found between the shoot size and number when the amount of sorbitol was increased. Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 3.0 mg L−1 BAP and containing fructose or glucose at 30 g L−1 was chosen to induce leaf explants for the DNSO experiments. MS basal medium complemented with TDZ/IBA at three ratios and the same range of carbohydrate sources were tested for DNSO. Significant genotypic variations with regard to the percentage of regeneration was demonstrated with six genotypes. For two genotypes, a hybrid of Rosa wichurana and Rosa ‘White Pet’, we defined the conditions required to obtain 100% DNSO. For Rosa chinensis ‘Old blush’ and the rootstock genotype Rosa ‘Natal Briar’, we obtained 74 and 87.5% DNSO and only 56.67% and 37.5% for Rosa GUY SAVOY® (‘Delstrimen’) and Rosa ‘Félicité et Perpétue’ respectively. This adventitious shoot regeneration method may be used for large-scale shoot propagation and genetic engineering studies in Rosa

Relation of mitral valve morphology and motion to mitral regurgitation severity in patients with mitral valve prolapse

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mitral valve thickness is used as a criterion to distinguish the classical from the non-classical form of mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Classical form of MVP has been associated with higher risk of mitral regurgitation (MR) and concomitant complications. We sought to determine the relation of mitral valve morphology and motion to mitral regurgitation severity in patients with MVP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We prospectively analyzed transthoracic echocardiograms of 38 consecutive patients with MVP and various degrees of MR. In the parasternal long-axis view, leaflets length, diastolic leaflet thickness, prolapsing depth, billowing area and non-coaptation distance between both leaflets were measured.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty patients (53%) and 18 patients (47%) were identified as having moderate to severe and mild MR respectively (ERO = 45 ± 27 mm²vs. 5 ± 7 mm², p < 0.001). Diastolic leaflet thickness was similar in both groups (5.5 ± 0.9 mm vs. 5.3 ± 1 mm, p = 0.57). On multivariate analysis, the non-coaptation distance (OR 7.9 per 1 mm increase; 95% CI 1.72-37.2) was associated with significant MR. Thick mitral valve leaflet as traditionally reported (≥ 5 mm) was not associated with significant MR (OR 0.9; 95% CI 0.2-3.4).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In patients with MVP, thick mitral leaflet is not associated with significant MR. Leaflet thickness is probably not as important in risk stratification as previously reported in patients with MVP. Other anatomical and geometrical features of the mitral valve apparatus area appear to be much more closely related to MR severity.</p