Preparing the spinal cord - priming or preconditioning? : A systematic review of experimental studies

Objectives. Paraplegia is devastating complication associated with thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Vast evidence has been gathered on pre-, peri- and postoperative protective adjuncts aiming to minimize spinal cord ischemia. This review focuses on the pretreatment phase of open surgical or endovascular aortic procedures and gathers the experimental data on the interventional preconditioning and priming methods that increase the spinal cord ischemic tolerance. Design. By the start of March 2021, a systematic review was performed in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science core collection to identify the articles that reported (i) either an ischemic preconditioning, remote ischemic preconditioning or priming method prior to (ii) experimental spinal cord ischemia performed in endovascular or open surgical fashion mimicking either thoracic, abdominal or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm procedures. (iii) The outcomes were reported via neurological, motor-evoked potential, somatosensory-evoked potential, histopathological, immunohistochemical, physiological analysis, or in different combinations of these measurements. Results. The search yielded 7802 articles, and 57 articles were included in the systematic review. The articles were assessed by the evaluated species, the utilized pretreatment, the measured protective effects, and the suggested underlying mechanisms. Conclusions. The reviewed articles showed several possible mechanisms in ischemic and remote ischemic preconditioning for prevention of spinal cord ischemia. The main suggested method for priming was arteriogenetic stimulus. Future studies should confirm these hints of arteriogenetic stimulus with more precise quantification of the protective recruitment process.Peer reviewe

Acute Phase Response in Patients With Uncomplicated and Complicated Endoscopic Retrogradic Cholangiopancreaticography

Acute phase response after endoscopic retrogradic cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) was studied in 42 patients with suspected pancreatic or biliary diseases. In uncomplicated cases acute phase response determined by serum C-reactive protein levels was rare and did not parallel the serum amylase or lipase levels. In three of the these 42 patients, post-ERCP pancreatitis developed and CRP levels elevated sharply and paralleled the degree of pancreatitis. Six additional patients outside of this prospective study with post-ERCP-pancreatitis and daily CRP determinations were used to determine the CRP-response curve in post-ERCP pancreatitis

Serum Calprotectin, a Marker of Neutrophil Activation, and Other Mediators of Inflammation in Response to Various Types of Extreme Physical Exertion in Healthy Volunteers

Purpose: While extreme physical exertion is known to induce changes in the status of inflammation comparisons of the responses for various mediators of inflammation after acute bouts of high-intensity exercise have been limited. Subjects and Methods: We examined the responses in serum levels of novel inflammatory proteins, calprotectin, suPAR, CD163, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in 12 physically active volunteers (10 men, 2 women, mean age 37 +/- 14 years) before and after completing various types of extreme physical exertion (marathon run, half-marathon run or 24-h cross-country skiing). For comparisons, the levels of the biomarkers were also measured at rest in 30 healthy controls (25 men, 5 women, mean age 42 +/- 12 years) with low or sedentary activity. Results: Extreme physical exertion induced significant increases in serum calprotectin (p <0.0005), suPAR (p <0.01), CD163 (p <0.05), IL-6 (p <0.0005), IL-8 (p <0.01) and IL-10 (p <0.0005) (pre- vs 3h-post-exercise). These responses were found to normalize within 48 hours. While the increases in blood leukocytes were of similar magnitude following the different types of exercise, markedly more pronounced responses occurred in serum TNF-alpha (p <0.01), IL-8 (p <0.01) and CD163 (p <0.05) in those with more intense activity. In 3-h post-exercise samples significant correlations were observed between serum calprotectin and IL-6 (r(s) = 0.720, p <0.01), IL-10 (r(s) = 0.615, p <0.05), TNF-alpha (r(s) = 0.594, p <0.05), suPAR (r(s) = 0.587, p <0.05) and blood leukocytes (r(s) = 0.762, p <0.01). Conclusion: The present results suggest distinct exercise-intensity dependent changes in mediators of inflammation (including calprotectin, suPAR and CD163) following extreme physical exertion. Our findings indicate that there is a major reversible impact of high-intensity physical exertion on the status of inflammation.Peer reviewe

Etäinen iskeeminen esialtistus - laboratoriosta kliiniseen käyttöön?

English summaryPeer reviewe

13-year single-center experience with the treatment of acute type B aortic dissection

Background. Acute type B aortic dissection (TBAD) is catastrophic event associated with significant mortality and lifelong morbidity. The optimal treatment strategy of TBAD is still controversial. Methods. This analysis includes patients treated for TBAD at the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland in 2007-2019. The endpoints were early and late mortality, and intervention of the aorta. Results. There were 205 consecutive TBAD patients, 59 complicated and 146 uncomplicated patients (mean age of 66 +/- 14, females 27.8%). In-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were higher in complicated patients compared with uncomplicated patients with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.035 and p = 0.015, respectively). After a mean follow-up of 4.9 +/- 3.8 years, 36 (25.0%) and 22 (37.9%) TBAD -related adverse events occurred in the uncomplicated and complicated groups, respectively (p = 0.066). Freedom from composite outcome was 83 +/- 3% and 69 +/- 6% at 1 year, 75 +/- 4% and 63 +/- 7% at 5 years, 70 +/- 5% and 59 +/- 7% at 10 years in the uncomplicated group and in the complicated group, respectively (p = 0.052). There were 25 (39.1%) TBAD-related deaths in the overall series and prior aortic aneurysm was the only risk factor for adverse aortic-related events in multivariate analysis (HR 3.46, 95% CI 1.72-6.96, p < 0.001). Conclusion. TBAD is associated with a significant risk of early and late adverse events. Such a risk tends to be lower among patients with uncomplicated dissection, still one fourth of them experience TBAD-related event. Recognition of risk factors in the uncomplicated group who may benefit from early aortic repair would be beneficial.Peer reviewe

Outcome of valve sparing root replacement for diverse indications

Objectives We report the mid-term outcomes of valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSRR) in a cohort including patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), connective tissue disorder (CTD), aortic dissection (AD), and congenital heart disease (CHD). Design. From 2005 to 2017, 174 patients underwent VSRR with the reimplantation technique. The mean age was 46 +/- 14 years. The mean follow-up time was 4.8 +/- 2.8 years. The indication for operation was aortic aneurysm for 127 (73%), aortic insufficiency (AI) for 38 (22%), and AD for 9 patients (5%). Preoperatively, 53 patients (31%) had >= moderate AI. BAV, CTD (Marfan or Loyes-Dietz), previous Ross procedure, or CHD was present in 57 (33%), 28 (16%), 7 (4%) and 12 patients (7%), respectively. Concomitant aortic valve repair was performed for 103 patients (59%). Results. Thirty-day mortality was zero. Four patients underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) during follow-up. Kaplan-Meier estimates for survival, freedom from AVR, and freedom from >= moderate AI or reoperation were 96, 98, and 97% at 5 years. There was no difference in survival, freedom from AVR, or freedom from >= moderate AI or reoperation in patients with and without BAV, CTD, leaflet repair, or preoperative >= moderate AI. In Cox regression analysis, BAV, CTD, aortic valve repair, preoperative >= moderate AI, or aortic dimension were not risk factors for reoperation or valve dysfunction. Conclusions. Mid-term outcomes of VSRR for patients with diverse indications in terms of survival, reoperation rate, and valve dysfunction rate were excellent in a center with a limited annual volume of VSSR.Peer reviewe

Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation after Surgical Repair of Type A Aortic Dissection

Venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCS) in patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is controversial and the available evidence is confined to limited case series. We aimed to evaluate the impact of this salvage therapy in this patient population. Between January 2010 and March 2018, all TAAD patients receiving VA-ECMO for PCS were retrieved from the PC-ECMO registry. Hospital mortality and other secondary outcomes were compared with PCS patients undergoing surgery for other cardiac pathologies and treated with VA-ECMO. Among the 781 patients in the PC-ECMO registry, 62 (7.9%) underwent TAAD repair and required VA-ECMO support for PCS. In-hospital mortality accounted for 46 (74.2%) patients, while 23 (37.1%) were successfully weaned from VAECMO. No significant differences were observed between the TAAD and non-TAAD cohorts with reference to in-hospital mortality (74.2% vs 63.4%, p = 0.089). However, patients in the TAAD group had a higher rate of neurological events (33.9% vs 17.6%, p = 0.002), but similar rates of reoperation for bleeding/tamponade (48.4% vs 41.5%, p = 0.29), transfusion of >= 10 red blood cell units (77.4% vs 69.5%, p = 0.19), new-onset dialysis (56.7% vs 53.1%, p = 0.56), and other secondary outcomes. VA-ECMO provides a valid support for patients affected by PCS after surgery for TAAD. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

One-Year Outcomes and Trends over Two Eras of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Real-World Practice

Background: Data reflecting the benefit of procedural improvements in real-world transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) practice are sparse. Aims: To compare outcomes and trends of two TAVI eras from real Italian practice. Methods: A total of 1811 and 2939 TAVI patients enrolled in the national, prospective OBSERVANT and OBSERVANT II studies in 2010-2012 and 2016-2018, respectively, were compared in a cohort study. Outcomes were adjusted using inverse propensity of treatment weighting and propensity score matching. Results: The median age (83.0 (79.0-86.0) vs. 83.0 (79.0-86.0)) and EuroSCORE II (5.2 (3.2-7.7) vs. 5.1 (3.1-8.1)) of OBSERVANT and OBSERVANT II patients were similar. At 1 year, patients of the OBSERVANT II study had a significantly lower risk of all-cause death (10.6% vs. 16.3%, Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.63 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.52-0.76)) and rehospitalization for heart failure (HF) (14.3% vs. 19.5%, Sub-distribution HR 0.71 (95%CI 0.60-0.84)), whereas rates of stroke (3.1% vs. 3.6%) and permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) (16.6% vs. 18.0%) were comparable between study groups. Conclusions: Age and risk profile among patients undergoing TAVI in Italy remained substantially unchanged between the 2010-2012 and 2016-2018 time periods. After adjustment, patients undergoing TAVI in the most recent era had lower risk of all-cause death and rehospitalization for HF at 1 year, whereas rates of stroke and PPI did not differ significantly.Peer reviewe

Sepelvaltimoiden ohitusleikkaus 2020-luvulla

Vertaisarvioitu. English summary.• Sepelvaltimoiden ohitusleikkauksella voidaan helpottaa oireita ja vähentää kuoleman riskiä iskeemistä sepelvaltimotautia sairastavilla potilailla. • Ohitusleikkauksella saavutetaan erinomaiset pitkäaikaistulokset. Se on suositeltava revaskularisaatiomuoto varsinkin pitkälle edenneen ja vasenta päärunkoa ahtauttavan sepelvaltimotaudin hoidossa. • Diabeetikoilla ohitusleikkauksella saavutetaan pitkäaikaisempi hoitotulos kuin perkutaanisella ¬pallolaajennus- ja verkkoputkihoidolla. • Suomessa on merkittäviä alueellisia eroja sepelvaltimotaudin revaskularisaatiomuotojen käytössä.Peer reviewe

Sepelvaltimoiden ohitusleikkaus 2020-luvulla

• Sepelvaltimoiden ohitusleikkauksella voidaan helpottaa oireita ja vähentää kuoleman riskiä iskeemistä sepelvaltimotautia sairastavilla potilailla.• Ohitusleikkauksella saavutetaan erinomaiset pitkäaikaistulokset. Se on suositeltava revaskularisaatiomuoto varsinkin pitkälle edenneen ja vasenta päärunkoa ahtauttavan sepelvaltimotaudin hoidossa.• Diabeetikoilla ohitusleikkauksella saavutetaan pitkäaikaisempi hoitotulos kuin perkutaanisella ­pallolaajennus- ja verkkoputkihoidolla.• Suomessa on merkittäviä alueellisia eroja sepelvaltimotaudin revaskularisaatiomuotojen käytössä.</p