Thoracoscopic Left Atrial Appendage Clipping: a multicenter cohort analysis

Objectives: This study sought to document the closure rate, safety, and stroke rate after thoracoscopic left atrial appendage (LAA) clipping. Background: The LAA is the main source of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, and thoracoscopic clipping may provide a durable and safe closure technique. Methods: The investigators studied consecutive patients undergoing clipping as part of a thoracoscopic maze procedure in 4 referral centers (the Netherlands and the United States) from 2012 to 2016. Completeness of LAA closure was assessed by either computed tomography (n = 100) or transesophageal echocardiography (n = 122). The primary outcome was complete LAA closure (absence of residual LAA flow and pouch <10 mm). The secondary outcomes were 30-day complications; the composite of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, or transient ischemic attack; and all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 222 patients were included, with a mean age of 66 ± 9 years, and 68.5% were male. The mean CHA2DS2-VASc (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, prior stroke or transient ischemic attack or thromboembolism, vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, sex category [female]) score was 2.3 ± 1.0. Complete LAA closure was achieved in 95.0% of patients. There were no intraoperative or clip-related complications, and the overall 30-day freedom from any complication rate was 96.4%. The freedom from cerebrovascular events after surgery was 99.1% after median follow-up of 20 months (interquartile range: 14 to 25 months; 369 patient-years of follow-up), and overall survival was 98.6%. The observed rate of cerebrovascular events after LAA clipping was low (0.5 per 100 patient-years). Conclusions: LAA clipping during thoracoscopic ablation is a feasible and safe technique for closure of the LAA in patients with atrial fibrillation. The lower than expected rate of cerebrovascular events after deployment was likely multifactorial, including not only LAA closure, but also the effect of oral anticoagulation and rhythm control

Lead extraction for cardiac implantable electronic device infection: comparable complication rates with or without abandoned leads

Aims: Abandoned leads are often linked to complications during lead extraction, prompting pre-emptive extraction if leads become non-functional. We examined their influence on complications when extracted for device-related infection. Methods and results: All patients undergoing lead extraction for device-related infection from 2006 to 2017 in our hospital were included. The primary endpoint was major complications. Out of 500 patients, 141 had abandoned leads, of whom 75% had only one abandoned lead. Median cumulative implant times were 24.2 (interquartile range 15.6-38.2) and 11.6 (5.6-17.4), respectively years with or without abandoned leads. All leads were extracted only with a femoral approach in 50.4% of patients. Mechanical rotational tools were introduced in 2014 and used in 22.2% of cases and replacing laser sheaths that were used in 5% of patients. Major complications occurred in 0.7% of patients with abandoned leads compared with 1.7% of patients with only active leads (P = 0.679). Failure to completely remove all leads was 14.9% and 6.4%, respectively with or without abandoned leads (P = 0.003), and clinical failure was 6.4% and 2.2% (P = 0.028), respectively. Procedural failure dropped to 9.2% and 5.7% (P = 0.37), respectively after the introduction of mechanical rotational tools. The only independent predictor of procedural and clinical failure in multivariate analysis was the cumulative implant duration. Conclusion: Despite longer implant times, patients with abandoned leads did not have more major complications during lead extraction. Therefore, preventive extraction of non-functional leads to avoid complications at a later stage is not warranted

Promoting physical activity with self-tracking and mobile-based coaching for cardiac surgery patients during the discharge⇓rehabilitation gap: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Home-based cardiac rehabilitations (CRs) with digital technologies have been researched and implemented to replace, augment, and complement traditional center-based CR in recent years with considerable success. One problem that technology-enhanced home-based CR can potentially address is the gap between cardiac interventions and formal CR programs. In the Netherlands and some other countries (eg, Australia), patients after cardiac interventions stay at home for 3-4 weeks without much support from their physicians, and often engage in very little physical activity (PA). A home-based exercise program enabled by digital technologies may help patients to better prepare for the later center-based CR programs, potentially increasing the uptake rate of those programs. Objective: In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), we will evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based walking exercise program enhanced by self-tracking and mobile-based coaching (treatment condition), comparing it with a version of the same program without these technologies (control condition). The added value of the digital technologies is justified if patients in the treatment group walk more steps on average (primary outcome) and show better physical fitness in a bicycle ergometer test and higher self-efficacy toward PA (secondary outcomes). Methods: Based on a power analysis, we will recruit 100 cardiac patients and assign them evenly to the 2 parallel groups. Eligible patients are those who are scheduled in the postanesthesia care unit, know the Dutch language, have basic literacy of using smartphones, and are without medical conditions that may increase risks associated with PA. In a face-to-face meeting with a nurse practitioner, all patients are prescribed a 3-week exercise program at home (2 walking exercises per day with increasing duration), based on national and international guidelines and tailored to their physical conditions after cardiac intervention. Their physical activities (daily steps) will be measured by the Axivity AX3 accelerometer worn at hip position. Patients in the treatment group will also be supported by a Neo Health One self-tracking device and a mobile platform called Heart Angel, through which they are monitored and coached by their nurses. After the study, all patients will perform a bicycle ergometer test and return the devices within 1 week. In addition, 5 questionnaires will be sent to the patients by emails to assess their self-efficacy toward PA and other psychological states for exploratory analyses (at discharge, at the end of each monitoring week, and 1 week after the study). To minimize bias, the randomization procedure will be performed after introducing the exercise program, so the nurse practitioners are blind to the experimental conditions until that point. Results: The study protocol has been approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committees United on February 26, 2018 (NL 62142.100.17/R17.51). By the end of 2018, we completed a small pilot study with 8 patients and the results based on interviews and app usage data suggest that a larger clinical trial with the targeted population is feasible. We expect to complete the RCT by the end of 2021, and statistical analyses will follow. Conclusions: Results of the RCT will help us to test the hypothesized benefits of self-tracking and mobile-based coaching for cardiac patients in home-based exercise programs during the discharge–rehabilitation gap. If the results are positive, cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed based on the insights of the study to inform the translation of the technology-enhanced program to clinical practice. We also note limitations of the trial in the discussion

Lead extraction for cardiac implantable electronic device infection:comparable complication rates with or without abandoned leads

\u3cp\u3eAims: Abandoned leads are often linked to complications during lead extraction, prompting pre-emptive extraction if leads become non-functional. We examined their influence on complications when extracted for device-related infection. Methods and results: All patients undergoing lead extraction for device-related infection from 2006 to 2017 in our hospital were included. The primary endpoint was major complications. Out of 500 patients, 141 had abandoned leads, of whom 75% had only one abandoned lead. Median cumulative implant times were 24.2 (interquartile range 15.6-38.2) and 11.6 (5.6-17.4), respectively years with or without abandoned leads. All leads were extracted only with a femoral approach in 50.4% of patients. Mechanical rotational tools were introduced in 2014 and used in 22.2% of cases and replacing laser sheaths that were used in 5% of patients. Major complications occurred in 0.7% of patients with abandoned leads compared with 1.7% of patients with only active leads (P = 0.679). Failure to completely remove all leads was 14.9% and 6.4%, respectively with or without abandoned leads (P = 0.003), and clinical failure was 6.4% and 2.2% (P = 0.028), respectively. Procedural failure dropped to 9.2% and 5.7% (P = 0.37), respectively after the introduction of mechanical rotational tools. The only independent predictor of procedural and clinical failure in multivariate analysis was the cumulative implant duration. Conclusion: Despite longer implant times, patients with abandoned leads did not have more major complications during lead extraction. Therefore, preventive extraction of non-functional leads to avoid complications at a later stage is not warranted.\u3c/p\u3

Acute isotonic hyponatremia after single dose histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia: an observational study

INTRODUCTION: Histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia is used for prolonged myocardial protection in complex cardiac surgery. Administration leads to acute hyponatremia in a majority of patients, because of its low sodium concentration (15 mmol/L). However, histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution's osmolality is slightly hypertonic (310 mOsm/kg). Hypothesized was that acute isotonic hyponatremia will be induced, which does not need to be corrected with hypertonic saline. METHODS: Cardiac surgery patients who received histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia were included in this prospective single center study. Serial blood samples were taken from each patient at five different time points: after induction of anesthesia (T1) and 10 minutes (T2), 6 hours (T3), 12 hours (T4), and 18 hours (T5) after administration of histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia, respectively. Blood samples were analyzed for sodium concentration, osmolality, and acid-base balance. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were included. Median blood sodium levels decreased from 140 [138-141] at T1 to 128 [125-130] mmol/L at T2 (p < 0.001). At T3, T4, and T5, median blood sodium concentrations were 136 [134-138], 139 [137-140], and 140 [137-142] mmol/L, respectively. Median osmolality was 289 [286-293] at T1 and increased to 296 [291-299] mOsm/kg (p < 0.001) at T2. At T3, T4, and T5, osmolality was 298 [292-302], 298 [294-304], and 300 [297-306] mOsm/kg, respectively. Median pH decreased from 7.38 [7.36-7.40] at T1 to 7.30 [7.27-7.32] at T2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Administration of histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia during cardiac surgery leads to acute moderate to severe isotonic hyponatremia, which resolves spontaneously in the first 18 hours perioperatively. Correction with hypertonic saline is not necessary

Patency of the internal mammary arteries after removal of the Nuss bar: an initial report

OBJECTIVES: Surgical correction of pectus excavatum (PE) has shifted to the modern minimally invasive Nuss procedure, which proved to be safe and effective. In order to restore the dented deformity, custom-curved metal bars provide continuous retrosternal pressure but cross the habitat of the internal mammary arteries (IMAs) directly affecting their patency. In this initial report, we sought to assess the patency of the IMAs in the first 6 patients who underwent Nuss bar removal in our department. METHODS: In 2010, we started to perform correction of PE using the Nuss bar technique. In 2013, observational analysis was performed on the first 6 patients who underwent removal of the Nuss bar. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) was performed in order to assess the patency of both IMAs directly after removal. RESULTS: In 4 (67%) patients, IMA patency was affected unilaterally (total obstruction or highly decreased flow pattern) corresponding with the lowest retrosternal side. CONCLUSIONS: According to our preliminary results, the oppressive force of Nuss bars interferes with IMA patency and thereby compro-mises future usability in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We recommend that patients undergoing CABG following the Nuss pro-cedure undergo preoperative evaluation of IMA patency. This study will be continued to include a larger number of patients including follow-up CTA one year after removal of the bar