Background Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (ABMMNC) therapy has shown promise in patients with heart failure (HF). Cell function analysis may be important in interpreting trial results. ...Methods In this prospective study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of the transendocardial delivery of ABMMNCs in no-option patients with chronic HF. Efficacy was assessed by maximal myocardial oxygen consumption, single photon emission computed tomography, 2-dimensional echocardiography, and quality-of-life assessment (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure and Short Form 36). We also characterized patients' bone marrow cells by flow cytometry, colony-forming unit, and proliferative assays. Results Cell-treated (n = 20) and control patients (n = 10) were similar at baseline. The procedure was safe; adverse events were similar in both groups. Canadian Cardiovascular Society angina score improved significantly ( P = .001) in cell-treated patients, but function was not affected. Quality-of-life scores improved significantly at 6 months ( P = .009 Minnesota Living with Heart Failure and P = .002 physical component of Short Form 36) over baseline in cell-treated but not control patients. Single photon emission computed tomography data suggested a trend toward improved perfusion in cell-treated patients. The proportion of fixed defects significantly increased in control ( P = .02) but not in treated patients ( P = .16). Function of patients' bone marrow mononuclear cells was severely impaired. Stratifying cell results by age showed that younger patients (≤60 years) had significantly more mesenchymal progenitor cells (colony-forming unit fibroblasts) than patients >60 years (20.16 ± 14.6 vs 10.92 ± 7.8, P = .04). Furthermore, cell-treated younger patients had significantly improved maximal myocardial oxygen consumption (15 ± 5.8, 18.6 ± 2.7, and 17 ± 3.7 mL/kg per minute at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively) compared with similarly aged control patients (14.3 ± 2.5, 13.7 ± 3.7, and 14.6 ± 4.7 mL/kg per minute, P = .04). Conclusions ABMMNC therapy is safe and improves symptoms, quality of life, and possibly perfusion in patients with chronic HF.
Background The purpose of our study was to examine when and how to implement the current endoluminal stent graft technology to treat ascending aortic disease. Methods During a 7-year period (March ...2006 through July 2013), 7 consecutive patients (median age, 69 years; range, 61.5 to 80.5 years) with multiple comorbidities underwent endoluminal repair of the ascending aorta. Six had an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm, and 1 had iatrogenic coarctation. The median number of prior sternotomies was 2 (range, 1 to 4). Results Technical success was achieved in all but 1 patient, with 1 death (14.3%) at 30 days. The endoluminal technology used included the Gore TAG (W.L. Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, AZ) thoracic graft (including the new C-TAG) in 6 patients, the Talent stent graft (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, CA) in 1, an Excluder cuff (W.L. Gore) in 2, and an Amplatzer occluder (AGA Medical Corp, Plymouth, MN) in 1. More than 1 stent was placed in 4 patients. Three patients required innominate artery stenting, and 1 required additional left common carotid artery stenting. One patient (14.3%) required intraoperative conversion to open surgical repair. Median follow-up was 14.4 months (interquartile 25th to 75th percentile range, 5.5 to 22.6 months) with 66.6% overall survival. No aortic-related death was reported during the follow-up period. Conclusions Stent grafting of the ascending aorta is feasible but limited and is reserved for high-risk individuals. Technical expertise is essential, and follow-up is mandatory. Technical points, tips, and challenges of the current endovascular technology to effectively treat the ascending aorta are described.
Objective We compared the short-term outcomes between patients who had undergone classic repair for type I aortic dissection and those who had undergone concomitant antegrade stenting in the ...descending thoracic aorta. Methods From January 2005 to December 2012, 112 patients were treated for acute type I aortic dissection. Eighty-seven patients (group A) underwent traditional operations on the ascending and proximal arch (n = 79, 90.8%), total arch (n = 7, 8.1%), or ascending aorta (n = 1, 1.2%). Twenty-five patients (group B) underwent ascending and proximal arch repair and antegrade stent grafting in the descending thoracic aorta. Various concomitant procedures were performed in both groups. The circulatory arrest times were similar between the 2 groups. Results The 30-day mortality was 13.8% (n = 12) in group A and 12% (n = 3) in group B. Nine patients in group A (10.3%) and 3 in group B (12%) experienced a postoperative stroke. In group A, 1 patients (1.5%) developed transient spinal cord ischemia, and in group B, 2 patients had transient paraparesis (8.0%). Preoperatively, 24 group A patients and 19 group B patients had malperfusion; this condition resolved postoperatively in 13 group A patients (54.2%) and 16 group B patients (84.2%; P < .037). Eight group A patients (10.8%) and 1 group B patient (4.5%) underwent additional postoperative procedures on the thoracoabdominal aorta a median of 776.5 days (range, 168.5-1102.0) and 54 days postoperatively, respectively. Conclusions Antegrade endovascular grafting of the descending thoracic aorta during repair of acute type I aortic dissection is technically safe, does not increase the circulatory arrest time, and could help patients with preoperative malperfusion. Long-term follow-up data are needed.
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