Multiple arterial grafts may result in longer survival than single arterial grafts after coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. We evaluated the use of bilateral internal-thoracic-artery ...grafts for CABG.
We randomly assigned patients scheduled for CABG to undergo bilateral or single internal-thoracic-artery grafting. Additional arterial or vein grafts were used as indicated. The primary outcome was death from any cause at 10 years. The composite of death from any cause, myocardial infarction, or stroke was a secondary outcome.
A total of 1548 patients were randomly assigned to undergo bilateral internal-thoracic-artery grafting (the bilateral-graft group) and 1554 to undergo single internal-thoracic-artery grafting (the single-graft group). In the bilateral-graft group, 13.9% of the patients received only a single internal-thoracic-artery graft, and in the single-graft group, 21.8% of the patients also received a radial-artery graft. Vital status was not known for 2.3% of the patients at 10 years. In the intention-to-treat analysis at 10 years, there were 315 deaths (20.3% of the patients) in the bilateral-graft group and 329 deaths (21.2%) in the single-graft group (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.82 to 1.12; P=0.62). Regarding the composite outcome of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, there were 385 patients (24.9%) with an event in the bilateral-graft group and 425 patients (27.3%) with an event in the single-graft group (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.03).
Among patients who were scheduled for CABG and had been randomly assigned to undergo bilateral or single internal-thoracic-artery grafting, there was no significant between-group difference in the rate of death from any cause at 10 years in the intention-to-treat analysis. Further studies are needed to determine whether multiple arterial grafts provide better outcomes than a single internal-thoracic-artery graft. (Funded by the British Heath Foundation and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN46552265 .).
Patients with obstructive left main coronary artery disease are usually treated with coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG). Randomized trials have suggested that drug-eluting stents may be an ...acceptable alternative to CABG in selected patients with left main coronary disease.
We randomly assigned 1905 eligible patients with left main coronary artery disease of low or intermediate anatomical complexity to undergo either percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with fluoropolymer-based cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents (PCI group, 948 patients) or CABG (CABG group, 957 patients). Anatomic complexity was assessed at the sites and defined by a Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score of 32 or lower (the SYNTAX score reflects a comprehensive angiographic assessment of the coronary vasculature, with 0 as the lowest score and higher scores no upper limit indicating more complex coronary anatomy). The primary end point was the rate of a composite of death from any cause, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 3 years, and the trial was powered for noninferiority testing of the primary end point (noninferiority margin, 4.2 percentage points). Major secondary end points included the rate of a composite of death from any cause, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 30 days and the rate of a composite of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven revascularization at 3 years. Event rates were based on Kaplan-Meier estimates in time-to-first-event analyses.
At 3 years, a primary end-point event had occurred in 15.4% of the patients in the PCI group and in 14.7% of the patients in the CABG group (difference, 0.7 percentage points; upper 97.5% confidence limit, 4.0 percentage points; P=0.02 for noninferiority; hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.79 to 1.26; P=0.98 for superiority). The secondary end-point event of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 30 days occurred in 4.9% of the patients in the PCI group and in 7.9% in the CABG group (P<0.001 for noninferiority, P=0.008 for superiority). The secondary end-point event of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven revascularization at 3 years occurred in 23.1% of the patients in the PCI group and in 19.1% in the CABG group (P=0.01 for noninferiority, P=0.10 for superiority).
In patients with left main coronary artery disease and low or intermediate SYNTAX scores by site assessment, PCI with everolimus-eluting stents was noninferior to CABG with respect to the rate of the composite end point of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 3 years. (Funded by Abbott Vascular; EXCEL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01205776 .).
Long-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with contemporary drug-eluting stents, as compared with coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG), in patients with left main coronary ...artery disease are not clearly established.
We randomly assigned 1905 patients with left main coronary artery disease of low or intermediate anatomical complexity (according to assessment at the participating centers) to undergo either PCI with fluoropolymer-based cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents (PCI group, 948 patients) or CABG (CABG group, 957 patients). The primary outcome was a composite of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction.
At 5 years, a primary outcome event had occurred in 22.0% of the patients in the PCI group and in 19.2% of the patients in the CABG group (difference, 2.8 percentage points; 95% confidence interval CI, -0.9 to 6.5; P = 0.13). Death from any cause occurred more frequently in the PCI group than in the CABG group (in 13.0% vs. 9.9%; difference, 3.1 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.2 to 6.1). In the PCI and CABG groups, the incidences of definite cardiovascular death (5.0% and 4.5%, respectively; difference, 0.5 percentage points; 95% CI, -1.4 to 2.5) and myocardial infarction (10.6% and 9.1%; difference, 1.4 percentage points; 95% CI, -1.3 to 4.2) were not significantly different. All cerebrovascular events were less frequent after PCI than after CABG (3.3% vs. 5.2%; difference, -1.9 percentage points; 95% CI, -3.8 to 0), although the incidence of stroke was not significantly different between the two groups (2.9% and 3.7%; difference, -0.8 percentage points; 95% CI, -2.4 to 0.9). Ischemia-driven revascularization was more frequent after PCI than after CABG (16.9% vs. 10.0%; difference, 6.9 percentage points; 95% CI, 3.7 to 10.0).
In patients with left main coronary artery disease of low or intermediate anatomical complexity, there was no significant difference between PCI and CABG with respect to the rate of the composite outcome of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 5 years. (Funded by Abbott Vascular; EXCEL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01205776.).
Background
There has been increasing interest in using del Nido cardioplegia in adult cardiac surgery. However, there is limited evidence for its efficacy in patients with acute coronary syndrome and ...reduced ejection fraction.
Methods
This study examined patients with decreased ejection fraction (EF < 40%) who were hospitalized due to acute coronary syndrome and received either del Nido (DN) or cold blood cardioplegia (CB). The patients were matched based on age, gender, myocardial infarction at baseline, and number of conducted surgical procedures. An analysis was conducted on postoperative biomarker release (high-sensitivity troponin T and isoenzyme creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB)), changes in myocardial contractility and perioperative outcomes.
Results
62 pairs of patients with similar baseline characteristics were selected. 51.6% of pairs underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, while 48.4% underwent a complex procedure. Postoperative troponin values did not differ significantly at 12 h (median (IQR): 606.7 (381.4–974.8) pg/mL vs. 552 (231.8–1579.5) pg/mL; p = 0.913), nor did CK-MB (median (IQR): 24.3 (12.6–45.5) ng/mL vs. 23.7 (12.3–49.8) ng/mL; p = 0.972). The postoperative EF was similar between groups (median (IQR): 30% (30–35%) vs. 34% (30–38%); p = 0.323). No difference in perioperative mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, or composite endpoint was noted. In a multivariate analysis, the cardioplegia protocol did not affect biomarker release or changes in ejection fraction. The first stage of acute kidney injury was more frequent in the CB group (28.5% vs. 9.7%, p = 0.033).
Conclusions
Both del Nido and cold blood cardioplegia provide adequate cardioprotection in patients with acute coronary syndrome with decreased ejection fraction.
Acute and Late Outcomes of Unprotected Left Main Stenting in Comparison With Surgical Revascularization Pawel E. Buszman, Stefan R. Kiesz, Andrzej Bochenek, Ewa Peszek-Przybyla, Iwona Szkrobka, ...Marcin Debinski, Bozena Bialkowska, Dariusz Dudek, Agata Gruzka, Aleksander Zurakowski, Krzysztof Milewski, Miroslaw Wilczynski, Lukasz Rzeszutko, Piotr Buszman, Jan Szymszal, Jack L. Martin, Michal Tendera Unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) stenting is the subject of intense investigation as a potential alternative to bypass surgery. We randomly assigned 105 patients with ULMCA stenosis to receive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (52 patients) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (53 patients). Patients treated with PCI had favorable early outcomes in comparison with the CABG group. At 1 year, the ejection fraction improved significantly only in the PCI group. Target vessel failure was similar in both groups. After more than 2 years, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event-free survival was similar in both groups with a trend toward improved survival after PCI.
Objectives This study sought to evaluate the impact of postoperative delirium with/without cerebral ischemia on short- and long-term mortality in a large cohort of cardiac surgery patients. Design ...The study constituted a prospective cohort observation of patients following various cardiac surgery procedures. Setting The investigation was conducted in a single high-volume tertiary cardiac surgery center. Participants Consecutive candidates for cardiac surgery (n = 8,792) from 2003 to 2008 were subjected to the following exclusion criteria: History of any psychiatric disorders, alcohol abuse and intake of psychoactive drugs and incomplete data. Interventions No additional interventions were performed, except for standard perioperative management. Measurements and Main Results 5,781 patients finally were assigned to cohorts depending on the presence of postoperative delirium with/without cerebral ischemia and then prospectively followed up over the median time of 46 months. Overall 30-day mortality in patients with delirium was 15.25%, including 6.43% of patients without and 38.46% of subjects with cerebral ischemia. After adjustment for more than 100 perioperative variables, short-term mortality was associated independently with delirium (OR = 3.735), stroke (OR = 5.698), hypertension (OR = 0.333), urgency of surgery (OR = 13.018), baseline plasma glucose and protein concentrations and blood transfusions (AUROC for the model 0.94). Long-term mortality in patients who developed delirium was 23.31%, including 15.2% of patients without and 44.62% of those with postoperative stroke. Long-term mortality independently corresponded with stroke (HR = 3.968), urgent surgery (HR = 27.643), baseline plasma glucose and protein concentrations, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and blood transfusions. Impact of postoperative delirium was insignificant (p = 0.2). Compared to subjects with cerebral ischemia, death in patients only with delirium was less frequently of cardiovascular cause (p < 0.01). Conclusions Delirium with/without cerebral ischemia significantly worsened the short-term prognosis. Stroke, yet not delirium, considerably increased the long-term mortality, especially of cardiovascular origin.
Background
Minimally invasive procedures are demanding in terms of cardioprotection. In many leading centres Bretschneider HTK solution is used for mitral valve surgery. The study was designed to ...provide comparison of the del Nido and Bretschneider HTK protocol.
Methods
Patients who underwent minimally invasive mitral valve repair for primary mitral regurgitation and received single delivery of either del Nido (Group 1) or Bretschneider HTK cardioplegia (Group 2) were matched on basis of age, gender and length of the cross-clamp time. The groups were compared in terms of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (death, myocardial infarction, stroke), high sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) and creatine kinase- MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) release at 12 h and 24 h following the surgery, incidence of low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS), postoperative arrhythmia, transfusions and postoperative renal function.
Results
Case control matching selected 38 pairs of patients. None of patients died, nor suffered from myocardial infarction or stroke. Troponin values did not differ at 12 h (median: 281.0 pg/mL vs 313.0 pg/mL; p = .38) and 24 h (median: 261.0 pg/mL vs 299.0 pg/mL; p = .54), as well as CK-MB at 12 h (median: 25.0 ng/mL vs 29.0 ng/mL; p = .31) and 24 h (median: 11.0 ng/mL versus 9.6 ng/mL; p = .46). Difference in occurrence of LCOS was insignificant (2 vs 7; 5.2% vs 18.4%; p =.15). No difference was shown in incidence of postoperative arrhythmia, transfusions and renal function.
Conclusions
Del Nido cardioplegia can be used safely as an alternative for Bretschneider HTK for minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.
Background:
Crystalloid cardioplegic solutions are believed to reduce hemoglobin significantly and increase the transfusion rate. However, recent reports indicate that the del Nido cardioplegia may ...preserve blood morphology parameters.
Methods:
In “The del Nido versus cold blood cardioplegia in aortic valve Replacement” trial patients undergoing aortic valve replacement were randomized into the del Nido (DN) or cold blood cardioplegia (CB) group. For the subanalysis, patients who underwent blood transfusions were excluded from the study. Red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC) count and platelet (PLT) count were measured before the surgery, 24-, 48-, and 96 hours postoperatively. Furthermore, percental variation in first-last measure was compared in groups. In addition, indexed normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were compared preoperatively and 24 hours after the surgery.
Results:
Eighteen (24%) patients from the del Nido group and 22 (29.3%) patients from the CB group received blood product transfusions (p = 0.560) and were excluded from further analysis. As such, 57 patients remained in DN group and 53 patients remained in CB group. No difference was found in RBC, hemoglobin, WBC, and platelet count in time intervals. Percental variation in first-last measure revealed higher fall in RBC (p = 0.0024) and hemoglobin (p = 0.0028) in the CB group. No difference was shown in preoperative and 24-hour postoperative INR and aPTT.
Conclusions:
The del Nido cardioplegia does not decrease blood morphology parameters when compared to cold blood cardioplegia and may be used alternatively regardless of bleeding and coagulopathy risk.
Introduction The adequate protection provided by the del Nido cardioplegia has already been proven in trials comparing the solution with blood cardioplegia. However, evidence regarding comparison to ...the Bretschneider HTK solution is limited. Aim To determine the efficacy of the del Nido cardioplegia when compared to Bretschneider HTK solution in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis. Material and methods Ten patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis using the del Nido solution (group 1) were case-control matched to patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) using the Bretschneider solution (group 2). The observation included: cardioplegia dosage, time to cardiac arrest, cross-clamp and extracorporeal circulation time, ventricular fibrillation (VF) after removing the cross-clamp, gasometry parameters, creatinine kinase (MB isoenzyme – CK-MB) at 24 and 48 h following the surgery and troponin (high‑sensitivity troponin T – hsTnT) at 24 and 48 h. Results Patients were no different in terms of comorbidities. Higher incidence of VF occurred in group 2 (3 vs. 9, 30% vs. 90%; p = 0.02). Blood sodium measurements after removing the cross-clamp were significantly higher in group 1 (median 137.0 vs. 130.0; p = 0.0004). Biomarker release trended toward lower values in group 1, but not significantly (median troponin at 24 h: 223.1 pg/ml vs. 294.8 pg/ml; p = 0.4 and 48 h: 208.0 pg/ml vs. 242.5 pg/ml; p = 0.7, median CK-MB at 24 h: 16.6 ng/ml vs. 17.3 ng/ml; p = 0.6, and 48 h: 6.7 ng/ml vs. 5.08 ng/ml; p = 0.3). Peak creatinine trended towards lower values in group 2, but not significantly (1.35 mg/dl vs. 1.05 mg/dl; p = 0.09). Conclusions Both del Nido and Bretschneider cardioplegia provide satisfactory myocardial protection. However, del Nido cardioplegia reduces the incidence of VF after declamping the aorta. Further studies are required.
Background. Previous reports provided inconsistent data on the occurrence of postoperative delirium and emphasized its considerable impact on outcome. This study sought to evaluate the incidence and ...predictors of delirium, together with its relation to cerebral ischemia in a large cohort of cardiac surgery patients in a tertiary high-volume center. Methods and Results. Consecutive patients (n=8792) were prospectively enrolled from 2003 to 2008. Exclusion criteria were history of psychiatric disorders, use of psychoactive drugs, alcohol abuse, and data incompleteness. Finally, 5781 patients were analyzed in terms of 100 perioperative patient-specific and treatment variables. The incidence of postoperative delirium (DSM IV criteria) was 4.1% and it coexisted with cerebral ischemia in 1.1% of patients. In bivariate analysis, 49 variables were significantly linked to postoperative delirium. Multivariate analysis confirmed that delirium was independently associated with postoperative stroke (logistic odds ratio (logOR) = 2.862, P=0.004), any blood transfusions (logOR = 4.178, P<0.0001), age > 65 years (logOR = 2.417, P=0.002), carotid artery stenosis (logOR = 2.15, P=0.01), urgent/emergent surgery (logOR = 1.982, P=0.02), fasting glucose level, intraoperative oxygen partial pressure fluctuations, and hematocrit. Area under ROC curve for the model was 0.8933. Conclusions. Early identification of nonpsychiatric perioperative determinants of delirium facilitates its diagnosis and might help develop preventive strategies to improve long-term outcome after cardiac surgery procedures.
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