Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion,A Misnomer?: Where Do We Go From Here?

The importance of the left atrial appendage (LAA) as the source of thromboembolism including stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is well documented, with more than 90% of ischemic strokes related to a LAA thrombus. Although oral anticoagulation has been the standard of care, approximately 50% to 60% of patients either have contraindications to oral anticoagulation or do not continue the medication beyond the first year. This led to the development of local site-specific therapy to occlude the LAA by either surgical or transcatheter means. Despite marked advancements, incomplete LAA closure with surgical and transcatheter approaches remains frequent. The etiology of incomplete LAA closure and its clinical implications remain unclear. Multiple strategies are in development including changes in deployment techniques, a new device design, and alternative approaches to leak closure.     

Prosthetic choice in mitral valve replacement for severe chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation: Long-term follow-up

BackgroundProsthetic choice for mitral valve replacement is generally driven by patient age and patient and surgeon preference, and current guidelines do not discriminate between different etiologies of mitral valve disease. Our objective was to assess and compare short- and long-term outcomes after mitral valve replacement among patients with biological or mechanical prostheses in the setting of severe ischemic mitral regurgitation.MethodsBetween 2000 and 2016, 424 patients underwent mitral valve replacement for severe ischemic mitral regurgitation at our institution, using biological prosthesis in 188 (44%) and mechanical prosthesis in 236 (56%). A 1:1 propensity score match (n = 126 per group) and inverse probability of treatment weighting were used to compare groups. Short-term outcomes included in-hospital mortality and other cardiovascular adverse events. Long-term outcomes included survival and hospital readmission for cardiovascular causes, stroke, and major bleeding.ResultsIn-hospital mortality and early postoperative adverse events were similar between groups in the propensity score match and inverse probability of treatment weighting cohorts. Overall long-term survival was similar at 5 and 9 years, but mechanical prosthesis recipients were more frequently readmitted to hospital for cardiovascular causes, including stroke and non-neurological bleeding in propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting analyses (all P values < .004). Type of prosthesis did not independently influence all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-1.43; P = .959), but placement of a mechanical prosthesis was associated with increased risk of readmission for cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-2.32; P = .004) among matched patients.ConclusionsThe type of prosthesis has no influence on long-term survival among patients with severe ischemic mitral regurgitation undergoing mitral valve replacement. There may be an increased risk of neurologic events and serious bleeding associated with mechanical prostheses.     

低分子肝素钙治疗肺心病并呼吸衰竭的临床价值研究

目的探讨肺源性心脏病(肺心病)并呼吸衰竭患者运用低分子肝素钙进行治疗的临床应用价值。方法72例肺心病并呼吸衰竭患者,应用随机数字表法分为观察组和对照组,每组36例。对照组患者采取常规治疗,观察组患者在对照组上采用低分子肝素钙治疗。对比两组患者治疗前后动脉血气指标[氧分压(PaO2)、二氧化碳分压(PaCO2)及酸碱度(pH)值]及治疗效果。结果治疗前,两组患者的PaO2、PaCO2、pH值水平比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);治疗后,观察组患者的PaO2(9.36±1.02)kPa明显高于对照组的(7.78±0.98)kPa,PaCO2(6.33±0.97)kPa明显低于对照组的(7.65±1.28)kPa,差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05);两组患者pH值比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。观察组患者总有效率为97.22%,显著高于对照组的83.33%,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论针对肺心病并呼吸衰竭患者运用低分子肝素钙进行治疗,可有效改善患者的血气指标,提高治疗效果,具有较高的临床价值。