The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 2022 Expert Consensus Document: The use of mechanical circulatory support in lung transplantation

ObjectiveThe use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in lung transplantation has been steadily increasing over the prior decade, with evolving strategies for incorporating support in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings. There is significant practice variability in the use of these techniques, however, and relatively limited data to help establish institutional protocols. The objective of the AATS Clinical Practice Standards Committee (CPSC) expert panel was to review the existing literature and establish recommendations about the use of MCS before, during, and after lung transplantation.MethodsThe AATS CPSC assembled an expert panel of 16 lung transplantation physicians who developed a consensus document of recommendations. The panel was broken into subgroups focused on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative support, and each subgroup performed a focused literature review. These subgroups formulated recommendation statements for each subtopic, which were evaluated by the entire group. The statements were then developed via discussion among the panel and refined until consensus was achieved on each statement.ResultsThe expert panel achieved consensus on 36 recommendations for how and when to use MCS in lung transplantation. These recommendations included the use of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridging strategy in the preoperative setting, a preference for central veno-arterial ECMO over traditional cardiopulmonary bypass during the transplantation procedure, and the benefit of supporting selected patients with MCS postoperatively.ConclusionsAchieving optimal results in lung transplantation requires the use of a wide range of strategies. MCS provides an important mechanism for helping these critically ill patients through the peritransplantation period. Despite the complex nature of the decision making process in the treatment of these patients, the expert panel was able to achieve consensus on 36 recommendations. These recommendations should provide guidance for professionals involved in the care of end-stage lung disease patients considered for transplantation.     

Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveNew-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac surgery is common, with rates up to 60%. POAF has been associated with early and late stroke, but its association with other cardiovascular outcomes is less known. The objective was to perform a meta-analysis of the studies reporting the association of POAF with perioperative and long-term outcomes in patients with cardiac surgery.MethodsWe performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of studies that presented outcomes for cardiac surgery on the basis of the presence or absence of POAF. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were assessed; 57 studies (246,340 patients) were selected. Perioperative mortality was the primary outcome. Inverse variance method and random model were performed. Leave-one-out analysis, subgroup analyses, and metaregression were conducted.ResultsPOAF was associated with perioperative mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58-2.33), perioperative stroke (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.90-2.49), perioperative myocardial infarction (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.06-1.54), perioperative acute renal failure (OR, 2.74; 95% CI, 2.42-3.11), hospital (standardized mean difference, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.53-1.07) and intensive care unit stay (standardized mean difference, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.24-0.86), long-term mortality (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.54; 95% CI, 1.40-1.69), long-term stroke (IRR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.21-1.46), and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation (IRR, 4.73; 95% CI, 3.36-6.66).ConclusionsThe results suggest that POAF after cardiac surgery is associated with an increased occurrence of most short- and long-term cardiovascular adverse events. However, the causality of this association remains to be established.     

微创超声乳化手术前后角膜前后表面及不同区域范围角膜参数的变化

目的：比较白内障微创超声乳化手术前后角膜前表面屈光力(ASF)、角膜真实净屈光力(TNP)和总角膜屈光力(TCRP)分布特点及角膜前后表面曲率半径比(B/F ratio)差异。

方法：前瞻性研究。收集2020-12/2021-05就诊于潍坊眼科医院行2.2mm微切口超声乳化白内障吸除联合人工晶状体植入术的年龄相关性白内障患者156例156眼。术前及术后3mo行Pentacam眼前节生物测量仪检查，收集以角膜顶点和以瞳孔为中心2、4、6mm环上和区域内ASF、TNP和TCRP，以及手术前后B/F ratio。

结果：术后3mo，以角膜顶点为中心2mm直径环上和区域内ASF值较术前均无差异(均P>0.05)，而4、6mm直径环上和区域内ASF值较术前均有差异(均P<0.05)； 以瞳孔为中心2mm直径环上及区域内ASF值较术前均无差异(均P>0.05)。以角膜顶点为中心和以瞳孔为中心2、4、6mm直径环上和区域内TNP、TCRP值较术前均有差异(均P<0.05)。术前以角膜顶点为中心和瞳孔为中心在2mm与6mm之间环上和4mm与6mm之间环上TCRP值均有差异(均P<0.0167)； 在2mm与6mm区域内TCRP值均有差异(均P<0.0167)； 术后3mo，以角膜顶点为中心和瞳孔为中心环上TCRP值在2mm与6mm之间、4mm与6mm之间均有差异(均P<0.0167)，而以角膜顶点为中心和瞳孔为中心区域内TCRP值仅在2mm与6mm直径范围内有差异(P<0.0167)。B/F ratio术前为81.79%±1.87%，术后3mo为80.68%±2.23%(P<0.001)。

结论：白内障手术前后以角膜顶点和以瞳孔为中心的不同直径环上及区域内各项角膜屈光力参数会有一定的变化和差异，人工晶状体度数计算的K值选择及基于角膜特性的人工晶状体个体化选择时应予以考虑。     

Tuberculous osteomyelitis of tibial diaphysis following saphenous vein graft harvest for coronary artery bypass: a case report

Tuberculosis in the tibial diaphysis following saphenous vein graft harvest for coronary artery bypass grafting has not been reported, to the best of authors’ knowledge. We report the first such clinical case in view of its clinical rarity and as a complication of the simple procedure like saphenous vein graft harvest.     

Primary vaccination in adult patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – A single center retrospective efficacy analysis

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) results in a loss of humoral immunity and subsequent risk for severe infections. Thus, re-vaccination is required but may fail due to incomplete immune reconstitution. We retrospectively analyzed predictors of immune response to primary vaccination applied according to the EBMT (European Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group) recommendations. Serologic response to vaccination against diphtheria (D), tetanus (T), Bordetella pertussis (aP) and Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) (administrated as combined DTaP-Hib-IPV vaccination) was studied in 84 alloHSCT patients transplanted between 2008 and 2015 (age at alloHSCT: 18.6–70.6 years). All patients with a relapse-free survival of ≥9 months, at least 3 consecutive vaccinations and absence of intravenous immunoglobulin administration within 3 months before and after vaccination met the primary inclusion criteria. Additionally, immunological response to a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was analyzed in a subgroup of 67 patients. Patients’ characteristics at the time of first vaccination were recorded. Responses were measured as vaccine-specific antibody titers. Regarding DTaP-Hib-IPV vaccination, 89.3% (n = 75) of all patients achieved protective titers to at least 3 of the 4 vaccine components and were thus considered responders. 10.7% (n = 9) of the patients were classified as non-responders with positive immune response to less than 3 components. Highest response was observed for Hib (97.4%), tetanus (95.2%) and pneumococcal vaccination (83.6%) while only 68.3% responded to vaccination against Bordetella pertussis. Significant risk factors for failure of vaccination response included low B cell counts (p < 0.001; cut-off: 0.05 B cells/nl) and low IgG levels (p = 0.026; mean IgG of responders 816 mg/dl vs. 475 mg/dl of non-responders). Further, a trend was observed that prior cGvHD impairs vaccination response as 88.9% of the non-responders but only 54.7% of the responders had prior cGvHD (p = 0.073). The results demonstrate, that the currently proposed vaccination strategy leads to seroprotection in the majority of alloHSCT patients.     

飞秒激光辅助超声乳化联合Ahmed青光眼引流阀植入术治疗合并难治性青光眼的白内障

目的：评估飞秒激光辅助超声乳化联合Ahmed青光眼引流阀植入术治疗合并难治性青光眼的白内障的有效性和安全性。

方法：回顾性病例对照研究。2019-10/2021-10入院合并难治性青光眼的白内障患者53例53眼，依据自愿选择分为飞秒激光辅助白内障超声乳化(FLACS)组26例26眼和常规白内障超声乳化(CPCS)组27例27眼。两组分别行FLACS和CPCS联合Ahmed青光眼引流阀植入术。比较两组患者术中超声乳化能量释放量(CDE)、有效超声时间(EPT)的差异和术前与术后抗青光眼药物数量的变化，以及术后观察不同时期(1d，1wk，1、3mo)在提高最佳矫正视力(BCVA)，降低眼压、角膜内皮细胞损伤程度和手术并发症及成功率状况。

结果：FLACS组术中CDE和EPT明显低于CPCS组(t=8.50、5.16； P<0.01、=0.001)。两组术后抗青光眼药物较术前均明显减少(t=9.12、7.76； P=0.011、0.016)，但两组间无差异(t=1.79，P=0.082)。两组术后BCVA均较术前改善，眼压均较术前降低(P<0.05)。FLACS组在术后早期(1d，1wk)BCVA的改善较CPCS组更显著(t=9.74、8.49； P=0.008、0.012)，但在术后1、3mo的BCVA改善程度并无不同(t=0.62、0.44； P=1.415、2.021)。CPCS组在术后随访不同时期的角膜内皮细胞损伤较FLACS组更明显(P<0.05)。术后随访的不同时期FLACS组和CPCS组在控制眼压方面无差异(F_组间=0.64，P_组间=0.421)。FLACS组的手术并发症发生率27%(7/26)较CPCS组89%(24/27)低(χ²=20.95，P<0.01)，其中角膜水肿(8% vs 41%)、前囊撕裂(0 vs 11%)在FLACS组中明显低于CPCS组，后囊破裂(0 vs 7%)、玻璃体脱出(0 vs 4%)及人工晶状体偏位(0 vs 7%)也均发生在CPCS组。但两组的治疗总成功率相近(P=28.718)。

结论：飞秒激光辅助超声乳化联合Ahmed青光眼引流阀植入术可充分发挥联合手术的精准微创可控优势，帮助合并难治性青光眼的白内障患者有效降低眼压及更早获得视力恢复。