Concomitant Mitral Regurgitation in Patients Undergoing Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis: A Systematic Review

Background: Concomitant mitral regurgitation (MR) is frequently seen in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe aortic stenosis (AS). When the severity of MR is moderate or less, the decision to undertake simultaneous mitral valve intervention can be challenging.Methods: A systematic search of Medline, PubMed (NCBI), Embase and Cochrane Library was conducted to qualitatively assess the current evidence for concomitant mitral valve intervention for MR in patients with AS undergoing AVR. The primary outcome for this systematic review was the postoperative change in the severity of MR and other outcomes of interest included factors that predict improvement or persistence of MR and long-term impacts of residual MR.Results: A total of 17 studies were included. The percentage of patients demonstrating improvement in MR severity following AVR ranged from 17.2% to 72%; the studies that exclusively included patients with moderate functional MR and reported longer term echocardiographic follow-up of greater than 12 months demonstrated an improvement in MR severity of 45% to 72%.Conclusion: This systematic review demonstrates that a proportion of patients can exhibit an improvement in MR following isolated surgical AVR, but whether this confers any long-term morbidity and mortality benefit remains unclear.     

Ascending-Descending Aortic Bypass for the Treatment of Concomitant Severe Co-arctation,Aortic Valve Disease and Hypoplastic Aortic Arch

This report describes a one-stage treatment of a 30-year-old patient suffering from severe aortic valve insufficiency, aortic co-arctation, dilatation of the ascending aorta and arcus hypoplasia. The patient underwent aortic valve, ascending aorta and arch replacement through median sternotomy. The aorta was ligated at the level of the co-arctation, which was located in the proximal part of the descending aorta, and an ascending-descending bypass was created using a transhiatic approach. The postoperative course was complicated by a cerebrovascular accident.     

Gender Differences in Predictors and Long-Term Mortality of New-Onset Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Following Isolated Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

Purpose: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been associated with increased risk of death in women but not in men. We aimed to explore predictors and long-term mortality in POAF following isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery in men and women.Methods: This study included 379 severe aortic stenosis patients with no prior atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent isolated AVR surgery. We used multiple logistic regression to investigate independent gender-specific predictors of new-onset POAF, and we performed Kaplan–Meier (KM) to determine the impact of POAF in long-term mortality according to gender.Results: Advanced age and coronary artery disease prevalence were higher among POAF patients in both genders. On multiple analysis, increased postoperative peak lactate was independently associated with POAF in men, while lower mean aortic valve gradient was associated with POAF in women. Area under the curve (AUC) for the model was 0.77 [0.68–0.86] and 0.69 [0.60–0.78] for men and women, respectively. At 4-year follow-up, POAF was linked to increased risk of death in men but not in women.Conclusion: In severe aortic stenosis, factors associated with POAF and its impact on mortality differed between genders, with an increased risk of death observed only in men.     

Long Term Results and Predictors of Left Ventricular Function Recovery after Aortic Valve Replacement for Chronic Aortic Regurgitation

Objectives: In most patients with aortic regurgitation (AR), aortic valve replacement (AVR) improves left ventricular (LV) function, but some patients will not have favorable remodeling. Our objectives were to review long term clinical results of AVR for AR and to examine what factors affect the normalization of LV function after AVR for chronic AR.Methods: Between 1989 and 2010, 177 patients underwent isolated AVR for chronic pure AR. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on indexed end-systolic LV diameter (iESD): Group L (iESD) ≧25 mm/m²) (130 patients) and Group S (iESD <25 mm/m²) (47 patients).Results: There was no significant difference between groups in late mortality, freedom from cardiac-related death and rehospitalization for heart failure at late follow up after operation. At postoperative follow-up, 16% of patients had not recovered normal LV systolic function. By means of multivariate analysis, iESD and cardiac index (CI) were independent predictors of recovery of LV function and iESD >26.7 mm/m² and CI <2.71 l/min/m² were the best cut-off values.Conclusions: Early and late surgical results of AVR for chronic AR were good, but for the preservation of postoperative normal LV function, AVR for AR patients should be performed before iESD reaches 26.7 mm/m².