Repair versus replacement for degenerative mitral valve disease with coexisting ischemic heart disease

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare mitral valve repair and replacement as treatments for degenerative mitral valve disease with coexisting ischemic heart disease. Specifically, we sought to (1) identify differences between patients undergoing repair and replacement, (2) determine whether the choice of mitral valve procedure affected survival after adjusting for those differences, and (3) discover which patients were predicted to benefit from mitral valve repair and which from replacement. METHODS: From 1973 to 1999, 679 patients (mean age, 67 +/- 9.1 years; 73% men) with degenerative mitral valve and ischemic heart diseases underwent combined coronary artery bypass grafting and either mitral valve repair (66%) or replacement (34%). Factors associated with repair and replacement were used for multivariable propensity matching. Risk factors for death were identified by means of multivariable, multiphase hazard-function analysis. RESULTS: Patients more likely to undergo repair had isolated posterior chordal rupture (P <.0001) or more recent date of operation (P <.0001); those more likely to undergo replacement were older (P =.0003) or had bileaflet prolapse (P <.0001). Unadjusted survival at 30 days and 1, 5, and 10 years was 97%, 92%, 79%, and 59% after repair and 94%, 88%, 70%, and 37% after replacement. After adjusting for comorbid factors, the extent and effect of ischemic heart disease, and propensity score, the survival benefit of repair became evident after 2 years (P =.01). Eighty-nine percent of patients were predicted to benefit from repair. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with degenerative mitral valve and ischemic heart diseases, mitral valve repair confers a survival advantage over replacement that becomes evident about 2 years after the operation.     

Double valve endocarditis

Background. There are little data concerning surgical outcomes in patients with native valve endocarditis affecting both the aortic and mitral valves.

Methods. From 1977 to 1998, 54 patients had simultaneous aortic and mitral valve grafting for native valve endocarditis. In 78%, mitral valve involvement was limited to the anterior leaflet, suggesting a jet lesion from the aortic valve. Surgical strategies included 31 valve repairs and valve replacement with mechanical (34), bioprosthetic (34), or allograft (9) prostheses. Three hundred twenty-five patient-years of follow-up were available for analysis (mean 6.0 ± 4.8 years).

Results. There were no hospital deaths. Ten-year survival was 73%. Ten-year freedom from recurrent endocarditis was 84%, with risk peaking at 3 months, followed by a constant risk of 1.3%/yr. Choice of valvar procedure did not influence mortality or reinfection risk.

Conclusions. The most common pattern of double valve infection was a jet lesion on the anterior mitral leaflet. Surgical treatment has late survival and freedom from reinfection similar to those of patients with single heart valve infection.     

Outcome of patients who refuse transfusion after cardiac surgery: a natural experiment with severe blood conservation

BACKGROUND Jehovah's Witness patients (Witnesses) who undergo cardiac surgery provide a unique natural experiment in severe blood conservation because anemia, transfusion, erythropoietin, and antifibrinolytics have attendant risks. Our objective was to compare morbidity and long-term survival of Witnesses undergoing cardiac surgery with a similarly matched group of patients who received transfusions. METHODS A total of 322 Witnesses and 87?453 non-Witnesses underwent cardiac surgery at our center from January 1, 1983, to January 1, 2011. All Witnesses prospectively refused blood transfusions. Among non-Witnesses, 38?467 did not receive blood transfusions and 48?986 did. We used propensity methods to match patient groups and parametric multiphase hazard methods to assess long-term survival. Our main outcome measures were postoperative morbidity complications, in-hospital mortality, and long-term survival. RESULTS Witnesses had fewer acute complications and shorter length of stay than matched patients who received transfusions: myocardial infarction, 0.31% vs 2.8% (P?=?. 01); additional operation for bleeding, 3.7% vs 7.1% (P?=?. 03); prolonged ventilation, 6% vs 16% (P?<?. 001); intensive care unit length of stay (15th, 50th, and 85th percentiles), 24, 25, and 72 vs 24, 48, and 162 hours (P?<?. 001); and hospital length of stay (15th, 50th, and 85th percentiles), 5, 7, and 11 vs 6, 8, and 16 days (P?<?. 001). Witnesses had better 1-year survival (95%; 95% CI, 93%-96%; vs 89%; 95% CI, 87%-90%; P?=?. 007) but similar 20-year survival (34%; 95% CI, 31%-38%; vs 32% 95% CI, 28%-35%; P?=?. 90). CONCLUSIONS Witnesses do not appear to be at increased risk for surgical complications or long-term mortality when comparisons are properly made by transfusion status. Thus, current extreme blood management strategies do not appear to place patients at heightened risk for reduced long-term survival.     

Health center use and hospital‐based care among individuals dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, 2012–2018

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between federally qualified health center (FQHC) use and hospital‐based care among individuals dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.Data SourcesData were obtained from 2012 to 2018 Medicare claims.Study DesignWe modeled hospital‐based care as a function of FQHC use, person‐level factors, a Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) indicator, and ZIP code fixed effects. Outcomes included emergency department (ED) visits (overall and nonemergent), observation stays, hospitalizations (overall and for ambulatory care sensitive conditions), and 30‐day unplanned returns. We stratified all models on the basis of eligibility and rurality.Data Extraction MethodsOur sample included individuals dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid for at least two full consecutive years, residing in a primary care service area with an FQHC. We excluded individuals without primary care visits, who died, or had end‐stage renal disease.Principal FindingsAfter the Medicare PPS was introduced, FQHC use in rural counties was associated with fewer ED and nonemergent ED visits per 100 person‐years among both age‐eligible (−14.8 [−17.5, −12.1]; −6.6 [−7.5, −5.6]) and disability‐eligible duals (−11.3 [−14.4, −8.3]; −6 [−7.4, −4.6]) as well as a lower probability of observation stays (−0.8 pp age‐eligible; −0.4 pp disability‐eligible) and unplanned returns (−2.1 pp age‐eligible; −1.9 pp disability‐eligible). In urban counties, FQHC use was associated with more ED and nonemergent ED visits per 100 person‐years (10.6 [8.4, 12.8]; 4.0 [2.6, 5.4]) among disability‐eligible duals (a decrease of more than 60% compared with the pre‐PPS period) and increases in the probability of hospitalization (1.1 pp age‐eligible; 0.8 pp disability‐eligible) and ACS hospitalization (0.5 pp age‐eligible; 0.3 pp disability‐eligible) (a decrease of roughly 50% compared with the pre‐PPS period).ConclusionsFQHC use is associated with reductions in hospital‐based care among dual enrollees after introduction of the Medicare PPS. Further research is needed to understand how FQHCs can tailor care to best serve this complex population.     

Role of shame and body esteem in cortisol stress responses

Studies assessing the role of shame in HPA axis reactivity report mixed findings. Discrepancies may be due to methodological difficulties and inter-individual differences in the propensity to experience shame in a stressful situation. Hence, the current study combined self-report of shame and facial coding of shame expressions and assessed the role of body esteem as a moderator of the shame–stress link. For this, 44 healthy students (24F, age 20.5 ± 2.1 years) were exposed to an acute psychosocial stress paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test: TSST). Salivary cortisol levels were measured throughout the protocol. Trait shame was measured before the stress test, and state shame immediately afterwards. Video recordings of the TSST were coded to determine emotion expressions. State shame was neither associated with cortisol stress responses nor with body esteem (self-report: all ps ≥ .24; expression: all ps ≥ .31). In contrast, higher trait shame was associated with both negative body esteem (p = .049) and stronger cortisol stress responses (p = .013). Lastly, having lower body esteem predicted stronger cortisol stress responses (p = .022); however, it did not significantly moderate the association between shame indices and cortisol stress responses (all ps ≥ .94). These findings suggest that body esteem and trait shame independently contribute to strength of cortisol stress responses. Thus, in addition to trait shame, body esteem emerged as an important predictor of cortisol stress responses and as such, a potential contributor to stress-related negative health outcomes.