Right coronary artery and interatrial septal aneurysms with fistulous connection to the right atrium

Coronary artery aneurysmal disease is a rare pathology occasionally associated with coronary artery to venous fistulous connection. We report a case of right coronary artery aneurysm with fistulous connection to the right atrium associated with an aneurysm of the interatrial septum.     

Equivalent midterm outcomes after off-pump and on-pump coronary surgery

OBJECTIVE: Multiple reports demonstrate that off-pump surgery reduces the early morbidity associated with coronary artery bypass grafting. To determine if there are any differences in later outcomes, we compared midterm results of propensity-matched patients who underwent off- and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS: From January 1997 to July 2000, 481 patients underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and 3231 underwent on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Propensity matching was used to match 406 patients from each group. Previously, the propensity-matched off-pump patients were found to have had significantly fewer bypass grafts. These 812 patients were followed for time-related events, including death, myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary reoperation, and the combined end point of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and all coronary reintervention. Follow-up was 95% complete. RESULTS: At 4 years, survival was 87.5% after off-pump and 91.2% after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (P =.2); freedom from myocardial infarction was 92.6% and 95.7% (P =.7), respectively; freedom from percutaneous coronary intervention was 94.3% and 95.5% (P =.9), respectively; freedom from coronary reoperation was 98.1% and 99.0% (P =.4), respectively; and freedom from the combined end point of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and coronary reintervention was 75.2% and 82.9% (P =.14), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting results in equivalent midterm outcomes. Fewer bypass grafts in the off-pump patients did not decrease survival or increase ischemic events at 4 years.     

Improved intraoperative management of anastomotic bleeding during aortic reconstruction: results of a randomized controlled trial

In a randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of a polymeric surgical sealant (CoSeal) was compared to Gelfoam/thrombin for managing anastomotic bleeding after implantation of Dacron grafts during aortic reconstruction for nonruptured aneurysms. Each treatment was directly applied to the suture line after confirmation of anastomotic bleeding. The proportion of suture line sites that achieved immediate sealing and the proportion sealed within 5 minutes were determined among 37 experimental (59 sites) and 17 control subjects (27 sites). A significantly greater proportion of bleeding suture line sites treated with the polymeric sealant achieved immediate sealing following reestablishment of blood flow compared with control-treated sites [48 of 59 (81%) vs 10 of 27 (37%); P = 0.002]. The difference between treatment groups was maintained after 5 minutes with approximately 85 per cent (50 of 59) of CoSeal sites compared to just over one-half (14 of 27) of control sites demonstrating ultimate sealing (P = 0.01). There were no adverse events related to the use of the polymeric sealant in this study. These results support the use of this novel sealant for the intraoperative management of anastomotic bleeding during aortic reconstruction procedures.     

The Impact of Near‐Universal Insurance Coverage on Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening: Evidence from Massachusetts

This paper investigates the effect of expansion to near‐universal health insurance coverage in Massachusetts on breast and cervical cancer screening. We use data from 2002 to 2010 to compare changes in receipt of mammograms and Pap tests in Massachusetts relative to other New England states. We also consider the effect specifically among low‐income women. We find positive effects of Massachusetts health reform on cancer screening, suggesting a 4 to 5% increase in mammograms and 6 to 7% increase in Pap tests annually. Increases in both breast and cervical cancer screening are larger 3 years after the implementation of reform than in the year immediately following, suggesting that there may be an adjustment or learning period. Low‐income women experience greater increases in breast and cervical cancer screening than the overall population; among women with household income less than 250% of the federal poverty level, mammograms increase by approximately 8% and Pap tests by 9%. Overall, Massachusetts health reform appears to have increased breast and cervical cancer screening, particularly among low‐income women. Our results suggest that reform was successful in promoting preventive care among targeted populations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vivo short-term Doppler hemodynamic profiles of 189 Carpentier-Edwards Perimount pericardial bioprosthetic valves in the mitral position.

We sought to determine the hemodynamic performance of the Carpentier-Edwards Perimount pericardial valve in the mitral position. We reviewed the Doppler echocardiographic data on 189 patients (110 women; 68 +/- 12 years of age) who were implanted with this valve (7.6 days +/- 13 postoperatively) at our institution between September 2000 and May 2002. The average ejection fraction was 47%. For all valves, the peak velocity was 1.9 +/- 0.3 m/s, peak gradient was 15 +/- 4.8 mm Hg, and mean gradient was 5.8 +/- 2 mm Hg. The pressure half-time was 93 +/- 24 milliseconds, with a calculated effective orifice area of 2.5 +/- 0.6 cm2. The average effective orifice area by continuity equation (83 valves) was 1.5 +/- 0.5 cm2. The mitral regurgitation was graded mild or less in 97.5% of all valves. This is the largest series establishing the favorable hemodynamic behavior of the different sizes of a new Perimount mitral valve, and the reported data could serve as a reference.     

Mitral valve surgery in the US Veterans Administration health system: 10-year outcomes and trends

Objective

To compare mitral valve repair (MVRepair) and mitral valve replacement (MVReplace) trends in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Surgical Quality Improvement Program.