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Journal and News Scan
The Stent Is Not to Blame: Lessons Learned With a Simplified US Version of the Frozen Elephant Trunk
November 21, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Preventza and colleagues present their experience with aortic repair, analyzing prospectively collected data from 129 patients who underwent either a traditional elephant trunk (t-ET) procedure or a modified frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure that does not use a hybrid graft. The authors found no statistically significant difference in mortality or persistent spinal cord ischemia between patients undergoing a t-ET and those undergoing a modified FET.
November 20, 2017
Submitted by: Joel Dunning
This is the kind of video that patients are going to in large numbers. It is a nice description of a CABG case performed at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Maryland, USA. Nearly a million hits makes these guys YouTube stars!
November 19, 2017
Submitted by: Tom C. Nguyen
The authors review their first 1000 robotically assisted mitral valve surgery, demonstrating excellent repair rates and low operative mortality and morbidity.
November 19, 2017
Submitted by: Tom C. Nguyen
Del Nido cardioplegia has been used in congenital heart surgery but the data for adult cardiac surgery has been lacking. This randomized trial compares del Nido to whole blood cardioplegia for patients undergoing either a CABG, valve, or CABG/valve. The results suggest that the use of del Nido is safe and may streamline the workflow.
November 18, 2017
Submitted by: Joel Dunning
This is a lecture about the treatment of massive pulmonary embolus.
November 17, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Patient Care
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released an updated definition of high blood pressure this week.
Heart patients in Malaysia seem to be successfully reducing their cholesterol levels, though cholesterol levels are still on the rise in the general population.
A lung surgeon discusses the immediate and long-term effects of air pollution in Delhi, India.
Drugs and Devices
Medtronic presented 30-day outcomes from the pilot study for its Intrepid™ transcatheter mitral valve replacement system, which indicate successful implantation in nearly all patients and reduced regurgitation.
Four cardiac health monitoring apps and devices received recent approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The US FDA will now permit an electric stimulation device to be marketed for opioid withdrawal, though the device is contraindicated in patients with cardiac pacemakers.
Research, Trials, and Funding
Lungs from donors over 60 years old might be suitable for patients who need double lung transplants.
Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, highlight the importance of psychosocial factors in health as they report high financial stress is associated with 13-fold higher odds of having a heart attack.
November 16, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Dr. John Warner, President of the AHA, suffered a minor heart attack during the AHA congress in California. The day prior he had delivered an address describing the impact that coronary artery disease has had on his extended family. He was treated with stent placement and is recovering well.
November 16, 2017
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
The incoming issue of the Journal comes with an interesting group of papers revolving around a provocative topic: work from Seattle on the absence of predictive value of standard pulmonary function tests in LVAD surgery. Vivek Rao takes the opportunity to present his thoughts in this brief editorial, the important central message of which cannot be ignored.
November 16, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
This brief article compares costs and morbidities for TAVR and SAVR in the current era. TAVR costs are higher than for SAVR and have increased despite no apparent change in comorbidity index. In contrast, SAVR costs remained stable during the same period.
November 16, 2017
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
An enthusiastic yet balanced and succinct editorial on the occasion of a small series with short follow-up and absolute survival of ECMO-supported recipients of pulmonary transplantation (mostly with interstitial fibrosis) with short waiting time after ECMO (less than 16 days). The key word is 'selection.' It is also worth contemplating whether placing a lung transplant candidate on ECMO expedites the donation and implantation, and the ramifications of that in terms of manipulating the waiting lists.