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Objectives: Healthcare delivery is heterogenous; the reasons for this are numerous and complex. Patient-specific factors including geography, income, insurance status, age, and gender have been shown to bias surgical outcomes. Utilizing a prospectively collected all-payer database, we aim to evaluate the influence of socioeconomic factors on mortality and length of stay (LOS) after common cardiac surgical procedures., Methods: We utilized the National Inpatient Sample, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for the year 2019. We included patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR), transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and combined AVR/CABG using the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases procedure codes. AVR and CABG were combined into a separate cohort as this was felt to represent a different pathology than isolated valvular or coronary arterial disease. Baseline demographics were summarized. Multivariable regression was performed within each procedure group to model the odds of in-hospital mortality and hospital LOS with age, sex, insurance, zip-code median household income, and location as predictors., Results: Baseline patient characteristics including gender, income, geography, and payer status were similar between CABG, AVR, and AVR/CABG. TAVR patients had a higher proportion of female sex and Medicare as the primary payer, with an overall greater age. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression found that higher income was strongly associated with decreased LOS following AVR and CABG, and moderately associated in TAVR and AVR/CABG. Private insurance was associated with a decreased LOS in patients undergoing CABG, AVR, TAVR, and AVR/CABG. Female sex and increased age were associated with increased odds of mortality in TAVR, CABG, and AVR/CABG. Private insurance was associated with a decreased odds of mortality in patients undergoing AVR., Conclusions: These findings reveal significant disparities in patient outcomes after routine cardiac operations that are associated with socioeconomic status. Patients who did not have private insurance or had lower incomes were found to be at risk for increased LOS. Women were at a higher risk of mortality for several operations, a finding which has been previously described elsewhere. Private insurance conveyed a decreased odds of mortality in patients undergoing AVR. This data set serves to highlight differences in healthcare outcomes based on a variety of socioeconomic, geographic, and other inherent factors. Additional research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind these disparities with the goal of providing equitable care to all patients., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a durable treatment for coronary artery disease. Left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) (a division of cardiothoracic surgery) (ejection fraction < 35%) significantly elevates perioperative risk for patients pursuing surgical revascularization. Periprocedural support with temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) has shown benefit in this patient population., Methods: Four patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and LVD underwent CABG at our institution between 2017 and 2018. Each patient received perioperative ventricular support using a microaxial tMCS device (Impella 5.0®). The occurrence of a postoperative low-output state (LOS) was assessed for as well as postoperative morbidity and mortality, device-specific complications, and tMCS support duration., Results: All patients survived to device explant without device-related complications. Two patients required reoperation for nondevice-related bleeding. All patients were without an LOS at 24 h postoperatively with cardiac indices of 2.9-3.6 L/min/m 2 , normalized serum lactate, and vasoactive-inotrope scores of 0-12.0. There was a notably high incidence of acute renal failure (50%), which was observed in patients with preoperative cardiogenic shock. One patient died 10 days after the device explant. Of the three patients that survived to discharge, two were alive at the most recent follow-up. Postoperative device support varied widely (0-500 h)., Conclusion: Perioperative tMCS may be a viable strategy for preventing postoperative LOS in high-risk CABG patients with a low complication rate and acceptable morbidity. The application of microaxial tMCS devices in CABG is an area that warrants further investigation to delineate its impact on perioperative outcomes and potentially expand the indications for such devices., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can be performed through a variety of approaches. Minimally-invasive CABG (MICABG) may reduce perioperative morbidity. Previous results demonstrate improved perioperative outcomes; however, adoption has been limited., Methods: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database and electronic medical record at a single institution were reviewed for isolated left internal mammary to left anterior descending artery (LIMA-LAD) bypass procedures performed between 2011 and 2018. Patients were grouped on the basis of operative approach, comparing sternotomy to non-sternotomy (minimally-invasive). Patient characteristics, perioperative variables, and short- and long-term outcomes were compared. Primary outcomes included mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Secondary outcomes were morbidity., Results: A total of 42 MICABG and 54 conventional LIMA-LAD procedures were performed with 95.2% of MICABG procedures performed by two surgeons. MICABG were more often elective (83.3 vs 38.9%, P < .001). STS risk scores predicted equitable mortality and morbidity for MICABG dependent on operative indication. MICABG was associated with fewer pulmonary complications (0.0 vs 11.1%, P = .033), in-hospital events (11.9 vs 37.0%, P = .005), and shorter intensive care unit (34.1 vs 66.0 hours, P = .022) and total length of stay (3.7 vs 6.5 days, P = .002). There were no observed strokes, myocardial infarctions, or reoperations. MICABG patients demonstrated reduced thirty-day mortality (0.0 vs 10.9%, P = .036) and improved Kaplan-Meier 5-year (95.2 vs 77.9%, P = .016) and MACE-free survival (89.2 vs 63.9%, P = .010)., Conclusions: Minimally-invasive LIMA-LAD CABG demonstrates improved early postoperative morbidity and a long-term mortality benefit. In select patients, minimally-invasive approaches to single-vessel grafting may be beneficial when performed by experienced surgeons in the elective setting., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A 62-year-old female with severe symptomatic rheumatic mitral stenosis was referred for mitral valve replacement. A 27-mm Carbomedics mechanical mitral valve was placed using everting sutures. As the patient was weaned off cardiopulmonary bypass, she became hemodynamically unstable. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram revealed a significant drop in left ventricular function along with severe LVOT obstruction. The Carbomedics prosthesis was replaced by a 27-mm St. Jude mechanical valve using noneverting sutures which relieved the LVOT obstruction. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12749 (J Card Surg 2016;31:376-379)., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: Transventricular repair for acute ischemic posterior ventricular septal defect is challenging and is associated with high operative morbidity and mortality. We have adopted the alternative technique of transatrial repair and recently have added technical modifications that result in less residual or recurrent septal shunt. This study reports those modifications and the related outcomes., Methods: Retrospective review of 10 patients with acute ischemic posterior ventricular septal defect operated from November 2006 through March 2013. The septal defect was repaired through the right atrium with a prosthetic patch. Interlocking sutures and an additional continuous suture line buttress around the perimeter of the patch were added to the repair in four (40%) patients., Results: Killip class IV heart failure was present in nine (90%) of the patients, and all received preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump therapy. No patient who received the recent technical modifications experienced a residual or recurrent shunt. However, three (50%) patients who did not undergo this modification developed either a residual septal shunt (n = 1), an early recurrent septal shunt (n = 1), or a ventricular rupture (n = 1). There was no 30-day or in-hospital mortality after surgery, but a single patient died two years after operation due to congestive heart failure. The remaining patients are alive after surgery at a median of 2.0 years., Conclusions: The transatrial repair of an acute ischemic posterior ventricular septal defect is a safe technique. The addition of interlocking pledgetted sutures and a patch suture line buttress decreases the incidence of residual and recurrent septal shunt., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)