Search

Geometric ring annuloplasty has shown promise during bicuspid aortic valve repair for aortic insufficiency. This study examined early outcomes of bicuspid aortic valve repair associated with proximal aortic aneurysm replacement.From September 2017 to November, 2021, 127 patients underwent bicuspid aortic valve repair with concomitant proximal aneurysm reconstruction. Patient age was 50.6 ± 12.7 years (mean ± standard deviation), male gender was 83%, New York Heart Association Class was 2 (1-2) (median [interquartile range]), and preoperative aortic insufficiency grade was 3 (2-4). Ascending aortic diameter was 50 (46-54) mm, and all patients had ascending aortic replacement. Forty patients had sinus diameters greater than 45 mm, prompting remodeling root procedures. A total of 105 patients had Sievers type 1 valves, 3 patients had type 0, and 7 patients had type 2. A total of 118 patients had primarily right/left fusion, 8 patients had right/nonfusion, and 1 patient had left/nonfusion. Leaflet reconstruction used central leaflet plication and cleft closure, with limited ultrasonic decalcification in 31 patients.Ring size was 23 (21-23) mm, and 26 of 40 root procedures were selective nonfused sinus replacements. Aortic clamp time was 139 (112-170) minutes, and bypass time was 178 (138-217) minutes. Postrepair aortic insufficiency grade was 0 (0-0) (Geometric ring annuloplasty for bicuspid aortic valve repair with proximal aortic aneurysm reconstruction is safe and associated with good early outcomes. Further experience and follow-up will help inform long-term durability.

Objectives Systemic allergic reactions to nickel alloys in percutaneous atrial septal defect occlusion devices have a poorly defined natural history. We describe our experience of surgical removal of the offending device in a series of patients with nickel allergy and refractory symptoms. Methods Patients with atrial septal defect device explants for nickel allergy were reviewed. Administered questionnaires focused on symptoms, quality of life, and satisfaction along with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey to measure physical and mental health postsurgery. Results Atrial septal defect devices were removed for nickel allergy in 58 patients during the past 10 years. The median age was 42 years (range, 24-71 years) and 95% were women. Explantation occurred at a median of 8 years (range, 6 months-18 years) after insertion. Symptoms included fatigue (82%), chest pain (78%), headache (73%), and palpitation (58%). Surveys were available for 45 patients: 58% rated their quality of life as poor and 69% were not at all satisfied with their device. Postexplant, all patients reported improvement in their symptoms, with 18 patients (42%) noting complete resolution. In 12 patients prospectively studied, the preoperative scores in physical and mental health domains were lower than the validation group, indicating significant disability. Similarly, there was marked improvement in each domain postremoval. Conclusions Patients with nickel allergy and severe refractory symptoms after atrial septal defect device implantation experience profound resolution of symptoms and improved quality of life after removal. Nickel allergy should be considered before device insertion, and a low threshold should exist for surgical removal for refractory symptoms.

Cardiac arrest is a challenging clinical presentation that emergency medicine providers often encounter. Aortic dissection is an uncommon etiology in all-comers presenting in cardiac arrest. The use of bedside point of care echocardiography to aid in resuscitative efforts is expanding, particularly with the increasing use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) by emergency medicine providers. Additionally, emergency department initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a relatively newer development in emergency department practice. We report the case of a 64-year old male presenting to the emergency department in cardiac arrest with TEE identification of aortic dissection as the etiology resulting in discontinuation of ECMO initiation attempts.

Although common, the prevalence and impact of treatment on main pulmonary artery (MPA) dilation in Marfan syndrome (MFS) are unclear. We sought to determine the prevalence and progression of MPA dilation (Z score ≥2) and impact of treatment over 3 years using the public dataset from the Pediatric

Background Frostbite injury occurs when exposure to cold results in frozen tissue. To screen drugs and other field therapies that might improve the outcome for a frostbite victim, it would be helpful to have a reliable and cost-effective preclinical in vivo model. Objective We sought to create a novel mouse skin model of induced frostbite injury. This model would allow quantification of the surface area of involved skin, histology of the wound, rate of wound healing, and skin loss in a standardized fashion after the frostbite injury. Methods Thirty-six mice were studied. Standardized 2.9-cm diameter circles were tattooed on the mouse dorsum. Magnets frozen in dry ice (−78.5°C) were used to create a frostbite injury on skin within the circle, either as a continuous 5-minute freeze or as 3 repeated freeze (1-minute) and thaw (3-minute) cycles. Appearance, healing rate, skin surface area loss, and histology were recorded until the wounds were healed. Results The amount of skin surface area loss was approximately 50% for both freeze methods. Although the time to surface skin healing was similar for both freeze methods, the initial healing rate was significantly ( P = .001) slower in mice exposed to the freeze-thaw cycles compared with the continuous freeze model. Histopathology reflected inflammatory changes, cell death, and necrosis. Conclusions This novel in vivo mouse model for frostbite allows quantification of affected skin surface area, histology, healing rate, and skin loss and has the potential of being utilized to screen future treatment modalities.