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Background: Complete surgical excision is the only curative treatment for primary cardiac tumors. For wide excision, interatrial septal reconstruction (ISR) is commonly performed. We hypothesized that ISR may increase the risk of postoperative atrial tachyarrhythmia (AT) after surgical resection of cardiac myxoma. Methods: After excluding patients with a history of cardiac surgery and concomitant procedures unrelated to tumor resection and those with AT or permanent pacemakers, we finally enrolled 272 adult patients who underwent benign cardiac tumor surgery from 1995 to 2021 at our institution. They were divided into the ISR (n=184) and non-ISR (n=88) groups. The primary outcome was postoperative new-onset AT. Results: The study cohort predominantly consisted of women (66.2%), with a mean age of 57.2±13.6 years. The incidence of postoperative new-onset AT was 15.4%. No 30- day mortality or recurrence was observed. The cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamping time were significantly longer in the ISR group than in the non-ISR group (p

Background: The survival benefit of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using the bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITA) is well known; however, the role of BITA in concomitant aortic valve replacement (AVR) and CABG has not been studied. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent concomitant AVR and CABG. Cases not using an internal thoracic artery and less than 2 bypass grafts were excluded. We enrolled 114 patients in this study. The mean follow-up duration was 61.5±43.5 months. Results: Forty patients (35.1%) underwent CABG with a single internal thoracic artery (SITA) and 74 patients (64.9%) underwent CABG with BITA. The preoperative clinical characteristics were not significantly different between the 2 groups, with the exception of a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the SITA group. Postoperative mortality and morbidity were not significantly higher in the BITA group than in the SITA group. In the univariable analysis, the survival of the BITA group was similar to that of the SITA group (p=0.157). Multivariable analysis showed that only mean age was a predictor of death (p=0.042), but using BITA was not an independent predictor (p=0.094). In low-risk patients whose preoperative ejection fraction was >45%, the survival of the BITA group was significantly better than that of the SITA group (p=0.043). Conclusion: BITA use in concomitant AVR and CABG showed no difference in mortality compared to using SITA. Although its impact on long-term survival was inconclusive, BITA use can be considered for low-risk patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Totally thoracoscopic ablation (TTA) is a surgical treatment showing a high success rate as a hybrid procedure with radiofrequency catheter ablation to control AF. This study compared the early complications of warfarin and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients who underwent TTA. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled patients who underwent planned TTA for AF from February 2012 to October 2020. All patients received postoperative anticoagulation, either with warfarin or a NOAC (apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, or edoxaban). Propensity score matching was performed for both groups. Early complications were assessed at 12 weeks after TTA and were divided into efficacy and safety outcomes. Both efficacy and safety outcomes were compared in the propensity score-matched groups. Results: Early complications involving efficacy outcomes, such as stroke and transient ischemic attack, were seen in 5 patients in the warfarin group and none in the NOAC group. Although the 2 groups differed in the incidence of efficacy outcomes, it was not statistically significant. In safety outcomes, 11 patients in the warfarin group and 24 patients in the NOAC group had complications, but likewise, the between-group difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Among patients who underwent TTA, those who received NOACs had a lower incidence of thromboembolic complications than those who received warfarin; however, both groups showed a similar bleeding complication rate. Using a NOAC after TTA does not reduce efficacy and safety when compared to warfarin.