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BackgroundLeft ventricular free-wall rupture (LVFWR) is a catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Historically, cardiac surgery is considered the treatment of choice. However, because of the rarity of this entity, little is known regarding the efficacy and safety of surgical treatment for post-infarction LVFWR. The aim of this study was to report a single-center experience in this field over a period of 30 years.MethodsPatients who developed LVFWR following AMI and underwent surgical repair at our Institution from January 1990 to December 2019 were considered. The primary end-point was in-hospital morality rate; secondary outcomes were long-term survival and postoperative complications. Multivariate analysis was carried out by constructing a logistic regression model to identify risk factors for early mortality.ResultsA total of 35 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 68.9 years; 65.7% were male. The oozing type of LVFWR was encountered in 29 individuals, and the blowout type in 6 subjects. Sutured repair was used in 77.1% of patients, and sutureless repair in the remaining cases. The in-hospital mortality rate was 28.6%. Low cardiac output syndrome was the main cause of postoperative death. Multivariable analysis identified age >75 years at operation, preoperative cardiac arrest, concurrent ventricular septal rupture (VSR) as independent predictors of in-hospital death. Follow-up was complete in 100% of patients who survived surgery (mean follow-up: 9.3 ± 7.8 years); among the survivors, 16 patients died during the follow-up with a 3-year and 12-year overall survival rate of 82.5% and 55.2%, respectively.ConclusionsSurgical treatment of LVFWR following AMI is possible with acceptable in-hospital mortality and excellent long-term results. Advanced age, concurrent VSR and cardiac arrest at presentation are independent risk factors of poor early outcome.

Background: Post-operative (POP) atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequent in patients who undergo cardiac surgery. However, its prognostic impact in the long term remains unclear. Methods: We followed 1386 patients who underwent cardiac surgery for an average of 10 ± 3 years. According to clinical history of AF before and after surgery, four subgroups were identified: (1) patients with no history of AF and without episodes of AF during the first 30 days after surgery (control or Group 1, n = 726), (2) patients with no history of AF before surgery in whom new-onset POP AF was detected during the first 30 days after surgery (new-onset POP AF or Group 2, n = 452), (3) patients with a history of paroxysmal/persistent AF before cardiac surgery (Group 3, n = 125, including 87 POP AF patients and 38 who did not develop POP AF), and (4) patients with permanent AF at the time of cardiac surgery (Group 4, n = 83). All-cause mortality was the primary outcome of the study. We tested the associations of potential determinants with all-cause mortality using univariable and multivariable statistical analyses. Results: Overall, 473 patients (34%) died during follow-up. After adjustment for multiple confounders, new-onset POP AF (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90–1.89; p = 0.1609), history of paroxysmal/persistent AF before cardiac surgery (HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.71–2.49; p = 0.3736), and permanent AF (Group 4) (HR = 1.55, 95% CI 0.82–2.95; p = 0.1803) were not associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality when compared with Group 1 (patients with no history of AF and without episodes of AF during the first 30 days after surgery). In new-onset POP AF patients, oral anticoagulation was not associated with mortality (HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.83–1.54; p = 0.4299). Conclusions: In this cohort of patients who underwent different types of heart surgery, POP AF was not associated with an increased risk of mortality. In this setting, the role of long-term anticoagulation remains unclear.

In patients undergoing heart valve surgery (HVS) who require warfarin therapy, the maintenance of low variability in the level of anticoagulation early after operation is generally difficult. Aim of this study was to evaluate the time in therapeutic range (TTR) in HVS patients receiving oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT) during phase I-II of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), and, secondly, to identify clinical variables associated with inadequate anticoagulation. Methods: Observational study of consecutive in-hospital patients directly tracked from a cardiac surgery unit to a CR facility. OAT was monitored both in terms of administered warfarin doses and resulted INR values, from day 1 to day 15 after operation. Clinical variables were tested in a logistic regression model for the prediction of inadequate anticoagulation, defined as the presence of nontherapeutic INRs for ≥5 days between day 8 and 15. Results: Eighty-one patients (males 56%, age 62±19 yrs.), following valvuloplasty (37%), mechanical (17%), and bioprosthetic (45%) valve replacement were considered. The prescribed warfarin dosages were significantly higher from day 1 to day 7 than from day 8 to day 15 (4.6±3.6 and 3.0±1.1 mg respectively, p< 0.001). Overall, TTR was 6±3 days, while time with elevated and lower INRs accounted for 1.3±1.6 and 8.0±3.5 days respectively. At day 7, only 25% of patients (n= 20) showed a therapeutic INR value. Inadequate anticoagulation between postoperative day 8 and 15 was displayed in 41 (51%) patients, with hypertension as the only independent predictor (p< 0.001) at multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Despite intensive monitoring, half of patients have nontherapeutic INR values (mainly subtherapeutic) in the first two weeks after HVS while on warfarin. Giving the high risk of completing the hospitalization phase without a stable OAT in many patients, both cardiac surgeons and cardiologists should not miss the opportunity to improve patients education, and consider a direct track to anticoagulation management services after discharge.