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To investigate mortality and causes of death associated with the use of paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) compared with plain balloon (PB) angioplasty in the treatment of femoropopliteal artery lesions in real-world clinical setting.This retrospective, single-center study included patients who underwent percutaneous femoropopliteal artery angioplasty without stenting between years 2014 and 2020. Patients were stratified into PCB and PB groups according to the index procedure. Those who had undergone any prior or subsequent intervention using drug-eluting technology were excluded from the PB group. Long-term survival was estimated up to 5 years using the Kaplan-Meier method, and risk factors for all-cause mortality were assessed in a multivariable analysis. Causes of death were retrieved from a national registry.The study included 139 patients treated with PB and 190 with PCB. Patients treated with PCB had a higher prevalence of chronic pulmonary disease (27% vs 17%; P = .02) and were less often on anticoagulant therapy (34% vs 48%; P = .01) compared with patients in the PB group. Those treated with PB were more likely to have chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI; 82% vs 72%; P = .04). Ipsilateral perioperative amputation rate was significantly higher in the PB group (7% vs 1%; P = .01). There were no major differences in other 30-day outcomes between the groups and no differences in the rates of reinterventions and ipsilateral amputations during a mean follow-up time of 2.7 ± 1.9 years. Survival at 1 year in the PCB group was 83% ± 3% compared with 73% ± 4% in the PB group (P = .0001). The 5-year survival estimates were 56% ± 5% and 37% ± 5%, respectively. PCB use was independently associated with decreased risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.97). Independent risk factors for increased mortality were age (HR, 1.04 per year; 95% CI, 1.02-1.06), cardiac insufficiency (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.12-2.27), chronic renal insufficiency (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.47-2.85), anticoagulation therapy (HR, 1.65, 95% CI, 1.16-2.34), and CLTI (HR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.51-5.39). In the PCB group, 63% of deaths were due to cardiovascular causes compared with 42% in the PB group (P .01).The use of PCB is safe, and there is no concern of increased mortality after the procedure based on the 5-year survival estimates.

OBJECTIVES Obesity is associated with increased burden of cardiovascular risk factors, morbidity and mortality. However, several studies have counterintuitively shown better outcome after cardiac surgery in obese than in normal weight patients, a phenomenon known as obesity paradox. Furthermore, obesity has been linked with decreased need of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on 30-day mortality and RBC transfusions in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, a clinically important topic with conflicting previous data. METHODS We retrospectively investigated 1691 patients who underwent coronary and/or valve or aortic root surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass between 2013 and 2016. The patients were categorized by BMI based on the World Health Organization classification. For analysis, logistic regression was used with adjustment for potential confounding factors. RESULTS Of the patients, 28.7% were normal weight, 43.3% overweight, 20.5% mildly obese and 7.5% severely obese. Thirty-day mortality was 1.9% without significant differences between the BMI groups. 41.0% of patients received RBC transfusion. Overweight [odds ratio (OR) 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56–0.99, P = 0.045], mildly (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46–0.92, P = 0.016) and severely obese (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24–0.70, P = 0.001) patients needed less frequently RBC transfusions than patients with normal weight. CONCLUSIONS Obesity was not associated with 30-day mortality but was associated with lower use of RBC transfusions in cardiac surgery.

Background Incisional negative pressure wound therapy has been described as an effective method to prevent wound infections after open heart surgery in several publications. However, most studies have examined relatively small patient groups, only a few were randomized, and some have manufacturer-sponsorship. Most of the studies have utilized Prevena; there are only a few reports describing the PICO incisional negative pressure wound therapy system. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study involving a propensity score-matched analysis to evaluate the effect of PICO incisional negative pressure wound therapy after coronary artery bypass grafting. A total of 180 high-risk patients with obesity or diabetes were included in the study group. The control group included 772 high-risk patients operated before the initiation of the study protocol. Results The rates of deep sternal wound infections in the PICO group and in the control group were 3.9 and 3.1%, respectively. The rates of superficial wound infections needing operative treatment were 3.1 and 0.8%, respectively. After propensity score matching with two groups of 174 patients, the incidence of both deep and superficial infections remained slightly elevated in the PICO group. None of the infections were due to technical difficulties or early interruption of the treatment. Conclusion It seems that incisional negative pressure wound therapy with PICO is not effective in preventing wound infections after coronary artery bypass grafting. The main difference in this study compared with previous reports is the relatively low incidence of infections in our control group.

Introduction. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has widely become the first-line option in the treatment of deep sternal wound infections. After several positive reports in comparison with conventional treatment, very recent studies comparing NPWT with early reconstruction have favored the latter. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of NPWT in comparison with early flap reconstruction. Materials and methods. We concluded a retrospective analysis of 125 patients with deep sternal wound infection treated in a single institution between the years 2006 and 2018. NPWT became the first-line treatment in our hospital in 2011. The study group consisted of 55 patients treated primarily with NPWT with or without subsequent flap reconstruction. The control group consisted of 60 patients treated with flap reconstruction without prior NPWT. Ten patients with an immediate re-fixation and direct wound closure were excluded. Results. There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning the type or urgency of the original open-heart surgery, age, gender, or co-morbidities. In the NPWT group there was significantly higher mortality (p = .002), longer stay in the intensive care unit (p = .028), and in the university hospital (p < .001) as well as higher number of operations (p < .001). However, there were somewhat more surgical complications in the control group as well as a higher number of distant flap reconstructions. Overall, five patients suffered from NPWT associated bleeding. Conclusion. Our results raise concerns about the wide use of NPWT as a first-line treatment of deep sternal wound infections. Further evaluative studies are warranted to confirm the results.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia occurring after cardiac surgery. Less attention has been focused on preoperative atrial fibrillation and anaemia as risk factors for mortality after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to determine preoperative risk factors for 30-d mortality after open-heart surgery.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia and associated with a risk of stroke. The detection and diagnosis of AF represent a major clinical challenge due to AF’s asymptomatic and intermittent nature. Novel consumer-grade mobile health (mHealth) products with automatic arrhythmia detection could be an option for long-term electrocardiogram (ECG)-based rhythm monitoring and AF detection. Objective We evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of a wearable automated mHealth arrhythmia monitoring system, including a consumer-grade, single-lead heart rate belt ECG device (heart belt), a mobile phone application, and a cloud service with an artificial intelligence (AI) arrhythmia detection algorithm for AF detection. The specific aim of this proof-of-concept study was to test the feasibility of the entire sequence of operations from ECG recording to AI arrhythmia analysis and ultimately to final AF detection. Methods Patients (n=159) with an AF (n=73) or sinus rhythm (n=86) were recruited from the emergency department. A single-lead heart belt ECG was recorded for 24 hours. Simultaneously registered 3-lead ECGs (Holter) served as the gold standard for the final rhythm diagnostics and as a reference device in a user experience survey with patients over 65 years of age (high-risk group). Results The heart belt provided a high-quality ECG recording for visual interpretation resulting in 100% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of AF detection. The accuracy of AF detection with the automatic AI arrhythmia detection from the heart belt ECG recording was also high (97.5%), and the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 95.4%, respectively. The correlation between the automatic estimated AF burden and the true AF burden from Holter recording was >0.99 with a mean burden error of 0.05 (SD 0.26) hours. The heart belt demonstrated good user experience and did not significantly interfere with the patient’s daily activities. The patients preferred the heart belt over Holter ECG for rhythm monitoring (85/110, 77% heart belt vs 77/109, 71% Holter, P=.049). Conclusions A consumer-grade, single-lead ECG heart belt provided good-quality ECG for rhythm diagnosis. The mHealth arrhythmia monitoring system, consisting of heart-belt ECG, a mobile phone application, and an automated AF detection achieved AF detection with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. In addition, the mHealth arrhythmia monitoring system showed good user experience. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03507335; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03507335

Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia and a significant cause of cardioembolic strokes. Atrial fibrillation is often intermittent and asymptomatic making detection a major clinical challenge. We evaluated a photoplethysmography (PPG) wrist band in individual pulse detection in patients with AF and tested the reliability of two commonly used algorithms for AF detection. Methods and results A 5-min PPG was recorded from patients with AF or sinus rhythm (SR) with a wrist band and analysed with two AF detection algorithms; AFEvidence and COSEn. Simultaneously registered electrocardiogram served as the golden standard for rhythm analysis and was interpreted by two cardiologists. The study population consisted of 213 (106 AF, 107 SR) patients. The wrist band PPG achieved individual pulse detection with a sensitivity of 91.7 ± 11.2% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 97.5 ± 4.6% for AF, with a sensitivity of 99.4 ± 1.5% [7.7% (95% confidence interval, 95% CI 5.5% to 9.9%); P Conclusion The wrist band PPG enabled accurate algorithm-based detection of AF with two AF detection algorithms and high individual pulse detection. Algorithms allowed accurate detection of AF from the PPG. A PPG wrist band provides an easy solution for AF screening.

Objective: Minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation may decrease the need of packed red blood cell transfusions and reduce hemodilution during cardiopulmonary bypass. However, more data are needed on the effects of minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation in more complex cardiac procedures. We compared minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation and conventional extracorporeal circulation methods of cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods: A total of 424 patients in the minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation group and 844 patients in the conventional extracorporeal circulation group undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and more complex cardiac surgery were evaluated. Age, sex, type of surgery, and duration of perfusion were used as matching criteria. Hemoglobin Results: Red blood cell transfusions were needed less often in the minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation group compared to the conventional extracorporeal circulation group (26.4% vs. 33.4%, p = 0.011, odds ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.55-0.93), especially in coronary artery bypass grafting subgroup (21.3% vs. 35.1%, p < 0.001, odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.73). Hemoglobin drop after onset of perfusion was also lower in the minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation group than in the conventional extracorporeal circulation group (24.2 ± 8.5% vs. 32.6 ± 12.6%, p < 0.001). Postoperative bleeding from the chest tube did not differ between the groups (p = 0.808). Conclusion: Minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation reduced the need of red blood cell transfusions and hemoglobin drop when compared to the conventional extracorporeal circulation group. This may have implications when choosing the perfusion method in cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND The detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major clinical challenge as AF is often paroxysmal and asymptomatic. Novel mobile health (mHealth) technologies could provide a cost-effective and reliable solution for AF screening. However, many of these techniques have not been clinically validated. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of artificial intelligence (AI) arrhythmia analysis for AF detection with an mHealth patch device designed for personal well-being. METHODS Patients (N=178) with an AF (n=79, 44%) or sinus rhythm (n=99, 56%) were recruited from the emergency care department. A single-lead, 24-hour, electrocardiogram-based heart rate variability (HRV) measurement was recorded with the mHealth patch device and analyzed with a novel AI arrhythmia analysis software. Simultaneously registered 3-lead electrocardiograms (Holter) served as the gold standard for the final rhythm diagnostics. RESULTS Of the HRV data produced by the single-lead mHealth patch, 81.5% (3099/3802 hours) were interpretable, and the subject-based median for interpretable HRV data was 99% (25th percentile=77% and 75th percentile=100%). The AI arrhythmia detection algorithm detected AF correctly in all patients in the AF group and suggested the presence of AF in 5 patients in the control group, resulting in a subject-based AF detection accuracy of 97.2%, a sensitivity of 100%, and a specificity of 94.9%. The time-based AF detection accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the AI arrhythmia detection algorithm were 98.7%, 99.6%, and 98.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The 24-hour HRV monitoring by the mHealth patch device enabled accurate automatic AF detection. Thus, the wearable mHealth patch device with AI arrhythmia analysis is a novel method for AF screening. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03507335; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03507335

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia and associated with a risk of stroke. The detection and diagnosis of AF represent a major clinical challenge due to AF’s asymptomatic and intermittent nature. Novel consumer-grade mobile health (mHealth) products with automatic arrhythmia detection could be an option for long-term electrocardiogram (ECG)-based rhythm monitoring and AF detection. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of a wearable automated mHealth arrhythmia monitoring system, including a consumer-grade, single-lead heart rate belt ECG device (heart belt), a mobile phone application, and a cloud service with an artificial intelligence (AI) arrhythmia detection algorithm for AF detection. The specific aim of this proof-of-concept study was to test the feasibility of the entire sequence of operations from ECG recording to AI arrhythmia analysis and ultimately to final AF detection. METHODS Patients (n=159) with an AF (n=73) or sinus rhythm (n=86) were recruited from the emergency department. A single-lead heart belt ECG was recorded for 24 hours. Simultaneously registered 3-lead ECGs (Holter) served as the gold standard for the final rhythm diagnostics and as a reference device in a user experience survey with patients over 65 years of age (high-risk group). RESULTS The heart belt provided a high-quality ECG recording for visual interpretation resulting in 100% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of AF detection. The accuracy of AF detection with the automatic AI arrhythmia detection from the heart belt ECG recording was also high (97.5%), and the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 95.4%, respectively. The correlation between the automatic estimated AF burden and the true AF burden from Holter recording was >0.99 with a mean burden error of 0.05 (SD 0.26) hours. The heart belt demonstrated good user experience and did not significantly interfere with the patient’s daily activities. The patients preferred the heart belt over Holter ECG for rhythm monitoring (85/110, 77% heart belt vs 77/109, 71% Holter, P=.049). CONCLUSIONS A consumer-grade, single-lead ECG heart belt provided good-quality ECG for rhythm diagnosis. The mHealth arrhythmia monitoring system, consisting of heart-belt ECG, a mobile phone application, and an automated AF detection achieved AF detection with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. In addition, the mHealth arrhythmia monitoring system showed good user experience. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03507335; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03507335

Comprehensive management of coronary artery disease (CAD) includes physical exercise as a part of daily lifestyle therapy. Still CAD patients generally have low physical activity (PA) and high sedentary behaviour (SB). This review summarizes the effect of exercise training and habitual PA and SB on physical fitness and quality of life (QoL) as well as on rehospitalizations and mortality in patients with stable CAD, recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or recent revascularization. A literature review of the influence of exercise, and PA and SB profiles in secondary prevention of CAD was performed using PubMed. All articles published between January 2001 and April 2019, meeting the inclusion criteria were considered. A total of 25 cross-sectional or prospective studies or randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included to this review. Exercise training was found to improve maximal oxygen consumption, QoL, and to reduce rehospitalizations and mortality among patients with established CAD. Remote PA interventions have not been as effective as the supervised exercise sessions in reducing the clinical endpoints. High SB, especially when combined to low PA, is associated with poor cardiorespiratory fitness and worse long-term prognosis among patients with ACS. In conclusion, exercise training and high PA are beneficial for patients with stable CAD, recent ACS or recent revascularization. High SB is associated with poor cardiopulmonary fitness and increased mortality in ACS patients. Novel tools using online applications and smart devices are promising means to offer remote guidance for PA among patients unable to participate in regular exercise sessions.

Introduction Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are common in cardiac surgery and reportedly associated with increased mortality and morbidity, including increased risk of postoperative new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF). The aim of this study was to compare minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation (MiECC) and conventional extracorporeal circulation (CECC) in terms of RBC transfusions and the incidence of NOAF in mitral valve surgery. Methods The study population consisted of 89 MiECC and 169 CECC patients undergoing mitral valve surgery as an isolated procedure (80.6% of the patients) or in combination with coronary artery bypass grafting (19.4% of patients). 79.4% of the patients were male and the mean age was 62.1 years. Results 30.0% of patients aged < 65 years and 48.1% of patients aged ≥ 65 years needed RBC transfusion. The overall need for RBC transfusions did not differ between the treatment groups. Among patients < 65 years of age transfusions of ≥ 3 units were less frequent in MiECC than in CECC patients (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.10–0.98, p = 0.045). The overall incidence of NOAF was 41.8% with no significant difference between MiECC and CECC groups. Red blood cell transfusions were associated with an increased risk of NOAF in an unadjusted analysis but not after adjustment for age and sex (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.64–2.43, p = 0.515). Conclusions In mitral valve surgery MiECC compared to CECC was associated with less need of RBC units and platelets, particularly in patients aged < 65 years. Use of RBC transfusions was associated with increased risk of NOAF significantly only in unadjusted analysis.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the major cause of stroke since approximately 25% of all strokes are of cardioembolic-origin. The detection and diagnosis of AF are often challenging due to the asymptomatic and intermittent nature of AF. Hypothesis A wearable electrocardiogram (ECG)-device could increase the likelihood of AF detection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of a novel, consumer-grade, single-lead ECG recording device (Necklace-ECG) for screening, identifying and diagnosing of AF both by a cardiologist and automated AF-detection algorithms. Methods A thirty-second ECG was recorded with the Necklace-ECG device from two positions; between the palms (palm) and between the palm and the chest (chest). Simultaneously registered 3-lead ECGs (Holter) served as a golden standard for the final rhythm diagnosis. Two cardiologists interpreted independently in a blinded fashion the Necklace-ECG recordings from 145 patients (66 AF and 79 sinus rhythm, SR). In addition, the Necklace-ECG recordings were analyzed with an automatic AF detection algorithm. Results Two cardiologists diagnosed the correct rhythm of the interpretable Necklace-ECG with a mean sensitivity of 97.2% and 99.1% (palm and chest, respectively) and specificity of 100% and 98.5%. The automatic arrhythmia algorithm detected the correct rhythm with a sensitivity of 94.7% and 98.3% (palm and chest) and specificity of 100% of the interpretable measurements. Conclusions The novel Necklace-ECG device is able to detect AF with high sensitivity and specificity as evaluated both by cardiologists and an automated AF-detection algorithm. Thus, the wearable Necklace-ECG is a new, promising method for AF screening. Clinical trial registration Study was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database (NCT03753139).

Funding Acknowledgements Goverment grant, Heart2save Ltd cooperation. Background/Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and a fast-growing public health problem worldwide. Main and the most severe complication of AF is an embolic stroke. Approximately 25% of all strokes are caused by AF. AF is often symptomless and intermittent, making its detection and diagnosing challenging. Many AF patients have both symptomatic and asymptomatic periods of arrhythmia. In addition, during the early stage of the disease, AF is often paroxysmal making the diagnosis of AF a major clinical challenge. Purpose Wearable ECG devices could enable repetitive rhythm monitoring over a long term and thus improve the probability of AF detection. Wearable devices have the advantage of being easily available. However, they also need to be reliable and their design should appeal customers. Our aim was to study the suitability and reliability of novel measurement technique (necklace-ECG, Figure1) for the diagnosis of AF. Methods The study population consisted of 145 adult volunteers at Kuopio University Hospital emergency department (66 AF and 79 sinus rhythm (SR), diagnosed from continuous 3-lead ECG recording. All study subjects performed a thirty-second self-performed ECG recording with a single-lead necklace-embedded ECG recorder (necklace-ECG) keeping the recorder between palms of their hands. The ECG recordings were analyzed with automatic AF detection algorithm. Two cardiologists interpreted independently in blinded fashion the necklace-ECG recordings and simultaneously registered 3-lead ECGs which served as golden standard for the final rhythm diagnosis. Results Necklace-ECG produced an interpretable ECG recording in 91.0%/86.2% patients (Doc1/Doc2, respectively). Additionally, 93.1% of ECG recordings were interpretable by the automatic analysis service (98.7% in SR patients and 86.4% of AF patients). Base on the necklace ECG recording, cardiologists were able to diagnose AF with sensitivity of 98.2%/96.3% (Doc1/Doc2, respectively) and specificity of 100% (Doc1 and Doc2, respectively). The automatic arrhythmia algorithm diagnosed AF with sensitivity of 94.7% and specificity of 100%. Conclusions The necklace-ECG device produces ECG recording with sufficient quality for the detection of AF with good sensitivity and specificity as evaluated both by cardiologist and automated AF-detection algorithm. Thus, wearable necklace-ECG provides a new and easy method for screening, identifying and diagnosing AF. Abstract Figure 1

Purpose: Patients scheduled to undergo the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are usually octogenarians with severe co-morbidities and an increased risk of surgery-associated complications. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of insufficient oxygen delivery as measured by mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) via invasive continuous cardiopulmonary monitoring and the low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) in patients undergoing the TAVR procedure. The second objective was to examine how these hemodynamic measurements would change during critical events, such as rapid ventricular pacing (RVP) during this procedure. Methods: This prospective, observational study, examined twenty patients undergoing TAVR under general anesthesia. Hemodynamic variables, SvO2 and the continuous cardiac output (CO) were assessed using pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) and a Vigilance® monitor. Insufficient oxygen delivery was defined as a SvO2 value under 58% and LCOS as a cardiac index (CI) under 2 L/min/m2. Total intravenous anesthesia and hemodynamic management protocol were standardized. RVP was induced twice during the procedure at a frequency of 180 - 200/min. Predefined clinical endpoints were assessed during the procedure and hemodynamic values were analyzed before and after twelve critical events. Results: The data of twenty patients with a mean age of 80 ± 4 years and EuroSCORE 18 ± 10 were analyzed. Fourteen (70%) of the TAVR procedures were performed transapically, the other six (30%) transfemorally. The SvO2 value under 58% (mean 54 ± 6) and the CI under 2 L/min/m2 (mean 1.6 ± 0.2) were detected in 60% of patients (n = 12) before the use of RVP. All of these patients received perioperative inotropic medication and required norepinephrine infusion for maintenance of adequate blood pressure. The SvO2, CO and CI were significantly decreased after the use of RVP (P 2 reverted rapidly to the same level as before the application of RVP (1 min), CO, and CI 10 min later. At the end of the operation SvO2 values were at same level as before RVP and CO and CI were higher than before RVP. Conclusion: A high incidence of insufficient oxygen delivery and low cardiac output syndrome were detected in patients undergoing TAVR procedures. Nonetheless, all hemodynamic values returned rather rapidly to the same level as before the use of the RVP and were at the optimal level at the end of the procedure. According to the current study, the most hemodynamically hazardous steps during TAVR are the use of RVP sequences, the induction of anesthesia and the initiation of surgery.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrhythmia after cardiac surgery with an incidence between 15% and 50% and pathophysiology not fully known. By choosing the method of extracorporeal circulation with focus on the reduction of systemic inflammatory response, one can potentially decrease the risk of POAF. In this prospective, randomized trial, we compared minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation (MiECC) with conventional extracorporeal circulation (CECC) in the prevention of POAF after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). A total of 240 patients who were scheduled for their first on-pump CABG, were randomized to MiECC or CECC. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of first POAF during the first 84 hours after surgery. POAF occurred in 42/120 (35.0%) MiECC patients and 43/120 (35.8%) CECC patients with nonsignificant difference between the groups (OR 1.043, 95% CI 0.591-1.843, P = .884). The first postoperative creatine kinase-MB mass (CK-MBm) value was lower in the MiECC group, 13.95 [10.5-16.7] (median [IQR]) than in the CECC group, 15.30 [11.4-18.9] (P = .036), whereas the use of perioperative dobutamine was higher in the MiECC group, 18/120 (15.0%), than in the CECC group 8/120 (6.7%) (P = .038). The incidence of a stroke, perioperative myocardial infarction, and resternotomy caused by bleeding did not differ in the MiECC and CECC groups. Age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.13, P = .000) and peak postoperative CK-MBm (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.06-2.37, P = .026) were independent predictors of POAF. MiECC compared to CECC was not effective in reducing the incidence of POAF in patients undergoing CABG.

There are multiple treatment strategies and flap options to cover defects after deep sternal wound infections and other similar sternal defects. The choice of flap is made according to surgeons' preferences and the size and location of the defect. Our aim is to introduce a new option to cover these kinds of defects with an internal mammary artery perforator flap combined with a pectoralis major muscle flap mostly raised with a muscle-sparing technique.We treated 13 patients with a sternal defect after cardiothoracic operations with this technique between 2010-2016. Ten patients had a deep sternal wound infection, two had an infection of the prosthesis after carotico-subclavian bypass and one had a fragmented sternum. Nine patients were treated with an internal mammary artery perforator fasciocutaneous flap with a muscle-sparing pectoralis major muscle flap and four patients with an internal mammary artery perforator fasciocutaneous flap combined with a right pectoralis major muscle flap.Three patients (23%) experienced major complications and four patients (31%) had conservatively treated minor complications. There were no flap losses.This combination of flaps is a suitable option for patients with large defects in whom direct skin closure is not possible. It can be utilized for defects comprising the entire vertical length of the sternum. These are local flaps with a short operation time and are therefore most suitable for patients with comorbidities in whom major surgery is not an option.

Background and objective: Deep sternal wound infection is a feared complication of open-heart surgery. Negative pressure wound therapy has gained an important role in the treatment of deep sternal wound infection. Incisional negative pressure wound therapy has been introduced as a method to prevent wound complications after sternotomy, and lately, after flap reconstructions in the treatment of deep sternal wound infection. We aimed to study if incisional negative pressure wound therapy with PICO™ had similar beneficial effect described earlier with competing commercial devices. Methods: This study included 82 patients treated with pectoralis major muscle flap for deep sternal wound infection during the years 2006–2020. PICO group consisted of 24 patients treated with preoperative negative pressure wound therapy and postoperative incisional negative pressure wound therapy (PICO™). Two control groups included 48 patients with conventional treatment and 10 patients with preoperative negative pressure wound therapy only. Results: In the PICO group, the complication rate declined from 50.0% to 33.30%, major complication rate from 29.2% to 12.5%, and need for an additional flap from 14.6.% to 4.2% when compared to conventional treatment. The length of hospital stay decreased as well. Preoperative negative pressure wound therapy alone was associated with moderate decline in the complication rates. In addition, we described the use of split pectoralis major muscle flap reconstruction in 57 patients. To our knowledge, this is the largest published patient series describing this method in the treatment of deep sternal wound infection. Conclusions: Incisional negative pressure wound therapy with PICO™ seems beneficial after flap reconstruction. Split pectoralis major muscle flap is a versatile reconstruction option suitable to be used as a workhorse in the treatment of deep sternal wound infection.

New onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac surgery is associated with increased risk for thromboembolic complications. Compliance with anticoagulation treatment is prerequisite for successful outcome after POAF. We hypothesized that a disciplined anticoagulation protocol initiated instantly after POAF secures a long-term outcome.A total of 519 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Patients received anticoagulation using warfarin whenever POAF lasted longer than five min. Postoperative outcome including mortality, myocardial infarction and stroke were compared with patients on sinus rhythm (non-POAF).Mean age of the study cohort was 64.3 ± 9.0 years and median follow-up time was 76 months. There were 177 (34%) POAF and 342 (66%) non-POAF patients. At discharge, 144 (81%) POAF patients complied with warfarin, while 82 (24%) non-POAF patients received warfarin for non-rhythm causes (p .001). Mortality was higher in POAF as compared with non-POAF patients (p = .03). After adjustment for comorbidities, major adverse clinical events (MACE)- including a combination of late cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and late atrial fibrillation- was independently associated with POAF (OR 2.73, 95%CI 1.69-4.45, p .0001).POAF after cardiac surgery was associated with high risk of MACE. Early anticoagulation may be justified in POAF patients to secure a long-term outcome after cardiac surgery.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often asymptomatic and intermittent making its detection a major clinical challenge. A photoplethysmography (PPG) wrist band with algorithm-based detection of AF provides a promising solution for screening of AF. However, the shapes of individual pulse waveforms vary in AF decreasing pulse detection accuracy. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of PPG wrist band pulse morphology in detection of AF. Methods A 5-minute PPG was recorded with a PPG wrist band from patients with AF or sinus rhythm. A simultaneously registered ECG served as the golden standard for the rhythm analysis and was interpreted by two cardiologists. In addition to using the inter-beat-interval (IBI) based AFEvidence algorithm in comparison, we extracted a feature straight from the PPG signal, without the need of pulse detection. This feature was calculated as the average of absolute autocorrelation values over different lags. The feature describes the regularity of the PPG signal and is decreased if the shape and periodicity of pulse waves vary. The performance of this PPG morphology-based method in detection of AF was evaluated and compared to the AFEvidence. Results The study population consisted of 213 patients (106 AF, 107 sinus rhythm). The sensitivity and specificity of PPG morphology-based autocorrelation AF detection method were 98.1% and 94.4%. For AFEvidence, the sensitivity and specificity were 96.2% and 98.1%, respectively (p=0.146 between the methods, McNemar test). PPG samples of AF and sinus rhythm Conclusions The PPG morphology-based autocorrelation method detects AF with good accuracy without the need of pulse detection. The method seems promising in detection of AF and should be studied further. Acknowledgement/Funding None

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine ( BMJ Open SEM ) is a young and credible open access (OA) journal that has constantly been growing since its inception in 2015. In its first 4 years, it has received submissions from 46 countries and it becomes more international year on year (figure 1). I feel both privileged and responsible to lead BMJ Open SEM through its maturation phase as its second Editor in Chief. As with most ‘sister’ OA journals, BMJ Open SEM has been a great destination for worthy sports and exercise manuscripts which, despite their good quality, cannot fit in the limited space of hybrid journals such as the B ritish Journal of Sports Medicine ( BJSM) . BJSM accepts only 6%–8% of original research papers and around 20% of systematic review submissions. Figure 1 BMJ O pen S port & E xercise M edicine papers submitted from different parts of the world. The ambition of the current phase of growth of BMJ Open SEM is to be a lot more than a destination for manuscripts that ‘cascade’ from BJSM and possibly other similar journals. The ‘new BMJ Open SEM ’ …

Purpose Cardiac surgery and conventional extracorporeal circulation (CECC) impair the bioavailability of drugs administered by mouth. It is not known whether miniaturized ECC (MECC) or off-pump surgery (OPCAB) affect the bioavailability in similar manner. We evaluated the metoprolol bioavailability in patients undergoing CABG surgery with CECC, MECC, or having OPCAB. Methods Thirty patients, ten in each group, aged 44-79 years, scheduled for CABG surgery were administered 50 mg metoprolol by mouth on the preoperative day at 8-10 a.m. and 8 p.m., 2 h before surgery, and thereafter daily at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Blood samples were collected up to 12 h after the morning dose on the preoperative day and on first and third postoperative days. Metoprolol concentration in plasma was analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results The absorption of metoprolol was markedly reduced on the first postoperative day in all three groups, but recovered to the preoperative level on the third postoperative day. The geometric means (90% confidence interval) of AUC(0-12) on the first and third postoperative days versus the preoperative day were 44 (26-74)% and 109 (86-139)% in the CECC-group, 28 (16-50)% and 79 (59-105)% in the MECC-group, and 26 (12-56)% and 96 (77-119)% in the OPCAB-group, respectively. Two patients in the CECC-group and two in the MECC-group developed atrial fibrillation (AF). The bioavailability and the drug concentrations of metoprolol in patients developing AF did not differ from those who remained in sinus rhythm. Conclusion The bioavailability of metoprolol by mouth was markedly reduced in the early phase after CABG with no difference between the CECC-, MECC-, and OPCAB-groups.

ObjectivesWe investigated differences in objectively measured sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) levels in subjects with cardiovascular disease (CVD) diagnosis or high CVD risk compared with healthy controls.MethodsThe present study includes a subsample (n=1398, Health 2011 Study) of participants, who attended health examinations and wore a triaxial accelerometer (≥4 days). Patients with CVD were identified and CVD risk was calculated for others using Framingham Risk Score (FRS). Participants were categorised into groups: FRS30%/CVD. Raw acceleration data were analysed with mean amplitude deviation (MAD) and angle for posture estimation (APE). MAD corresponding to intensity of PA was converted to metabolic equivalents (MET) and categorised to light (1.5–2.9 METs) and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA≥3.0 METs). APE recognises SB and standing.ResultsDaily accumulated time of >30 s MVPA bouts was higher in FRS30%/CVD group (29 min) (p30%/CVD group were more sedentary, their mean daily number of >10 min SB bouts (13.2) was higher than in FRS ConclusionNumber and accumulated times of SB and PA bouts differed between the CVD risk groups. Causative research is required to assess the importance of SB and PA in prevention and rehabilitation of CVDs.

Background We evaluated the association of accelerometer-based sedentary behaviour and physical activity with the risk of cardiovascular disease. Design The design of this study used a population-based, cross-sectional sample. Methods A subsample of participants in the Health 2011 Study in Finland used the tri-axial accelerometer (≥4 days,10 h/day, n = 1398). Sedentary behaviour (sitting, lying) and standing still in six-second epochs were recognised from raw acceleration data based on intensity and device orientation. The intensity of physical activity was calculated as one-minute moving averages of mean amplitude deviation of resultant acceleration and converted to metabolic equivalents. Metabolic equivalents were categorised to light physical activity (1.5-2.9 metabolic equivalents) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity≥3.0 metabolic equivalents). Daily sedentary behaviour, standing still, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were expressed as mean daily total time, accumulated time and number of different bouts (from 30 s to30 min), mean daily metabolic equivalent and weekly peak metabolic equivalent levels of different bout lengths and number of breaks in sedentary behaviour. The ten-year cardiovascular disease risk was based on the Framingham risk model. Results The mean number of daily sedentary behaviour bouts was more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease risk than mean daily total time. In the best model, smaller waist circumference, greater value of mean daily metabolic equivalent levels of one-minute bouts, higher accumulated time of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity lasting ≤30 min, higher number of5 min standing bouts and a higher number of long (30 min) bouts of light physical activity were significantly associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk (R

We have performed a systematic literature review and a meta-analysis investigating the effect of beta-adrenergic antagonist on perioperative pain in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). The search included the CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases (from inception to 10 February 2015). From the retrieved full texts, we hand-searched the references and PubMed related citations. A total of 11 RCTs consisting data of 701 adult patients were eligible for this systematic review. Esmolol was evaluated in ten trials and propranolol in one. Esmolol decreased the need for rescue analgesics by 32-50%; p < 0.05 (n = 7) and the proportion of patients needing rescue analgesia from 100 to 65%; p < 0.005 (n = 1), and propranolol decreased the need for rescue analgesics by 72%; p < 0.001 (n = 1). The time to the first rescue analgesics was longer (p < 0.05) and pain ratings were lower (p < 0.05) in patients with beta-adrenergic antagonists. However, in two opioid-controlled studies, one in knee arthroscopy and another in tubal ligation patients, the proportion of patients needing rescue analgesia was two-times higher in esmolol-treated patients: 52-57 vs. 23-34%, p < 0.05. Adverse effects were rarely reported, and as reported were mostly cardiovascular alterations. In conclusion, intra-operative beta-adrenergic antagonists' administration may decrease postoperative pain and analgesic consumption when given as an adjuvant to general anesthesia.

Background and Aims: Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia after cardiac surgery. It increases morbidity, length of hospital stay, and costs of operative treatment. Beta-blockers, sotalol, amiodarone, corticosteroids, and biatrial pacing have been shown to be efficient in the prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation. The aim of this study was to find out how widely different prophylactic strategies for postoperative atrial fibrillation are used in Scandinavian countries. Material and Methods: An online link for a questionnaire was emailed to (214) cardiac surgeons in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Estonia to assess the use of prophylactic methods for postoperative atrial fibrillation. Results: A total of 97 surgeons responded to the survey. Oral beta-blockers were routinely used for atrial fibrillation prophylaxis by 62% of responders. The main reasons for nonuse of beta-blockers were that responders were unconvinced of the evidence of benefit or they preferred some alternative prophylaxis. Intravenous beta-blockers were used frequently by 6% of responders. Amiodarone was used for prophylaxis by 18% of responders. Nonusers were unconvinced of its efficacy, were afraid of its complications, or found its use too cumbersome. Other prophylactic atrial fibrillation strategies that were used are as follows: sotalol by 2%, magnesium by 17%, corticosteroids by 1%, and atrial pacing by 11% of respondents. Conclusions: There is still widely varying implementation of strategies for atrial fibrillation prophylaxis among Scandinavian cardiac surgeons. Lack of confidence in the efficacy of these approaches is the main rationale for nonimplementation.

Background and Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia after coronary arteryby pass surgery (CABG). Intravenous metoprolol and biatrial pacing have been reported to be effective in AF prophylaxis after cardiac surgery. The purpose of this trial was to compare the efficacy of intravenous metoprolol versus biatrial pacing combined with oral metoprolol in the prevention of AF after CABG. Methods: A single-centre prospective randomized open trial of 165 consecutive patients undergoing their first CABG. Patients were randomized to receive either intravenous metoprolol infusion 1–3 mg per hour or biatrial overdrive pacing and oral metoprolol (50–150mg) daily for 72 hours after CABG starting immediately after the surgery. AAI pacing with a pacing rate of 10 beats/minute above the baseline heart rate was used. Patients had continuous ECG-monitoring. The primaryend point was the first episode of AF. Results: The incidence of postoperative AF in the intravenous metoprolol and biatrial pacing groups did not differ from each other (14% vs. 18% respecively, p = 0.66). There was no difference in the time of AF on set between the groups (28.2 ± 16.2 h vs. 30.1 ± 21.2 h respectively, p = 0.8). Intravenous metoprolol infusion had to be temporarily interrupted for one hour in eleven patients because of hypotension or bradycardia. One case of bleeding from the left atria related to the pacemaker electrode wire was found. Conclusion: We found no difference in the incidence of AF between patients treated with intravenous metoprolol or the combination of biatrial pacing and oral metoprolol.

The optimal treatment for severe accidental hypothermia is cardiopulmonary bypass because this offers the most rapid rate of rewarming. However, cardiopulmonary bypass therapy is not available in every hospital. In these circumstances, rewarming has to be achieved with other methods. We present a patient who was successfully rewarmed with thoracic lavage after he had been found with a core temperature of 21°C and asystole.

ContextAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia to occur after cardiac surgery. An exaggerated inflammatory response has been proposed to be one etiological factor.ObjectiveTo test whether intravenous corticosteroid administration after cardiac surgery prevents AF after cardiac surgery.Design, Setting, and PatientsA double-blind, randomized multicenter trial (study enrollment August 2005–June 2006) in 3 university hospitals in Finland of 241 consecutive patients without prior AF or flutter and scheduled to undergo first on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, aortic valve replacement, or combined CABG surgery and aortic valve replacement.InterventionPatients were randomized to receive either 100-mg hydrocortisone or matching placebo as follows: the first dose in the evening of the operative day, then 1 dose every 8 hours during the next 3 days. In addition, all patients received oral metoprolol (50-150 mg/d) titrated to heart rate.Main Outcome MeasureOccurrence of AF during the first 84 hours after cardiac surgery.ResultsThe incidence of postoperative AF was significantly lower in the hydrocortisone group (36/120 [30%]) than in the placebo group (58/121 [48%]; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.83; P = .004; number needed to treat, 5.6). Compared with placebo, patients receiving hydrocortisone did not have higher rates of superficial or deep wound infections, or other major complications.ConclusionIntravenous hydrocortisone reduced the incidence of AF after cardiac surgery.Trial Registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00442494

Background— Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia to occur after cardiac surgery, with an incidence of 20% to 40%. AF is associated with postoperative complications, including increased risk of stroke and need of additional treatment, as well as prolonged hospital stay and increased costs. It has been shown that prophylactic oral administration of β-blocker therapy reduces the incidence of postoperative AF after cardiac surgery. However, it is possible that absorption of drugs is impaired after cardiopulmonary perfusion associated with cardiac surgery. The purpose of this prospective, controlled, randomized trial was to study compare intravenous and per oral metoprolol administration in the prevention of AF after cardiac surgery. Methods and Results— 240 consecutive patients who were scheduled to undergo their first on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), aortic valve replacement, or combined aortic valve replacement and CABG were randomized to receive 48-hour infusion of metoprolol or oral metoprolol starting on the first postoperative morning. Patients were excluded if they had contraindications for β-blocker or had to stay >1 day in the intensive care unit. Dosage of metoprolol was adjusted according to heart rate. The dosage was 1 to 3 mg/h in the intravenous group and from 25 mg twice per day to 50 mg 3 times per day in the oral group. The incidence of postoperative AF was significantly lower in the intravenous group than in the oral group (16.8% versus 28.1%, P =0.036). No serious adverse effects were associated with intravenous metoprolol therapy. Conclusions— Our study suggests that intravenous metoprolol is well-tolerated and more effective than oral metoprolol in the prevention of AF after cardiac surgery.

Background Current guidelines recommend β-blockers as the first-line preventive treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery. Despite this, 19% of physicians report using amiodarone as first-line prophylaxis of postoperative AF. Data directly comparing the efficacy of these agents in preventing postoperative AF are lacking. Objective To determine whether intravenous metoprolol and amiodarone are equally effective in preventing postoperative AF after cardiac surgery. Design Randomized, prospective, equivalence, open-label, multicenter study. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00784316) Setting 3 cardiac care referral centers in Finland. Patients 316 consecutive patients who were hemodynamically stable and free of mechanical ventilation and AF within 24 hours after cardiac surgery. Intervention Patients were randomly assigned to receive 48-hour infusion of metoprolol, 1 to 3 mg/h, according to heart rate, or amiodarone, 15 mg/kg of body weight daily, with a maximum daily dose of 1000 mg, starting 15 to 21 hours after cardiac surgery. Measurements The primary end point was the occurrence of the first AF episode or completion of the 48-hour infusion. Results Atrial fibrillation occurred in 38 of 159 (23.9%) patients in the metoprolol group and 39 of 157 (24.8%) patients in the amiodarone group (P = 0.85). However, the difference (-0.9 percentage point [90% CI, -8.9 to 7.0 percentage points]) does not meet the prespecified equivalence margin of 5 percentage points. The adjusted hazard ratio of the metoprolol group compared with the amiodarone group was 1.09 (95% CI, 0.67 to 1.76). Limitations Caregivers were not blinded to treatment allocation, and the trial evaluated only stable patients who were not at particularly elevated risk for AF. The withdrawal of preoperative β-blocker therapy may have increased the risk for AF in the amiodarone group. Conclusion The occurrence of AF was similar in the metoprolol and amiodarone groups. However, because of the wide range of the CIs, the authors cannot conclude that the 2 treatments were equally effective. Primary funding source The Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research and the Kuopio University EVO Foundation.