Objective To compare short-term clinical outcomes of bipolar/unipolar radiofrequency （RF） ablation for the treatment of permanent atrial fibrillation（AF） of patients with rheumatic valvular heart disease. Methods Clinicaldata of 124 patients with rheumatic valvular heart disease and permanent AF who underwent heart valve replacement and concomitant bipolar/unipolar RF ablation in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital from February 2011 to December 2011 were retros- pectively analyzed. According to different RF ablation methods，all the 124 patients were divided into bipolar group and unipolar group. There were 62 patients in the bipolar group including 29 males and 33 females with their age of 44.20±8.61 years，and 62 patients in the unipolar group including 33 males and 29 females with their age of 46.40±9.48 years. Electrocardiogram examinations were performed at the time of intraoperative heart re-beating，the very postoperative day，7 days，1 month，3 months and 6 months postoperatively to detect restoration of sinus rhythm. Results There was no in-hospital death or ablation-related complication in either group. Aortic cross-clamp time（70.05±22.02 min vs. 54.47±20.65 min，P=0.025） and RF ablation time（25.12±3.00 min vs. 15.70±3.02 min，P=0.000）of the bipolar group were significantly longer than those of the unipolar group. At the time of intraoperative heart re-beating，the lst and 7th day after operation， sinus rhythm restoration rates were 88.71%，87.10%，80.65% respectively in the bipolar group，85.48%，77.42%，72.58% respectively in the unipolar group，and there was no statistical difference between the two groups （P＞0.05）. In the 1st，3rd and 6th postoperative month，sinus rhythm restoration rates of the bipolar group （79.03%，75.81%，72.58% respectively） were significantly higher than those of the unipolar group （59.68%，50.00%，48.38% respectively，P＜0.05）. Conclusion Clinical outcomes of RF ablation for the treatment of permanent AF of patients with rheumatic valvular heart disease are satisfactory. Unipolar RF ablation has the advantage of being time-saving and easier technique，while short-term sinus rhythm restoration rate of bipolar RF ablation is higher than that of unipolar RF ablation for the treatment of permanent AF.
ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of restrictive bare stent released on the distal end of the trunk of Stanford type A aortic dissection. Methods The clinical data of 22 patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection requiring aortic arch replacement and trunk surgery and selected for restrictive bare stent placement from November 2016 to February 2018 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 19 males and 3 females, aged 34-68 (49.72±8.05) years. The bare stent was released in the descending thoracic aorta, and the stented elephant trunk was placed in the bare stent. The aortic computerized tomography angiography was reviewed before discharge and the stent position and complications were observed. ResultsOne patient failed to be implanted with bare stents due to a greater resistance and prolapse during implantation. Bare stents were successfully implanted in the remaining 21 patients. One patient died of large-area cerebral infarction after surgery and one patient suffered paraplegia. Twenty patients who survived and successfully implanted bare stents were followed up at regular intervals for 4-21 (13.00±6.14) months. No stroke or death occurred during the follow-up. The computerized tomography angiography showed good stent morphology and position, and no displacement or type Ⅲ endoleak. No stent graft-induced new entry was found. ConclusionAs an adjunct to stented elephant trunk, the use of restrictive bare stents can reduce the possibility of recurrence of a distal stent fracture, significantly expand the narrowest segment and true lumen caliber near the endoluminal graft. Aortic remodeling works well.
We reported a 59-year-old male with exertional angina pectoris, and the coronary angiography showed multiple vessel lesions. The initial strategy was coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The measurement of quantitative flow ration (QFR) before operation indicated that the posterior descending branch (PD) did not need to be treated. The left circumflex branch (LCX) was small, and the QFR of the left anterior descending branch (LAD) and the first diagonal branch (D1) was<0.8. Therefore, the LAD and D1 were re-vascularized. The operation strategy was changed to on-pump CABG through a small incision, and the final strategy was LIMA-D1-LAD (sequential), fractional flow reserve (FFR) of distal LAD and D1 after CABG were>0.8 by computed tomography FFR. SYNTAX scores after CABG were 20 and the functional SYNTAX scores after CABG were 3, indicating a good prognosis.
Objective To compare clinical outcomes and safety between minimally invasive mitral valve replacement via right minithoracotomy （mini-MVR） and traditional mitral valve replacement （MVR）. Methods Clinical data of 68 patients with valvular heart diseases who underwent mini-MVR from February 2009 to December 2011 in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 36 males and 32 females in this mini-MVR group with their mean age of 34.2±11.2 years. Preoperatively， there were 21 patients with mitral stenosis （MS）， 17 patients with mitral insufficiency （MI）， 30 patients with MS and MI， and 19 patients with tricuspid insufficiency （TI）. Another 200 patients with valvular heart diseases who underwent traditional MVR during the same period were included as the control group. There were 86 males and 114 females in the control group with their mean age of 49.4±13.2 years. Preoperatively， there were 85 patients with MS， 66 patients with MI， 49 patients with MS and MI， and 76 patients with TI. Hospital mortality， aortic crossclamp time， length of intensive care unit （ICU） stay， postoperative chest tube drainage， reexploration for bleeding and postoperative morbidities were compared between the two groups. Results There was no in-hospital death in the mini-MVR group. There was no statistical difference in hospital mortality， cardiopulmonary bypass time， incidence of reexploration for bleeding， postoperative arrhythmias， dialysis-requiring acute renal failure and wound infection between the two group （P＞0.05）. Aortic crossclamp time of the mini-MVR group was significantly longer than that of the control group. But postoperative mechanical ventilation time （10.2±3.1 h vs. 15.2±7.1 h， P=0.008）， chest tube drainage（92.0±28.0 ml vs. 205.0±78.0 ml， P=0.000）， blood transfusion （0.8±1.6 U vs. 1.9±2.1 U， P=0.006）， length of ICU stay （14.0±8.0 h vs. 26.0±12.0 h， P=0.003） and length of hospital stay （14.8±4.6 d vs. 19.7±3.2 d， P=0.006）of the mini-MVR group were significantly shorter or less than those of the control group. Conclusion The safety of mini-MVR is comparable to that of traditional MVR without causing higher postoperative morbidities， while the postoperative recovery after mini-MVR is better than traditional MVR.
Abstract： Objective To evaluate surgical outcomes of patients with Marfan syndrome （MFS） complicated by type A aortic dissection （AAD） during follow-up. Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of 44 patients with MFS complicated by AAD who were admitted to Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital from January 2006 to January 2012. There were 31 male patients and 13 female patients with their age of 12-54 （33.0±9.8） years. Twenty-three patients underwent Bentall procedure at different time after the onset of AAD， while the other 21 patients received conservative treatment in stead of surgery because of economical or other reasons. COX regression with time-varying covariates was performed to analyze related factors， using primary end point， primary end point＋secondary end point as the outcome variables respectively， to compare postoperative outcomes and quality of life between the surgical treatment patients and conservative treatment patients. Results Postoperatively 1 patient died of multiple organ failure， and the other 22 patients survived the surgery. All the 43 patients were followed up from 1 to 75 months. The 3-year survival rate of the 22 surgical treatment patients was 95.7%， and they all had a good quality of life during follow-up. The survival condition and quality of life of the 21 conservative treatment patients was poor， and 13 patients （61.9%） died with the 3-year survival rate of only 31.7%. The main causes of their death included acute cardiac tamponade， aortic dissection rupture， acute myocardial infarction andcardiogenic shock. COX regression with time-varying covariates showed that the treatment outcomes of the surgical treatment patients were statistically different from those of the conservative treatment patients after modifying the influence caused by different operating time （OR of T_COV_ =0.088， P=0.028） . The risk of death of surgical treatment was only 8.8% of that of conservative treatment. Conclusion The prognosis of patients with MFS complicated by AAD is very poor. Therefore， all these patient， both in acute stage and chronic stage， should undergo surgical treatment as early as possible. The short-term and follow-up outcomes of surgical treatment are satisfactory.