ObjectiveTo summarize clinical outcomes of different end-to-end anastomotic methods for surgical treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (AD). MethodsBetween January 2012 and May 2013, 95 patients with acute Stanford type A AD received surgical treatment in Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University. According to different end-to-end anastomotic methods, 72 patients were divided into 3 groups (23 patients undergoing Bentall procedure were excluded from this study). In group A, there were 23 patients including 18 males and 5 females with their age of 48.67±9.23 years, who received 'sandwich' anastomotic technique strengthening both the inner and outer layers of the aortic wall. In group B, there were 11 patients including 8 males and 3 females with their age of 48.00±9.17 years, who received pericardium strengthening only inner layer of the aortic wall. In group C, there were 38 patients including 29 males and 9 females with their age of 49.20±8.57 years, who received artificial graft that was anastomosed directly to the aortic wall without any reinforcement. Postoperative outcomes were compared among the 3 groups. ResultsEight patients (11.11%)died postoperatively including 1 patient in group A (1/23, 4.35%)and 7 patients in group C (7/38, 18.42%). One patient in group A died of persistent wound errhysis and later disseminated intravascular coagulation. Three patients in group C died of persistent anastomotic incision errhysis and circulatory failure. Four patients in group C died of postopera-tive severe tricuspid regurgitation, secondary severe low cardiac output syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Severe postoperative complications included renal failure in 5 patients, respiratory failure in 7 patients, severe cerebral infarction and paralysis in 1 patient, paresis in 3 patients, delayed recovery of consciousness in 2 patients, and ischemic necrosis of the lower limb in 1 patient. Postoperative thoracic drainage amount in group C was significantly larger than that of the other 2 groups, and there was no statistical difference in thoracic drainage amount between group A and group B. Sixty-four patients were followed up for 1 to 6 months, and there was no late death during follow-up. Among the 5 patients with postoperative renal failure, only 1 patient needed regular hemodialysis, and renal function of the other 4 patients returned to normal. One patient with cerebral infarction recovered partial limb function and was able to walk with crutches. All the 3 patients with paresis recovered their limb function. ConclusionsAnastomotic quality of end-to-end anastomosis is of crucial importance for surgical treatment of acute Stanford type A AD. Appropriate reinforcement methods can be chosen according to individual intraoperative findings. 'sandwich' anastomotic technique can significantly reduce incision errhysis, prevent acute myocardial infarction caused by aortic anastomotic tear, and decrease postoperative mortality. If coronary ostia are involved in AD, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting is needed.
ObjectiveTo summarize clinical experience and outcomes of modified Bentall procedure for the treatment of Stanford type A3 aortic dissection (AD). MethodsFifty-four patients with Stanford type A3 AD underwent aortic root replacement in Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 2004 to June 2013. There were 41 male and 13 female patients with their age of 21-73 years. According to different surgical methods, all the 54 patients were divided into 2 groups. In group A, there were 36 patients who received conventional Bentall procedure. In group B, there were 18 patients who received modified Bentall procedure ('gate' anastomosis of the coronary ostia for patients with aortic root less than 45 mm and nonsignificant displacement of the coronary ostia). Postoperative outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. ResultsThere was no statistical difference in age or gender between the 2 groups. Mean diameter of the aortic root of group A was significantly larger than that of group B (52.11±3.62 mm vs. 40.72±2.67 mm, P=0.000). There was no statistical difference in operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraoperative circulation arrest time, postoperative thoracic drainage or length of ICU stay between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Four patients died postoperatively including 2 patients with uncontrollable bleeding, 1 patient with abdominal AD rupture and 1 patient with acute pulmonary embolism. There was no statistical difference in in-hospital mortality between group A and group B[5.56% (2/36)vs. 11.11% (2/18), P=0.462]. Forty-eight patients were followed up for 3 months, and 2 patients were lost during follow-up. Forty-eight patients received computed tomography angiography without false aneurysm formation in the aortic root, coronary ostial aneurysm or stenosis. ConclusionModified Bentall procedure ('gate' anastomosis of the coronary ostia)is simple and effective for patients with aortic root less than 45 mm and nonsignificant displacement of the coronary ostia.
ObjectiveTo compare the recent and mid-term results of two different treatments in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients with dilated ascending aorta. MethodsFrom march 2007 to April 2014, there were totally 70 BAV patients received surgical treatment in Nanjing Cardiovascular Disease Hospital. According to the procedure of the ascending aorta, they were divided into two groups. As for group A which repaired the ascending aorta, there were 28 males and 9 females with an average age of 58.68±8.01 years. As for group B which replaced the ascending aorta, there were 25 males and 8 females with an average age of 54.18±11.97 years. And we compared perioperative clinical data and follow-up results of these two groups. ResultsThere were statistical differences between the two groups in cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross clamping time, and ICU stay time (105.19±11.17 min vs. 180.94±32.10 min, P=0.000; 78.65±13.18 min vs. 110.24±29.64 min, P=0.000; 1.62±1.09 d vs. 3.58±2.89 d, P=0.001). And the time of the group A is shorter than that in the group B. Two patients in the group B died postoperatively, and the other 68 patients discharged. There was no significant difference in cumulative survival rate between the two groups (P=0.582). Postoperative following-up results showed that the ascending aortic diameter of both groups was smaller than that during the preoperative period. And at the latest time of the following-up, ascending aortic diameter was increased compared with pre-discharge in the group A (38.50±1.77 mm vs. 34.85±1.53 mm, P=0.007). But there was no increase in the group B. ConclusionWe suggests simultaneous treatment to dilated ascending aorta for BAV patients. Both the repair and replacement procedure could achieve satisfactory recent and mid-term results.
ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) with antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) on cognitive function of patients undergoing surgical therapy for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (AD). MethodsBetween January 2009 and March 2012, 48 patients with acute Stanford type A AD underwent Sun's procedure (aortic arch replacement combined with stented elephant trunk implantation) under DHCA with ACP in Nanjing Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University. There were 40 males and 8 females with their age of 51.3±13.6 years. Circulatory arrest time and time for postoperative consciousness recovery were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative cognitive functions of each patient were evaluated by mini-mental status examination (MMSE). ResultsMean cardiopulmonary bypass time of the 48 patients was 237.3±58.5 minutes, and mean circulatory arrest time was 37.3 ±6.9 minutes. Four patients died postoperatively with the causes of death including lung infection, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, myocardial infarction and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Forty-one patients recovered their consciousness within 24 hours postoperatively, and the mean time for postoperative consciousness recovery was 15.3±6.5 hours. Preoperative MMSE score was 28.6±1.1 points, and MMSE score at 1 week postoperatively was 23.6±4.5 points. Thirty-one patients were followed up for 6 months with the follow-up rate of 70.45%. The average MMSE score of the 31 patients at 6 months after surgery was 27.6±2.1 points which was significantly higher than postoperative average MMSE score (P < 0.05), but not statistically different from preoperative average MMSE score (P > 0.05). ConclusionsDHCA with ACP can provide satisfactory cerebral protection for patients undergoing surgical therapy for acute Stanford type A AD, but patients' cognitive function may be adversely affected in the short term. As long as cerebral infarction or hemorrhage is excluded in CT scan of the brain, such adverse impact may generally disappear automatically within 6 months after surgery.
ObjectiveTo compare early outcomes of the minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) through right anterolateral mini-thoracotomy (ALMT) with conventional mitral valve surgery (MVS), and evaluate feasibility and safety of MIMVS. MethodsFrom January 2011 to December 2013, 120 patients undergoing elective MVS in Nanjing First Hospital were prospectively enrolled in this study. There were 72 male and 48 female patients with their age of 22-71 (42.4±11.0) years. Using a random number table, all the patients were randomly divided into a portaccess MIMVS group (MIMVS group, n=60) and a conventional MVS group (conventional group, n=60). MIMVS group patients received port-access cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) establishment via femoral artery, femoral vein and right internal jugular vein cannulation through right ALMT 5-6 cm in length. Special MIMVS operative instruments were used for mitral valve repair or replacement. Conventional group patients received mitral valve repair or replacement under conventional CPB through median sternotomy. Perioperative clinical data, morbidity and mortality were compared between the 2 groups. ResultsThere was no death in-hospital or shortly after discharge in this study. CPB time (98.0±26.0 minutes vs. 63.0±21.0 minutes) and aortic cross-clamping time (68.0±9.0 minutes vs.37.0±6.0 minutes) of MIMVS group were significantly longer than those of conventional group (P<0.05). Postoperative mechanical ventilation time (6.0±3.9 hours vs. 11.2±5.6 hours), length of ICU stay (18.5±3.0 hours vs. 28.6±9.5 hours) and postoperative hospital stay (8.0±2.0 days vs. 13.5±2.5 days) of MIMVS group were significantly shorter than those of conventional group (P<0.05). Chest drainage volume within postoperative 12 hours (110.0±30.0 ml vs. 385.0±95.0 ml) and the percentage of patients receiving blood transfusion (25.0% vs. 58.3%) of MIMVS group were significantly lower than those of conventional group (P<0.05). Patients were followed up for 1-24 months, and the follow-up rate was 94.2%. There was no statistical difference in postoperative morbidity or mortality between the 2 groups (P>0.05). ConclusionMIMVS through right ALMT is a safe and feasible procedure for surgical treatment of mitral valve diseases. MIMVS can achieve similar clinical outcomes as conventional MVS, but can significantly shorten postoperative ICU stay and hospital stay, reduce blood transfusion, and is a good alternative to conventional MVS.
ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical experience in the treatment of Carpentier's type Ⅲb ischemic mitral regurgitation through the mitral valve repair versus mitral valve replacement, and to evaluate the early and midlong term effects. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 308 consecutive patients with type Ⅲb ischemic mitral regurgitation undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with mitral valve repair (a repair group, n=172) or with mitral valve replacement (a replacement group, n=136) in our hospital between January 2000 and March 2014. Among the 308 patients, 215 were males and 93 were females with mean age of 62.7±11.5 years(ranged 30-78 years). In the repair group, 170 patients underwent restrictive mitral annuloplasty (128 patients with total ring, 42 patients with C ring), and 2 patients underwent commissural constriction. In the replacement group, 11 patients underwent mechanical valve prosthesis and 125 patients underwent biological valve prosthesis. ResultsThe time of total aortic cross-clamp was 81.9±21.5 min. The time of total extracorporeal circulation was 122.0±31.3 min. Six patients died during the perioperative period. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in general information (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in aortic cross-clamp time, total extracorporeal circulation time, numbers of bypass grafts and the usage rate of left internal mammary artery. The early result after the surgery showed that the incidence rates of low cardiac output and ventricular arrhythmia were significantly higher in the replacement group compared with those in the repair group. The patients were followed up for 1-85 months. No significant difference was revealed in the mid-long term survival rate between the two groups. The severity of mitral regurgitation and the rate of redo mitral valve replacement were significantly lower in the replacement group compared with those in the repair group (P<0.05). ConclusionThe early-term curative effect of valve repair is better than valve replacement for the treatment of Carpentier's type Ⅲb ischemic mitral regurgitation. In mid-long term, Chordal-sparing mitral valve replacement remains a low incidence of valve-related complications compared with mitral valve repair.