Objective To investigate clinical diagnosis，timing of surgery and perioperative therapeutic strategies for blood culture-negative infective endocarditis （IE）. Methods Clinical data of 240 IE patients who were admitted tWuhan Asia Heart Hospital between July 2008 and July 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. According to their blood cultureresults，all the patients were divided into blood culture-negative group and blood culture-positive group. In the blood culture-negative group，there were 158 patients including 88 male and 70 female patients with their age of 51.3±10.1 years. In the blood culture-positive group，there were 82 patients including 45 male and 37 female patients with their age of 48.9±9.8 years. All the patients underwent surgical treatment，and the surgical procedures included complete vegetations excision，debridement of infected valves，removal of necrotic tissue around the annulus，and concomitant heart valve replacement or intracardiac repair. Postoperatively，all the patients received routine monitoring in ICU，cardiac glycosides，diuretics，other symptomatic treatment and adequate dosages of antibiotics for 4-6 weeks. Results Four patients died postoperatively in this study including 1 patient for low cardiac output syndrome and 3 patients for multiple organ dysfunction syndrome，1 patient in the blood culture-positive group and 3 patients in the blood culture-negative group respectively. There was no statistical difference in surgical mortality between the 2 groups （χ2=0.15，P=0.70）. All the other patients were discharged successfully and followed up for 6 to 36 months with the median follow-up time of 22 months. During follow-up, 2 patients died including 1 patient for cerebral infarction 2 years after surgery and another patient for cerebral hemorrhage 3 yearsafter surgery. Conclusion Patients with blood culture-negative IE should receive adequate dosage and duration of broad-spectrum antibiotics to control the infection rapidly, and aggressive surgical therapy to decrease in-hospital mortality and improve their quality of life and prognosis.
Objective To explore the impact of ischemic postconditioning on ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolatedelderly rat hearts and their relation with P-Akt. Methods A total of 30 healthy elderly SD rats (21-23 months old， male or female) with their body weight of 450-500 g were divided into 3 groups: control group， ischemia-reperfusion group， and postconditioning group， with 10 rats in each group. Coronary artery blood flow，myocardial infarction size， phosphorylatedAkt （p-Akt） expression， and changes in myocardium and mitochondria were detected. Results Coronary artery blood flow of the postconditioning group was significantly higher than that of the ischemia-reperfusion group （6.4±1.2 ml/min vs.3.1±1.2 ml/min， P＜0. 01）， and myocardial infarction size of the postconditioning group was significantly smaller thanthat of the ischemia-reperfusion group （35.0%±2.0% vs. 55.7%±3.6%， Plt;0. 05）. The expression of P-Akt was significantlyhigher， and myocardial fibers and mitochondria were preserved better in the postconditioning group than the ischemia-reperfusion group. Conclusion Ischemic postconditioning can protect isolated elderly rat hearts against ischemia-reperfusion injury， which may be related to P-Akt activation.
Objective To summarize the clinical features and results of surgical treatment of complex congenital heart disease(CCHD) in infants, investigate the operative indications and improve the operative effect. Methods From November 1999 to June 2008, 323 infants with CCHD were operated in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital. There were 202(62.5%) male and 121(37.5%) female aged from 4 days to 36 months. The average age was 18.4 months. The range of weight was 4-15 kg, and the average weight was 9.9 kg. There were 218 cases with tetralogy of fallot(TOF), 41 with double outlet right ventricle(DORV), 12 with total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage（TAPVD）, 8 with complete endocardial cushion defect（TECD）, 15 with coarctation of aorta（CoA）, 2 with aortapulmonary window（AP Window） associated with interrupted aortic arch(IAA) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), 2 with persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA), 9 with single ventricle（SV）, 2 with Ebstein’s anomaly, 10 with pulmonary atresia（PA）, 3 with transposition of great arteries（TGA）and 1 with corrected transposition of great arteries（cTGA）. Two hundred and ninetyseven patients underwent I stage correction, 26 underwent palliative operation. All the corrective operations were performed under hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass（CPB）. Results The cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) time and aortic cross clamping time were 89±34 min and 48±39 min, respectively. All the patients were followed up by telephone or mail. The follow-up time was 1-72 months. Eight patients（2.5%） died after operation, 7 of them died in the early period of operation(within 1 month). Two patients died of long operation time and CPBdependence, 3 died of ventilatordependence, 1 died of cardiac arrest caused by aspiration following multiple organ dysfunction syndrome（MODS）after resuscitation, and 1 died of continuous hypoxia and cardiac arrest after central shunt operation. There was 1 mediumterm death, which was caused by laryngitis complicated with pulmonary infection. There were 315 survivals（97.5%）. Ninetyfive cases had complications(29.4%), all discharged after symptomatic treatment. The [CM(159mm]improved cardiac function was in gradeⅠ-Ⅱ. The respiratory tract infection reduced and the weight increased significantly. Conclusion Early detection, early diagnosis and early surgical treatment are important for CCHD in infants and the surgical results are satisfactory. The surgical procedure should be chosen according to individual abnormality. Surgeons should pay attention not only to the operation indications and satisfactory correction of the abnormality, but also to the staging operation.
Objective To study the clinical results and operative methods of mitral valvoplasty in patients of congenital heart disease with mitral insufficiency. Methods One hundred and twelve patients of congenital heart disease with mitral insufficiency had been treated with valve repair procedure. The surgery was performed under extracorporeal circulation and moderate hypothermia. Most of the patients were diagnosed atrioventricular septal defects (29 cases), ventricular septal defect (25 cases), patent ductus arteriosus (14 cases), and atrial septal defect (14 cases) before operation. The main pathologic characters of mitral valve were mitral valve annular dilatation (58 cases), leaflet lesions (37cases), anterior and posterior leaflet prolapse (36 cases). The surgery consisted of complex methods to repair mitral valves, including rings annuloplasty (22 cases), closure of the commissure (18 cases), double-orifice method (14 cases), chords reimplantation and so on. Results Seventy two patientshad 0 to I class mitral valve regurgitation and 26 patients had Ⅱ class mitral valve regurgitation during the retrial period by echocardiography, only one case needed re-operation. The patients with left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) more than 45mm had a reduction of left atrial diameter (from 45.8±10.7mm to 34.4±8.9mm, t=6.53, 7.89,(Plt;)0.001) and left ventricular diameter (from 58.6±10.9 mm to 44.3±8.5 mm, t=7.89, Plt;0.001) after operation. Conclusions Surgical operation on mitral valve regurgitation of congenital heart defect is a benefit and a compound method and transesophageal echocardiography may help the surgeon in estimating the surgical efficacy during operation.
ObjectiveTo investigate and evaluate the safety and efficacy of Bentall operation in the reoperation of patients with small aortic root or annulus.MethodsBentall procedure was performed in 24 patients with small aortic root or annulus in our hospital from September 2014 to December 2019. There were 18 males and 6 females with a mean age of 31-68 (45.70±15.27) years. All patients had undergone a previous replacement of the aortic valve including 20 patients receiving valve replacement, 2 patients aortic root replacement with a valved conduit and 2 patients bioprothesis replacement.ResultsThere was no early death in hospital and one death during the 30-day postoperative period. Re-thoracotomy due to bleeding was necessary in only 2 patients and no bleeding was related to the proximal anastomosis of the conduit. One patient performed pacemaker implantation for heart block after the procedure. The mean sizes of implanted aortic valve prosthesis were 22.75±1.78 mm. A mean gradient across the aortic valve prostheses in the postoperative echocardiographic examination was 11.17±2.24 mm Hg.ConclusionBentall procedure is safe and allows a larger size of prosthesis implantation in patients with small aortic annulus or root after previous aortic valve or complete root replacement, resulting in good postoperative hemodynamic characteristics and short-term clinical results.
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.
Objective To investigate the effects of sustained-release basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on healing of bile duct defect. Methods A model of bile duct wall defect (2 cm in length and 1/3-2/3 of the bile duct circumference in width) was made in 24 pigs (male or female, weighing 15-30 kg), and then defect was repaired with sustained-release bFGF collagen membrane (2.0 cm × 1.0 cm × 0.5 cm in size) in the experimental group (n=12) or with collagen membrane (2.0 cm × 1.0 cm × 0.5 cm in size) alone in the blank control group (n=12). Another 4 healthy pigs were used to obtain normal bile duct as normal control group. The survival condition of pigs was observed after operation; at 1, 2, and 3 months after operation, the blood sampling was collected to test the changes of liver function, and the bile duct specimens were harvested to count the microvessel density (MVD) and submucosal gland by HE staining and immunohistochemistry staining; and at 3 months after operation, cholangiography examination was done. Results All the animals survived to completion of the experiment. Intra-abdominal adhesion was serious in the experimental and blank control groups at 1 week after operation, but the adhesion was markedly improved in the experimental group when compared with the blank control group with time passing. The liver function test showed that alkaline phosphatase in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group at 2 and 3 months (P lt; 0.05), but no significant difference in aspartate aminortransferase, total bilirubin, and albumin was found among 3 groups (P gt; 0.05). The histology and immunohistochemistry staining observations showed that the regeneration rates of submucosal glands and epithelium in the experimental group were faster than those in the blank control group; defect was covered with the epithelium at 2 months, and the structure was similar to that of normal control group at 3 months; and the edema and inflammation infiltration were reduced when compared with the blank control group. The counts of MVD and submucosal gland were significantly higher than those in blank control group and normal control group at 1 month after operation (P lt; 0.05), and then decreased and remained at normal levels at 2 months after operation. There was a positive correlation between submucosal gland counting and MVD counting in 3 groups after operation (P lt; 0.01). The cholangiography examination showed no biliary dilatation or cholelithiasis after 3 months in experimental group and blank control group. Conclusion Sustained-release bFGF can promote healing of bile duct defect by accelerating the vascularization, gland regeneration, and epithelialization.
ObjectiveTo investigate the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in hemodynamic evaluation of aortic root reconstruction.MethodsThe clinical data of 1 patient with severe aortic valve stenosis was analyzed. Enhanced CT images were used as the original data, and professional software was used to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) model and fluid mechanics simulation of the aorta (including preoperative, postoperative and ideal conditions).ResultsThe 3D reconstruction model could directly present the distribution of valve calcification and the dilatation of the ascending aorta. The remodeled sinotubular junction and sinus structure were observed in the model under postoperative and ideal conditions. The improvement of ascending aorta dilatation was evaluated statistically by the diameter distribution before and after surgery. CFD simulation showed that the area of high flow velocity, pressure intensity and wall shear stress before surgery were consistent with the expansion area of the ascending aorta, and the restricted blood flow acceleration was observed at the angle between the arch and the descending aorta. In the ideal condition, the streamline of blood at the descending aorta was more stable and flat compared with preoperative or postoperative conditions, and there was no obvious abnormal high pressure and high wall shear stress area in the ascending aorta. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was 106 min, of which the aortic cross-clamp time was 60 min. The cardiac echocardiography indicated that the aortic valve worked well, and the peak systolic blood velocity was 1.7 m/s. The length of hospital stay after surgery was 12 d, including 2 d in ICU. The ventilator use time was 11.6 h. The patient did not have any remarkable discomfort during the 1-year follow-up.ConclusionCFD can be used to evaluate anatomic and hemodynamic abnormalities before aortic root reconstruction surgery. Postoperative reconstruction simulation can be performed again to evaluate the surgical effect, and meanwhile, virtual improvement can be tried for the unresolved problems to accumulate diagnosis and treatment experience, so as to provide patients with more accurate and personalized diagnosis and treatment procedure.
Objective To investigate and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Chimney technique in mitral valve reoperation. Methods The clinical data of mitral valve reoperation patients who underwent Chimney surgery in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital from 2019 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 26 patients were collected, including 7 males and 19 females, aged 27-67 (53.46±11.18) years. All patients had previous mitral valve surgery, including 23 mitral valve replacements and 3 mitral valve repairs. All patients received Chimney technique using the ideal artificial sized mitral valve, and 1 patient died of neurological complications in hospital. The cardiopulmonary bypass time and the aortic cross-clamping time were 231.11±77.05 min and 148.50±52.70 min, respectively. The mean diameter of the implanted mitral valve prosthesis was 29.08±0.68 mm, which was statistically different from pre-replacement valve prosthesis size of 26.69±0.77 mm (P＜0.001). The mean transvalvular pressure gradient of the prosthetic mitral valve measured on postoperative echocardiography was 14.77±5.34 mm Hg, which was statistically different from preoperative value of 20.92±9.83 mm Hg (P=0.005). Conclusion The Chimney technique is safe and effective for reoperation in patients with small mitral annuli, which can not only reduce the risk of reoperation, but also obtain larger prosthetic valve implants with good hemodynamic characteristics and clinical outcomes.
Objective To investigate and evaluate the safety and efficacy of the aortic-mitral annular enlargement technique (double annular enlargement) in patients with small-size valve prostheses after prior valve surgery. MethodsThe clinical data of patients who underwent double valve annular enlargement in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital from April 2020 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 30 patients were collected, including 2 males and 28 females aged 9-78 (52.71±3.53) years. All patients had previous heart valve surgery, including 1 patient receiving the third heart surgery. All patients were operated on successfully and there were no postoperative in-hospital deaths. There was no postoperative bleeding which needed a secondary open-chest hemostasis, and one patient underwent permanent pacemaker implantation due to postoperative sick sinus syndrome. The mean diameter of the implanted prosthetic aortic valve was 24.23±1.60 mm, which was significantly larger than that of the preoperative aortic valve (21.03±1.90 mm, P＜0.001). The mean diameter of the implanted prosthetic mitral valve was 28.33±1.21 mm, which was significantly larger than that of the preoperative mitral valve (25.43±0.84 mm, P＜0.001). The mean peak gradient difference across the prosthetic aortic valve on postoperative echocardiography was 18.17±6.44 mm Hg, which was significantly lower than that of the preoperative aortic valve (82.57±24.48 mm Hg, P＜0.001). The mean peak gradient difference of the postoperative prosthetic mitral valve was 12.73±5.45 mm Hg, which was significantly lower than that of the preoperative mitral valve (19.43±8.97 mm Hg, P=0.003). Conclusion The double annular enlargement technique is safe and effective for reoperation in patients with a history of valve surgery with a small aortic root to obtain both a larger size prosthetic valve for a larger orifice area and stability of the mitral-aortic valve union, resulting in good postoperative hemodynamic characteristics and clinical outcomes.