Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE/UNASSIGNED:Prolonged intubation is associated with worse outcomes and longer intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS). Extubation in the operating room for patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting is feasible, safe, and decreases ICU and hospital LOS. Aortic root and arch procedures are lengthy and often require circulatory arrest. Here, we present our experience with the safety and feasibility of operating room extubation following simple and complex aortic surgery. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:All consecutive patients who underwent aortic surgery from August 2023 to April 2025 were included in this descriptive study. We evaluated 30-day postoperative outcomes for patients who were extubated in the operating room and those in the ICU. Outcomes of interest were time to chair, ICU and hospital LOS, as well as reintubation and reoperation rates. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:< .001). Thirty-day outcomes were excellent and comparable in both groups with no deaths or myocardial infarctions for operating room extubation compared with ICU extubation, respectively: atrial fibrillation (n = 49 [21.9%] vs n = 9 [60%]), stroke (n = 1 [0.4%]) vs n = 0), reoperation for bleeding (n = 1 vs n = 0), reintubation for respiratory failure (n = 0 vs n = 1), and 30-day readmission (n = 11 [4.9%] vs n = 2 [11.8%]). CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Routine extubation in the operating room is safe and feasible for a wide variety of patients undergoing both simple and complex aortic surgery, even when most of them undergo circulatory arrest. Operating room extubation may accelerate recovery and early ICU and hospital discharge, without increasing readmission or morbidity.

OBJECTIVES/UNASSIGNED:Some patients with degenerative mitral valve regurgitation have incidental coronary artery disease. When these patients are referred to our robotic cardiac surgery program, they are offered robotic mitral valve surgery combined with staged percutaneous coronary intervention performed during the same hospital admission. The objective of this study is to compare this new "hybrid" approach with the "conventional" operation consisting of sternotomy mitral valve surgery with coronary artery bypass grafting performed as a single procedure. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Between 2011 and 2024, 181 consecutive patients with degenerative mitral valve regurgitation and coronary artery disease underwent hybrid robotic mitral valve surgery + percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 79) or conventional sternotomy mitral valve surgery + coronary artery bypass grafting (n = 102) at a single high-volume quaternary care center. Information was prospectively entered into Society of Thoracic Surgeons, regional, and institutional data collection instruments. Survival was obtained from a National Death Index. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:01). In the hybrid group, 92.4% (73/79) of percutaneous coronary interventions were performed after robotic mitral valve surgery and 58.7% (44/75) involved a single coronary distribution only. In the conventional group, 53.9% (55/102) coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries consisted of 1 distal anastomosis. In the hybrid group, the median hospital length of stay was shorter by 2 days. The 30-day mortality and 5-year survival were excellent and identical in both groups. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:For patients with degenerative mitral valve regurgitation and coronary artery disease, a hybrid approach (robotic mitral valve surgery + percutaneous coronary intervention) provided enhanced postoperative outcomes with short- and mid-term survival comparable to the conventional operation (sternotomy mitral valve surgery + coronary artery bypass grafting).

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors and other biologics used for autoimmune diseases are associated with low-grade immunosuppression. Treatment with these and the presence of prosthetic mechanical cardiac valves both increase the risk of infective endocarditis (IE). However, evidence on the risk of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) among patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors is limited. This study reports a 41-year-old man with a prosthetic aortic valve who was on treatment with golimumab and presented with low-grade fevers and positive blood cultures for Staphylococcus epidermidis. Transesophageal echocardiogram revealed vegetations adjacent to the valve sewing ring and an inflammatory phlegmon in the right atrium, leading to a diagnosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis. The patient was referred to a higher level of care center and underwent urgent surgical intervention. The study highlights that TNF-α inhibitors and other biologics may increase the risk of prosthetic heart valve endocarditis and the importance of early imaging for diagnosis.

BACKGROUND:Studies have not explored consciousness during deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). However, as studies in cardiac arrest have identified a spectrum of consciousness, we sought to establish the feasibility of studying consciousness during DHCA. METHODS:This was a prospective study across 10 hospitals with 36 DHCA patients undergoing thoracic aortic aneurysm repair or pulmonary endarterectomy. A tablet computer delivered audiovisual stimuli (images and names of three fruits) using headphones during each procedure as a potential test of implicit learning and explicit recall. We also established electroencephalography (EEG) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure electrocortical markers of consciousness and cerebral oxygenation. Post-procedure interviews were carried out to test patients' ability to recall the audiovisual stimuli as well other explicit memories. PRIMARY OUTCOMES/METHODS:1) Feasibility of establishing tests of explicit recall and implicit learning, 2) Electroencephalography testing during DHCA. SECONDARY OUTCOMES/RESULTS:1) Signs of explicit recall of memories or implicit learning, and 2) identification of electrocortical biomarkers of consciousness during DHCA. RESULTS:Overall, 29/36 (81%) had the tablet set up. All 36 had NIRS and EEG set up, but 9 (25%) had useable EEG data, and 23 (66%) NIRS data. Delta EEG waves were observed during circulatory arrest in 3/9 (33%) patients, while 1/9 (11%) had theta waves just prior to circulatory arrest. All others showed isoelectric pattern. 35/36 (97%) agreed to follow up interviews. None had explicit recall of the names of the three fruits, but 3/36 (9%) correctly guessed them as a potential sign of implicit learning and 3 (9%) recalled other memories including events around the procedure and themes consistent with a recalled experience of death. CONCLUSIONS:A spectrum of consciousness and awareness, including signs of implicit learning and electrocortical biomarkers of consciousness may be present during DHCA, despite absence of visible signs of consciousness. This can be further used to help explain the negative psychological outcomes that cardiac arrest survivors face.

Perspective Statement: Beyond the Society of Thoracic Surgery's (STS) quality metrics, many other operative measures, such as completeness of revascularization, and patient care measures add quality and value for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery; and Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols have improved patient experience and recovery, leading to better outcomes and significant healthcare savings.

The physiologic impact of pulsatile flow (PF) on end-organ perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is controversial. Using an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) to maintain PF during CPB for patients undergoing heart transplantation (HT) may impact end-organ perfusion, with implications for postoperative outcomes. A single-center retrospective study of 76 patients bridged to HT with IABP was conducted between January 2018 and December 2022. Beginning in May 2022, patients received IABP-generated PF during CPB at an internal rate of 80 beats/minute. Fifty-eight patients underwent HT with the IABP turned off (IABP-Off), whereas 18 patients underwent HT with IABP-generated PF (IABP-On). The unmatched IABP-On group experienced shorter organ ischemia times (180 vs. 203 minutes, p = 0.015) and CPB times (104 vs. 116 minutes, p = 0.022). The cohort was propensity matched according to age, organ ischemia time, and CPB time. Elevations in postoperative lactates in the immediate (2.8 vs. 1.5, p = 0.062) and 24 hour (4.7 vs. 2.4, p = 0.084) postoperative periods trended toward significance in the matched IABP-Off group. There was no difference in postoperative vasoactive inotropic score (VIS), postoperative creatinine, or length of stay. This limited preliminary data suggest that maintaining counterpulsation to generate PF during CPB may improve end-organ perfusion in this patient population as suggested by lower postoperative lactate levels.

BACKGROUND:Drug overdose (DO) deaths rose to unprecedented levels during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the availability of cardiac allografts from DO donors and the implications of DO donor use on recipient survival. METHODS:Heart transplants reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing from January 2017 to November 2019 ("pre-COVID") and from March 2020 to June 2021 ("COVID pandemic") were analyzed with respect to DO donor status. Outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression to identify predictors of survival. Characteristics of discarded cardiac allografts were also compared by DO donor status. RESULTS:During the COVID-19 pandemic, 27.2% of cardiac allografts were from DO donors vs 20.5% pre-COVID, a 32.7% increase (p < 0.001). During the pandemic, DO donors were younger (84.7% vs 76.3% <40 years, p < 0.001), had higher cigarette use (16.1% vs 10.8%, p < 0.001), higher cocaine use (47.4% vs 19.7%, p < 0.001), and higher incidence of hepatitis C antibodies (26.8% vs 6.1%, p < 0.001) and RNA positivity (16.2% vs 4.2%, p < 0.001). While DO donors were less likely to require inotropic support (30.8% vs 35.4%, p = 0.008), they were more likely to have received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (95.3% vs 43.2%, p < 0.001). Recipient survival was equivalent using Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank, p = 0.33) and survival probability at 36 months was 85.6% (n at risk = 398) for DO donors vs 83.5% (n at risk = 1,633) for all other donors. Cox regression demonstrated that DO donor status did not predict mortality (hazard ratio 1.05; 95% confidence interval 0.90-1.23, p = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS:During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 32.7% increase in heart transplants utilizing DO donor hearts, and DO became the most common mechanism of death for donors. The use of DO donor hearts did not have an impact on short-term recipient survival.