Evaluation of the prevalence of coronary artery disease in patients with valvular heart disease

Concomitant interventions in mitral valve surgery - A European perspective

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, major findings on concomitant procedures and anticoagulation management have occurred in Mitral Valve (MV) surgery. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the current practices in MV interventions across Europe.

METHODS

In October 2021, all national cardio-thoracic societies in the European region were identified following an electronic search and sent an online survey of 14 questions to distribute among their member consultant/attending cardiac surgeons.

RESULTS

The survey was completed by 91 consultant/attending cardiac surgeons across 12 European countries, with 78% indicating MV repair as their specialty area. 57.1% performed >150 operations/year and 71.4% had 10+ years of experience.Concomitant tricuspid valve repair is performed for moderate tricuspid regurgitation (TR) by 69% of surgeons and for mild TR by 26.3%, both with annular diameter >40 mm. 50.6% indicated ischaemic MV surgery in patients undergoing CABG if moderate mitral regurgitation with ERO >20 mm2 and regurgitant volume >30 mL, and 45.1% perform it if severe MR with ERO >40 mm2 and regurgitant volume >60 mL. For these patients the preferred management was: MVR if predictors of repair failure identified (47.2%) and downsizing annuloplasty ring only (34.1%).For atrial fibrillation (AF) in cardiac surgery, 34.1% perform ablation with biatrial lesion and 20% with left sided only. 62.6% perform concomitant Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Occlusion irrespective of AF ablation with a left atrial clip. A wide variability in anticoagulation strategies for MV repair and bioprosthetic MV valve was reported both for patients in sinus rhythm and AF.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate a variable practice for MV surgery, and a degree of lack of compliance with surgical intervention guidelines and anticoagulation strategy.

Prognostic Implications of Coronary Artery Sclerosis in Troponin-Positive Patients with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries

INTRODUCTION

Coronary sclerosis is a risk factor for the progression to obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). However, understanding its impact on the outcomes of patients with myocardial infarction and non-obstructive coronary arteries is limited. This study aimed to explore the prognostic influence of coronary sclerosis on in- and out-of-hospital events in troponin-positive patients with non-obstructive coronary arteries.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective cohort analysis based on prospectively collected data. A total of 24,775 patients who underwent coronary angiography from 2010 to 2021 in a German university hospital were screened, resulting in a final study cohort of 373 troponin-positive patients with non-obstructive coronary arteries and a follow-up period of 6.2 ± 3.1 years. Coronary sclerosis was defined as coronary plaques without angiographically detectable stenotic lesions of 50% or more in the large epicardial coronary arteries. The primary study endpoint was the occurrence of in-hospital events. Secondary endpoints included events during follow-up.

RESULTS

Patients with coronary sclerosis were significantly older (70 ± 12 vs. 58 ± 16 years, p < 0.001), had ST-segment elevation less frequently on electrocardiogram (9.4% vs. 18.7%, p = 0.013), and suffered more often from diabetes mellitus (23.3% vs. 13.1%, p = 0.009), arterial hypertension (79.6% vs. 59.8%, p < 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (17.1% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.028), chronic kidney disease (22.2% vs. 8.4%, p < 0.001), atrial fibrillation (19.8% vs. 12.2%, p = 0.045), and valvular diseases than patients without CAD. Patients with coronary sclerosis were more likely to receive medication for primary/secondary prevention on admission and at discharge. The incidence of in- and out-of-hospital events was significantly higher in patients with coronary sclerosis (in-hospital: 42.8% vs. 29.9%, p = 0.010; out-of-hospital: 46.0% vs. 26.1%, p < 0.001). Mortality rates tended to be higher in the coronary sclerosis group (29.4% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.066).

CONCLUSION

Patients diagnosed with coronary sclerosis presented a higher incidence of comorbidities and increased medication use, and experienced higher rates of both in-hospital and out-of-hospital events, primarily due to the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors.

The Prevalence and Predictors of Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease in Rheumatic and Non-rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease Patients

OBJECTIVES

The paradox of concurrent coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients with rheumatic and non-rheumatic valvular heart disease (RVHD; non-RVHD) is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the RVHD and non-RVHD on the prevalence of CAD and various risk factors, assess the number of diseased coronaries, clinical profile and the possible predictors of CAD in these patients, which may clarify the paradox and provide an insight for the prevention of CAD.

METHODS

The records of 106 valvular heart disease patients who had undergone valve replacement surgery at the King Faisal Cardiac Centre from January 2014 to October 2019 were evaluated. The clinical data and established risk factors were compared and logistic regression analyses were performed to identify plausible predictors of CAD.

RESULTS

Transthoracic echocardiographic diagnosis of 106 patients confirmed, 43 had RVHD (56.4 ± 8 years), of whom six (13.9%) had CAD with the highest mitral valve regurgitation (p < 0.01), and 63 had non-RVHD (60.0 ± 12 years). Of these, 31 patients showed the highest CAD (49.2%). Single- and triple-vessel disease was most common in RVHD and non-RVHD patients with concurrent CAD (33.3%; 41.9%, respectively), while non-RVHD patients also had quadruple vessel disease. The mean age of the RVHD and non-RVHD patients with coexisting CAD was significantly higher (66.7 ± 5; 66.7 ± 8 years) than those without CAD (46.1 ± 12.0; 54.7 ± 20, respectively). RVHD patients showed a significantly lower prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, inflammatory cells, hepatorenal function markers, ejection fraction, and regional wall motion abnormality compared to RVHD patients with coexisting CAD (p < 0.01). Bivariate analysis indicated white blood cells, monocytes, neutrophils, gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), bilirubin and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) to be significantly lower in RVHD patients. Predictors of high risk of CAD were BUN and hyperlipidaemia for RVHD and BUN, creatinine and GGT for non-RVHD patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of CAD in Saudi RVHD patients was significantly lower than in the Western countries, whereas non-RVHD was higher. The low prevalence may partly be attributed to age, reduced mitral regurgitation, and low frequency of risk and inflammatory factors.

2023 AHA/ACC/ACCP/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline for the Management of Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2023 AHA/ACC/ACCP/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline for the Management of Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease" provides an update to and consolidates new evidence since the "2012 ACCF/AHA/ACP/AATS/PCNA/SCAI/STS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease" and the corresponding "2014 ACC/AHA/AATS/PCNA/SCAI/STS Focused Update of the Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease."

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from September 2021 to May 2022. Clinical studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and other evidence conducted on human participants were identified that were published in English from MEDLINE (through PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline.

STRUCTURE

This guideline provides an evidenced-based and patient-centered approach to management of patients with chronic coronary disease, considering social determinants of health and incorporating the principles of shared decision-making and team-based care. Relevant topics include general approaches to treatment decisions, guideline-directed management and therapy to reduce symptoms and future cardiovascular events, decision-making pertaining to revascularization in patients with chronic coronary disease, recommendations for management in special populations, patient follow-up and monitoring, evidence gaps, and areas in need of future research. Where applicable, and based on availability of cost-effectiveness data, cost-value recommendations are also provided for clinicians. Many recommendations from previously published guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data.

2023 AHA/ACC/ACCP/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline for the Management of Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2023 AHA/ACC/ACCP/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline for the Management of Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease" provides an update to and consolidates new evidence since the "2012 ACCF/AHA/ACP/AATS/PCNA/SCAI/STS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease" and the corresponding "2014 ACC/AHA/AATS/PCNA/SCAI/STS Focused Update of the Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease."

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from September 2021 to May 2022. Clinical studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and other evidence conducted on human participants were identified that were published in English from MEDLINE (through PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline.

STRUCTURE

This guideline provides an evidenced-based and patient-centered approach to management of patients with chronic coronary disease, considering social determinants of health and incorporating the principles of shared decision-making and team-based care. Relevant topics include general approaches to treatment decisions, guideline-directed management and therapy to reduce symptoms and future cardiovascular events, decision-making pertaining to revascularization in patients with chronic coronary disease, recommendations for management in special populations, patient follow-up and monitoring, evidence gaps, and areas in need of future research. Where applicable, and based on availability of cost-effectiveness data, cost-value recommendations are also provided for clinicians. Many recommendations from previously published guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data.

The Influence of Aortic Valve Disease on Coronary Hemodynamics: A Computational Model-Based Study

Aortic valve disease (AVD) often coexists with coronary artery disease (CAD), but whether and how the two diseases are correlated remains poorly understood. In this study, a zero-three dimensional (0-3D) multi-scale modeling method was developed to integrate coronary artery hemodynamics, aortic valve dynamics, coronary flow autoregulation mechanism, and systemic hemodynamics into a unique model system, thereby yielding a mathematical tool for quantifying the influences of aortic valve stenosis (AS) and aortic valve regurgitation (AR) on hemodynamics in large coronary arteries. The model was applied to simulate blood flows in six patient-specific left anterior descending coronary arteries (LADs) under various aortic valve conditions (i.e., control (free of AVD), AS, and AR). Obtained results showed that the space-averaged oscillatory shear index (SA-OSI) was significantly higher under the AS condition but lower under the AR condition in comparison with the control condition. Relatively, the overall magnitude of wall shear stress was less affected by AVD. Further data analysis revealed that AS induced the increase in OSI in LADs mainly through its role in augmenting the low-frequency components of coronary flow waveform. These findings imply that AS might increase the risk or progression of CAD by deteriorating the hemodynamic environment in coronary arteries.

Prediction of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing heart valve surgery: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital

Introduction: Estimating the probability of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing noncoronary cardiac surgery should be considered compulsory. Our study sought to evaluate the prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery and to utilize predictive methodology of concomitant obstructive coronary artery disease in these patients. Methods: The retrospective study cohort was derived from a tertiary care hospital registry of patients undergoing coronary angiogram prior to valvular heart operations. Decision tree, logistic regression, and support vector machine models were built to predict the probability of the appearance of obstructive coronary artery disease. A total of 367 patients from 2016 to 2019 were analyzed. Results: The mean age of the study population was 57.3±9.3 years, 45.2% of the patients were male. Of 367 patients, 76 (21%) patients had obstructive coronary artery disease. The decision tree, logistics regression, and support vector machine models had an area under the curve of 72% (95% CI: 62% - 81%), 67% (95% CI: 56% - 77%), and 78% (95% CI: 68% - 87%), respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that hypertension (OR 1.98; P=0.032), diabetes (OR 2.32; P=0.040), age (OR 1.05; P=0.006), and typical angina (OR 5.46; P<0.001) had significant role in predicting the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease. Conclusion: Our study revealed that approximately one-fifth of patients who underwent valvular heart surgery had concomitant obstructive coronary artery disease. The support vector machine model showed the highest accuracy compared to the other model.

Contemporary prevalence of coronary artery disease in patients referred for heart valve surgery

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing heart valve surgery are routinely evaluated for the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Currently, concomitant valve intervention and surgical revascularization is recommended when there is obstructive CAD. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of CAD, its treatment strategies, and their prognostic implications in a contemporary population of patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) referred for valve surgery (HVS).

METHODS

In a multicenter registry, consecutive patients with formal indication for HVS referred for a preoperative routine invasive coronary angiogram (ICA) were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, CAD prevalence and revascularization patterns, as well as their impact on short and mid-term all-cause mortality, were assessed.

RESULTS

Overall, 1133 patients were included; most had aortic stenosis (69%) and obstructive CAD was present in 307 (27.1%). HVS was ultimately performed in 82.3%. In patients with CAD, 53.4% were revascularized. After a mean follow-up time of 29.06±18.46 months, all-cause mortality rate was 12.9%. In multivariate analysis, not having HVS (HR 6.845, 95% CI=4.281-10.947, P<0.001), obstructive CAD (HR 2.762, 95% CI=1.764-4.326, P<0.01), COPD (HR 2.043, 95% CI=1.014-4.197, P=0.022), and age (HR 1.030, 95% CI=1.009-1.063, P=0.047), were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. In patients with obstructive CAD who underwent HVS, revascularization was not significantly associated with survival (HR 2.127, 95% CI=0.0-4.494, P=0.048; log rank P=0.042).

CONCLUSIONS

In a contemporary cohort of patients with VHD and surgical indication, overall obstructive CAD prevalence was 27%. CAD presence and severity were associated with higher mortality. However, revascularization was not associated with a survival benefit, except in patients with left anterior descending artery disease.

Associations between aortic regurgitation severity and risk of incident myocardial infarction and stroke among patients with degenerative aortic valve disease: insights from a large Chinese population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Few studies have explored whether the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke varies among patients with degenerative aortic valve disease (DAVD) with different severity of aortic regurgitation (AR) or not. Thus, a prospective study was conducted to elucidate the causal relationship between AR severity and risk of incident MI and stroke among patients with DAVD recruited from a general population in Northeast China.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Community-based study carried out in rural areas of Northeast China.

METHODS

There were 3675 patients with DAVD aged ≥45 years eligible for the prospective study. During a median follow-up time of 4.64 years, 99 participants lost to follow-up. Cox regression analyses were used to investigate the association between baseline AR severity and the risk of incident MI or stroke.

RESULTS

In the final cohort of 3576 patients with DAVD, there were 3153 patients without AR (88.2%), 386 patients with mild AR (10.8%) and 37 patients with moderate or severe AR (1.0%). Multivariate analyses showed that, compared with participants without AR, those with moderate/severe AR were associated with 8.33 and 6.22-fold increased risk of MI and MI mortality, respectively. However, no significant associations between AR and the risk of stroke or stroke mortality were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

As compared with no AR, moderate/severe AR but not mild AR was an independent predictor for the risk of MI and MI mortality. AR was not significantly associated with stroke or stroke mortality, irrespective of AR severity. Secondary prevention strategies should be taken to delay the progression of DAVD and thus reduce the incidence of MI.

Impact of preexisting coronary arterial disease in patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valve repair (MitraClip)

INTRODUCTION

Percutaneous mitral valve repair with Mitraclip device has been approved for the treatment of symptomatic mitral valve regurgitation in patients deemed high surgical risk. It's unclear whether the presence of preexisting coronary arterial disease (CAD) affects the postprocedural outcomes of Mitraclip.

METHODS

The study population was extracted from the 2016 Nationwide Readmissions Data (NRD) using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modifications/Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-CM/PCS) for Mitraclip, preexisting CAD, and postprocedural complications. Study primary endpoints included in-hospital all-cause mortality, cardiogenic shock, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute kidney injury (AKI), stroke, acute respiratory failure, length of hospital stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission rate.

RESULTS

A total of 2,539 discharges that had Mitraclip during the index hospitalization, 62.3% had history of preexisting CAD. Mean age was 78.5 years and 46.6% were female. Overall, the presence of preexisting CAD was associated with higher AMI (1.6 vs. 0.4%, p < .01), however, there was no significant differences in terms of in-hospital all-cause mortality (2.2 vs. 2.6%, p = .52), cardiogenic shock (3.4 vs. 4.1%, p = .39), AKI (14.7 vs. 13.6%, p = .43), stroke (0.9 vs. 0.5%, p = .31), acute respiratory failure (9.7 vs. 8.8%, p = .43), LOS (5.3 vs. 5.3 days, p = .85) or 30-day readmission rate (14.6 vs. 14.4%, p = .92). These results persisted after adjustment for baseline characteristics. The subgroup of CAD patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (22.5 vs. 2.0%, p < .01), cardiogenic shock (25.0 vs. 3.3%, p < .01), AMI (22.5 vs. 0.8%, p < .01), AKI (55.0 vs. 13.7%, p < .01), stroke (10.0 vs. 0.6%, p < .01), acute respiratory failure (45.0 vs. 8.8%, p < .01), and longer LOS (21.5 vs. 5.1 days, p < .01), however there was no significant difference in 30-day readmission rate (15.0 vs. 14.5%, p = .95).

CONCLUSIONS

Preexisting CAD was associated with higher in-hospital AMI post-Mitraclip but with comparable mortality and other morbidities. Patients who received PCI during the same index hospitalization had higher in-hospital mortality and morbidity.

Impact of chronic kidney disease on long-term outcome of patients with valvular heart defects

INTRODUCTION

Valvular heart diseases (VHD) are becoming a significant problem in the Polish population. Coexistence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with VHD increases the risk of death and affects further therapeutic strategy.

AIM

Analysis impact of CKD on long-term prognosis in patients with VHD.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The inclusion criteria were met by 1025 patients with moderate and severe VHD. Mean observation time was 2528 ± 1454 days.

RESULTS

The average age of the studied population was 66.75 (SD = 10.34), male gender was dominant 56% (N = 579). Severe aortic valve stenosis (AVS) occurred in 28.2%, severe mitral valve insufficiency (MVI) in 20%. CKD occurred in 37.1% (N = 380) patients mostly with mitral stenosis (50%, N = 16) and those with severe MVI (44.8%, N = 94). During the observational period, 52.7% (N = 540) deaths were noted. Increased risk of mortality was associated mostly with age (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03, p < 0.001), creatinine (OR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.12-1.43, p < 0.001), CKD (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.17-1.44, p < 0.001), reduced ejection fraction (EF) (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99, p = 0.01) and coexisting of AVS (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.04-1.35, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Mitral valve defects more often than aortic valve defects coexist with chronic kidney disease. Regardless of the stage, chronic kidney disease is an additional factor affecting the prognosis in patients with heart defects. Factors increasing the risk of death were age, creatinine concentration and reduced EF. The monitoring of renal function in patients with VHD should be crucial as well as the implementation of treatment at an early stage.

Prevalence of Concomitant Coronary Artery Disease and Its Impact on Acute Kidney Injury for Chinese Adult Patients Undergoing Valvular Heart Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery (VHS) is an indication for combined valvular heart surgery and coronary artery bypass grafting. However, the impact of nonsignificant CAD on postoperative outcomes is not well understood. This study illustrated the epidemiological characteristics of CAD in China and investigated the impact of CAD on postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI), intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and postoperative mortality.

METHODS

This study comprised an epidemiological survey followed by a case-control investigation. The epidemiological characteristics of CAD were studied in 4,172 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography before planned VHS at a core cardiovascular center. Then, 3,618 patients were selected for the subsequent case-control study to further analyze the associations between CAD and postoperative advanced AKI (grade 2 or 3 by KDIGO criteria), longer ICU stay (highest quartile), and increased mortality by logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 5.1 and 9.3% had moderate and significant CAD, respectively. The incidence of CAD increased after 60 years of age. Although CAD was not related to longer postoperative ICU stay in a multivariate logistic model, moderate CAD (OR 1.539 [95% CI 1.078-2.199]) and significant CAD (OR 1.798 [95% CI 1.094-2.955]) remained independent risk factors for postoperative advanced AKI after adjusting for multiple traditional risk factors. Significant CAD, but not nonsignificant CAD, was associated with postoperative mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Concomitant CAD is common in Chinese patients who undergo VHS. Moderate and significant CAD might have detrimental effects on postoperative advanced AKI.

Prevalence and Prediction of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in Patients Undergoing Primary Heart Valve Surgery

Background

The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in valvular patients is similar to that of the general population, with the usual association with traditional risk factors. Nevertheless, the search for obstructive CAD is more aggressive in the preoperative period of patients with valvular heart disease, resulting in the indication of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) to almost all adult patients, because it is believed that coronary artery bypass surgery should be associated with valve replacement.

Objectives

To evaluate the prevalence of obstructive CAD and factors associated with it in adult candidates for primary heart valve surgery between 2001 and 2014 at the National Institute of Cardiology (INC) and, thus, derive and validate a predictive obstructive CAD score.

Methods

Cross-sectional study evaluating 2898 patients with indication for heart surgery of any etiology. Of those, 712 patients, who had valvular heart disease and underwent ICA in the 12 months prior to surgery, were included. The P value < 0.05 was adopted as statistical significance.

Results

The prevalence of obstructive CAD was 20%. A predictive model of obstructive CAD was created from multivariate logistic regression, using the variables age, chest pain, family history of CAD, systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, and male gender. The model showed excellent correlation and calibration (R² = 0.98), as well as excellent accuracy (ROC of 0.848; 95%CI: 0.817-0.879) and validation (ROC of 0.877; 95%CI: 0.830 - 0.923) in different valve populations.

Conclusions

Obstructive CAD can be estimated from clinical data of adult candidates for valve repair surgery, using a simple, accurate and validated score, easy to apply in clinical practice, which may contribute to changes in the preoperative strategy of acquired heart valve surgery in patients with a lower probability of obstructive disease.

Outcomes of a hybrid approach of percutaneous coronary intervention followed by minimally invasive aortic valve replacement

BACKGROUND

In patients requiring coronary revascularization and aortic valve replacement, a combined approach of percutaneous coronary intervention followed by minimally invasive aortic valve replacement may be a viable treatment strategy.

METHODS

The outcomes of 123 consecutive patients with significant coronary artery and aortic valve disease, who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention followed by elective minimally invasive aortic valve replacement between February 2009 and April 2014, were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 80 males and 43 females, with a mean age of 75.7±8.1 years. Drug-eluting stents were used in 69.9% of the patients, and 64.2% were on dual anti-platelet therapy at the time of aortic valve replacement. Within a median of 39 days (IQR 21-64), 83.7% of the patients underwent primary and 16.3% underwent re-operative minimally invasive aortic valve replacement. Post-operatively, there was 1 (0.8%) cerebrovascular accident, 1 patient (0.8%) required a re-operation due to bleeding, and 2 (1.6%) developed acute kidney injury. Thirty-day mortality occurred in 2 (1.6%) patients. Follow-up was available for all of the patients, and at a mean follow-up period of 14.3±12.5 months, 4 (3.3%) had an acute coronary syndrome, and 1 (0.8%) required a repeat target vessel revascularization. The actuarial survival rate at 1- and 3-year was 92.7% and 89.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In a select group of patients with coronary artery and aortic valve disease, a combined approach of percutaneous coronary intervention followed by minimally invasive aortic valve replacement can be safely performed with excellent short-term and midterm outcomes.

Predictive value of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in severe degenerative aortic valve stenosis

Background:

Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is the most common cause of left ventricular outflow obstruction, and its prevalence among elderly patients causes a major public health burden. Recently, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been recognized as a novel prognostic biomarker that offers information about both aggregation and inflammation pathways. Since PLR indicates inflammation, we hypothesized that PLR may be associated with the severity of AVS due to chronic inflammation pathways that cause stiffness and calcification of the aortic valve.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively enrolled 117 patients with severe degenerative AVS, who underwent aortic valve replacement and 117 control patients in our clinic. PLR was defined as the absolute platelet count divided by the absolute lymphocyte count. Severe AVS was defined as calcification and sclerosis of the valve with a mean pressure gradient of >40 mmHg.

Results:

PLR was 197.03 ± 49.61 in the AVS group and 144.9 ± 40.35 in the control group, which indicated a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that PLR values over 188 predicted the severity of aortic stenosis with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 70% (95% confidence interval = 0.734–0.882; P < 0.001; area under ROC curve: 0.808).

Conclusion:

We suggest that the level of PLR elevation is related to the severity of degenerative AVS, and PLR should be used to monitor patients' inflammatory responses and the efficacy of treatment, which will lead us to more closely monitor this high-risk population to detect severe degenerative AVS at an early stage.

Prevalence and correlates of valvular heart diseases in the elderly population in Hubei, China

We sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of valvular heart diseases (VHD) in the elderly population. The participants' personal information, medical history, behavioral habits and clinical status were assessed by questionnaire, while the left ventricular dimensions, function and the presence and severity of VHD were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. This study analyzed the data of 3948 participants who were older than 60 years. Significant VHD was present in 1.93% of participants; the standardized prevalence of VHD among the elderly population in Hubei was 2.05% (95% CI: 1.61-2.49). The most frequent VHD was aortic regurgitation, followed by tricuspid regurgitation, mitral regurgitation and multiple valve diseases. Univariate analysis results indicated that compared with participants without VHD, those with VHD were older (p < 0.001), with a higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), were more likely to smoke (p = 0.04), and had higher rates of coronary artery disease (CAD) (p < 0.001) and arrhythmia (p < 0.001). The results of multinomial regression analysis of complex sampling indicated that combined mitral and aortic valve diseases were related to older age, male sex and smoking; CAD was associated with single left-sided VHD.

A Preoperative Assessment of Significant Coronary Stenosis Based on a Semiquantitative Analysis of Coronary Artery Calcification on Noncontrast Computed Tomography in Aortic Stenosis Patients Undergoing Aortic Valve Replacement

Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is the recommended assessment for coronary artery disease in patients undergoing elective aortic valve replacement (AVR). Noncontrast computed tomography (CT) is useful for evaluating lung lesions and calcifications at the cannulation site of the ascending aorta. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of noncontrast CT in the visual assessment of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients undergoing AVR. We retrospectively identified patients with significant aortic stenosis (AS) who were referred for AVR between January 2006 and December 2013. Among these, we included 386 patients (53.6% males, 69.2 ± 8.4 years) who underwent both noncontrast CT and ICA. Significant coronary artery stenosis (CAS) in the ICA was defined as luminal stenosis ≥70%. The 4 main coronary arteries were visually assessed on noncontrast CT and were scored based on the Weston score as follows: 0, no visually detected calcium; 1, a single high-density pixel detected; 3, calcium was dense enough to create a blooming artifact; and 2, calcium in between 1 and 3. Four groups were reclassified by the sum of the Weston scores from each vessel, as follows: noncalcification (0); mild calcification (1-4); moderate calcification (5-8); and severe calcification (9-12). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was generated to identify the cutoff Weston score values for predicting significant CAS. Diagnostic estimates were calculated based on these cutoffs. In the ICA analysis, 62 of the 386 patients (16.1%) had significant CAS. All patients were divided into 4 groups. The noncalcification group had 97 subjects (Weston score 0), the mild degree group had 100 (2.6 ± 1.0), the moderate calcification group had 114 (6.6 ± 1.1), and the severe calcification group had 75 (10.7 ± 1.1). The prevalence of significant CAS in the noncalcification, mild, moderate, and severe groups was 1% (1/97), 5% (5/100), 24% (27/114), and 39% (29/75), respectively. The group with CAS had significantly more CAC than the group without CAS (8.37 ± 2.93 vs 4.01 ± 3.75, P < 0.001). The cutoff value (by Weston score) for predicting significant CAS is ≥5 (sensitivity 90.3%, specificity 59.0%, positive predictive value 29.6%, and negative predictive value 97%). The degree of CAC detected on noncontrast CT can help to predict significant CAS in AS patients who are referred for AVR. For the clinicians, the visual assessment of CAC on noncontrast CT was easy and useful for estimating CAS. Therefore, ICA should be recommended to selective patients based on patients' CAC and Weston scores during the preoperative evaluation for elective AVR.

Ten Years Experiences With Preoperative Evaluation Clinic for Day Admission Cardiac and Major Vascular Surgical Patients: Model for "Perioperative Anesthesia and Surgical Home"

Admission on the day of surgery for elective cardiac and noncardiac surgery is the prevalent practice in North America and Canada. This approach realizes medical, psychological and logistical benefits, and its success is predicated on an effective outpatient preoperative evaluation. The establishment of a highly functional preoperative clinic with a comprehensive set up and efficient logistical pathways is invaluable. This notion in recent years has included the entire perioperative period, and the concept of a perioperative anesthesia/surgical home (PASH) is gaining popularity. The anesthesiologists as perioperative physicians can organize and lead the entire process from the preoperative evaluation, through the hosptial discharge. The functions of the PASH include preoperative optimization of medical conditions and psychological preparation of the patients and their support system; the care in the operating room and intensive care unit; pain management; respiratory therapy; cardiac rehabilitation; and specialized nutrition. Along with oversight of the medical issues, the preoperative visit is an opportune time for counseling, clarification of expectations and discussion of research, as well as for utilization of various informatics systems to consolidate the pertinent information and distribute it to relevant health care providers. We review the scientific foundation and practical applications of a preoperative visit and share our experience with the development of the preoperative evaluation clinic, designed specifically for cardiac and major vascular patients scheduled for day admission surgery. The ultimate goal of preoperative evaluation clinic is to ensure a safe, efficient, and cost-effective perioperative care for patients undergoing a complex type of surgery.