Epidemiology and impact of frailty in patients with atrial fibrillation in Europe

BACKGROUND

Frailty is a medical syndrome characterised by reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors. Data regarding the relationship between frailty and atrial fibrillation (AF) are still inconsistent.

OBJECTIVES

We aim to perform a comprehensive evaluation of frailty in a large European cohort of AF patients.

METHODS

A 40-item frailty index (FI) was built according to the accumulation of deficits model in the AF patients enrolled in the ESC-EHRA EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry. Association of baseline characteristics, clinical management, quality of life, healthcare resources use and risk of outcomes with frailty was examined.

RESULTS

Among 10,177 patients [mean age (standard deviation) 69.0 (11.4) years, 4,103 (40.3%) females], 6,066 (59.6%) were pre-frail and 2,172 (21.3%) were frail, whereas only 1,939 (19.1%) were considered robust. Baseline thromboembolic and bleeding risks were independently associated with increasing FI. Frail patients with AF were less likely to be treated with oral anticoagulants (OACs) (odds ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.55-0.89), especially with non-vitamin K antagonist OACs and managed with a rhythm control strategy, compared with robust patients. Increasing frailty was associated with a higher risk for all outcomes examined, with a non-linear exponential relationship. The use of OAC was associated with a lower risk of outcomes, except in patients with very/extremely high frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large cohort of AF patients, there was a high burden of frailty, influencing clinical management and risk of adverse outcomes. The clinical benefit of OAC is maintained in patients with high frailty, but not in very high/extremely frail ones.

The chick embryo as a model for intrauterine ultrasound-guided heart intervention

OBJECTIVES

Prenatal minimally invasive therapy represents a challenging option for reducing long-term complications of pathological fetal heart development. Here, the potential of the chick embryo as a model for ultrasound-guided intrauterine cardiac intervention is explored.

METHODS

Chick embryos were incubated for 18 days in fenestrated eggs and their hearts were punctured in ovo under ultrasound guidance. Indian ink and Nile blue sulfate were applied to mark the injection channel. After cardiac intervention, embryos were further incubated and subsequently sacrificed for macroscopic and histological evaluation of the heart.

RESULTS

Stereomicroscopic analysis revealed that the catheter had successfully penetrated the cardiac ventricular wall in 26/38 embryos. The myocardium was not severely injured. Histological evaluation showed that the myocardium had almost reoccluded after the intervention and that the injection channel was clogged with fibrin. In one case, the embryo was not sacrificed, but was removed from the egg 24 h after the intervention, with no signs of cardiac dysfunction, and was followed up for 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Intrauterine ultrasound-guided heart intervention in the human fetus can be simulated in the chick embryo. Fenestrated eggs have to be used because the egg shell and shell membrane are impermeable to ultrasound.

Repeat mediastinoscopy as a restaging procedure

BACKGROUND

Repeat cervical mediastinoscopy is a diagnostic surgical procedure for preoperative nodal staging in patients with insufficient first mediastinoscopy, with recurrent or second primary lung neoplasms, and following induction chemotherapy or chemo-/radiotherapy for locally advanced lung cancer. The aim of this study was to critically analyse indications, technical characteristics, intra- and postoperative complications, also to define selection criteria for patients with a higher probability of successful complete resection.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

279 patients with lung cancer (66 female and 213 male patients, mean age 58 years, range 28 to 78 years) underwent repeat mediastinoscopy from 1968 to 2004, 12 because of inadequate first procedure (group A), 67 because of recurrent lung cancer (group B) 35 because of second primary lung cancer (group C), and 165 following induction chemo-/radiotherapy for IIIa and IIIb disease (group D). The interval between first and second procedure was 17 days (range, 12 - 38) in group A, 14 months (range, 5 - 29) in group B, 27 months (range, 19 - 124) in group C, and 132 days (range, 113 - 145) in group D.

RESULTS

No intra- or postoperative deaths were observed, 7 patients developed minor complications. N2 or N3 disease was found in 3/12 patients of group A (25 %), in 17/67 patients of group B (25.4 %) and in 6/35 patients of group C (17.1 %). Of the 116 patients with N2, and 49 with N3 disease before induction treatment (group D), repeat mediastinoscopy showed 126 N0, 20 N2 and 14 N3 status. Because of the presence of inseparable adhesions repeat mediastinoscopy was not possible in 5 cases. Five-year survival for patients with persistent N2 in repeat mediastinoscopy was despite surgery only 5 %.

CONCLUSION

Repeat mediastinoscopy is a safe explorative procedure for the restaging of patients with primary locally advanced, recurrent or second primary lung cancer. In patients after induction treatment it is, however, less sensitive than the primary mediastinoscopy because of adhesions and fibrotic tissue. Patients with persistent N2 or N3 disease in repeat mediastinoscopy have a poor survival so that the indication for surgery has to be taken into consideration very carefully.

[Significance of pulmonary lymph node metastases in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer]

BACKGROUND

The locally advanced (T3 - 4) non-small cell lung cancer with pulmonary lymph node metastases (N1) is a mixture of different subgroups of disease with varying pattern of tumor extension and long-term survival rates.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed hospital records and follow-up data of 181 patients operated on between 1990 and 1995 with pathological stage IIIA-pT3N1 and IIIB-pT4N1. Median age was 62 years (range 34 - 80).

RESULTS

The operative mortality was 3.7 %. The analysis was carried out on the 181 hospital survivors. The operative procedure was a pneumonectomy in 110 cases (60.8 %) and a lobectomy/bilobectomy in 71 (39.26 %). The pathological stage according to the UICC TNM-Classification of 1997 was T3N1 in 128 (70.7 %) and T4N1 in 53 (29.3 %). We observed a metastatic involvement of the hilar, interlobar and lobar lymph nodes in 44 (24.3 %), 17 (9.4 %), and 27 (14.9 %) patients, respectively, whereas a direct infiltration in 93 patients (51.4 %). The actuarial overall 3-, 5- and 10-year survival rates for N1 hilar was 23 %, 13 % and 8 %, for N1 interlobar was 18 %, 6 % and 0 %, for N1 lobar was 48 %, 37 % and 22 %, and for N1 direct was 32 %, 27 % and 21 %, respectively. The involvement of hilar lymph nodes correlates with a worse prognosis (p =.0366).

CONCLUSIONS

Metastases to the hilar lymph nodes in locally advanced NSCLC can be considered an initial N2-disease and should be treated correspondingly. Lymph node involvement by direct invasion is associated with a relatively more favourable prognosis for the patients.

Completion pneumonectomy: current indications, complications, and results

OBJECTIVE

Completion pneumonectomy is reported to be associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially when done in patients with benign disease. We review our 9 years of experience with this operation to evaluate the postoperative outcome and long-term results of various indications.

METHODS

Between January 1990 and December 1998, 66 consecutive patients underwent completion pneumonectomy (6.8% of all pneumonectomies), and their cases were retrospectively reviewed. The indication was benign disease in 17 patients and malignant disease in 49 patients. In patients with malignant indications there were 14 local recurrences, 4 second primary tumors, 5 metastatic diseases, and 26 indications because of incomplete initial resection.

RESULTS

There were no intraoperative deaths, and the postoperative mortality rate was 7.6%. Complications were encountered in 32 (53%) patients, without any significant difference between benign indication (71%) and malignant indication (47%; P =.0923). Bronchopleural fistula was encountered in 5 (7.6%) patients, and empyema was encountered in 7 (11%) patients. The actuarial 5-year survival was 57% for all patients, 65% for those with benign indications, and 54% for those with malignant indications (60% for local recurrence, 50% for second primary tumor, and 56% for incomplete resection), without any difference between benign and malignant indications (P =.9478).

CONCLUSIONS

Completion pneumonectomy can be performed with acceptable mortality and morbidity, even in patients with benign disease. Patients with preoperative infection can be managed with bronchial stump covering and adequate postoperative drainage. Although complications are common, they can successfully be managed with a proper understanding of them.

[Bilateral lung volume reduction in patients with severe pulmonary emphysema]

For selected patients with severe pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) and dyspnea despite conservative treatment, lung volume reduction (LVR) may to be of significant value as a surgical option. From May 1994 to March 1996 43 patients with COPD underwent through different procedures a LVR, 25 of them bilateral through median sternotomy or thoracotomies. With regard to chest computed tomography and perfusion/ventilation scan of the lungs the most affected portions are excised with the use of a linear stapling device. In all patients staplers was fitted with strips of bovine pericardium attached on both sides to eliminate postoperative leakage. There has been no early postoperative mortality (30 days). Follow-up ranges from 1 to 21 months. Preoperative and postoperative assessment of lung function tests, efficiency of respiratory pump, grading of dyspnea and life quality was prospective investigated. The mean improvement of FEV1 was 79%, PO2 at rest 8 mmHg. TLC has been reduced by 19%, RV by 31%. These changes have been associated with marked relief of dyspnea (grading of dyspnea reduced from 3.4 to 1.6) and improvement in exercise tolerance (6-min walk-test from 137 +/- 65 m to 265 +/- 175 m). Also significant changes the maximal inspiratory pressure, the mouth occlusion pressure and the transdiaphragmatic pressure as parameter of respiratory muscle function. Although the follow-up period is short, these results suggest that in selected patients with COPD, LVR improve lung function, gas exchange, efficiency of respiratory pump and quality of life and reduce the grading of dyspnea.

[Video thoracoscopic lobectomy. Surgical technique and results]

For a variety of indications, thoracoscopic surgery has become established as a safe and effective alternative to open thoracotomy. Improvements in video technology and the development of instruments for thoracoscopic surgery now make it possible to perform lobectomies. In this paper the surgical technique of thoracoscopic lobectomy is described, and surgical and functional results are analysed. Since January 1993, in 38 of 47 patients who underwent endoscopic surgery, thoracoscopic lobectomy was possible. In 9 cases (19.1%) a change to open surgery was indicated for technical and oncological reasons. There were 24 males and 14 females between the ages of 7 and 82 years (average age of 58.5 years). The indications were benign pulmonary disease in 10 cases and non-small-cell lung cancer (stage I) in 28 cases. Four trocars were inserted; the pulmonary arteries and veins, the bronchi and the interlobar fissures were closed and divided with endoscopic staplers. There were neither intraoperative complications nor postoperative deaths. The rate of postoperative complications was very low. Patients benefited from the short hospital stay, limited postoperative pain, excellent early pulmonary function and fast recovery time. We conclude that for selected indications thoracoscopic lobectomies are safe and effective, but further studies are necessary to determine the true merits of the procedure.