Publications by authors named "Daniel Hofer"

In the evolving landscape of endoscopic aortic valve replacement (AVR), the alignment of instruments is crucial for overcoming difficulties related to the narrow aortic space. Here, we describe a technique of lateral suturing based on the principle of instrument triangulation, which allows perpendicular stiches to the aortic annulus like an open aortic valve procedure. This technique facilitates endoscopic AVR, performed through a 3 cm long right anterolateral mini-thoracotomy without rib retraction using a 3-dimensional endoscope and femoro-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The present study investigates the five-year outcomes of hip arthroscopy for cam or pincer-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and associated labral tears in a defined patient population. : Patients who underwent hip arthroscopy for cam or pincer-type arthroscopy femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and labral tears at our hospital in the past five years were included. All patients who underwent revision-like a total hip arthroplasty (THA), a subsequent hip arthroscopy at another hospital, or had primary osseous diseases-were excluded.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Infections related to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic-eluting envelopes have been introduced as a technology to prevent CIED infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the antibacterial envelope in the real-world population of a tertiary center.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Traumatic tricuspid valve regurgitation is a rare condition related to blunt chest trauma. In the early phase, the patients may remain asymptomatic. Progressive tricuspid regurgitation leads to the development of symptoms thereafter.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) has gained increased adoption globally with the use of both lumenless leads (LLLs) and stylet-driven leads (SDLs). As these leads have been developed for conventional endocardial pacing sites, concerns remain regarding the lead integrity with LBBAP.

Objectives: This study evaluates lead integrity of pacing leads used for LBBAP in a large, real-world cohort of patients with LBBAP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Systolic anterior motion is characterized by the displacement of the anterior mitral leaflet towards the left ventricle outflow tract. Iatrogenic systolic anterior motion occurs after mitral valve repair as a result of mitral annuloplasty. Possible causes include excess height of a redundant posterior mitral leaflet and/or the use of an undersized ring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Acute postoperative pain remains a major obstacle in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS). Evidence of the analgesic benefit of chest wall blocks is limited. This study was designed to assess the influence of combined pectoserratus plane block plus interpectoral plane block (PSPB + IPPB) on postoperative pain and the overall benefit of analgesia compared with placebo.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this case report, we illustrate the minimally invasive endoscopic repair of an atrial septal defect via a right minithoracotomy in a young patient with a dislocated Amplatzer Septal Occluder.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of implanting a leadless pacemaker via the jugular vein as an alternative to the traditional femoral vein method, particularly for patients where femoral access isn't viable.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 100 patients implanted with the Micra™ leadless pacemaker through the jugular vein, finding that this method resulted in shorter procedure and fluoroscopy times compared to the femoral approach, with similar electrical performance of the devices.
  • Complications were notably fewer with the jugular approach (only 2 reported) compared to 16 complications in the femoral method, suggesting that the jugular route is a safer option for leadless pacemaker implantation.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Barlow's disease is a specific sub-form of mitral valve (MV) disease, characterized by diffuse excessive tissue and multi segment prolapse. The anterolateral mini-thoracotomy represents the standard access for MV regurgitation in many centres. It still remains unclear which surgical technique provides the best results.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Leadless pacemaker (LP) implantation is becoming a viable alternative for patients with prior conventional pacing systems (CPS), with a study analyzing its safety and effectiveness in 257 patients from two Swiss centers.
  • Out of the patients studied, 24 had previous CPS, and a significant number (83%) required lead extraction due to various issues, while LP implantation showed low complication rates overall.
  • Results indicated that LP implantation was effective and safe even in patients with prior CPS, as no infections or complications occurred after the procedures, contributing to positive outcomes in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Impairment of the conduction system is a common complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), which is typically performed in elderly patients. A leadless pacemaker (LP) may be a suitable option in this frail population, but the available scientific data concerning the efficacy and safety of leadless pacing after TAVR are sparse. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LP implantation in patients with relevant bradycardias after TAVR, compared to other indications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Leadless pacemakers (LPs) for VDD pacing rely on mechanical sensing of atrial contraction, which is less reliable than electrical sensing.
  • This study analyzed P-wave amplitudes from preoperative ECGs to predict mechanical sensing in patients undergoing LP implantation.
  • Findings showed that specific P-wave amplitudes correlate with mechanical contraction signals, indicating a potential method to enhance atrial-synchronous pacing success.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a rare venous anomaly, affecting 0.3-0.5% of the general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Implantable cardiac monitors (ICMs) provide long-term arrhythmia monitoring, but high rates of false detections increase the review burden. The new "SmartECG" algorithm filters false detections. Using large real-world data sets, we aimed to quantify the reduction in workload and any loss in sensitivity from this new algorithm.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Long-term complication rates in standard transvenous pacemakers are reported around 4-12% with a higher incidence in the elderly population. We report our experience in octogenarians undergoing leadless pacemaker implantation in two large-volume centers in Switzerland.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing leadless pacemaker implantation at two Swiss large volume centers (University Hospital Zurich, Zurich and Cardiocentro Ticino Institute, Lugano) between October 2015 and March 2020 were included in this retrospective analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study analyzed sex-related differences in patients undergoing leadless pacemaker (LPM) implantation, utilizing data from the i-LEAPER registry.
  • Despite a male majority (64.3%), results showed no significant differences in major complication rates or all-cause mortality between men and women after matching for age and comorbidities.
  • While female patients had higher pacing impedance, this difference did not affect overall device performance, and both sexes maintained comparable electrical parameters within normal limits throughout the follow-up period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Transvenous lead extraction has become a frequent procedure in the context of device lead management and various tools are available. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the novel short rotating dilator sheath TightRail Sub-C (Sub-C) in transvenous lead extraction.

Methods: For this retrospective single-center analysis, we included consecutive patients undergoing transvenous lead extraction using the Sub-C from January 2018 until February 2020 at the University Heart Center Zurich.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Association of two-(2D) and three-dimensional (3D) left atrial strain (LAS) and low-voltage area (LVA) with recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) was assessed.

Methods And Results: 3D LAS, 2D LAS, and LVA were obtained in 93 consecutive patients undergoing PVI and recurrence of AF was analyzed prospectively. AF recurred in 12 patients (13%).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Fat layers in obese patients can impair R-wave detection and diagnostic performance of a subcutaneous insertable cardiac monitor (ICM). We compared safety and ICM sensing quality between obese patients [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m] and normal-weight controls (BMI <30 kg/m) in terms of R-wave amplitude and time in noise mode (noise burden) detected by a long-sensing-vector ICM.

Materials And Methods: Patients from two multicentre, non-randomized clinical registries are included in the present analysis on January 31, 2022 (data freeze), if the follow-up period was at least 90 days after ICM insertion, including daily remote monitoring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Transvenous lead extractions are increasingly performed for malfunction or infection of cardiac implantable electronic devices, but they harvest a potential for complications and suboptimal success. Apart from multicenter registries and reports from highly experienced single centers, the outcome in individual newly developing high-volume centers starting a lead extraction program is less well established. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological success and complication rate at our center, having started a lead extraction program less than a decade ago.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF