Concomitant atrial fibrillation ablation during aortic valve and aneurysm surgery.

Objective: Limited data are available on treatment of atrial fibrillation during ascending aortic aneurysm and aortic valve surgery. Ablation at the time of isolated aortic valve surgery has a Society of Thoracic Surgeons Class I indication. We sought to determine early and late outcomes of concomitant atrial fibrillation surgery at the time of ascending aortic aneurysm + aortic valve surgery.

Automated and Explainable Coronary Angiogram Interpretation for Selection of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Candidates using Artificial Intelligence.

Objectives: Visual estimation of coronary artery stenosis on angiography is subject to human error. While machine learning may facilitate more accurate interpretation, clinical utility has been limited by lack of human interpretable models. We developed an automated computer vision model to identify candidates for coronary artery bypass (CABG) from coronary angiograms.

Deep learning based automated left atrial segmentation and flow quantification of real time phase contrast MRI in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Real time 2D phase contrast (RTPC) MRI is useful for flow quantification in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, but data analysis requires time-consuming anatomical contouring for many cardiac time frames. Our goal was to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) for fully automated left atrial (LA) flow quantification. Forty-four AF patients underwent cardiac MRI including LA RTPC, collecting a median of 358 timeframes per scan.

Trends and Outcomes of Aortic Root Enlargement During Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Aortic root enlargement (ARE) during aortic valve replacement (AVR) mitigates prosthesis-patient mismatch, but its use has been low. Transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve (VIV) as a treatment for failing bioprosthetic valves is limited by small surgical valves, renewing interest in ARE during the index AVR. This study demonstrates trends and outcomes of ARE after commercial approval of VIV in 2015.

Tumor lysate particle only vaccine (TLPO) vs. Tumor lysate particle-loaded, dendritic cell vaccine (TLPLDC) to prevent recurrence in resected stage III/IV melanoma patients: Results of a phase I/IIa trial.

Background: The autologous tumor lysate, particle-loaded, dendritic cell (TLPLDC) vaccine is produced from dendritic cells (DC) loaded ex vivo with autologous tumor lysate (TL). TLPLDC has been shown to decrease recurrence in resected Stage III/IV melanoma patients in a Phase IIb trial. The TL particle only (TLPO) vaccine is produced by loading of yeast cell wall particles with autologous TL and direct injection allowing for in vivo DC loading.

The Emerging and Important Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cardiac Surgery.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has greatly affected our everyday lives and holds great promise to change the landscape of medicine. AI is particularly positioned to improve care for the increasingly complex patients undergoing cardiac surgery using the immense amount of data generated in the course of their care. When deployed, AI can be used to analyze this information at the patient's bedside more expediently and accurately, all while providing new insights.

The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy following pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma depends on response to neoadjuvant therapy.

Background: The benefit of adjuvant therapy (AT) remains unclear in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and surgical resection.

Methods: The 2019 National Cancer Database was queried for patients with non-metastatic PDAC who received NAT followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy. Only patients with data regarding receipt of AT were included.

Cardiac Structural and Functional Remodeling After Transcatheter Mitral Valve in Valve Implantation: Early Changes and Prognostic Significance.

Background: Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve (MViV) replacement has emerged as an alternative to redo mitral valve (MV) surgery for the management of failed bioprosthetic MVs. The degree of cardiac remodeling assessed by echocardiography has been shown to have prognostic implications in degenerative mitral regurgitation patients undergoing MV surgery. The impact of transcatheter MViV in patients with degenerative bioprosthetic MV failure on cardiac remodeling and its associated prognosis remains undescribed.

Age-Stratified Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis.

Background: The management of aortic stenosis has evolved to stratification by age as reflected in recent societal guidelines. We evaluated age-stratified surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) trends and outcomes in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) or tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

Methods: This cohort included adults (≥18 years) undergoing SAVR for severe aortic stenosis between July 2011 and December 2022.

Acupuncture after valve surgery is feasible and shows promise in reducing postoperative atrial fibrillation: The ACU-Heart pilot trial.

Objective: Acupuncture is an effective treatment for arrythmias and postoperative symptoms but has not been investigated after cardiac surgery. Acupuncture After Heart Surgery is a prospective, randomized, controlled pilot trial of daily inpatient acupuncture or standard care after valve surgery with the primary end point being feasibility and secondary end points being reduction in postoperative atrial fibrillation incidence and postoperative symptoms.

Methods: A total of 100 patients without a history of atrial fibrillation underwent primary valve surgery via sternotomy and randomized 1:1 to acupuncture (51) or standard care (49).

Correction to "Salinity Trends in a Groundwater System Supplemented by 50 Years of Imported Colorado River Water".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.3c00239.

Concomitant ablation of atrial fibrillation: New pacemakers and early rhythm recovery.

Objective: New permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation after concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation has been associated with surgical ablation (SA). We sought to determine factors for PPM use as well as early rhythm recovery.

Methods: From 2004 through 2019, 6135 patients underwent valve surgery and were grouped: No AF (n = 4584), AF no SA (n = 346), and AF with SA (n = 1205) to evaluate predischarge PPM and 3-month rhythm recovery (intrinsic heart rate >40 beats per minute).

Should mitral valve replacement age guidelines be lowered due to better bioprosthetic mitral valve durability?

Objective: Guideline recommendations for mechanical or bioprosthetic valve for mitral valve replacement by age remains controversial. We sought to determine bovine pericardial valve durability by age and risk of reintervention.

Methods: This retrospective study between 2 large university-based cardiac surgery programs examined patients who underwent bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement from 2004 to 2020.