Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as Bridge to Replacement Therapies in Cardiogenic Shock: Insights From the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization.

Background: There has been increasing use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as bridge to heart transplant (orthotopic heart transplant [OHT]) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) over the last decade. We aimed to provide insights on the population, outcomes, and predictors for the selection of each therapy.

Methods: Using the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry between 2010 and 2019, we compared in-hospital mortality and length of stay, predictors of OHT versus LVAD, and predictors of in-hospital mortality for patients with cardiogenic shock that were bridged with ECMO to OHT or LVAD.

Expert Consensus Paper: Lateral Thoracotomy for Centrifugal Ventricular Assist Device Implant.

Background: The increasing prevalence of heart failure has led to the expanded use of left ventricle assist devices (VADs) for end-stage heart failure patients worldwide. Technological improvements witnessed the development of miniaturized VADs and their implantation through less traumatic non-full sternotomy approaches using a lateral thoracotomy (LT). Although adoption of the LT approach is steadily growing, a lack of consensus remains regarding patient selection, details of the surgical technique, and perioperative management.

Invasive fungal infection after heart transplantation: A 7-year, single-center experience.

Background: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are an infrequent but major complication of heart transplantation (HT). We sought to describe the epidemiology at our institution.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of 159 heart transplant recipients was performed from June 2005 to December 2012.

Update on Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Genitourinary Procedures in Patients with Artificial Joint Replacement and Artificial Heart Valves.

Infection of artificial joint replacements and heart valves is an uncommon but serious complication encountered anytime after the implantation of these prostheses. It is known that bacteremia can lead to infection of a prosthetic device. However, there is no strong evidence to correlate urologic procedures with the development of periprosthetic joint infection or prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Paravalvular regurgitation after conventional aortic and mitral valve replacement: A benchmark for alternative approaches.

Objective: Paravalvular regurgitation is a known complication after transcatheter and sutureless aortic valve replacement. Paravalvular regurgitation also may develop in patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valve replacement. There are few studies on contemporary surgical valve replacement for comparison.

Overcoming reporting challenges: How to display, summarize, and model late reintervention outcomes, follow-up, and vital status information after surgery for atrial fibrillation.

Background: Postsurgical late reinterventions for atrial fibrillation (AF) include cardioversions (CV) or catheter ablations (CA). Commonly used methods for reporting and modeling the frequency and timing of CA or CV have well-known shortcomings.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to present intuitive and robust methods to visualize, summarize, and model late reinterventions type/timing and vital status simultaneously.

Mortality while waiting for aortic valve replacement.

Background: Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with high mortality without intervention. The impact of waiting time for aortic valve replacement (AVR), either surgically or transcatheter, has not been reported.

Methods: From January 2008 to December 2012, we identified 1,005 patients with severe symptomatic AS.

A simple approach to mitral valve repair: posterior leaflet height adjustment using a partial fold of the free edge.

Objectives: Multiple techniques have been used to repair degenerative mitral valve prolapse with leaflet elongation, without creating systolic anterior motion. We describe a simple, reproducible, measured technique to guide repair.

Methods: From January 2010 to July 2012, 171 patients underwent mitral valve repair; 128 (75%) with Carpentier type II prolapse.

Chest wall resection and reconstruction: a true thoracoscopic approach.

We set out to perform resection of a chest wall mass with subsequent reconstruction using a pure thoracoscopic approach. Using video-assisted thoracic surgery via a three-incision approach, we successfully removed an 8.5 × 3.