Life-Threatening Mediastinal Teratoma of Infant Requiring Emergency Surgical Removal

Background Teratoma is a tumor derived from fetal germ cells with aberrant differentiation. Case Description A 3-month-old infant with a mediastinal tumor was referred to our heart center. She presented with progressive dyspnea, cyanosis, and the need to be manually ventilated. The computed tomography scan displayed a huge tumor restricting the distal trachea including the bifurcation. An emergent operation was performed and the tumor was completely removed. Histological examination confirmed a mature teratoma. Conclusion In such life-threatening situation, the early detection and the immediate operation are very important for the management of rapidly-progressing mediastinal teratomas compressing the respiratory tract.

Understanding Barriers to Healthcare Access for Heart Failure Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Early outpatient follow-up within two weeks after hospital discharge is an effective strategy for improving transitions of care in older patients with heart failure (HF). However, implementing timely follow-up care for HF patients has been challenging, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This convergent mixed-methods study identified patients’ barriers to accessing care and ascertained their recommendations for addressing these barriers. We enrolled 264 HF patients admitted to the Duke Heart Center between May 2020 and August 2021. A standardized survey and electronic health records (EHR) were used to collect patients’ sociodemographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and clinical data. For patients who reported some difficulty accessing their healthcare (n=30), semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand these barriers. Data were analyzed using rapid analysis techniques. Barriers to accessing care varied across participants, with scheduling an appointment being the most common barrier (12 of the 30 responses). Participants indicated that job-related conflicts, providers’ availability, or COVID-19 contributed most to the difficulty in scheduling an appointment. Some participants experienced more difficulties during the pandemic due to fewer appointments available for non-acute and non-COVID-19 related needs. Transportation was another critical barrier, which was often associated with the participants’ physical functional status. Participants identified the benefits of using telemedicine to address access to care barriers; however, they shared their concerns that telemedicine visits may not be sufficient to assess their HF conditions. Study findings highlight the need for more continual, tailored, and patient-centered interventions to improve access to care in older HF patients.

Pass On What You Have Learned: A Structured Mentor-Mentee Concept for the Implementation of a Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery Program

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Starting a minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) for mitral valve repair (MVR) program is challenging as it requires a new learning curve, but compromising surgical results at the same time is not acceptable. Here, we describe our surgical educational experience of starting a new MICS program at a university heart center in Germany. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A dedicated team for the new MICS program including 2 cardiac surgeons, 1 cardiac anesthetist, 1 perfusionist, and 1 scrub nurse was chosen. The use of long shafted instruments was trained in a low-cost self-assembled MICS simulator, and the EACTS endoscopic dry lab course was visited. Thereafter, 1 MICS center was visited for direct observation and peer-to-peer education for 6 weeks. The mentor observed the first 10 cases performed by the mentee. The surgical mitral valve expertise of 1 single cardiac surgeon was retrospectively analyzed between April 2016 and April 2021. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Before the implementation of the MICS-MVR program, 18 mitral valve operations have been performed through sternotomy between April 2016 and October 2018 including 12 replacements and 6 ring annuloplasties. After starting the MICS-MVR program, 73 mitral operations have been performed by the same surgeon of which 53 video-assisted through minithoracotomy (72.6%). 83.1% of the MICS procedures included complex repair (<i>n</i> = 38) and ring annuloplasty (<i>n</i> = 6). Open heart MV surgery was necessary in 20 patients due to concomitant procedures (<i>n</i> = 8), redo procedures (<i>n</i> = 2), severe endocarditis (<i>n</i> = 4), or contraindication for MICS such as PAD (<i>n</i> = 6). There have been no deaths, 1 stroke, and 1 cardiac vascular (RCX) complication. Two patients required conversion to sternotomy and one pericardiocentesis in the long term. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Typically, excellent exposure and high repair rates of the MV has led us offer MICS approach to a majority of patients with isolated MV disease. Careful planning and a strict mentor-mentee concept facilitated a safe startup of an MICS program in a busy university heart center.

Clinical utility of aVR lead T-wave in electrocardiogram of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Background aVR lead is often neglected in routine clinical practice largely because of its undefined clinical utility specifications. Nevertheless, positive T-wave in aVR lead has been reported to be associated with poor clinical outcomes in some cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the prognostic value and clinical utility of T-wave amplitude in aVR lead in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods A total of 340 STEMI patients admitted to a tertiary heart center were consecutively included. Patients were categorized into four strata, based on T wave amplitude in aVR lead in their admission ECG (i.e. < − 2, − 1 to − 2, − 1 to 0, and ≥ 0 mV). Patients’ clinical outcomes were also recorded and statistically analyzed. Results In-hospital mortality, re-hospitalization, and six-month-mortality significantly varied among four T wave strata and were higher in patients with a T wave amplitude of ≥ 0 mV (p 0.001–0.002). The groups of patients with higher T wave amplitude in aVR, had progressively increased relative risk (RR) of in-hospital mortality (RRs ≤ 0.01, 0.07, 1.00, 2.30 in four T wave strata, respectively). T wave amplitude in the cutoff point of − 1 mV exhibited a sensitivity and specificity of 95.83 (95% CI 78.88–99.89) and 49.68 (95% CI 44.04–55.33). Conclusion Our study demonstrated a significant association of positive T wave in aVR lead and adverse clinical outcomes in STEMI patients. Nevertheless, the clinical utility of T-wave amplitude at aVR lead is limited by its low discriminative potential toward prognosis of STEMI.

Identifying Patients without a Survival Benefit following Transfemoral and Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) offers a novel treatment option for patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, particularly for patients who are unsuitable candidates for surgical intervention. However, high therapeutical costs, socio-economic considerations, and numerous comorbidities make it necessary to target and allocate available resources efficiently. In the present study, we aimed to identify risk factors associated with futile treatment following transfemoral (TF) and transapical (TA) TAVR. Five hundred and thirty-two consecutive patients (82 ± 9 years, female 63%) who underwent TAVR between June 2009 and December 2016 at the Vienna Heart Center Hietzing were retrospectively analyzed to identify predictors of futility, defined as all-cause mortality at one year following the procedure for the overall patient cohort, as well as the TF and TA cohort. Out of 532 patients, 91 (17%) did not survive the first year after TAVR. A multivariate logistic model identified cerebrovascular disease, home oxygen dependency, wheelchair dependency, periinterventional myocardial infarction, and postinterventional renal replacement therapy as the factors independently associated with an increased one-year mortality. Our findings underscore the significance of a precise preinterventional evaluation, as well as illustrating the subtle differences in baseline characteristics in the TF and TA cohort and their impact on one-year mortality.

Kết quả dài hạn sau phẫu thuật tứ chứng fallot tại Trung tâm Tim mạch - Bệnh viện Nhi Trung ương

Đặt vấn đề: Phẫu thuật sửa toàn bộ tứ chứng Fallot đã được tiến hành tại Việt Nam với kết quả ngắn hạn khả quan, tuy nhiên kết quả lâu dài sau phẫu thuật thì vẫn chưa được làm rõ. Nghiên cứu này của chúng tôi được tiến hành nhằm đánh giá kết quả dài hạn sau phẫu thuật sửa toàn bộ tứ chứng Fallot tại Trung tâm Tim mạch - Bệnh viện Nhi Trung ương. Đối tượng - phương pháp: Các bệnh nhân được phẫu thuật sửa toàn bộ tại Trung tâm Tim mạch - Bệnh viện Nhi Trung ương trong thời gian từ tháng 12 năm 2006 đến tháng 12 năm 2020 được thu thập bệnh án và được đưa vào nghiên cứu. Kết quả: Trong thời gian nghiên cứu, có tổng số 532 trường hợp được phẫu thuật sửa toàn bộ tứ chứng Fallot tại Trung tâm Tim mạch - Bệnh viện Nhi Trung ương. Tuổi phẫu thuật trung bình của các bệnh nhân trong nhóm nghiên cứu là 11.7 tháng (8.8 - 17.4). Trong nhóm nghiên cứu có 11 trường hợp tử vong sớm sau phẫu thuật (2.1%) và 2 trường hợp tử vong muộn sau phẫu thuật (0.4%). Tỷ lệ bệnh nhân cần mổ lại trong nhóm nghiên cứu là 2.3% (12 bệnh nhân). Thời gian theo dõi trung bình sau phẫu thuật là 40.4 ± 26.27 tháng. Triệu chứng suy tim trên lâm sàng theo Ross tại thời điểm khám lại cuối cùng cho thấy phần lớn các bệnh nhân không có biểu hiện suy tim trên lâm sàng, chỉ có duy nhất 1 bệnh nhân Ross - III. Kết quả siêu âm kiểm tra tại thời điểm khám lại cuối cùng cho thấy có: 144 bệnh nhân (27%) có hở van ĐMP tự do, 42 bệnh nhân (7.9%) hở phổi mức độ trung bình, có 90 bệnh nhân (16.9%) có tình trạng giãn thất phải sau mổ ở các mức độ, và 2 trường hợp hở van ba lá mức độ trung bình nặng. Kết quả kiểm tra điện tim cho thấy hình ảnh block nhánh phải chiếm tỷ lệ 54.2%; hình ảnh giãn thất phải chiếm tỷ lệ 68.2%, và 2.3% bệnh nhân có hình ảnh block nhĩ thất độ I. Kết luận: Kết quả lâu dài sau phẫu thuật sửa toàn bộ tứ chứng Fallot tại Trung tâm Tim mạch - Bệnh viện Nhi Trung ương là tốt. Theo dõi lâu dài sau phẫu thuật là cần thiết đối với nhóm bệnh tim bẩm sinh phức tạp này nhằm đánh giá nguy cơ tử vong muộn và các yếu tố liên quan tới mổ lại của bệnh nhân. ABSTRACT RESULTS OF TOTAL CORRECTION FOR TETRALOGY OF FALLOT IN CHILDREN HEART CENTER - NATIONAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VIETNAM Objective: Long term results of treatment for total correction of tetralogy of Fallot is unknow in Vietnam. We conduct this study to evaluate the long - term results of surgical treatment for tetralogy of Fallot in Children Heart Center, National Children Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the long - term outcome after total correction for tetralogy of Fallot in Children Heart Center - National Children Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam since December 2006 to December 2020. Results: There were 532 patients operated during the study period. The median patient age was 11.7months (8.8 - 17.4). The hospital mortality was 11 patients (2.1%), and the late mortality was 2 patients (0.4%). There were 12 patients required re - operation during follow up, with the median time of follow - up was 40.4 ± 26.27months. According to Ross classification about heart failure, the majority of the patient have no heart failure, and only 1 patient have Ross - III. The echocardiography at the last visit shows: 144 patients (27%) have free pulmonary regurgitation, 42 patients (7.9%) have moderate pulmonary regurgitation, and 90 patients (16.9%) have right ventricle enlargement, with 2 patients have severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. The electrocardiogram shows: right bundle block was 54.2%; right ventricular dilation was 68.2%, and 2.3% of the patient have first degree of atrioventricular block. Conclusion: Long term results of total correction for tetralogy of Fallot in Children Heart Center, National Children Hospital are good. Further investigation is needed to evaluate the late mortality and morbidity in this complex heart disease. Key words: Tetralogy of Fallot, total correction, long term results.