Coronary heart disease is the second leading cause of death worldwide. As a preventable and treatable chronic disease, early screening is of great importance for disease control. However, previous screening tools relied on physician assistance, thus cannot be used on a large scale. Many facial features have been reported to be associated with coronary heart disease and may be useful for screening. However, these facial features have limitations such as fewer types, irregular definitions and poor repeatability of manual judgment, so they can not be routinely applied in clinical practice. With the development of artificial intelligence, it is possible to integrate facial features to predict diseases. A recent study published in the European Heart Journal showed that coronary heart disease can be predicted using artificial intelligence based on facial photos. Although this work still has some limitations, this novel technology will be promise for improving disease screening and diagnosis in the future.
Ischemic mitral regurgitation represents a common complication after myocardial infarction, the severity of the mitral regurgitation increases the risk of mortality. There is continuing debate regarding the management of moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing surgical management. The debates lie in whether adding mitral valve surgery to coronary artery bypass grafting. So the review is about the analysis of existing evidence and expectation about it.
Facing the increasing cardiovascular disease burden and prevailing population risk factors, the cardiovascular surgery in China was also encountering challenges including imbalances in discipline development, significant divergencies in healthcare quality, lacking of clinical guidelines and domestic critical evidence. The concept of quality control and improvement has been practiced and tested in many disease specialties. Quality improvement programs are urgently needed in China to promote the universal cardiovascular surgery healthcare quality.
Hemodynamics plays a vital role in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases, and is closely associated with changes in morphology and function. Reliable detection of hemodynamic changes is essential to improve treatment strategies and enhance patient prognosis. The combination of computational fluid dynamics with cardiovascular imaging technology has extended the accessibility of hemodynamics. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent developments in the application of computational fluid dynamics for cardiovascular hemodynamic assessment and a succinct discussion for potential future development.
The cardiovascular surgery in China has reached a stable platform, with notable progress been achieved in the past several decades. However, significant divergency regarding the healthcare quality was also observed, which requiring effective intervention to start the transition from the focus on "quantity" to the pursuit of "quality". Quality improvement program, including the establishment of a national cardiovascular surgery database, the conformation of a standard key quality evaluation indicator system, and the conduction of quality intervention and improvement initiatives, are promising to consolidate and expand the advantages of cardiac surgery and lead to better patient outcomes.
In the late-breaking trials session of the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021, which took place in November 2021, six clinical trials in cardiac surgery published their primary results. This review will look into three of them including the management of patients with moderate or less-than-moderate tricuspid regurgitation at the time of surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation, timing of ticagrelor cessation before coronary artery bypass grafting, and long-term outcomes of ticagrelor-based antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention of coronary artery bypass grafting.
Since the advent of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the selection of bypass conduits has always been one of the most controversial topics in this field. Arterial conduits have received extensive attention due to their excellent biological features and high patency. In recent years, the application of arterial grafting and total arterial grafting in China keeps increasing in recent years, but there is still a gap compared to the Europe and America. Previous clinical studies have indicated the benefits of the total arterial grafting in terms of patency and long-term outcomes, but the advantage of multiple arterial grafting over other procedures is still in need to be confirmed with high-quality randomized controlled trials. This article reviews the clinical application and strategy of total-arterial CABG, aiming to provide objective reference for future clinical research and application.
New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) is the most common complication after cardiac surgery. Postoperative atrial fibrillation is traditionally believed to a benign arrhythmia secondary to inflammation or surgical stimulation. However, a number of studies showed that patients with NOAF had a substantially increased adverse cardiovascular events. Therefore, effective treatment is of great significance. This study aims to review recent research of the perioperative management of NOAF.
Objective To improve the operative effects of patients who had tetralogy of Fallot with aortopulmonary collateral arteries (TOF-APCAs) and evaluate the clinical effects of staging and onestop hybrid approach for TOFAPCAs. Methods From January 2003 to December 2007, thirty patients with TOF-APCAs had undergone combined therapy of APCAs embolization and complete surgical repair. Fifteen patients had APCAs embolization therapy before or after TOF radical operation(staging hybrid group ); Fifteen had onestop hybrid treatment(onestop hybrid group). Results Angiography revealed that there were 19 APCAs in staging hybrid group, and of which 15(78％) were embolized successfully. Five cases had complications and one died from respiratory circulating failure. The rest all recovered and discharged. And 22 APCAs were found in one-stop hybrid group, eighteen (82％) of them were embolized successfully. Only one case had pulmonary effusion. The time of hospitalization(median 37 d vs. 22 d, P=0.011),ICU staying（median 7.0 d vs. 4.7 d,P=0.029）and endotracheal intubation（median 131 h vs. 19 h,P=0.009） was obviously longer, and the hospitalization expenses（median 64 101 [CM(159mm]yuan vs. 48 021 yuan, P=0.033）were obviously higher in staging hybrid group than that in one-stop hybrid group.And there was no statistical significance in cardiopulmonary bypass time（P=0.126） and aortic clamping time（P=0.174） between two groups. Conclusion In comparison with traditional staging hybrid approach, one-stop hybrid approach can simplify the operative process for patients who have TOFAPCAs, improve the operative successful rate and cut down expenses.
Objective [WTBZ]To assess the impact of dual antiplatelet therapy using aspirin and clopidogrel on postoperative bleeding and blood transfusion early after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods [WTBZ]In this randomized controlled trial, 249 patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups after coronary artery bypass grafting from December 2007 to December 2008. Daily clopidogrel (75 mg) and aspirin (100 mg) were initiated in 124 patients (group AC) while aspirin (100 mg) alone was administered to 125 patients (group A). Antiplatelet therapy was initiated within 48h postoperatively. Demographic, operative, and postoperative data were compared between the two groups. Chest tube drainage and quantity of blood products used in both groups were recorded. The effects of the antiplatelet regimen on chest tube drainage were compared using a linear regression model. Results [WTBZ]No statistical difference of demographic, operative, and preoperative data was observed between the two groups （Pgt;0.05）. Chest tube drainage after patients received ntiplatelet agents was not significantly different between group A and group AC（495.00±270.89 ml vs. 489.25±316.68ml，t=0.146, P=0.884）. No statistical difference of cases of transfusion(81 cases vs. 91 cases，χ2=1.937, P=0.164) or quantity of red cells (2.51±2.88 U vs. 2.25±2.87 U, t=0.690, P=0.491) and plasma (195.45±300.88 ml vs. 223.01±238.68 ml,t=0.759, P=0.449) transfused was found between group A and group AC. No perioperative mortality, reexploration or extrathoracic bleeding occurred in either group. Early postoperative use of dual antiplatelet therapy was not associated with increased bleeding after coronary artery bypass grafting on multivariable analysis（r=2.297，95%CI:-64.526,69.121，P=0.946）. Conclusionpresent study suggests that according to a predefined administration protocol, dual antiplatelet therapy of aspirin and clopidogrel can safely be administered in the early postoperative period in CABG patients, without increasing the risk of bleeding complications.
