Project description:Residual and recurrent mitral regurgitation after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair are therapeutically challenging. In the present case report, we describe a simplified, transapical electrosurgical laceration and stabilization of clip procedure that represents an alternative and direct approach for electrosurgical laceration of mitral valve leaflets enabling transcatheter mitral valve replacement for recurrent mitral regurgitation after mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair.
Project description:The data set simulated for Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 was designed to mimic a subset of data that might be produced in a full exome screen for a complex disorder and related risk factors in order to permit workshop participants to investigate issues of study design and statistical genetic analysis. Real sequence data from the 1000 Genomes Project formed the basis for simulating a common disease trait with a prevalence of 30% and three related quantitative risk factors in a sample of 697 unrelated individuals and a second sample of 697 individuals in large, extended pedigrees. Called genotypes for 24,487 autosomal markers assigned to 3,205 genes and simulated affection status, quantitative traits, age, sex, pedigree relationships, and cigarette smoking were provided to workshop participants. The simulating model included both common and rare variants with minor allele frequencies ranging from 0.07% to 25.8% and a wide range of effect sizes for these variants. Genotype-smoking interaction effects were included for variants in one gene. Functional variants were concentrated in genes selected from specific biological pathways and were selected on the basis of the predicted deleteriousness of the coding change. For each sample, unrelated individuals and family, 200 replicates of the phenotypes were simulated.
Project description:IntroductionNumbers of patients undergoing mitral valve repair (MVr) surgery for severe mitral regurgitation have grown and will continue to rise. MVr is routinely performed via median sternotomy; however, there is a move towards less invasive surgical approaches.There is debate within the clinical and National Health Service (NHS) commissioning community about widespread adoption of minimally invasive MVr surgery in the absence of robust research evidence; implementation requires investment in staff and infrastructure.The UK Mini Mitral trial will provide definitive evidence comparing patient, NHS and clinical outcomes in adult patients undergoing MVr surgery. It will establish the best surgical approach for MVr, setting a standard against which emerging percutaneous techniques can be measured. Findings will inform optimisation of cost-effective practice.Methods and analysisUK Mini Mitral is a multicentre, expertise based randomised controlled trial of minimally invasive thoracoscopically guided right minithoracotomy versus conventional sternotomy for MVr. The trial is taking place in NHS cardiothoracic centres in the UK with established minimally invasive mitral valve surgery programmes. In each centre, consenting and eligible patients are randomised to receive surgery performed by consultant surgeons who meet protocol-defined surgical expertise criteria. Patients are followed for 1 year, and consent to longer term follow-up.Primary outcome is physical functioning 12 weeks following surgery, measured by change in Short Form Health Survey (SF-36v2) physical functioning scale. Early and 1 year echo data will be reported by a core laboratory. Estimates of key clinical and health economic outcomes will be reported up to 5 years.The primary economic outcome is cost effectiveness, measured as incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained over 52 weeks following index surgery.Ethics and disseminationA favourable opinion was given by Wales REC 6 (16/WA/0156). Trial findings will be disseminated to patients, clinicians, commissioning groups and through peer reviewed publication.Trial registration numberISRCTN13930454.
Project description:Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a degenerative process that can cause mitral valve stenosis. Conventional surgical mitral valve replacement (MVR) for MAC with mitral stenosis can be challenging and associated with significant risk. Open surgical MVR with a transcatheter valve can offer an alternative in select situations. When such a strategy is not feasible, a beating-heart, mini-thoracotomy MVR with a SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve can be considered. The novel teaching point of this case is use of an alternative approach for managing severe mitral stenosis secondary to MAC, when conventional surgical and transcatheter strategies are not safe or possible.
Project description:BackgroundMechanical ventilation (MV) is an important life-saving method in the intensive care unit (ICU). A lower mechanical power (MP) is associated with a better MV strategy. However, traditional MP calculating methods are complicated, and algebraic formulas seem to be rather practical. The aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy and application of different algebraic formulas calculating MP.MethodsA lung simulator, TestChest, was used to simulate pulmonary compliance variations. Using the TestChest system software, the parameters, including compliance and airway resistance, were set to simulate various acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) lungs. Ventilator was also set to volume- and pressure-controlled modes with various parameter values (respiratory rate, RR, time of inspiration, Tinsp, positive end-expiratory pressure, PEEP) to ventilate the simulated lung of ARDS (with various respiratory system compliance, Crs). For the lung simulator, resistance of airway (Raw) was fixed to 5 cmH2O/L/s. Crs below lower inflation point (LIP) or above upper inflation point (UIP) was set to 10 mL/cmH2O. The reference standard geometric method was calculated offline with a customized software. Three algebraic formulas for volume-controlled and three for pressure-controlled were used to calculate MP.ResultsThe performances of the formulas were different, although the derived MP were significantly correlated with that derived from the reference method (R2>0.80, P<0.001). Under volume-controlled ventilation, medians of MP calculated with one equation was significantly lower than that with the reference method (P<0.001). Under pressure-controlled ventilation, median of MP calculated with two equations were significantly higher (P<0.001). The maximum difference was over 70% of the MP value calculated with the reference method.ConclusionsThe algebraic formulas may introduce considerably large bias under the presented lung conditions, especially in moderate to severe ARDS. Cautious is required when selecting adequate algebraic formulas to calculate MP based on the formula's premises, ventilation mode, and patients' status. In clinical practice, the trend rather than the value of MP calculated by formulas should require more attention.
Project description:BackgroundRe-operative mitral valve surgery is sometimes burdened by a greater technical difficulty and a higher complications rate than the first operation. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has become routine, and it could significantly reduce the surgical risk in redo surgery. The objective of our retrospective observational study is to assess the results of cardiac reoperations in patients with mitral valve disease approached trough a 5-7 cm right mini-thoracotomy.MethodsFrom February 2017 to December 2019, 65 patients underwent re-operative mitral valve surgery in our institution. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was started by cannulation of the femoral and jugular vein and femoral artery or alternatively right axillary artery. Patients enrolled had a mean age of 66.6±11.5 years. Patients were divided into three groups based on the procedure adopted: external aortic cross-clamp (EAC), EndoAortic balloon occlusion (EABO) and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Major complications were evaluated and compared with a propensity matched population of patients undergoing elective isolated mitral valve surgery via right minithoracotomy (MVS).ResultsThe average time between last operation and reoperation was 7.1±3.4 years. Fourteen patients (21%) underwent mitral valve repair and 51 patients (78%) underwent mitral valve replacement; 9 patients (14%) received tricuspid valve surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in CPB time between the groups. Seven patients (11%) had a postoperative renal failure, 5 patients (8%) underwent surgical reopening for bleeding; incidence of post-operative stroke and pace-maker implantation was 3% for both. No deaths were registered during in-hospital stay and at 30-days echocardiographic control all patients respect the criterions of device success according with MVARC. Propensity matched patients of group redo had a longer CPB time (100.8±42.7 versus 72.8±16.7 min, P<0.001) and cross-clamp time (71.9±30.7 versus 59±10.7 min, P<0.001) respect to first operation mitral valve surgery patients.ConclusionsMinimally invasive mitral valve redo surgery is a safe procedure. Less invasive techniques in redo surgery could minimize morbidity and mortality without prolonging the duration of CPB.
Project description:ObjectivesRight mini-thoracotomy approach may enhance the visualization of mitral valve (MV) visualization during redo MV surgery, thereby minimizing the risk of reoperative median sternotomy. We described the clinical outcomes of redo MV surgery by mini-thoracotomy and full-sternotomy approach.MethodsOf 730 consecutive adult patients who underwent redo MV surgery between 2002 and 2018 at our institution, we identified 380 patients (age: 56.0 [14.8] years) after excluding those who underwent concomitant aortic valve or coronary artery surgeries.ResultsThe clinical outcomes in patients who underwent mini-thoracotomy (MINI group; n = 168) and full-sternotomy (STERN group; n = 218) were described. The early and overall mortality in the MINI group was 4.3% (7/162) and 17.3% (28/162), with the rates of early major complications as follows: low cardiac output syndrome, 5.6% (9/162); early stroke, 6.8% (11/162); new-onset dialysis, 6.2% (10/162); prolonged ventilation, 15.4% (25/162); and postoperative bleeding requiring exploration, 7.4% (12/162). In the STERN group, the early mortality was 11.0% (24/218), whereas the risk of low cardiac output syndrome, early stroke, new-onset dialysis, prolonged ventilation, and postoperative bleeding was 12.4% (27/218), 14.2% (31/218), 17.0% (37/218), 33.0% (72/218), and 10.1% (22/218), respectively. The duration of intensive care unit and hospital stay was 2.0 [range 1.0, 3.0] and 8.0 [6.0, 13.0], respectively, in the MINI group and 3.0 [2.0, 7.0] and 14.0 [8.0, 29.0], respectively, in the STERN group.ConclusionsMini-thoracotomy may be a viable alternative to conventional sternotomy for redo MV surgery.
Project description:Synthetic vaccines, based on antigenic peptides that comprise MHC-I and MHC-II T-cell epitopes expressed by tumors, show great promise for the immunotherapy of cancer. For optimal immunogenicity, the synthetic peptides (SPs) should be adjuvanted with suitable immunostimulatory additives. Previously, we have shown that improved immunogenicity in vivo is obtained with vaccine modalities in which an SP is covalently connected to an adjuvanting moiety, typically a ligand to Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). SPs were covalently attached to UPam, which is a derivative of the classic TLR2 ligand Pam3 CysSK4 . A disadvantage of the triply palmitoylated UPam is its high lipophilicity, which precludes universal adoption of this adjuvant for covalent modification of various antigenic peptides as it renders the synthetic vaccine insoluble in several cases. Here, we report a novel conjugatable TLR2 ligand, mini-UPam, which contains only one palmitoyl chain, rather than three, and therefore has less impact on the solubility and other physicochemical properties of a synthetic peptide. In this study, we used SPs that contain the clinically relevant neoepitopes identified in a melanoma patient who completely recovered after T-cell therapy. Homogeneous mini-UPam-SP conjugates have been prepared in good yields by stepwise solid-phase synthesis that employed a mini-UPam building block pre-prepared in solution and the standard set of Fmoc-amino acids. The immunogenicity of the novel mini-UPam-SP conjugates was demonstrated by using the cancer patient's T-cells.
Project description:Background:Many techniques in mitral valve repair (MVR) have been reported with successful long-term results. The aim of this study is to present our simplified technique in artificial chordae replacement for MVR, and reporting its short-term outcomes. Methods:We present a prospective single-surgeon experience. A new simplified artificial chordae implantation technique has been used to repair mitral valves. Postoperative echocardiography at 0, 6, then every 12 months is used to control the results. Endpoints involved freedom from mitral regurgitation (MR), reoperation and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Results:Between 01/2016 and 01/2018, 57 consecutive patients undergo MVR using this technique are evaluated. Mean age was 63.6±10.1 years and 68.4% were male. Mitral valve pathology was mainly degenerative (52, 91.2%) or healed endocarditis (5, 8.8%). Besides chordae replacement (3.6±1.1 per patient), annuloplasty was used in all patients to correct annulus dilation and stabilize the repair. Mean cross-clamping time was 53±13.4 minutes in isolated MVR and 69.4±31.1 minutes in concomitant procedures. Postoperative outcomes reported two mortalities. Discharge echocardiography reported mild MR in 4 patients and the rest of patients had non-to trace regurgitation. Follow-up results within a mean of 19.3±8.5 months reported no significant MR or need for reoperation and three more (non-valve related) mortalities. Conclusions:Our simplified technique allows to reduce the number of used chordae and re-correction if needed, which consequently reduces cross-clamping and bypass time especially in endoscopic MVR. Good intraoperative and short-term results are reported. These results are still under investigation to prove long-term stability of the repair.
Project description:BackgroundA robust selection process is critical to residents' "cultural fit" and success in their program. Traditional selection methods have shortcomings.ObjectiveWe describe a novel residency interview process for obstetrics-gynecology residents that incorporates behavioral, group, and surgical simulation multiple mini interviews (MMIs).MethodsIn 2010, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center obstetrics-gynecology residency program developed surgical simulation, role play, ethics group interview, and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency-based behavioral interview stations.ResultsFrom 2010 to 2012, a total of 199 applicants were interviewed, 62 ranked in the top 20, and 18 matched into the program. The MMI scores for interview stations were used in compiling our rank list and were found to adequately differentiate candidates. The MMI mean scores for role play, ethics interview, surgical simulation, and the behavioral interview for the top 20 ranked candidates were statistically significantly higher than those for other applicants. Standardized tests minimally correlated with various interview modalities. Applicants found the interview process acceptable. Implementing these MMI stations increased the total applicant interview time for the day by 15% (from 5.5 to 6.5 hours) and increased the face-to-face interview time from 2 to 4 hours. Approximately 42 hours of coordinator time was required for the yearly interview cycle.ConclusionsA multifaceted interview process utilizing MMI, group interview, and surgical simulation MMI is feasible and acceptable. The approach may decrease subjectivity and reliance on traditional interview methods and facilitate the selection of "compatible" residents into the program.