Objective:To study the mid- and long-term outcomes of the cryopreserved homograft conduits used in the Rastelli operation and to identify the risk factors for the homograft conduit degeneration and reintervention.Methods:52 patients were followed up from 7 to 18 years, who accepted the Rastelli operation with cryopreserved homograft conduits between April 2002 and December 2013. There were 36 male and 16 female with age ranged 3 to 14 years old(median age 4 years old)and weight ranged 10 to 36 kg(median weight 14 kg). The homografts included aortic homografts implanted in 30 cases and pulmonary homografts implanted in 22 cases.The homograft conduits were divided into three groups by conduit diameter: groupⅠ(16 mm)22 cases, groupⅡ(16-20 mm)22 cases and group Ⅲ(≥20 mm)8 cases. The pathological characteristics of homografts were studied in the period of follow-up.Results:52 patinets were followed up from 7 to 18 years( median time 12 years). Over the follow up period, all homograft conduits had structural valve degeneration.The predominant pathological characteristics was stenosis of conduits. 37 patinets had received the reoperation because of the homograft degeneration. The interval between the first and reoperation is ranged 9 to 18 years( median time 12 years). Univariate analysis demonstrated young operation age(<5 years old)( P<0.001), diameter of the homograft conduit( P<0.001), high right ventricular pressure(RV/Ao P>0.5) after Rastelli operation( P=0.002)were independent risk factors for the homograft conduit degeneration. Univariate analysis demonstrated only young operation age(<5 years old)( P=0.03)was independent risk factor for the reoperation. Conclusion:In young patients, oversize homograft conduit and enlarge incision with Gore-Tex conduit may improve durability and decay the time of reintervention.

Objective To study whether rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased the risk of stroke by systematically reviewing the literature. Methods Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wan Fang database, The Cochrane Library (Issue 12, 2017), Embase and Sinomed database were searched to collect case-control studies and cohort studies up to February 1, 2018. The association between RA and stroke was analyzed. Meta-analysis and sub-group meta-analysis were conducted using Revman 5.3 software, and sensitive analysis and publication bias analysis were performed using Stata12.0 software. Results Finally 19 studies involving 248784 RA patients and 5970133 controls were included. Heterogeneity test was carried out and heterogeneity of each study was found to be statistically significant ( χ2=442.77, P<0.01, I2=96％), thus, the random effect model was used for meta-analysis. The risk of RA patients with stroke was 1.40 (1.21, 1.61) compared to the general population or patients without RA. Further subgroup analysis was performed by stratifing for race than indicating that the risk of RA combined with stroke was 1.21 (1.03, 1.56) versus one of non-RA patients among Caucasian. When stratified by whether control group matched on age and sex, the data had shown that the risk of RA with stroke was higher than that of the non-RA patients, whether control group was matched or not, and the risk ratio was 1.36(1.16, 1.60), 1.47(1.00, 2.15) respectively (P=0.001, P=0.05). When stratified by whether arthrophlogosis and/or immune related diseases were excluded in the control group, the risk of RA patients with stroke was 1.45(1.23, 1.72) compared to the non-RA patients when related diseases were not excluded (P<0.01). Conclusion RA patients may have a higher risk of stroke than the general population or patients without RA, especially in Caucasians.

Objective To explore the predictive value of systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) on autonomic nerve excitation in patients with valvular disease, so as to provide reference for the formulation of clinical intervention plans. Methods The clinical data of patients with valvular disease who received surgical treatment in the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from August 28, 2020 to February 3, 2021 were prospectively collected. According to the standard deviation of normal-to-normal R-R intervals (SDNN) of the heart rate variability (HRV) of the long-range dynamic electrocardiogram (ECG) 7 days before the operation, the patients were divided into three groups: a sympathetic dominant (SE) group (SDNN≤50 ms), a balance group (50 ms

Objective    To study the relationship between preoperative heart rate variability (HRV) and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Methods    A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 290 patients who were admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from May to September 2020 and received OPCAB. There were 217 males and 73 females aged 36-80 years. According to the incidence of POAF, the patients were divided into two groups: a non-atrial fibrillation group (208 patients) and an atrial fibrillation group (82 patients). The time domain and frequency domain factors of mean HRV 7 days before operation were calculated: standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences, percentage difference between adjacent normal-to-normal intervals that were greater than 50 ms, low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF), LF/HF. Results    The HRV value of patients without POAF was significantly lower than that of patients with POAF (P<0.05). The median SDNN of the two groups were 78.90 ms and 91.55 ms, respectively. Age (OR=3.630, 95%CI 2.015-6.542, P<0.001), left atrial diameter (OR=1.074, 95%CI 1.000-1.155, P=0.046), and SDNN (OR=1.017, 95%CI 1.002-1.032, P=0.024) were independently associated with the risk of POPAF after OPCAB. Conclusion     SDNN may be an independent predictor of POAF after OPCAB.

Objective To evaluate the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after dexmedetomidine and diazepam in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the patients who underwent CABG in the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from October 2020 to June 2021. By propensity score-matching method, the incidence of POAF after dexmedetomidine and diazepam application in patients undergoing CABG was evaluated. Results Finally 207 patients were collected, including 150 males and 57 females, with an average age of 62.02±8.38 years. Among the 207 patients, 53 were treated with dexmedetomidine and 154 with diazepam before operation. There was a statistical difference in the proportion of hypertension patients and smoking patients between the two groups before matching (P<0.05). According to the 1∶1 propensity score-matching method, there were 53 patients in each of the two groups, with no statistical difference between the two groups after matching. After matching, the incidence of POAF in the dexmedetomidine group was lower than that in the diazepam group [9.43% (5/53) vs. 30.19% (16/53), P=0.007]. There was no death in the two groups during hospitalization, and there was no statistical difference in the main adverse events after operation. The ICU stay (21.28±2.69 h vs. 22.80±2.56 h, P=0.004) and mechanical ventilation time (18.53±2.25 h vs. 19.85±2.01 h, P=0.002) in the dexmedetomidine group were shorter. Regression analysis showed that age, smoking and diabetes were related to the increased incidence of POAF (P<0.05), and preoperative use of dexmedetomidine was associated with a reduced incidence of POAF (P=0.002). Conclusion For patients undergoing CABG, the incidence of POAF with dexmedetomidine before operation is lower than that with diazepam. Preoperative application of dexmedetomidine is the protective factor for POAF, and old age, smoking and diabetes are the risk factors for POAF.