Objective To elucidate the influence of two procedures aortic root remodeling using a straight tubular artificial vessel while preserving the aortic valve and the Florida sleeve procedure on the biomechanics of the aortic root.Methods Five finite element models of the aortic root were reconstructed using computed tomography angiography images,including two cases of aortic root remodeling(A1 and A2),two cases of the Florida sleeve procedure(B1 and B2),and one control group without aortic root pathology(C).Numerical simulations were performed to obtain the blood flow and pressure distribution result to assess the differences in the hemodynamics of the aortic root.Results There were no significant differences in the peak systolic velocity between the two procedures and the control.However,the flow velocity after aortic root remodeling was smoother,similar to the model of the control group,with a more stable average aortic pressure and wall shear stress.In the Florida sleeve procedure,high-speed blood flow affected the vessel wall,leading to various degrees of wall shear stress and pressure concentrations along the aortic wall.Conclusions After aortic root replacement with valve preservation,blood flow patterns in the reconstructed aortic root depended on postoperative changes in sinus geometry.Both surgical procedures showed favorable blood flow patterns;however,the flow pattern after aortic root remodeling was more stable than that after the Florida sleeve procedure.

Objective: To evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of revaccination of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) in elderly people aged ≥60 years. Methods: The elderly aged ≥60 years with 1 dose of PPV23 vaccination were selected as revaccination group and those without history of pneumococcal vaccine immunization were selected as the first vaccination group. One dose of PPV23 was administered to both groups, and the first blood samples were collected before vaccination while the second blood samples were collected on day 28-40 after vaccination. ELISA was used to detect the concentrations of anti-specific serotype Streptococcus pneumoniae podocyte polysaccharide immunoglobulin G, and the safety of the vaccination was evaluated after 30 days. Results: The geometric mean concentration (GMC) of antibody to 23 serotypes before the vaccination (0.73-13.73 μg/ml) was higher in revaccination group than in the first vaccination group (0.39-7.53 μg/ml), the GMC after the vaccination (1.42-31.65 μg/ml) was higher than that before the vaccination (0.73-13.73 μg/ml) in the revaccination group, and the GMC after the vaccination (1.62-43.76 μg/ml) was higher than that before the vaccination (0.39-7.53 μg/ml) in the first vaccination group; the geometric mean growth multiple in revaccination group (2.16-3.60) was lower than that in the first vaccination group (3.86-16.13); The mean 2-fold antibody growth rate was lower in revaccination group (53.68%, 95%CI: 52.30%-55.06%) than in the first vaccination group (93.16%, 95%CI: 92.18%- 94.15%), all differences were significant (P<0.001). After the vaccination, 13 serotypes of GMC were higher in the first vaccination group than in revaccination group (P<0.001), the differences were not significant for 10 serotypes of GMC (P>0.05). The incidence of local adverse reaction was 19.20% and 13.27% in revaccination group and the first vaccination group, respectively (P=0.174). Conclusions: The antibody level in ≥60 years people who received one dose of PPV23 after a 5-year interval was still higher than that in unvaccinated people. The antibody level decreased after 5 years of the first vaccination, and the antibody level could be rapidly increased by one more dose vaccination, but the overall immune response was lower than that of the first vaccination; revaccination with PPV23 has a good safety.

Objective    To assess outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for pure native aortic valve regurgitation. Methods    A total of 129 patients underwent transfemoral TAVR in Fuwai Hospital from May 2019 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 83 males and 46 females with an average age of 72.26±8.97 years. The patients were divided into a pure native aortic valve regurgitation group (17 patients) and an aortic valve stenosis group (112 patients). Results    The incidence of valve in valve was higher in the pure native aortic valve regurgitation group (47.0% vs. 16.1%, P<0.01). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in conversion to surgery, intraoperative use of extracorporeal circulation, intraoperative left ventricular rupture, postoperative use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), peripheral vascular complications, disabled stroke, death, or pacemaker implantation. There was no statistical difference in the diameter of annulus (25.75±2.21 mm vs. 24.70±2.90 mm, P=0.068) or diameter of outflow tract (25.82±3.75 mm vs. 25.37±3.92 mm, P=0.514) between the pure native aortic valve regurgitation group and the aortic valve stenosis group. Conclusion    Transfemoral TAVR is a feasible method for patients with pure native aortic valve regurgitation. The diameter of annulus plane, the diameter of outflow tract and the shape of outflow tract should be evaluated.

The purpose of the current treatment about the aortic intramural hematoma(IMH)is to prevent aortic rupture or conversion to typical dissection. Due to the different influence of human race,IMH type,severity and progression factors on this disease,the management of IMH remains controversial. Therefore,we reviewed current therapy of Aortic intramural hema-toma(IMH). And we provided a reference for further study on this disease by analyzing and comparing the relatively radical strategies and the close follow-up treatment(wait-and-watch strategy)strategies.

Objective     To explore impact of climate change on aortic dissection and to put forward a new way about prediction and prevention of aortic dissection. Methods     We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of acute aortic dissection patients came from Hebei province in Fuwai Hospital between 2010 and 2016 year. Meanwhile, we collected monthly maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, average pressure, amount of rainfall, sunshine, humidity and other meteorological data. Generalized model was implied to explore climate change and the incidence of aortic dissection. Results     A total of 1 121 acute aortic dissection patients from Hebei province were admitted in Fuwai Hospital during the period of 6 years. There were 774 patients were type A aortic dissection, and 347 patients were type B aortic dissection. The average age was 51.4±12.0 years. There were 873 males and 248 females. There were 889 (79.3%) patients with hypertension, 99 (8.83%) with Marfan syndrome. It was found that temperature, humidity and air pressure were all statistically significant for indication aortic dissection through single variable analysis (P<0.01). The temperature was only variable by one-way analysis of variance (P<0.01). The lowest temperature has the best predictive effect on the occurrence of aortic dissection. The relative risk was 1.02 with 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.03. Conclusion     The change of climatic conditions can affect the occurrence of aortic dissection, and the lowest temperature is an important trigger factor for aortic dissection onset.

Objective Nowadays, emergency surgery is the most important method to treat acute type A aortic dissec-tion.There are many factors that can affect the prognosis, but the relationship between time period and the prognosis of aortic dissection surgery has not been reported.Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between different time periods and the prognosis of acute type A aortic dissection surgery .Methods We retrospectively analyzed the characteris-tics of acute type A aortic dissection surgery in Fuwai Hospital from 2010 to 2015.All patients were divided into two groups ac-cording to different time period .Propensity matching analysis was used to compare in-hospital mortality and post-operative com-plications of these groups.Results There were 698 cases acute aortic dissection surgery during study period.321 cases were operated in the nighttime(45.98％), the others were operated during daytime(54.02％).After propensity score matching, the operation time, extracorporeal bypass time, and the aortic blocking time of nighttime group were longer than daytime group , and there was a statistical difference(P<0.01).There was a statistical difference between the two groups of postoperative con-tinuous renal replacement therapy.Nighttime group had higher incidence(15.94％ vs.5.64 ％, P<0.01).There was statis-tically significant in 30-day mortality between daytime group and nighttime group(5.26％ vs.10.53％, P=0.03).The mul-tiple-factor risk analysis of 30-day mortality in the whole group found that nighttime surgery was an independent risk factor ( OR 2.13, 95％CI 1.19-3.81, P=0.01).Conclusion For acute type A aortic dissection surgery, nighttime surgery may be the important factor for increasing 30-day mortality.For relatively stable patients, avoiding nighttime surgery may increase survival rate.

Objective To compare the early and late outcomes of different techniques of proximal root reconstruction during the repair of acute type A aortic dissection, including aortic valve (AV) resuspension, isolated supracoronary ascending aorta replacement, and aortic root replacement procedure (Bentall). Methods All patients who underwent acute Type A aortic dissection repair between January 2010 and December 2015 in Fuwai Hospital were retrospectively analyzed in our study. There were 673 patients with 512 males and 161 females at mean age of 48.80±11.22 years. There were 403 patients as an AV resuspension group (287 males and 116 females at average age of 50.61±9.95 years), 95 patients as an isolated supracoronary ascending aorta replacement group (76 males and 19 females at average of 49.83±12.21 years), and 175 patients as an AV resuspension group (149 males and 26 females at average of 44.07±11.99 years). The differences of preoperative aortic insufficiency, intraoperative variables and postoperative aortic insufficiency were compared in the three groups. Results Five hundred ninety-one patients (87.8%) had aortic valve commissure involved. The proportion of mild degree, moderate degree, and severe degree among the three groups were statistically significant (31.7%, 52.4%, 15.9%; 87.4%, 12.6%, 0.0%; 23.4%, 56.0%, 20.6%; P < 0.01). The diameter of aortic sinus in the three groups was 39.06±5.11 mm, 38.27±4.41 mm, 50.39±6.22 mm, respectively, with a statistical difference ( P< 0.01). The duration of surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass time, aorta cross-clamp time were also statistically significant (P < 0.01). The in-hospital mortality was 11.73% in the whole group. There was no difference among the three groups (12.2% vs. 13.7% vs. 9.7%, P=0.58). Five-year survival rate was similar (83.06% vs. 81.27% vs. 83.05%, P=0.85). The 5-year free from over moderate aortic insufficiency rate were 95.2%, 98.6% and 100% respectively, with no statistical difference (P=0.07). There was no re-do operation for aortic root diseases in the whole group. Conclusion According to aortic root processing strategy in our center, AV resuspension, isolated supracoronary ascending aorta replacement, and aortic root replacement can achieve satisfactory results. However, there is higher incidence of aortic insufficiency through AV resuspension. Further study is needed to evaluate its efficacy.

Objective: To explore the relationship between the incidence of aortic dissection and climate change. Methods: The characteristics of 345 acute aortic dissection patients came from Beijing in Department of Vascular Surgery, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College from January 2005 to December 2015 were analyzed, retrospectively. There were 266 male and 79 female patients with a mean age of (49±12) years. There were 209 cases of Stanford type A aortic dissection, and 136 cases of type B. According to Fuwai aortic dissection classification: type A 8 cases, type B 95 cases, type Cp 13 cases, type Ct 187 cases, type Cd 40 cases, type D 2 cases. Meanwhile, monthly maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, average pressure, amount of rainfall, sunshine, relative humidity and other meteorological data were collected. Rank-sum test was used to analyze the difference of onset of aortic dissection in different seasons and months. Generalized additive models were implied to explore climate change and the onset of aortic dissection. Results: The onset of aortic dissection was related to season. Winter had higher morbidity compared to summer (M(Q_R): 3(2) vs. 2(2), Z=1.97, P=0.05). The occurrence of aortic dissection was associated with month.December had the largest quantity, July had the least (2(3) vs. 2(1), Z=2.42, P=0.02). The mean temperature was statistically significant for indicating the change of aortic dissection onset. It meaned that onset probability was increased with the decrease of temperature (RR=1.01, 95%CI: 1.00 to 1.02, P=0.04). Conclusions The onset of aortic dissection had something to do with season and month. The incidence of aortic dissection increases with temperature decreases.

Objective: To investigate theperiodic changes in onset of aortic dissection. Methods: The clinical data of 1 121 patients with acute aortic dissection from Hebei province, treated at Fuwai hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2016, were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The regularity for the onset of aortic dissection was analyzed according to daytime (1:00 to 6:00, 7:00 to 12:00, 13:00 to 18:00, and 19:00 to 24:00), weekday, month, and quarter. Meanwhile,the differences in various type of aortic dissection patient were also compared. Results: The patients were (51.4±12.0) years old,77.88% (873 cases)were male and 69.05% (774 cases) were type A aortic dissection.The peak period for the onset of the disease in a day was from 13:00 to 18:00 (401 cases. 35.77%),and disease onset was less frequent from 1:00 to 6:00 (196 cases, 17.48%).The peak weekday of disease onset was Monday (173 cases, 15.43%) , and disease onset was less frequent on Friday (153 cases, 13.65%) . The peak month of disease onset was January (135 cases, 12.04%), and disease onset was less frequent in July(54 cases, 4.82%). The peak season of disease onset was winter (349 cases, 31.13%), and disease onset was less frequent in summer (184 cases, 16.41%). Number of disease onset was similar between ≥65 years old and<65 years old groups, with or without hypertension groups, with or without Marfan syndrome groups at different periods of a day, each weekday, and seasons(all P>0.05). Conclusion There are periodic changes in the onset of acute aortic dissection,which is higher in winter than in summer, higher in the afternoon than in the morning.

Objective: To investigate the technical method for harvesting and application of the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (DBLCFA) in the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) operation. Methods: Between December 2016 and April 2017, 19 patients were arranged to use DBLCFA and got CT angiography (CTA) of pelvic and femoral arteries pre-operative at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Finally, DBLCFA was harvested in 16 patients (including 2 female patients, with a mean age of (47.4±8.5) years) through the anterior thigh incision (13 cases on the left side, 3 cases on the right side). The CABG operations were performed under the cardiopulmonary bypass support (in 10 cases) or under the beating heart condition (in 6 cases), and the DBLCFA conduit was used combining with bilateral internal thoracic artery (in 12 cases), radial artery (in 7 cases) and saphenpous vein (in 3 cases). Results: Due to anatomical variations such as short length and anomalous branch, or due to silent atherosclerosis stenosis of femoral artery, DBLCFA in 3 patients was considered inappropriate for use and was not harvested after CTA examination. In another 16 patients, DBLCFA was safely and quickly harvested and successfully used. On average, 3.4±0.6 anastomosis was built up in CBAG, no adverse effects were exhibited. The length of the harvested DBLCFA was (10.3±1.8) cm, with average lumen diameter of (1.9±0.5) mm. DBLCFA was used as free graft in 15 patients (7 to the first diagonal branch, 6 to the ramus intermedius branch, 1 to the left anterior descending branch and 1 to the second obtuse marginal branch). In 1 patient, the DBLCFA was firstly implanted end-to-side to the internal thoracic artery as a "Y" type composite graft, and then anastomosed to the third obtuse marginal branch. Conclusions The descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery is an option conduit in CABG. It can be harvested easily and safely. However, pre-operative CTA examination is necessary to exclude the variation and appropriate strategy for graft establishment should be considered during the operation.