Objective:To compare the clinical effects of restrictive transfusion strategy and liberal transfusion strategy for cardiac valve surgery.Methods:This study employed a prospective, randomized controlled superiority design, enrolling 439 patients undergoing non-emergency cardiac valve surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass at Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People′s Hospital, Southern Medical University from June 2023 to October 2024 who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. While all the patients appeared hematocrit (Hct)≤24% or hemoglobin (Hb)≤80 g/L during the cardiopulmonary bypass. A simple random design was adopted to generate a random sequence and participants were randomized into a restrictive transfusion group (restrictive criteria: Hct≤18% or Hb≤60 g/L during cardiopulmonary bypass, and Hct≤21% or Hb≤70 g/L postoperatively) or a liberal transfusion group (liberal criteria: Hct≤24% or Hb≤80 g/L during cardiopulmonary bypass and Hct≤30% or Hb≤100 g/L postoperatively). If Hb or Hct fell below the respective thresholds, 2 units of red blood cells were transfused, followed by re-evaluation. If levels remained below the threshold, an additional 2 units were transfused until the criteria were met. The primary outcome was a composite of postoperative 3-month mortality, infection, ischemic events, and new-onset renal failure requiring dialysis. Secondary outcomes included blood product utilization, length of stay in the ICU and so on. Intergroup comparisons were performed using independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, or Fisher′s exact test, and analyses were conducted using a binary multivariable Logistic regression model. Results:A total of 439 patients were included in this study. The restrictive roup included 221 patients, including 75 males and 146 females, aged ( M(IQR)) 57.0 (14.0) years (range: 21 to 76 years). The liberal group included 218 patients, including 67 males and 151 females, aged 56.0 (20.0) years (range: 19 to 74 years). No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of primary outcome (restrictive group: 10.9%(24/221) vs. liberal group: 9.6%(21/218), χ2=0.180, P>0.05), 2 patints in the restrictive group died and 3 patints in liberal group died ( P=0.684). The transfusion rate was significantly lower in the restrictive group(19.0%(42/221) vs. 100%(218/218), P<0.01), with no significant differences in other secondary outcomes (all P>0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed an interaction between sex and transfusion strategy ( P=0.023), suggesting that using liberal transfusion strategy in male patients might increase the risk of the primary outcome. Conclusion:The mid-term results do not show that the restrictive transfusion strategy is superior to the liberal transfusion strategy in reducing the incidence of postoperative outcome events in patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery.

Objective To examine the safety, efficacy and durability of totally endoscopic minimally invasive (TEMI) mitral valve repair in Barlow’s disease (BD). Methods A retrospective study was performed on patients who underwent mitral valve repair for BD from January 2010 to June 2021 in the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital. The patients were divided into a MS group and a TEMI group according to the surgery approaches. A comparison of the clinical data between the two groups was conducted. Results A total of 196 patients were enrolled, including 133 males and 63 females aged (43.8±14.9) years. There were 103 patients in the MS group and 93 patients in the TEMI group. No hospital death was observed. There was a higher percentage of artificial chordae implantation in the TEMI group compared to the MS group (P=0.020), but there was no statistical difference between the two groups in the other repair techniques (P>0.05). Although the total operation time between the two groups was not statistically different (P=0.265), the TEMI group had longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (P<0.001) and aortic clamp time (P<0.001), and shorter mechanical ventilation time (P<0.001) and postoperative hospitalization time (P<0.001). No statistical difference between the two groups in the adverse perioperative complications (P>0.05). The follow-up rate was 94.2% (180/191) with a mean time of 0.2-12.4 (4.0±2.4) years. Two patients in the MS group died with non-cardiac reasons during the follow-up period. The 3-year, 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates of all patients were 100.0%, 99.2%, 99.2%, respectively. Compared with the MS group, there was no statistical difference in the survival rate, recurrence rate of mitral regurgitation, reoperation rate of mitral valve or adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in the TEMI group (P＞0.05). Conclusion TEMI approach is a safe, feasible and effective approach for BD with a satisfying long-term efficacy.

A 23-year-old male patient was diagnosed with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (ccTGA) at the age of 3 years during a routine physical examination. Due to the absence of significant symptoms, the patient was managed conservatively with follow-up without surgical treatment. He developed chest tightness one year prior to admission, with symptom exacerbation in the recent month. Echocardiography demonstrated significantly worsened morphological tricuspid regurgitation. The patient presented to Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital for surgical evaluation. Given the patient’s age and clinical presentation, a totally thoracoscopic morphological tricuspid valve replacement was performed. Postoperative assessment showed good prosthetic valve function, with no regurgitation or paravalvular leakage; the electrocardiogram confirmed sinus rhythm without atrioventricular block. Extubation occurred within 12 hours postoperatively, and the patient was transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) on postoperative day 2. At the three-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and had resumed normal activities. This report describes the first case of a totally thoracoscopic morphological tricuspid valve replacement in a ccTGA patient in China. This initial experience suggests that the totally thoracoscopic approach for morphological tricuspid valve replacement in ccTGA patients is a feasible, safe, and effective minimally invasive option associated with rapid recovery.

Objective:To clarify the safety, repair rate, durability, and risk factors for recurrent mitral regurgitation(MR) in patients with Barlow disease(BD) who total thoracoscopic minimally invasive mitral valvuloplasty(TMVP).Methods:Clinical data, mid-term and long-term outcomes of BD patients who underwent TMVP at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2009 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a group with no MR recurrence(group A) and a group with MR recurrence(group B) according to whether recurrent MR appeared in the postoperative period, and the data of the two groups of patients were compared with each other for the risk factor analysis.Results:The repair rate of TMVP was 98.4%, and no patient died perioperatively. The median follow-up time was 3.1(1.7, 5.2) years, the follow-up rate was 95.8%, and there was no patient died. As of March 2023, 112 patients developed no recurrent MR(group A), 11 patients developed recurrent MR(group B), and 2 patients in group B underwent repeated mitral valve surgery. The left atrial diameter(LAD) and left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD) were higher in group B than in group A patients[LAD: (50.9±7.7)mm vs.(43.7±8.7)mm, P=0.009; LVESD: (37.1±5.5)mm vs.(33.2±4.7)mm, P=0.011], and the percentage of tendon cord rupture was higher in group B than in group A( P=0.022), while the rest of the baseline data were not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of the use of different surgical techniques, aortic cross-clamp time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and operative time. Postoperative LAD, postoperative LVESD, and postoperative left ventricular end-diastolic diameter of group B patients were higher than those of group A( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in perioperative and long-term complication rates between the two groups. Multifactorial Cox regression analysis revealed that advanced age( HR=1.049, 95% CI: 0.997-1.103, P=0.066) and large preoperative LVESD( HR=1.168, 95% CI: 1.053-1.295, P=0.003) were the risk factors for postoperative recurrence MR. Conclusion:Total thoracoscopic minimally invasive BD repair is safe, which has a high success rate and good long-term results. Advanced age and large preoperative LVESD are risk factors for recurrent MR in the long term.

Objective:To clarify the safety, repair rate, durability, and risk factors for recurrent mitral regurgitation(MR) in patients with Barlow disease(BD) who total thoracoscopic minimally invasive mitral valvuloplasty(TMVP).Methods:Clinical data, mid-term and long-term outcomes of BD patients who underwent TMVP at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2009 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a group with no MR recurrence(group A) and a group with MR recurrence(group B) according to whether recurrent MR appeared in the postoperative period, and the data of the two groups of patients were compared with each other for the risk factor analysis.Results:The repair rate of TMVP was 98.4%, and no patient died perioperatively. The median follow-up time was 3.1(1.7, 5.2) years, the follow-up rate was 95.8%, and there was no patient died. As of March 2023, 112 patients developed no recurrent MR(group A), 11 patients developed recurrent MR(group B), and 2 patients in group B underwent repeated mitral valve surgery. The left atrial diameter(LAD) and left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD) were higher in group B than in group A patients[LAD: (50.9±7.7)mm vs.(43.7±8.7)mm, P=0.009; LVESD: (37.1±5.5)mm vs.(33.2±4.7)mm, P=0.011], and the percentage of tendon cord rupture was higher in group B than in group A( P=0.022), while the rest of the baseline data were not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of the use of different surgical techniques, aortic cross-clamp time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and operative time. Postoperative LAD, postoperative LVESD, and postoperative left ventricular end-diastolic diameter of group B patients were higher than those of group A( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in perioperative and long-term complication rates between the two groups. Multifactorial Cox regression analysis revealed that advanced age( HR=1.049, 95% CI: 0.997-1.103, P=0.066) and large preoperative LVESD( HR=1.168, 95% CI: 1.053-1.295, P=0.003) were the risk factors for postoperative recurrence MR. Conclusion:Total thoracoscopic minimally invasive BD repair is safe, which has a high success rate and good long-term results. Advanced age and large preoperative LVESD are risk factors for recurrent MR in the long term.

Objective:To compare the clinical effects of restrictive transfusion strategy and liberal transfusion strategy for cardiac valve surgery.Methods:This study employed a prospective, randomized controlled superiority design, enrolling 439 patients undergoing non-emergency cardiac valve surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass at Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People′s Hospital, Southern Medical University from June 2023 to October 2024 who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. While all the patients appeared hematocrit (Hct)≤24% or hemoglobin (Hb)≤80 g/L during the cardiopulmonary bypass. A simple random design was adopted to generate a random sequence and participants were randomized into a restrictive transfusion group (restrictive criteria: Hct≤18% or Hb≤60 g/L during cardiopulmonary bypass, and Hct≤21% or Hb≤70 g/L postoperatively) or a liberal transfusion group (liberal criteria: Hct≤24% or Hb≤80 g/L during cardiopulmonary bypass and Hct≤30% or Hb≤100 g/L postoperatively). If Hb or Hct fell below the respective thresholds, 2 units of red blood cells were transfused, followed by re-evaluation. If levels remained below the threshold, an additional 2 units were transfused until the criteria were met. The primary outcome was a composite of postoperative 3-month mortality, infection, ischemic events, and new-onset renal failure requiring dialysis. Secondary outcomes included blood product utilization, length of stay in the ICU and so on. Intergroup comparisons were performed using independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, or Fisher′s exact test, and analyses were conducted using a binary multivariable Logistic regression model. Results:A total of 439 patients were included in this study. The restrictive roup included 221 patients, including 75 males and 146 females, aged ( M(IQR)) 57.0 (14.0) years (range: 21 to 76 years). The liberal group included 218 patients, including 67 males and 151 females, aged 56.0 (20.0) years (range: 19 to 74 years). No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of primary outcome (restrictive group: 10.9%(24/221) vs. liberal group: 9.6%(21/218), χ2=0.180, P>0.05), 2 patints in the restrictive group died and 3 patints in liberal group died ( P=0.684). The transfusion rate was significantly lower in the restrictive group(19.0%(42/221) vs. 100%(218/218), P<0.01), with no significant differences in other secondary outcomes (all P>0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed an interaction between sex and transfusion strategy ( P=0.023), suggesting that using liberal transfusion strategy in male patients might increase the risk of the primary outcome. Conclusion:The mid-term results do not show that the restrictive transfusion strategy is superior to the liberal transfusion strategy in reducing the incidence of postoperative outcome events in patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery.

Objective To develop a novel transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement device and test its performance. Methods The transcatheter tricuspid valve stent consisted of double-layer self-expanding nitinol stent, biotissue-derived bovine pericardial leaflets, and PTFE woven. The delivery system, mainly consisting of a handle control unit and a delivery sheath, was sent to the correct position via right atrium or jugular vein. The sheath had a visualization feature, and the handle control unit could realize the functions of stable release and partial recovery of the interventional valve. In addition, this study performed animal survival experiments on the basis of in vitro experiments. A large-white pig was used as the experimental animal. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established through median thoracotomy, then the right atrium was opened, and the interventional valve was released under direct vision without cardiac arrest. Approximately 1 month after interventional valve implantation, the maneuverability and stability of the interventional tricuspid device were evaluated by autopsy. Results Through the animal experiment, the interventional valve was successfully released, and the anchoring was satisfactory. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography showed that the interventional valve opened and closed well, the flow rate of tricuspid valve was 0.6 m/s, and there was no obvious tricuspid regurgitation. One month after the operation, we dissected the large-white pig and found the interventional valve was not deformed or displaced, the leaflets were well aligned, and there was thrombus attachment in the groove between the inner and outer layers of the interventional valve. Conclusion Animal experiment shows that the novel device can stably and firmly attach to the tricuspid annulus, with good anchoring effect, and effectively reduce paravalvular leakage.

Objective To investigate the relationship between two-lung ventilation (TLV) with single-lumen endotracheal tube (SLT), one-lung ventilation (OLV) with double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after total thoracoscopic cardiac surgery. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgeries in the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from October 2019 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 group according to the type of endotracheal tube, including a SLT group and a DLT group. Baseline data, surgical variables and PPCs were compared. The influencing factors of PPCs in the two groups were analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Results Finally 349 patients were enrolled, including 180 males and 169 females with an average age of (50.0±14.8) years. There were 219 patients in the SLT group and 130 patients in the DLT group. There was no statistical difference in baseline data, surgical variables or PPCs between the two groups (P＞0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that PPCs were related to body mass index in the SLT group (OR=0.778, 95%CI 0.637 to 0.951, P=0.014) and preoperative smoking history in the DLT group (OR=0.058, 95%CI 0.004 to 0.903, P=0.042). Conclusion For the patients who undergo totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery, TLV with SLT and OLV with DLT show no significant association with PPCs. At the same time, PPCs are associated with body mass index in the SLT group, while associated with preoperative smoking history in the DLT group.

Objective To research the procedure for creating an animal model of mitral regurgitation by implanting a device through the apical artificial chordae tendineae, and to assess the stability and dependability of the device. Methods Twelve large white swines were employed in the experiments. Through a tiny hole in the apex of the heart, the artificial chordae tendineae of the mitral valve was inserted under the guidance of transcardiac ultrasonography. Before, immediately after, and one and three months after surgery, cardiac ultrasonography signs were noted. Results All models were successfully established. During the operation and the follow-up, no swines died. Immediately after surgery, the mitral valve experienced moderate regurgitation. Compared with preoperation, there was a variable increase in the amount of regurgitation and the values of heart diameters at a 3-month follow-up (P<0.05). Conclusion In off-pump, the technique of pulling the mitral valve leaflets with chordae tendineae implanted transapically under ultrasound guidance can stably and consistently create an animal model of mitral regurgitation.

Thoracoscopic minimally invasive technology has been used in mitral valve plasty since 1990s. Totally thoracoscopic mitral valve plasty has the advantages of small trauma, beautiful incision and rapid postoperative recovery. It is favored by more and more patients and cardiac surgeons. However, according to the reports, the proportion of totally thoracoscopic mitral valve surgery in China is still low. Mitral valve plasty via the totally thoracoscopic approach is still controversial in terms of population adaptation, perioperative complications and long-term prognosis. In addition, the technical difficulty and the long training cycle of surgeons also limit the popularization of this technology. By summarizing the existing literature, this paper analyzes the application and development of totally thoracoscopic approach in comparison with the traditional median thoracotomy mitral valve plasty.