ObjectiveTo investigate the application of endoscopy in obtaining the great saphenous vein （GSV） during coronary artery bypass grafting （CABG） and explore the learning curve， with a particular focus on common challenges encountered during the learning process and their impact on early clinical outcomes. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 83 patients who underwent off-pump CABG with endoscopic GSV harvesting at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2013 to April 2014. Patients were categorized into four groups based on the chronological order of their hospitalization： Group A （novice group， n=20）， Group B （proficient group， n=20）， Group C （progressive group， n=20）， and Group D （mature group， n=23）. Differences in perioperative and midterm follow-up outcomes among the groups were analyzed to determine the learning curve period. ResultsThe study population had a mean age of （60.22±8.06） years and a mean body weight of （69.77±11.66） kg. Comorbidities included hypertension （24 cases）， diabetes （26 cases）， and subacute cerebral infarction （14 cases）. The novice group exhibited significantly shorter GSV length-to-harvest time ratio relative to the other three groups （P<0.001） and a significantly higher incidence of main vein damage （P=0.006）. However， there was no statistically significant difference in graft patency at the 1-year follow-up. ConclusionThorough and reliable technical training in endoscopic GSV harvesting is essential to minimize vascular injury caused by novice operators. Approximately 20 cases of hands-on experience and a careful self-analysis of procedural challenges are likely required to achieve proficiency in GSV harvesting.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of "standardized 4 steps" in rheumatic mitral valve repair.Methods:We retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 136 rheumatic mitral valve disease patients undergoing mitral valve repair with "standardized 4 steps" from June 2016 to July 2019 and investigate its clinical outcome. The clinical outcome was compared with those of patients undergoing rheumatic mitral valve replacement.Results:The perioperative mortality was 2.94% in patients with mitral valve repair. Compared with preoperative period, left atrial diameter was significantly reduced and the early diastolic blood flow velocity across mitral valve(E peak) was significantly decreased at 1-week postoperative and follow-up period. The elimination rate of atrial fibrillation was 80.7% during follow-up period. The early clinical outcome and related complications had no difference between mitral repair group and mitral valve replacement group. The main echocardiographic indexes in two groups also had no statistical significance.Conclusion:The early clinical outcome of rheumatic mitral valve repair with "standardized 4 steps" is satisfactory. Rheumatic mitral valve repair with "standardized 4 steps" is feasible, safe and effective.

Objective:To explore the nursing knowledge of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in cardiac surgery nurses and analyze its influencing factors, in order to provide a reference for improving the nursing ability of clinical cardiac surgery nurses.Methods:Totally 104 nurses were selected from the Department of Cardiac Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to January 2018, and investigated with the self-designed questionnaire of ECMO-related nursing knowledge and attitude. The status quo and influencing factors of ECMO nursing knowledge in cardiac surgery nurses were analyzed.Results:For the content of ECMO-related nursing knowledge, the percentages of nurses giving the 100% correct answers to "bleeding, anticoagulation problems and nursing measures", "nursing measures of the circulatory system", and "management of the catheter" were higher, being 92.31%, 88.46%, and 84.61% respectively, while the dimension to which the percentage of nurses giving 100% correct answers was the lowest was "prevention and control of related nosocomial infections", which was only 65.38%. The total proportion of nurses who gave 100% correct answers was 79.81%. There was no statistically significant difference in ECMO-related nursing knowledge scores between nurses at different ages ( P>0.05) . The difference in ECMO-related nursing knowledge and attitude scores between nurses with different working years, positions, and educational backgrounds was statistically significant ( F/t=96.834, 12.014, 44.726; P<0.05) . Multiple linear regression analysis showed that 1-3 years of working and educational backgrounds were the influencing factors to the difference in ECMO nursing knowledge scores between cardiac surgery nurses ( P<0.05) , and two variables could account for 65.7% of the variance of ECMO-related nursing knowledge scores in cardiac surgery nurses ( R2=0.657, P<0.01) . Conclusions:Cardiac surgery nurses have a good grasp of ECMO-related nursing knowledge, and 1-3 years of working and educational backgrounds were the influencing factors its scores. Cardiac surgery nurses still need to strengthen learning and training in terms of aseptic technical operation practices and related prevention measures for hospital infection.

Objective     To evaluate the short-term outcome and influence of atrial fibrillation ablation and mitral valve replacement for patients with mitral valve stenosis and atrial fibrillation. Methods     Retrospective analysis was conducted for 44 patients with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis and atrial fibrillation who experienced mitral valve replacement with or without surgical atrial fibrillation ablation procedure in our hospital from January 2016 to June 2017. Eighteen patients experienced mitral valve replacement and surgical atrial fibrillation ablation procedure (a group 1), and the other 26 patients experienced mitral valve replacement without surgical atrial fibrillation ablation procedure (a group 2). In th group 1, there were 4 males and 14 females, aged 43-67 (55.67±7.56) years, and in the group 2 there were 6 males and 20 females, aged 40-72 (54.81±8.81) years. The patients’ data, preoperative echocardiography, surgery procedures, perioperative events, echocardiography and electrocardiogram at postoperative three months were collected to evaluate the short-term outcome and influence of surgical atrial fibrillation ablation procedure for those patients. Results     There was no statistical difference in the operation duration (P=0.867) and ICU stay (P=0.550) between the two groups. But the group 1 had longer extracorporeal circulation duration (P=0.006) and aorta arrest duration (P=0.001) than the group 2. No patient died perioperatively and one patient from the group 1 experienced reoperation because of too much chest tube drainage. At three months after operation, echocardiography and electrocardiogram examination showed that 16 patients in the group 1 and 2 patients in the group 2 had sinus rhythm. There was no statistical difference between postoperative and preoperative examination about variation in left ventricle ejection fraction, pulmonary arterial systolic pressure, left atrial diameter and left ventricular end diastolic diameter between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion     Atrial fibrillation ablation does not increase the risk of mitral valve replacement for patients who have mitral valve stenosis and atrial fibrillation. The rate of converting to sinus rhythm is high, but additional atrial fibrillation ablation procedure does not have positive or negative influence on short-term recovery of cardiac structure and function after operation.

Objective To explore some reasonable ways of anticoagulation for pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic valves.Methods Retrospective analysis was conducted for 27 women with mechanical prosthetic valves who have born children after their cardiac surgeries.Numbers of pregnancies,ages,ways of anticoagulation during pregnancy,ways of anticoagulation before pregnancy,valve thrombosis events,thromboembolism events,bleeding events,outcomes of pregnancy and ways of delivery were collected and studied.Comparing adverse events and outcomes of different ways of anticoagulation which those women used during their pregnancies.Results 27 women with mechanical prosthetic valves experienced 41 pregnancies,and bore 28 children.24 pregnancies used oral low does warfarin(＜ 5 mg/day) to anticoagulate,2 minor bleeding events and 10 early abortion occurred,no abnormal neonates were found,14 healthy neonates were born.6 pregnancies used low-molecularweight heparin to anticoagnlate from 6th week to 12th week,they used oral warfarin to anticoagulate in rest weeks of pregnancy.1 late abortion occurred,1 fetus with hydrocephalus was found at 20th week,then induced labour was conducted.4 healthy neonates were born.11 pregnancies used low-molecular-weight heparin to anticoagulate until delivery,1 early abortion,2 minor bleeding events and 1 valve thrombosis occurred.10 neonates were born,and 1 of them has hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy,the other 9 neonates were healthy.Conclusion For pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic valves,using oral low does warfarin throughout pregnancy is a reasonable way of anicoagnlation with low risk of maternal and fetal adverse events except high risk of abortion.Low-molecular-weight heparin is hopeful anticoagulant agent for pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic valves,but more studies about its safety and effectiveness should be conducted.

BACKGROUND:Myocardial and coronary endothelial injury occurs in donor hearts due to warm ischemia during cardiac transplantation. Coronary endothelial structure and function play a critical role in long-term outcomes for patients after cardiac transplantation. OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of hypoxia-induced warm ischemia (20 minutes) on coronary endothelial function of porcine donor hearts after cardiac death (DCD). METHODS:Sixteen healthy Swedish domestic pigs were randomized into control (n=6), DCD (n=5), and DCD plus cold storage (n=5) groups, respectively. A DCD model in pigs was established using the method of hypoxia-induced 20-minute warm ischemia in the DCD and DCD plus cold storage groups. Isolation of the heart left anterior descending coronary artery or combined with heart preservation pretreatment for 4 hours was performed in the DCD and DCD plus cold storage groups. The maximum coronary endothelium-dependent relaxation was determined in the three groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were no significant differences in the maximum coronary endothelium-dependent relaxation and the minus logarithmic of substance concentration induced 50%maximal relaxation among three groups (P>0.05). These results indicate that 20-minute warm ischemia cannot lead to obvious coronary endothelial dysfunction. In addition, DCD combined with 4-hour cold storage does not affect coronary endothelial function.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the outcome of tricuspid valve replacement.
 METHODS: A total of 28 patients (15 males and 13 females) underwent tricuspid valve replacement from March 2000 to February 2015 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were recruited. Among them, 16 patients were Ebstein's anomaly, 7 had rheumatic valve heart disease, 3 and 2 suffered from infective endocarditis and degenerative tricuspid lesions, respectively.
 RESULTS: One patient died of multiple organ failure. Four patients were implanted permanent cardiac pacemaker because of third degree atrioventricular block occurring in the 5th day (2 patients) and in the 9th day (2 patients) after the operation, respectively. Twenty-seven patients were followed up from 1 month to 15 years. The prosthetic valves and permanent pacemakers worked well.
 CONCLUSION Third degree of atrioventricular block, mostly appearing in early postoperative period, is the most common and severe complication of tricuspid valve replacement. The key point for prevention of damage is to accurately identify the anatomical relationship among the tricuspid valve, atrioventricular node, and conduction bundle.
Ebstein Anomaly ; surgery ; Female ; Heart Valve Diseases ; surgery ; Heart Valve Prosthesis ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation ; Humans ; Male ; Pacemaker, Artificial ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; surgery ; Tricuspid Valve ; pathology ; surgery

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide and is characterized by lipid-laden foam cell formation. Recently, pycnogenol (PYC) has drawn much attention because of its prominent effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, its protective effect against atherosclerosis and the underlying mechanism remains undefined. Here PYC treatment reduced areas of plaque and lipid deposition in atherosclerotic mice, concomitant with decreases in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increases in HDL cholesterol levels, indicating a potential antiatherosclerotic effect of PYC through the regulation of lipid levels. Additionally, PYC preconditioning markedly decreased foam cell formation and lipid accumulation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human THP-1 monocytes. A mechanistic analysis indicated that PYC decreased the lipid-related protein expression of adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) and adipocyte lipid-binding protein (ALBP/aP2) in a dose-dependent manner. Further analysis confirmed that PYC attenuated LPS-induced lipid droplet formation via ADRP and ALBP expression through the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway, because pretreatment with anti-TLR4 antibody or a specific inhibitor of NF-kappaB (PDTC) strikingly mitigated the LPS-induced increase in ADRP and ALBP. Together, our results provide insight into the ability of PYC to attenuate bacterial infection-triggered pathological processes associated with atherosclerosis. Thus PYC may be a potential lead compound for the future development of antiatherosclerotic CVD therapy.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/*therapeutic use ; Atherosclerosis/*drug therapy/immunology/metabolism/pathology ; Cell Line ; Flavonoids/*therapeutic use ; Foam Cells/drug effects/immunology/pathology ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism/*drug effects ; Male ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/*immunology ; Signal Transduction/drug effects ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/*immunology

BACKGROUNDCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been shown to be associated with systemic inflammatory response leading to postoperative organ dysfunction. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms and developing protective strategies for the pathophysiological consequences of CPB have been hampered due to the absence of a satisfactory recovery animal model. The purpose of this study was to establish a novel, minimally invasive rat model of normothermic CPB model without blood priming.

METHODSTwenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 450-560 g were randomly divided into CPB group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). All rats were anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated. The carotid artery and jugular vein were cannulated. The blood was drained from the right atrium via the right jugular and further transferred by a miniaturized roller pump to a hollow fiber oxygenator and back to the rat via the left carotid artery. The volume of the priming solution, composed of 6% HES 130/0.4 and 125 IU heparin, was less than 12 ml. The surface of the hollow fiber oxygenator was 0.075 m(2). CPB was conducted for 60 minutes at a flow rat of 100-120 ml × kg (-1)× min(-1) in CPB group. Oxygen flow/perfusion flow was 0.8 to 1.0, and the mean arterial pressure remained 60-80 mmHg.

RESULTSAll CPB processes were successfully achieved. Blood gas analysis and hemodynamic parameters of each time point were in accordance with normal ranges. The vital signs of all rats were stable.

CONCLUSIONSThe establishment of CPB without blood priming in rats can be achieved successfully. The nontransthoracic model should facilitate the investigation of pathophysiological processes concerning CPB-related multiple organ dysfunction and possible protective interventions. This novel, recovery, and reproducible minimally invasive CPB model may open the field for various studies on the pathophysiological process of CPB and systemic ischemia-reperfusion injury in vivo.

Animals ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; methods ; Lung Injury ; surgery ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUNDLarge animal cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) models are expensive, and prevent assessment of neurocognitive function, and difficulties with long-term recovery. The purpose of this study was to establish a novel rat model of cardiopulmonary bypass for deep hypothermic circulatory arrest without blood priming.

METHODSTwenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 450-560 g were randomized to CPB with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) and control groups, with 10 rats each. The experimental protocols, including blood and crystalloid fluid administration, anesthesia, orotracheal intubation, ventilation, cannulation, and heparinization were identical in both groups. After inducing cardiac arrest, the circuit was turned off and rats were left in a DHCA state for 15 minutes. Rats were rewarmed to 34°C to 35°C over a period of 36 to 42 minutes using CPB-assisted rewarming, a heating blanket, and a heating lamp along with administration of 0.1 mEq of sodium bicarbonate and 0.14 mEq of calcium chloride. The remaining priming volume was reinfused and animals were weaned from CPB.

RESULTSAll CPB with DHCA processes were successfully achieved. Blood gas analysis and hemodynamic parameters were in the normal range. The vital signs of all rats were stable.

CONCLUSIONSOur CPB circuit has several novel features, including a small priming volume, active cooling/rewarming processes, vacuum-assisted venous drainage, peripheral cannulation without thoracotomy or sternotomy, and an accurate means of monitoring peripheral tissue oxygenation.

Animals ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; methods ; Circulatory Arrest, Deep Hypothermia Induced ; methods ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats, Wistar