Objective To assess mid- and long-term outcomes of ascending aortic wrapping (AAW) in adult patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR). Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of adult patients who underwent AVR and AAW in Fuwai Hospital from January 2010 to August 2019. Ascending aorta diameter (AAD) was measured by echocardiography or CT scan preoperatively and postoperatively. Results A total of 33 patients were enrolled, including 23 males and 10 females aged 22-73 (51.06±12.61) years. There was no perioperative death. The mean preoperative, postoperative and follow-up AAD of the patients were (46.06±3.54) mm, (34.55±5.17) mm, and (37.12±5.64) mm, respectively. The differences in the AAD between pre-operation and post-operation, and between pre-operation and the last follow-up were both statistically significant (P<0.05). The median follow-up time was 38.20 (18.80-140.30) months. The median increase rate of diameter was 0.63 (−0.11, 1.36) mm per year after the surgery. The increase rate was >5 mm per year in 1 patient, and >3 mm in another one. Conclusion The mid- and long-term outcomes of AAW in adult patients undergoing AVR are satisfactory and encouraging.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been proven to reduce surgical injuries, promote recovery, and improve postoperative outcomes in different types of surgeries. A core principle of ERAS is to provide programmatic evidence-based perioperative interventions. An international multidisciplinary expert group provided a statement on clinical practice in each thematic area of ERAS by obtaining a list of potential ERAS elements, and reviewing literature. The version 2024 of "Perioperative care in cardiac surgery: A joint consensus statement by the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Cardiac Society, ERAS International Society, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)" is developed from the version 2019 of "Guidelines for perioperative care in cardiac surgery: Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Society recommendations". The consensus statement group was composed of multidisciplinary experts such as cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensive care physicians, and nurses, based on personal ERAS knowledge and experience. This article interprets the changes and new statements in the 2024 consensus, which can provide a foundation for the best perioperative practices for adult cardiac surgery patients.

Objective To analyze the research progress and hot topics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from 2018 to 2022.Methods The publications in the field of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from January 1,2018 to December 31,2022 were retrieved from Web of Science core collection database and included for a bibliomet-ric analysis.Results A total of 6355 publications were included,with an average citation frequency of 7 times.The year 2021 witnessed the most publications(1406).The analysis with VOSviewer showed that the re-search on sudden death related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,especially the predictive value of late gadolini-um-enhanced cardiac MRI in sudden death,was a hot topic.In addition,gene detection and the new drug mava-camten became hot research topics.The United States was the country with the largest number of publications and the highest citation frequency in this field.Chinese scholars produced the second largest number of publications,which,however,included few high-quality research results.Conclusions Risk stratification and prevention of sudden death is still an important and hot research content in the field of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.Chinese scholars should carry out multi-center cooperation in the future to improve the research results.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited heart disease and is characterized by primary left ventricular hypertrophy usually caused by mutations in sarcomere genes. The mechanism underlying cardiac remodeling in HCM remains incompletely understood. An investigation of HCM through integrative analysis at multi-omics levels will be helpful for treating HCM. DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility, as well as gene expression, were assessed by nucleosome occupancy and methylome sequencing (NOMe-seq) and RNA-seq, respectively, using the cardiac tissues of HCM patients. Compared with those of the controls, the transcriptome, DNA methylome, and chromatin accessibility of the HCM myocardium showed multifaceted differences. At the transcriptome level, HCM hearts returned to the fetal gene program through decreased sarcomeric and metabolic gene expression and increased extracellular matrix gene expression. In the DNA methylome, hypermethylated and hypomethylated differentially methylated regions were identified in HCM. At the chromatin accessibility level, HCM hearts showed changes in different genome elements. Several transcription factors, including SP1 and EGR1, exhibited a fetal-like pattern of binding motifs in nucleosome-depleted regions in HCM. In particular, the inhibition of SP1 or EGR1 in an HCM mouse model harboring sarcomere mutations markedly alleviated the HCM phenotype of the mutant mice and reversed fetal gene reprogramming. Overall, this study not only provides a high-precision multi-omics map of HCM heart tissue but also sheds light on the therapeutic strategy by intervening in the fetal gene reprogramming in HCM.
Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/metabolism* ; Humans ; Animals ; DNA Methylation ; Mice ; Transcriptome ; Chromatin/genetics* ; Early Growth Response Protein 1/metabolism* ; Male ; Epigenome ; Nucleosomes/genetics* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Disease Models, Animal ; Adult

Objective    To assess mid- and long-term outcomes and share our clinical method of reduction ascending aortoplasty (RAA) in adult patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR). Methods    We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 41 adult patients with aortic valve disease and ascending aortic dilatation before and after operation of RAA+AVR in Fuwai Hospital from January 2010 to July 2017. There were 28 male and 13 female patients aged 28-76 (53.34±12.06) years. Twenty-three patients received AVR+RAA using the sandwich technique (a sandwich technique group), while other 18 patients received AVR+ascending aorta wrap (a wrapping technique group). Ascending aorta diameter (AAD) was measured by echocardiography or CT scan preoperatively and postoperatively. Results    There was no perioperative death. The mean preoperative AAD in the sandwich technique group and the wrapping technique group (47.04±3.44 mm vs. 46.67±2.83 mm, P=0.709) was not statistically different. The mean postoperative AAD (35.87±3.81 mm vs. 35.50±5.67 mm, P=0.804), and the mean AAD at the end of follow-up (41.26±6.54 mm vs. 38.28±4.79 mm, P=0.113) were also not statistically different between the two groups. There were statistical differences in AAD before, after operation and at follow-up in each group. All 41 patients were followed up for 23-108 (57.07±28.60) months, with a median follow-up of 51.00 months. Compared with that before discharge, the AAD growth rate at the last follow-up was –1.50-6.78 mm/year, with a median growth rate of 0.70 mm/year, and only 3 patients had an annual growth rate of above 3 mm/year. Conclusion    Mid- and long-term outcomes of RAA in adult patients undergoing AVR with both methods are satisfying and encouraging.

Patients diagnosed as infective endocarditis(IE) are prone to follow with a variety of brain lesions, among which infective intracranial aneurysm(IIA) is a very rare cerebrovascular disease, could also be found in IE patients. IIA always has a great influence on patients’ prognoses. The incidence of this kind of aneurysm varies in different investigations, and was reported in mostly about 10% of cerebrovascular complications. The most popular pathogens causing IIA are streptococci and staphylococci, which are similar to the common pathogens of IE. IIA is a kind of pseudoaneurysm with various pathological changes and pathogenesis. The diameter of aneurysm would increases gradually with the time passing, and finally ends with intracranial hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage. The examination methods mainly include cerebral-enhanced CT and cerebral contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, but cerebral angiography is still the gold standard. There are drug therapy, surgery, interventional therapy, and other treatment methods. At present, interventional therapy is the first choice in clinical practice. Surgery is recommended if intervention is unavailable. In terms of the relationship between the operation of IE and IIA treatment, there is still a lack of evidence to give priority to cardiac surgery or IIA. Therefore, it should be considered individually according to the patient’s specific situation.

Objective:To explore the surgical strategy of coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG) for moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation(IMR), and to clarify the impact of mitral valve surgical intervention(MVS) on the long-term prognosis of such patients.Methods:The clinical data of 234 consecutive patients with moderate IMR who received CABG from January 2013 to December 2018 were retrospectively included, with 184 males and 50 females. The age ranged from 29 to 78 years, with a mean of(61.5 ± 8.7) years old. According to whether MVS was performed at the same time, they were divided into CABG group(108 cases, CABG alone) and CABG+ MVS group(126 cases, CABG+ MVS at the same time). The long-term cardiac events, all-cause deaths, major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events(MACCE) and other end events were followed up. A matching queue was established by propensity matching score for statistical analysis.Results:After propensity matching score, a matching queue was established, including 78 pairs of patients. Survival analysis showed that the incidence of long-term cardiac events and postoperative new onset atrial fibrillation in CABG+ MVS group was significantly higher( P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in all-cause mortality, cardiogenic mortality, and the incidence of MACCE events( P>0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that simultaneous CABG+ MVS was a risk factor for long-term cardiac events and new postoperative atrial fibrillation. The results of subgroup studies showed that for patients without tricuspid regurgitation before operation, left ventricular end diastolic diameter>55 mm, and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) ≤0.55, the probability of cardiac events after MVS at the same time of CABG was higher( P<0.05). However, patients with no tricuspid regurgitation before operation, left ventricular end diastolic diameter>55 mm, LVEF≤0.55, and left atrial diameter≥40 mm had a higher probability of atrial fibrillation after MVS at the same time of CABG( P<0.05). Conclusion:CABG can improve left ventricular remodeling in patients with moderate IMR, whether MVS intervention is performed at the same time or not, and the long-term survival rate of both is similar. CABG+ MVS in the same period can maintain a low residual reflux, but the incidence of long-term cardiac events and arrhythmias is high. The longer-term prognosis needs to be further studied. The surgical strategy of such patients should be selected individually according to the specific situation and the surgical quality in medical centers.

The "2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure" replaces the "2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of heart failure" and the "2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA focused update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of heart failure". The 2022 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose and manage patients with heart failure. Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The 2022 heart failure guideline provides recommendations based on contemporary evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to manage patients with heart failure, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients’ interests. New recommendations have been created when supported by published data. Value statements are provided for certain treatments with high-quality published economic analyses. This article summarized and interpreted the new concept of heart failure in 2022 guidelines, especially the new evidence and suggestions related to cardiac surgery.

Objective:To study the predictive value of the amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) within 6 hours and 3 days after birth and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) on the adverse neurobehavioral development of asphyxiated preterm infants at the correction age of 6 months.Methods:From December 2017 to June 2019, 50 asphyxiated preterm infants who were delivered at the obstetrical department transferred to the division of neonatology in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were monitored by aEEG within 6 hours after birth, then once a day for at least 4 h. MRI was administered at 40 weeks of corrected age, neuromotor developmental function of the infants was assessed by the Geisel developmental diagnostic scale at 6 months of corrected age, then the infants were divided into good prognosis group and poor prognosis group according to the assessment results. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis.The software of SPSS 19.0 was used to analyze the data.Independent sample t-test and χ 2 test were used to analyze the difference between the two groups.The relationship between aEEG grading and MRI, and their predictive value for adverse neurobehavioral development were analyzed at 6 months of corrected age. Results:The degree of white matter damage( H=24.896) and intracranical hemorrhage( H=29.245) of premature infants with different aEEG clinical grades were different (both P<0.01) on MRI. The sensitivity of aEEG within 6 hours and 3 days after birth on predicting poor prognosis was 96.2% and 97.8%, the specificity was 56.2% and 62.5%, the negative predictive value was 98.2% and 99.0%, the positive predictive value was 37.8% and 52.3%, the correct index was 52.4% and 60.3%, respectively. The aEEG was combined with MRI, the sensitivity (90.0%, 97.0%), specificity (89.0%, 99.0%), negative predictive value (99.2%, 99.5%), positive predictive value (80.6%, 88.5%), and correct index (79%, 96%) were all improved. Conclusion:The combination of aEEG grading and MRI can improve the prognostic value on neurodevelopmental prognosis, and provide a better evaluation basis for clinical follow-up and intervention of asphyxiated premature infants with brain injury.

Objective    To explore the association between preoperative, perioperative parameters, especially estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after modified extended Morrow procedure. Methods    A total of 300 hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients who underwent modified extended Morrow procedure in our hospital from January 2012 to March 2018 were collected. There were 197 (65.67%) males and 103 (34.33%) females with an average age of 43.54±13.81 years. Heart rhythm was continuously monitored during hospitalization. The patients were divided into a POAF group (n=68) and a non-POAF group (n=232). The general data, perioperative parameters and echocardiographic results were collected by consulting medical records for statistical analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for POAF. Results    Overall incidence of POAF during hospitalization was 22.67% (68/300). Compared with patients without POAF, patients with POAF were older, had higher incidence of chest pain and syncope, lower level of preoperative eGFR, higher body mass index and heart function classification (NYHA), larger preoperative left atrial diameter and left ventricular end diastolic diameter, and longer ventilator-assisted time, ICU stay and postoperative hospital stay. Age, heart function classification (NYHA)≥Ⅲ, hypertension, syncope history and eGFR were independent risk factors for POAF. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of eGFR was 0.731 (95%CI 0.677-0.780, P<0.001), and the sensitivity and specificity were 82.4% and 57.8%, respectively. Conclusion    Increased age, high preoperative heart function classification (NYHA), hypertension, preoperative syncope history and decreased eGFR are independent risk factors for POAF in HOCM patients who underwent surgical septal myectomy. Preoperative decreased eGFR can moderately predict the occurrence of POAF after modified extended Morrow procedure.