Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease (PH-LHD) is the most common in various types of pulmonary hypertension. Although there are many treatments for pulmonary hypertension, it may be harmful when we adopt treatment without detrimental diagnosis and classification of pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, it is very crucial to have accurate diagnosis and classification of pulmonary hypertension before making treatment decisions. However, there are still some difficulties in the classification of pulmonary hypertension in clinical work. It is a great challenge with limited treatment to solve the PH-LHD which often has complicated pathophysiological mechanisms of precapillary and postcapillary pulmonary hypertension. Here, we review the research status of PH-LHD.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is difficult to cure for its complex etiology and long disease duration. Heart failure, sudden death and stroke are the main causes for consequent high mortality and morbidity. In recent years, minimally invasive surgery has made rapid progress, not only improved treatment efficiency of traditional Cox Maze procedure but also massively reduced surgical injuries, and has become a preferred treatment strategy for lone AF. Minimally invasive surgery and catheter ablation complement each other, and are likely to open up a new prospect of AF treatment.
Surgical aortic valve replacement is the primary choice for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis. It can significantly improve the quality of life and life expectancy of patients, but some patients have risks such as advanced age and poor general conditions and can not receive open chest surgery. In 2002, a French doctor, Cribier, successfully performed transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) surgery on a patient with aortic stenosis. At present, the safety and effectiveness of TAVI surgery have been confirmed by many studies. However, its complications are also relatively common. This article summarizes the related reports at home and abroad.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) techniques have been rapidly developed in recent years. Current guidelines and studies mainly focus on aortic stenosis patients treated by transfemoral approach, but they are not completely appropriate to patients with isolated aortic regurgitation or other patients who need transapical TAVR (TA-TAVR), which affects the standardized treatment of those patients. Therefore, our team pronounced the operational standards for TA-TAVR, based on fully reviewing the literatures worldwide, combined with the opinions of experts from 15 heart centers with rich experience in carrying out TA-TAVR in China. This standard aims to provide clinicians with standardized diagnosis and treatment principles of TA-TAVR and improve the quality of TA-TAVR in China.
Antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) and retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) are the two major types of brain protection during aortic arch surgery. Which one is better has still been debated. By summarizing and analyzing the research progress of the comparative research of antegrade cerebral perfusion and retrograde cerebral perfusion in aortic arch surgery, we have found that there was no significant difference between ACP and RCP in terms of temporary nerve dysfunction (TND), permanent nerve dysfunction (PND), stroke, early mortality, morbidity, long-time survival, and a composite outcome of hospital death, bleeding, prolonged ventilation, need for dialysis, infection and stroke. But RCP resulted in a high incidence of prolonged mean ICU-stay and hospital-stay, longer mean extubation time as well as higher cost. And the surgeon is given more time to reconstruct the vessels of the arch since mean operative time is longer in the ACP. So we think that antegrade cerebral perfusion might be preferred as the brain protection method for complicated aortic arch procedures. If a surgeon confirms that the surgery is not very sophisticated and can be completed in a short time, it is better to choose RCP because of no catheter or cannula in the surgical field to impede the surgeon. The article aims at providing a reference to cardiac surgeries when choosing cerebral protection strategy in aortic arch surgery.
【摘要】 目的 了解心脏瓣膜置换术后认知功能障碍（POCD）的危险因素，明确围手术期脑糖代谢异常是否为术后POCD的可能发病机制之一。 方法 选取2004年3月-2009年7月心脏瓣膜置换术患者70例，根据术后第7天患者认知功能测定结果分为POCD组（n =31）和非POCD组（n =39），比较两组患者年龄、性别、体外循环（CPB）时间、主动脉阻断时间、主动脉阻断后平均动脉压和平均灌注流量，并且分别于麻醉后手术前（T1）、CPB稳定的低温期（T2）、复温至33℃（T3）、CPB结束后30 min（T4）4个时点采动脉及颈内静脉血，测定血气、血糖浓度，计算出脑摄氧率（CEO2）、脑糖摄取Glu（a-v）。 结果 发生POCD的患者年龄较非POCD组大，并且CPB时间和主动脉阻断时间也更长，两组之间比较有统计学差异（Plt;0.05），但是两组在性别、主动脉阻断后平均动脉压和平均灌注流量比较无统计学差异。两组的CEO2变化趋势一致，各时点的值无明显变化，两组间比较无差异；非POCD组的Glu（a-v）各时点间比较无统计学差异，POCD组的Glu（a-v）T1、T2时点也无明显变化，但POCD组的Glu（a-v）在T3、T4明显降低，并且与非POCD组比较有统计学意义（Plt;0.05）。 结论 年龄、CPB时间和主动脉阻断时间是POCD发生的危险因素。脑糖代谢异常是POCD发生的可能机制之一。【Abstract】 Objective To understand the risk factor of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), and identify whether perioperative brain glucose metabolism disorder was or not pathogenesis of POCD after heart valve replacement operation. Methods From March 2004 to July 2009, 70 patients with heart valve replacement were divided into POCD group (n=31) and non-POCD group (n=39) according to cognitive function status tested on the seventh day after operation. The age, sex, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) duration, aortic crossclamp duration, mean arterial blood pressure and mean priming volume after aortic crossclamp of two groups were compared. Blood samples were drawn from the radial artery and jugular bulb catheters for determination of blood gas and glucose after induction of anaesthesia (baseline), at the time of the lowest CPB temperature, rewarming to 33℃, and 30 minutes after termination of CPB, CEO2 and Glu (a-v) were calculated: CEO2= (CaO2－CvO2) /CaO2. Results In POCD group, the average age was larger and CPB duration and aortic crossclamp duration was longer than in non-POCD group (Plt;0.05) , but there were no statistical differences in sex, mean arterial blood pressure and mean priming volume after aortic crossclamp. The change tendency of CEO2 of two groups were similar and without significant difference. Glu (a-v) of non-POCD group had no difference in every point, and Glu (a-v) of POCD group had no difference in T1 and T2 points, but value of Glu (a-v) of POCD group decreased obviously and had distinct difference with that of non-POCD group in T3 and T4 points (Plt;0.05). Conclusion Age, CPB duration, and aortic crossclamp duration were risk factors of POCD. Brain glucose metabolism disorder was possibly one of pathogenesis of POCD.