ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation with mitral valve replacement under totally thoracoscopic surgery.MethodsThe clinical data of 107 patients with rheumatic mitral disease and atrial fibrillation who underwent mitral valve replacement and radiofrequency ablation at the same time in our hospital from January 2014 to October 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: a totally thoracoscopic surgery group (n=51, including 20 males and 31 females, aged 50.57±5.24 years) and a median sternotomy group (n=56, including 21 males and 35 females, aged 52.12±5.59 years) according to the surgical methods. The preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative data of the patients were compared.ResultsAll operations were successfully completed without death. In terms of bleeding volume, drainage volume, ventilator-assisted breathing time, hospital stay and incision length, the totally thoracoscopic surgery group was better than the median sternotomy group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The cardiopulmonary bypass time and radiofrequency ablation time in the totally thoracoscopic surgery group were longer than those in the median sternotomy group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the operation time, aortic occlusion time, postoperative complications, left ventricular ejection fraction, left atrial diameter and sinus rhythm maintenance between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no atrioventricular block, pulmonary vein stenosis, atrioesophageal fistula, coronary artery injury, stroke or hemorrhage during the follow-up.ConclusionRadiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation with mitral valve replacement under totally thoracoscopic surgery is safe and effective, and it is worthy of clinical application.
Mitral regurgitation is the most common heart valvular disease at present. In the past, mitral regurgitation was mainly treated by surgical mitral valve repair or replacement. However, with the progress of transcatheter interventional techniques and instruments in recent years, transcatheter mitral valve interventional therapy has gradually shown its advantages and benefited patients. The purpose of this article is to review the progress of transcatheter mitral valve intervention in this year, and to provide prospects for the future of transcatheter mitral valve treatment.
Over the past 20 years, transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TEER) has become an important treatment option for patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who are at high surgical risk. Initially, several landmark clinical studies established the basis of TEER for primary and secondary MR, but they only involved clinically stable patients with appropriate mitral valve anatomy. With the increasing experience of interventional therapy, the iteration of equipment and the improvement of intraoperative imaging technology, the scope of use of TEER has been continuously expanded, and its indications have been continuously expanded to more complex mitral valve lesions and clinical situations. Therefore, in clinical practice, selecting the appropriate device according to the individual anatomical characteristics of the patient can minimize MR and complications, thereby optimizing immediate and long-term prognosis. This article mainly introduces the pathogenesis and related mechanisms of MR, the main TEER devices and their clinical evidence, the limitations of TEER, and the future development direction.
In recent years, transcatheter mitral valve replacement is a focused issue in the field of valve intervention, which brings hope to mitral regurgitation patients who are not suitable for surgical thoracotomy. This paper presents the case of echocardiography-guided transseptal mitral valve replacement with the HighLife system in an elderly female patient with severe mitral regurgitation who failed to respond to standard medical therapy. During the procedure, echocardiography was used to guide the wire looping, cinching, atrial septal puncture, ring closure, atrial septal balloon dilatation, prosthetic valve implantation and immediate postoperative evaluation. Echocardiography plays an important role in transseptal mitral valve replacement, which can help the procedural process and improve the safety of the procedure.
Mitral valve disease is the most common cardiac valve disease. The main treatment of mitral valve disease is surgery or interventional therapy. However, as the anatomy of mitral valve is complicated, the operation is particularly difficult. As a result, it requires sophisticated experiences for surgeons. Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology can transform two-dimensional medical images into 3D solid models. So it can provide clear spatial anatomical information and offer safe and personalized treatment for the patients by simulating surgery process. This article reviews the applications of 3D printing technology in the treatment of mitral valve disease.
Objective To investigate and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Chimney technique in mitral valve reoperation. Methods The clinical data of mitral valve reoperation patients who underwent Chimney surgery in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital from 2019 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 26 patients were collected, including 7 males and 19 females, aged 27-67 (53.46±11.18) years. All patients had previous mitral valve surgery, including 23 mitral valve replacements and 3 mitral valve repairs. All patients received Chimney technique using the ideal artificial sized mitral valve, and 1 patient died of neurological complications in hospital. The cardiopulmonary bypass time and the aortic cross-clamping time were 231.11±77.05 min and 148.50±52.70 min, respectively. The mean diameter of the implanted mitral valve prosthesis was 29.08±0.68 mm, which was statistically different from pre-replacement valve prosthesis size of 26.69±0.77 mm (P＜0.001). The mean transvalvular pressure gradient of the prosthetic mitral valve measured on postoperative echocardiography was 14.77±5.34 mm Hg, which was statistically different from preoperative value of 20.92±9.83 mm Hg (P=0.005). Conclusion The Chimney technique is safe and effective for reoperation in patients with small mitral annuli, which can not only reduce the risk of reoperation, but also obtain larger prosthetic valve implants with good hemodynamic characteristics and clinical outcomes.
With the expanding indications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) guidelines, combined valvular disease is often encountered in the clinic, and existing relevant studies have shown that preoperative moderate to severe mitral regurgitation is associated with higher mortality. In these patients, the optimal treatment strategy for TAVR with evidence-based heart failure, TAVR with transcatheter mitral intervention, or staging transcatheter therapy are unclear. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of the anatomy and function of the aortic and mitral valves, as well as an in-depth assessment of the patient’s baseline risk profile, are the basis for an individualized approach to treatment. This article will review the results of the relevant research to better help clinicians diagnose and treat relevant patients.
Ischemic mitral regurgitation represents a common complication after myocardial infarction, the severity of the mitral regurgitation increases the risk of mortality. There is continuing debate regarding the management of moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing surgical management. The debates lie in whether adding mitral valve surgery to coronary artery bypass grafting. So the review is about the analysis of existing evidence and expectation about it.
Transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TEER) has become an important treatment opinion for patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) at high risk for surgery. The devices and procedural techniques of TEER are complex and require excellent team cooperation. However, there is still a lack of standardized clinical pathways in China. Based on the latest evidence, the expert group wrote this clinical pathway to guide and optimize TEER therapy in clinical practice. It demonstrates the following key issues of clinical concern: (1) TEER team building; (2) preoperative clinical evaluation of TEER patients; (3) imaging assessment before TEER procedure; (4) standardized procedures for TEER; (5) TEER for complex MR; (6) the standard process of perioperative comprehensive management; and (7) full life-cycle rehabilitation and follow-up. This clinical pathway might be helpful to facilitate the standardized development of TEER therapy and application, and promote the improvement of management and life quality for patients with MR.
Mitral valvuloplasty is a more suitable surgical procedure than mitral valve replacement in the case of mitral valve degeneration. Quadrangular resection and artificial chordae plantation, considered to be classical procedures, are widely employed in posterior mitral valve prolapse, and have prominent long-term effects during the follow-up. However, is there any difference in mitral valve reconstruction due to completely different surgical methodology and concepts of the two procedures? Every surgeon has his own ideas and preferences for mitral valvuloplasty, and the choice of surgical procedures mostly depends on experience of surgeons. The article generally reviews variances in intraoperative and long-term clinical outcomes of both rectangular excision and artificial chordae plantation in posterior leaflet valvuloplasty, hoping to provide references for clinical decision.