Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Aesthet Surg J Open Forum 2022 12;4:ojac025. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Background: Although plastic surgeons commonly perform capsulectomies for a variety of peri-prosthetic capsular conditions, the safety of capsulectomy remains unknown, and the literature lacks evidence describing its morbidity and complication rates for patients inquiring about its associated risks.

Objectives: The present study aims to identify and define the complication rates associated with capsulectomies.

Methods: An analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was performed between the years 2015 and 2018. Read More

G3 (Bethesda) 2022 Jun 23. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle WA 98101 USA.

To discover genes implicated in human congenital disorders, we performed ENU mutagenesis in the mouse and screened for mutations affecting embryonic development. In this work we report defects of heart development in mice homozygous for a mutation of Coactivator-associated Arginine Methyltransferase 1 (Carm1). While Carm1 has been extensively studied, it has never been previously associated with a role in heart development. Read More

J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022 May 25;9(6). Epub 2022 May 25.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA.

Atherosclerotic plaque calcification directly contributes to the leading cause of morbidity and mortality by affecting plaque vulnerability and rupture risk. Small microcalcifications can increase plaque stress and promote rupture, whereas large calcifications can stabilize plaques. Drugs that target bone mineralization may lead to unintended consequences on ectopic plaque calcification and cardiovascular outcomes. Read More

CJC Open 2022 Jun 13;4(6):577-580. Epub 2022 Feb 13.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

As the use of surgically implanted sutureless aortic valves has increased over the past decade, we expect to encounter their failure increasingly in coming years. We describe a case of Perceval aortic valve failure with stent infolding and severe stenosis. This condition was treated with valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation and complicated by aortic annular rupture at the site of infolding. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):273-280

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tachikawa Medical Center, Nagaoka, Japan.

Postinfarction ventricular septal rupture (VSR) remains an important and life-threatening complication of myocardial infarction (MI). Although several techniques have improved surgical outcomes of postinfarction VSR, the treatment is still challenging with a high mortality rate. In addition, it is well known that a postoperative residual shunt after VSR repair is associated with poor outcomes; however, late outcomes involving patients with a residual shunt after VSR repair are lacking. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):252-260

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Background: Papillary muscle rupture (PMR) is a rare but potentially fatal complication following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Surgical treatment is considered the standard of care. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the early outcomes after surgical correction of post-AMI PMR. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):346-348

Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):239-251

Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Background: Mechanical complications following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), though rare, are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Surgical management remains a mainstay of therapy for these complications. The purpose of this review is to evaluate long-term outcomes data of surgical management for postinfarction free wall rupture, ventricular septal defect, papillary muscle rupture, and pseudoaneurysm. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):281-289

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Papillary muscle rupture (PMR) is a significant mechanical complication following myocardial infarction (MI), a condition associated with a high mortality. It results in severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR), often accompanied by cardiogenic shock and pulmonary edema, requiring both emergent medical treatment and surgical intervention. Surgical treatment includes either chordal sparing mitral valve replacement or mitral valve repair, which is associated with a high mortality. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):299-303

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is one of the most lethal heart conditions where mortality rates reach 40% intraoperatively and 80% in hospital. A few days after the acute event, the rupture becomes subacute, and surgery is indicated to repair the frail myocardium. Despite the lack of strong evidence to support the efficacy of sutureless repair of subacute LVFWR in the literature, this technique has recently been gaining popularity with acceptable success rates. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):210-225

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Background: Mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction represent life-threatening events, including ventricular septal rupture (VSR), left ventricular free-wall rupture (LVFWR) and papillary muscle rupture (PMR). In-hospital mortality is high, even when prompt surgery can be offered. The role of concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the surgical treatment of these conditions is still debated. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):290-298

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVP) is a very rare, but potentially lethal mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite representing a unique subset of cardiac rupture, it presents peculiar features that distinguish it from both ventricular free-wall rupture (FWR) and ventricular true aneurysm. LVP occurs in less than 0. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):268-272

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nerima Hikarigaoka Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction is uncommon but lethal and is still associated with high mortality rates. This paper presents the surgical treatment options and clinical management for post-infarction left ventricular free wall rupture. Various types of techniques, specifically sutureless repair using TachoComb/TachoSil, and intraoperative video images are discussed. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):261-267

Division of Cardiac Surgery of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Coronary reperfusion therapies have led to a reduction in the incidence of mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but the associated mortality of these complications has remained high. Ventricular septal rupture is the most common mechanical complication after myocardial infarction and occurs in approximately 0.21% with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and in 0. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):304-309

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.

The outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) have significantly improved with advances in early reperfusion strategies; however, patients with massive infarcts or those who do not receive timely revascularization may develop mechanical complications of AMI. The most common mechanical complications are ventricular septal rupture (VSR), acute mitral regurgitation (MR) due to papillary muscle rupture, and free-wall rupture. Each complication is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality, and requires a multidisciplinary approach for prompt diagnosis and hemodynamic stabilization. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):328-336

Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart & Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC), Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Severe mitral regurgitation secondary to papillary muscle rupture is one of the mechanical complications after an acute myocardial infarction. Surgical strategies represent the cornerstone of treatment in this disease; in addition to surgical valve replacement, approaches involving surgical valve repair have been reported over time in different clinical scenarios to restore valve competency, improve cardiac function and reduce mechanical prosthesis-related risks. Moreover, in recent years, percutaneous trans-catheter procedures have emerged as an important alternative in high risk or inoperable patients. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):310-318

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Background: Ventricular free-wall rupture (VFWR) is an infrequent but catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Most reports about outcome after surgical treatment are single-center experiences. We examined the early and mid-term outcomes after surgical repair of post-AMI VFWR using the Netherlands Heart Registration (NHR) database. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May;11(3):195-209

Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Dept., Heart & Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC), Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Background: Improvements in revascularisation, including pharmacological, catheter-based and surgical, have resulted in improved outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), leading to decreased frequency of mechanical complications. Improvements in both techniques and technology have permitted select patients to be managed with a purely percutaneous, transcatheter strategy. Through systematic review, this study aims to synthesise the collective experience of percutaneous treatment of the mechanical complications of ischaemic heart disease. Read More

Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2008 Jan;11(Suppl 1):S64-S78

Department of Neurology, Sarah Hospital, The Sarah network of Rehabilitation Hospitals, Brasilia DF, Brazil.

Background: Stroke subtypes and etiology may differ between developing and developed countries. Infections are a relatively common cause of stroke in tropical regions.

Objective: To review the main infectious diseases associated with stroke. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 26;9:890799. Epub 2022 May 26.

Department of Cardiology, Barts Heart Centre, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Intravascular imaging has been used to assess the morphology of lesions causing an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in native vessels (NV) and identify differences between plaques that ruptured (PR) and caused an event and those that ruptured without clinical manifestations. However, there is no data about the morphological and physiological characteristics of neoatherosclerotic plaques that ruptured (PR-NA) which constitute a common cause of stent failure.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients admitted with an acute myocardial infarction that had optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the culprit vessel before balloon pre-dilation. Read More

J Surg Case Rep 2022 Jun 14;2022(6):rjac265. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Surgery, Kettering Health Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA.

Flood syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal complication of long-standing ascites resulting from a spontaneous rupture of an umbilical hernia. We present the case of a 67-year-old male with a medical history of diastolic heart failure, cocaine abuse, hepatitis C and cirrhosis secondary to daily alcohol consumption who presented to the emergency department with spontaneous rupture of an umbilical hernia with continuous, perfuse drainage of ascites from a 3 cm hernia defect. In this case report, we highlight the successful temporizing and definitive management of flood syndrome, as the patient presented to and was temporized a community hospital and was subsequently transferred to a tertiary care center for definitive management. Read More

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2022 31;12(1):68-72. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Department of Medicine, MedStar Health Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Background: Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SOVA) is a rare anomaly of the aorta that can be congenital or acquired. It can be associated with syndromes such as Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. However, to our knowledge, it has never been described in a patient with Apert syndrome. Read More

JTCVS Tech 2022 Jun 26;13:83-86. Epub 2022 Feb 26.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.

Small 2022 Jun 16:e2200967. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Atherothrombosis and Vascular Biology Laboratory, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.

Atherosclerosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Left undiagnosed and untreated, atherosclerotic plaques can rupture and cause cardiovascular complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Atherosclerotic plaques are composed of lipids, including oxidized low-density lipoproteins and cholesterol crystals, and immune cells, including macrophages. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 Jun 16;12(1):10143. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Geophysical Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia.

Recent borehole seismic deployments conducted along the Baribis Fault in northwestern Java reveal that it may be active. In this study, we exploit these data to locate proximal earthquakes using a relative relocation technique, estimate their moment magnitudes using a spectral fitting method and compute their focal mechanisms via waveform inversion. We observe that seismicity in the eastern part of the fault is significantly higher than in the west, where a previous GPS study of the region south of Jakarta demonstrated the existence of high compression rates. Read More

J Vasc Surg 2022 Jun 13. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart Center Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.

Objective: Formation of post-aortic coarctation aneurysms (pCoAA) is well described in the literature and carries a significant risk of rupture and death. Treatment strategies include open surgical, hybrid, and endovascular repair dependent on clinical presentation, risk assessment, and anatomy. The aim of this study is to report early and mid-term results of open surgical and endovascular repair of pCoAA. Read More

J Vasc Surg 2022 Jun 13. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX.

Objective Or Background: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair has emerged as the dominant paradigm for treatment of patients with descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. For aneurysms involving the aortic arch in the region of the left subclavian artery (LSA), branch vessel preservation to maintain blood flow to the LSA is recommended. Branched aortic endografts are an alternative to surgical revascularization of the LSA. Read More

Research (Wash D C) 2022 31;2022:9816234. Epub 2022 May 31.

Beijing Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Energy and Sensor, Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.

Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation has emerged as an effective alternative for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), but ablation lesions will result in swelling and hematoma of local surrounding tissue, triggering inflammatory cell infiltration and increased release of inflammatory cytokines. Some studies have shown that the inflammatory response may be related to the early occurrence of AF. The most direct way to inhibit perioperative inflammation is to use anti-inflammatory drugs such as glucocorticoids. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 Jun 12. Epub 2022 Jun 12.

Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China. Electronic address:

Background: Cholesterol crystals (CCs) are regular microstructures found within the necrotic core of atherosclerotic plaques and have been hypothesized to be related to plaque destabilization. We attempted to investigate the potential association between CCs and non-culprit plaque vulnerability in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) and study morphological features of CCs in ruptured non-culprit plaques.

Methods: A total of 261 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who underwent 3-vessel optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging were included. Read More

J Card Surg 2022 Jun 15. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.