Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in octogenarians

Inhibitors of NLRP3 Inflammasome Formation: A Cardioprotective Role for the Gasotransmitters Carbon Monoxide, Nitric Oxide, and Hydrogen Sulphide in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) occurring from acute coronary artery disease or cardiac surgical interventions such as bypass surgery can result in myocardial dysfunction, presenting as, myocardial "stunning", arrhythmias, infarction, and adverse cardiac remodelling, and may lead to both a systemic and a localised inflammatory response. This localised cardiac inflammatory response is regulated through the nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain (NACHT), leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-containing protein family pyrin domain (PYD)-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a multimeric structure whose components are present within both cardiomyocytes and in cardiac fibroblasts. The NLRP3 inflammasome is activated via numerous danger signals produced by IRI and is central to the resultant innate immune response. Inhibition of this inherent inflammatory response has been shown to protect the myocardium and stop the occurrence of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome following the re-establishment of cardiac circulation. Therapies to prevent NLRP3 inflammasome formation in the clinic are currently lacking, and therefore, new pharmacotherapies are required. This review will highlight the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome within the myocardium during IRI and will examine the therapeutic value of inflammasome inhibition with particular attention to carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydrogen sulphide as potential pharmacological inhibitors of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Ureteroscopy in the elderly: safety and functional results

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ureteroscopy (URS) for urinary stones treatment in patients ≥ 80 years of age.

METHODS

From 2012 to 2021, 96 patients ≥ 80 years underwent URS for urinary stone disease. Patients' demographics and surgical outcomes were examined.

RESULTS

The median length of follow-up was 25 months. Median age was 84 years. Half of the patients (53%) were ASA score 3 and 16% ASA 4. Mean stone diameter (SD) was 10.6 mm, and mean procedure time was 78 min. Eighty-three patients underwent follow-up imaging (ultrasonography or computed tomography) with a median time of 31 days. Stone-free rate was 73.9%. Twenty patients (20.7%) experienced a minor complication [Clavien-Dindo (CD) I-II] whereas five (5.7%) experienced a major complication (CD III-V). SD ≥ 10 mm predicted CD III-V complications (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.01-1.55, p = 0.03). Urinary drainage prior the procedure with double J stent, nephroureteral stent or percutaneous nephrostomy tube had no impact on patients' SFR [74.6% in the drained group versus 64.0% in the undrained group (p = 0.44)] nor on major complications (OR 4.68, 95% CI 0.25-87.77, p = 0.30).

CONCLUSION

In elderly patients, URS for treatment of renal and ureteral stones is a relatively efficient and safe procedure. The risk of major complications is low, and the only associated risk factor found was SD ≥ 10 mm. Urinary drainage prior the procedure did not affect patients' outcomes.

[Features of surgical treatment of advanced age patients with coronary artery disease]

OBJECTIVE

To optimize surgical treatment of patients aged over 70 years with coronary artery disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

There were 398 patients aged over 70 years with coronary artery disease for the period 2006-2017. All patients were divided into 3 groups: group 1 - on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with cardiac arrest; group 2 - on-pump beating heart CABG, group 3 - off-pump CABG.

RESULTS

On-pump beating heart CABG in patients over 70 years old is followed by reduced incidence of perioperative complications including acute heart failure, acute respiratory failure, neurological complications, reduced length of ICU- and hospital-stay compared with on-pump CABG and cardiac arrest. However, off-pump CABG is optimal in advanced age patients because this approach reduces duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, incidence of acute heart failure, neurological complications and cardiac rhythm disturbances. Postoperative annual and 5-year survival rates were 98.1 and 84.2%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Off-pump CABG is preferable in advanced age patients. Surgical treatment of these patients is characterized by high clinical efficacy in long-term period after surgery.

OPCAB experience in octogenarians: A comparison of perioperative events and long-term survival between patients aged 75 to 80 years and patients aged ≥80 years

INTRODUCTION

The advantages of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) in octogenarians are still undetermined.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the data of 338 patients aged ≥75 with at least two coronary-artery diseases who underwent OPCAB. Then, the two groups were divided into follow-up survival and follow-up death subgroups. The baseline and perioperative data were compared for the younger and octogenarian groups, as well as for the subgroups. Moreover, long-term survival rates in the follow-up survival and follow-up death subgroups were compared; a Cox regression model was built to explore the independent risk factors that influence long-term survival.

RESULTS

NYNA ≥ III (39.4% vs 23.2%, P = .006), AMI (45.1% vs 24.3%, P = .001), and three diseased vessels with LM disease (38.0% vs 25.8%, P = .043) were more prevalent among octogenarians. Octogenarians required more intraoperative (11.3% vs 0.40%, P = .000) and postoperative (9.9% vs 2.2%, P = .003) IABP insertions and more ventilation time (P = .053), and they spent a longer time in the ICU (174.1 ± 34.9 vs 81.0 ± 6.4 hours, P = .010), had a longer total hospital stay (32.7 ± 3.1 vs 24.6 ± 0.8 days, P = .015), and had a longer postoperative hospital stay (20.5 ± 2.5 vs 14.5 ± 0.7 days, P = .021); however, fewer LIMA grafts were used among octogenarians (71.8% vs 90.3%, P = .000). The mortality and the postoperative complications between the two groups were similar. Long-term survival at 1, 5, and 10 years were satisfactory at 98.4 vs 91.5%, 89.7 vs 82.8%, and 61.1 vs 52.1% for the younger group and the octogenarians, respectively (P = .440). The Cox regression analysis results suggest that malignant ventricular arrhythmias (HR 4.058, CI, 1.760-9.358, P = .001; HR 7.256, CI, 2.112-24.932, P = .001) and reintubation (HR 3.593, CI, 1.646-7.845, P = .001; HR 4.252, CI, 1.797-10.060, P = .001) were independent risk factors that affect the long-term survival in both overall OPCAB patients and in the younger patient group.

CONCLUSIONS

OPCAB can be safely performed, with acceptable operative mortality and complication rates and satisfactory survival outcomes. The Cox regression analysis results demonstrated that malignant ventricular arrhythmia and reintubation were independent risk factors that affect long-term survival in both overall OPCAB patients and in the younger group of patients.