The first aortic valve repair was performed in 1958, but the clinical outcome was limited. Since the invention of prosthetic valves, aortic valve replacement has become and still maintained the dominated surgical treatment option. As the impact of the prosthetic valve-related event to quality of life of the patients and the studies of the mechanism of aortic regurgitation and the functional anatomy of aortic root grow, the application of aortic valve repair gets more popular, and the short- and mid-term outcomes are good.
Objective To measure the rate of changes of the cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and serum urea nitrogen (N), serum creatinine (Cr), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) patients before and after surgery, and to explore the prognostic significance of the rate of changes. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 77 AAAD patients' clinical data between August 2015 and March 2016 from the department of the cardiothoracic surgery in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. There were 57 males and 20 females with an average age of 51.1±13.1 years. The test results of cTnT, N, Cr, eGFR were recorded. Patients were divided into three groups based on the duration of ventilation: less than 48 hours, 48 hours to 7 days, longer than 7 days, and divided into two groups based on whether postoperative dialysis was performed: dialysis group and non-dialysis group. Results In the groups with different duration of ventilation, the rate of cTnT change differed significantly. The rate of Cr and eGFR change in the group with the duration of ventilation longer than 7 days showed significantly different compared to other two groups. We found that the rate of Cr and eGFR change were statistically significant between the dialysis group and the non-dialysis group. In the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the optimal cut-off value of the Cr growth rate for predicting postoperative dialysis therapy was 58.1%, and the optimal cut-off value of the eGFR decline rate was 45.5%. Conclusion The rate of changes in cTnT, N, Cr and eGFR can be used as a reliable mean to evaluate respiratory and renal function for AAAD patients in the early stage, which will facilitate an early assessment of the prognosis of AAAD patients.
Congestive heart failure is a complication of myocardial infarction threatening human health. Although the pharmacotherapy is effective, it is still a worldwide challenge to thoroughly repair the injured myocardium induced by myocardial infarction. It has been demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can repair infarcted myocardium. Much evidence shows that MSCs can generate new myocardial cells in both human and animals' hearts. This review aims at discussing the therapeutic progress of the congestive heart failure treated with MSCs.
Object ive To summar ize recent advance in the appl icat ion and research of ar t i f icial chordae tendineae. Methods The cl inical and experimental research l iterature was extensively reviewed and analyzed. Results The follow-up results showed that artificial chordae tendineae replacement was superior to other operation methods in valve repair. But, it was compl icated and difficult-to-learn. In recent years with the development of many surgical skills and new techniques, good cl inical results were achieved. Conclusion With the development of surgical equi pment, chordae material, and implanting skills, artificial chordae tendineae implanting will be easier and the scope of appl ication will be larger.