Bailout Procedure Research Articles

State of the art in subtotal cholecystectomy: An overview.

Subtotal cholecystectomy is a type of surgical bail-out procedure indicated when facing difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to not reaching the critical view of safety, inadequate identification of the anatomical structures involved and/or risk of injury. A comprehensive search on PubMed were performed using the following Mesh terms: Subtotal cholecystectomy and Partial cholecystectomy. The PubMed databases were used to search for English-language reports related to Subtotal cholecystectomy between January 1, 1987, the date of the first published laparoscopic cholecystectomy, through January 2023. 41 studies were included. Subtotal cholecystectomy's incidence oscillates between 4.00% and 9.38%. Strasberg et al., divided subtotal cholecystectomies in "fenestrating" and "reconstituting" types based on if the remaining portion of the gallbladder was left open or closed. Subtotal cholecystectomy can sometimes be a challenging procedure and is associated to a high rate of complications such as biliary fistula, retained gallstones, subhepatic or subphrenic collections, among others. Subtotal cholecystectomy is a safe alternative when facing difficult cholecystectomy in which the critical view of safety is not reached in order to avoid complications. A classification system should be implemented in surgical descriptions to compare the different surgical techniques employed. In order to avoid bile leakage and cholecystitis of the remnant gallbladder, the surgical technique must be performed skillfully. There is still a current lack of information on alternative techniques such as omental plugging or falciform patch in order to judge their utility. There needs to be further research on long-term complications such as malignancy of the remnant gallbladder.

A bailout procedure with a surgical stapler for unsuccessful left atrium appendage clipping in minimally invasive cardiac surgery

A bailout procedure with a surgical stapler for unsuccessful left atrium appendage clipping in minimally invasive cardiac surgery

Total Iodine Contrast-free Strategy for the Endovascular Management of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Pilot Study

To retrospectively evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the endovascular treatment of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and chronic kidney disease (CKD) without the need for using iodinated contrast media throughout the diagnostic, therapeutic, and follow-up pathway. A retrospective review of prospectively collected data concerning 251 consecutive patients presenting an abdominal aortic or aorto-iliac aneurysm who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) from January 2019 to November 2022 at our academic institution was performed in order to identify patients with feasible anatomy with respect to manufacturer's instructions for use and with CKD. Patients whose preoperative workout included duplex ultrasound and plain computed tomography for preprocedural planning were extracted from a dedicated EVAR database. EVAR was performed with the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as the contrast media of choice, whereas follow-up examinations consisted of either duplex ultrasound, plain computed tomography, or contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Primary endpoints were technical success, perioperative mortality, and early renal function variations. Secondary endpoints were all-type endoleaks and reinterventions, midterm aneurysm-related and kidney-related mortality. Forty-five patients had CKD and were treated electively (45/251, 17.9%). Of them, 17 patients were managed with a total iodinated contrast media-free strategy and constituted the object of the present study (17/45, 37.8%; 17/251, 6.8%). In 7 cases, an adjunctive planned procedure was performed (7/17, 41.2%). No intraoperative bail-out procedures were needed. This extracted cohort of patients presented similar mean preoperative and postoperative (at discharge) glomerular filtration rate values, 28.14 (SD 13.09; median 28.06, interquartile range (IQR) 20.25) ml/min/1.73m2 and 29.33 (SD 14.61; median 27.35, IQR 22) ml/min/1.73m2, respectively (P=0.210). Mean follow-up was 16.4months (SD 11.89; median 18, IQR 23). During follow-up, no graft-related complications occurred in terms of either thrombosis, type I or III endoleaks, aneurysm rupture, or conversion. The mean glomerular filtration rate at follow-up was 30.39ml/min/1.73m2 (SD 14.45; median 30.75, IQR 21.93), with no significant worsening in comparison with preoperative and postoperative values (P=0.327 and P=0.856 respectively). No aneurysm- or kidney-related deaths occurred during follow-up. Our initial experience shows that total iodine contrast-free abdominal aortic aneurysm endovascular management in patients with CKD may be feasible and safe. Such an approach seems to guarantee the preservation of residual kidney function without increasing the risks of aneurysm-related complications in the early and midterm postoperative periods, and it could be considered even in the case of complex endovascular procedures.

A technical review of bail-out procedures to place Najuta stent-graft into the ascending aorta

BackgroundThe Najuta stent-graft (Kawasumi Laboratories Inc., Tokyo, Japan) is usually easily advanced to the correct deployment position in the ascending aorta thanks to the pre-curved delivery J-sheath with all fenestrations automatically oriented towards the supra-aortic vessels. Aortic arch anatomy and delivery system stiffness could however represent limitations for proper endograft advancement, especially when the aortic arch bends sharply. The aim of this technical note is to report a series of bail-out procedures that could be useful to overcome the difficulties encountered during the Najuta stent-graft advancement up to the ascending aorta.Main bodyThe insertion, positioning and deployment of a Najuta stent-graft requires a through-and-through guidewire technique using a .035″ 400 cm hydrophilic nitinol guidewire (Radifocus™ Guidewire M Non-Vascular, Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) with right brachial and both femoral accesses. When standard maneuver to put the endograft tip into the aortic arch, some bail-out procedures can be applied to obtain proper positioning. Five techniques are described into the text: positioning of a coaxial extra-stiff guidewire; positioning of a long introducer sheath down to the aortic root from the right brachial access; inflation of a balloon inside the ostia of the supra-aortic vessels; inflation of a balloon inside the aortic arch (coaxial to the device); and transapical access technique. This is a troubleshooting guide for allowing physicians to overcome various difficulties with the Najuta endograft as well as for other similar devices.Short conclusionTechnical issues in advancing the delivery system of Najuta stent-graft could occur. Therefore, the rescue procedures described in this technical note could be useful to guarantee the correct positioning and deployment of the stent-graft.

Selective Vesical Artery Embolization in Refractory BK Virus Hemorrhagic Cystitis

AbstractIn hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients, BK virus-related hemorrhagic cystitis is a well-known complication. It increases the risk of death and morbidity of HSCT recipients with simultaneous increase in healthcare cost burden, as a result of prolonged hospital admissions. There are many conservative therapeutic strategies available for the treatment that are effective in treatment of milder forms of hemorrhagic cystitis. Vesical artery embolization is one of the nonsurgical bailout procedure in patient's refractory to medical therapy with added advantage of avoidance of high-risk definitive surgical procedure of cystectomy or urinary diversion in these critical immunosuppressed patients.

Utility of Tokyo Guidelines 2018 in early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for mild and moderate acute calculus cholecystitis: A retrospective cohort study.

Tokyo Guidelines 2018 (TG18) proposed laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for acute calculus cholecystitis (ACC) irrespective of the duration of symptoms. This retrospective study assessed the impact of utility of TG18 in early LC for ACC. From 2018 to 2020, 66 patients with mild (grade I) and moderate (grade II) ACC who underwent early surgery were studied. Subgroup analyses were based on timing of surgery and operation time. A total of 32 and 34 patients were operated within and beyond 7 days since ACC onset. More patients with grade II ACC were in the beyond 7 days group (P < 0.05). More patients with enlarged gallbladder were in the within 7 days group (P < 0.05). The duration of symptoms to admission, symptoms to LC, and operation time were longer in the beyond 7 days group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences regarding intraoperative blood loss, conversion to bail-out procedures, complication rate, hospital stay, and cost between the two groups (P > 0.05). Longer operation time was significantly associated with duration of symptoms to admission, symptoms to LC, and conversion to laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy (LSC) (P < 0.05). In a subset of carefully selected patients, applying TG18 in early LC for mild and moderate ACC results in acceptable clinical outcomes. Standardized safe steps and conversion to LSC in difficult cases are important.

Comparing Outcomes of Sub-Total Cholecystectomy Versus Open Cholecystectomy as Bailout Procedures for the Difficult Gallbladder.

Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most common operations performed, there is no consensus on the best surgical approach when inflammation obscures hepatocystic anatomy in severe cholecystitis. Traditionally, this situation triggered conversion to open cholecystectomy (COC); however, in recent decades, alternative approaches have been described. We compared outcomes of bailout procedures for severe cholecystitis, primarily focusing on COC versus laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy (LSTC). Retrospective review comparing outcomes of intended laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases that were converted to bailout procedures between 2015-2020 at a single institution. Bailout procedures were categorized into LSTC and COC groups. Demographics, clinical presentation, time to surgery, operative indications, operative duration, and post-operative outcomes were compared using independent sample t-tests with Welch-Satterthwaite correction or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests (continuous variables) or Fisher's exact/χ2 tests. A P-value of less than .05 was considered significant. Final analysis included 158 subjects: 55 LSTC and 99 COC. Patient demographics and clinical presentations were similar between groups. LSTC had shorter operative time, fewer ICU admissions, and shorter length of stay than COC (P < .05). There were 9 (9.2%) cases of ileus, 4 (4.0%) cases of post-operative bleeding, and 2 (2.0%) cases of bile duct injury in COC. There was 1 (1.8%) case of ileus, 1 (1.8%) case of post-operative bleeding, and no bile duct injury in LSTC. LSTC was associated with fewer complications than COC, which had higher rates of biliary injury, bleeding, ileus, ICU admission, and longer hospital stay.

Long-term outcomes following intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) for calcified coronary lesions: A Real-World Multicenter European Study.

To explore the long-term clinical outcomes following intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in calcified coronary lesions from a real-world population. IVL is a relatively newbut promising modality for treating coronary calcified lesions, but there is a dearth of long-term outcome data from real-world patients. This was a multicenter, observational study in which we enrolled all patients treated with IVL from November 2018 to February 2021 from eight centers in Europe and theUnited Kingdom. Procedural success, complications, and clinical outcomes (cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction[TVMI], target lesion revascularization[TLR], and MACE [major adverse cardiac events, the composite of cardiac death, TVMI, and TLR]) were assessed. In total, 273 patients with a mean age of 72 ± 9.1 years were treated with IVL. Major comorbidities included diabetes mellitus (n = 110, 40%) and chronic kidney disease (n = 45, 16%). Acute coronary syndrome accounted for 48% (n = 132) of patients, while 52% (n = 141) had stable angina. De novo lesions and in-stent restenosis accounted for 79% and 21% of cases, respectively. Intravascular imaging was used in 33% (n = 90) of patients. An upfront IVL strategy was adopted in 34% (n = 92), while the rest were bailout procedures. Adjuvant rotational atherectomy ("RotaTripsy") was required in 11% (n = 31) of cases. The procedural success was 99%. During a median follow-up of 687 days (interquartile range: 549-787), cardiac death occurred in 5% (n = 14), TVMI in 3% (n = 8), TLR in 6% (n = 16), and MACE rate was 11% (n = 30). This is the largest multicenter registry with a long-term follow-up showing the remarkably high procedural success of IVL use in calcified coronary lesions with low rates of hard endpoints and MACE.

1145 BAIL-OUT INTRAVASCULAR CORONARY LITHOTRIPSY FOR THE TREATMENT OF STENT IN-STENT UNDER EXPANSION

Abstract Background in-stent restenosis remains a significant clinical problem for which optimal treatment is under debate. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is mostly used for safe and effective treatment of de novo coronary calcifications, while the use of this technology to support bailout procedures, including stent under-expansion, is still off-label. One of the advantages of lithotripsy is the possible use after stent deployment. Case presentation a 66-year-old male patient was admitted to our Institution due to a medically refractory angina and a coronary computed tomography (CCT) detecting three vessel disease with multiple critical stenosis. The patient had multiple comorbidities including history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and multiple myocardial rivascularization. In 2003 he underwent coronary artery by-pass (CABG) with left internal mammal artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending (LAD) artery and free saphenous vein graft (VG) to the ramus intermedius (RI). In 2009 the patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the right coronary artery (RCA) with the implantation of a stent at the central segment, and a second stent at the crux cordis. For recurrent in-stent restenosis of the stent previously implanted at the central segment the patient was treated in 2013 with percutaneous balloon angioplasty (POBA) and in 2017 with the implantation of another drug eluting stent (Resolute Onyx, Medtronic, Santa Rosa, California) overlapping the proximal part of the scaffold. Coronary angiography revealed, a severe coronary artery disease with 80% stenosis of distal left main. The LAD was occluded at the middle segment and the ramus presented 99% stenosis at the proximal segment. The RCA had a diffuse severe in-stent restenosis involving the Resolute Onyx stent. Therefore, the operator decided to treat the restenosis with a direct stenting (Xience, Abbott Vascular Santa Clara, USA), but he was unaware of the fact that there was already an Onyx stent that was barely visible. After implantation, an inadequate expansion of the stents was observed (Figura 1A-B), which persisted despite post-dilation with non-compliant balloon (NCB) at high-pressure (Figure 1C). Given the persistence of stents under-expansion, it was decided to perform bail-out intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) therapy with a Shockwave balloon catheter (Figure 2A). The stent was then post-dilated with a NCB (Figure 2B). The final angiographic image and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) showed an optimal stent expansion (Figure 3). Conclusion intravascular lithotripsy could be used to treat undilatable stent-in-stent restenosis. Of interest, the case presented demonstrated, for the first time, the possible use of IVL in 2-stent layers, with an optima final stent expansion.

Life-threatening paradoxical thromboembolism in a patient with patent foramen ovale

BackgroundVenous thromboembolism represents the third most frequent acute cardiovascular syndrome worldwide. Its clinical manifestations are deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. Despite a considerable mortality, diagnosis is often missed. Case presentationWe report the management of a female patient with high-risk pulmonary thromboembolism treated initially with thromboaspiration, complicated by embolus jailing in a patent foramen ovale. In this situation, left cardiac chambers and systemic circulation were jeopardized by this floating embolus.ConclusionsHigh-risk pulmonary embolism requires reperfusion strategy but sometimes mechanical thromboaspiration may be not fully successful; transesophageal echocardiography led to a prompt diagnosis of this unexpected finding; in this very particular case, open surgery represented a bail-out procedure to avoid cerebral and systemic embolism.

Achievement of Critical View of Safety and Preoperative Characteristics: A Step Toward Acknowledging the Inflection Point

INTRODUCTION: The critical view of safety (CVS) is a surgical strategy that helps prevent bile duct injury (BDI) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Bail-out procedure is indicated when the CVS cannot be achieved. The decision to halt the attempt of total cholecystectomy is termed inflection point. Few studies have analyzed operative difficulty as the ability to obtain the CVS, its relation to preoperative characteristics and postoperative complication. METHODS: Retrospective review of 119 patients who underwent emergency LC from March 2020 to July 2021. Patients with previous upper abdominal operation and hepatic disease were excluded. All LCs were performed by attendings. CVS was considered achieved by a 2-step review, including operative dictation and surgical video. A univariate analysis was conducted comparing the 2 groups. RESULTS: We found failure to obtain CVS in 42% of the cases; this was associated with male sex, odds ratio (OR) 2.38 (95% CI 1.13 to 5.03), BMI >35 kg/m2, OR 4.58 (95% CI 1.36 to 15.39), and a moderate/severe grade of cholecystitis OR 9.11 (95% CI 3.78 to 21.92). These patients had longer length of stay (LOS) 3.38 vs 1.68 days (p < 0.001) and higher incidence of complication, 10% vs 0% (p = 0.001), including major BDI and death (Table ). Table. - Results of the Univariate Analysis of Preoperative Characteristics for Achievement of Critical View of Safety Preoperative characteristic Failure to achieve CVS (n = 50) CVS achieved(n = 69) Odds ratio (95% CI) p Value Male sex 56% (28) 35% (24) 2.38(1.13–5.03) 0.02 Age >60 26% (13) 16% (11) 1.85(0.75–4.57) 0.18 BMI >35 kg/m2 22% (11) 6% (4) 4.58(1.36–15.39) 0.01 Moderate/severe AC (Grade II/III TG18) 82% (41) 33% (23) 9.11(3.78–21.92) <0.0001 WBC count (×103/μL) 9.59 (SD 3.37) 9.2 (SD 4.24) — 0.58 CONCLUSION: An association was found between preoperative values (male sex, BMI >35 kg/m2, and grade II/III acute cholecystitis) and failure to achieve CVS These preoperative clues may allow us to readily acknowledge the inflection point during emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy to perform the safest surgical method. Our findings also support the association between failure of achieving CVS, increased LOS, and complication.

Bailout left atrial appendage occluder for pulmonary vein isolation and electrical cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation and left atrial appendage thrombus: a pilot study.

Cardioversion and catheter-based circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) are established rhythm control treatment strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, these treatments are contraindicated for AF patients with a left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus. We conducted the first-in-man case series study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of performing cardioversion or CPVI in AF patients with LAA thrombus immediately after implantation of LAA Occluder (LAAO) in a combined procedure. In our multi-center LAAO registry of 310 patients, 27 symptomatic and drug-refractory AF patients underwent a combined procedure of LAAO and CPVI, among whom 10 (mean age 68 ± 16years, 6 men) having anticoagulant-resistant LAA thrombus received a bailout procedure of LAAO implantation first then CPVI, and the other 17 patients without LAA thrombus received CPVI first then LAAO for comparison. The mean CHA2DS2-VASc score and HAS-BLED score were comparable between these two groups. In patients with LAA thrombus, we put carotid filters and did a no-touch technique, neither advancing the wire and sheath into the LAA nor performing LAA angiography. After LAAO implantation, the connecting cable was still connected to the occluder when cardioversion was performed. During CPVI, the occluder location was registered in the LA geometry by three-dimensional mapping to guide the catheter not to touch the LAAO. The procedure was successful in all the patients without intra-procedural complications. After a mean follow-up of 1.7 ± 0.7years, there was no device embolization, peri-device leak ≧ 5mm or stroke event in both groups. The AF recurrence rate was also similar between the two groups (P = 0.697). We demonstrated that cardioversion or CPVI is doable in symptomatic AF patients with LAA thrombus if LAA was occluded ahead as a bailout procedure.

Indications and Outcomes of Completion Cholecystectomy: A 5-year Experience From a Rural Tertiary Center.

Completion cholecystectomy (CC) is performed for recurrent or persistent biliary symptoms following subtotal cholecystectomy (STC) or incomplete cholecystectomy (IC). Due to its complexity, cases are often referred to hepato-pancreato-biliary (HBP) surgeons. There is little published literature on indications or outcomes of CC. Completion cholecystectomy cases performed between 2016 and 2021 by the sole HPB surgeon covering a rural referral base of >250-mile radius in West Texas were included. Primary variables of interest include indications and outcomes of CC. Of the eleven patients included, 5 (45.5%) had laparoscopic STC, 3 patients (27.3%) had laparoscopic converted to open STC, and 2 (18.2%) had laparoscopic IC. Most STC cases (6/9, 66.6%) were reconstituting, while 3 STC cases were fenestrating (all had persistent bile leak). For reconstituting STC, indications were symptomatic cholelithiasis in 5 patients (45.5%), and choledocholithiasis in 3 patients (27.3%). The median (IQR) duration between index procedure and subsequent CC was 15 (1.4-92) months. The median (IQR) remnant gallbladder length was 4 (3-4.5) cm. Completion cholecystectomy was performed robotically in 8 cases (72.7%). Post-CC complications occurred in 3 patients (27.3%); these were 1 superficial surgical site infection, 1 hepatic abscess requiring percutaneous drainage, and lastly atrial fibrillation. All patients requiring CC had residual gallbladder remnant >2.5cm; this is longer than recommended for STC. Completion cholecystectomy is a complex operation that carries significant morbidity, even when performed using minimally invasive techniques. As bailout procedures become more common in severely inflamed cholecystitis, it is important to collate more data on the outcomes of requiring CC.

Edge-to-Edge Technique Used as a Bailout for Suboptimal Mitral Repair: Long-term Results

BackgroundFor cases of initial suboptimal mitral valve repair, the edge-to-edge (EE) technique has been used as a bailout procedure. However the long-term durability of those rescued mitral valves is currently unknown. With this study we aim to evaluate the long-term clinical and echocardiographic results of the EE technique used to rescue patients with initial suboptimal conventional mitral valve repair. MethodsA retrospective review of our institutional database was done to query for patients who had undergone mitral valve repair with the EE technique used as a bailout procedure. The cumulative incidence function using death as a competing event was used to estimate cardiac death and redo for mitral valve replacement. To describe the time course of mitral regurgitation, we performed a longitudinal analysis using generalized estimating equations with random intercept for correlated data. ResultsEighty-one patients were selected. The median follow-up was 9.1 years (interquartile range, 6.7-12.1; maximum, 22.6 years). At 15 years the estimated Kaplan-Meier overall survival was 63.2% ± 8.69% (95% confidence interval, 43.76-77.46) and the predicted rate of moderate to severe mitral regurgitation recurrence was 16.67%. At 15 years the cumulative incidence function for redo for mitral valve replacement with death as a competing event was 2.5% (95% confidence interval, 0.48-7.84). No case of more than mild mitral stenosis was detected. ConclusionsThe EE technique can be effectively used as a bailout procedure in patients with suboptimal conventional mitral valve repair with satisfactory long-term results.

Auryon Laser in Treating Symptomatic Infrainguinal Arterial Disease: 1-Year Outcome.

The Auryon 355-nm laser atherectomy system (AngioDynamics, Inc) showed a low rate of target-lesion revascularization (TLR) at 6-month follow-up in the EX-PAD-03 investigational device exemption study and the Auryon single-center experience (SCE) in treating infrainguinal arteries. In this study, we present the 1-year outcomes of the Auryon SCE study on TLR in all comers at a single center. The Auryon SCE was a retrospective study that evaluated the outcomes of all comers treated with the Auryon laser for infrainguinal arterial disease. There was no TLR seen at 6-month follow-up. We present the TLR rate at 1 year in the same cohort of patients. TLR rates were obtained from medical record review of patients enrolled in the study who had completed office visit follow-up at 1 year. Secondary endpoints included unplanned major amputation and total mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to estimate the freedom from TLR rate following index procedure. Statistical differences were analyzed for ankle-brachial index (ABI) between baseline and 1 year. A total of 56 patients (65 procedures, 70 lesions) were enrolled. The mean age was 70.9 ± 10 years, with 66.1% males, 48.2% diabetics, and 25% demonstrating limb ischemia. Of the 70 lesions, 31.4% had severe calcification, 38.6% were chronic total occlusions, and 48.6% were de novo disease (in-stent restenosis, 29.6%). Stenting was performed in 24/70 lesions (34.3%), with 11/70 (15.7%) bailout procedures. Embolic filters were used in 26/65 procedures (40%). The majority of treated lesions were femoropopliteal (90.0%); of all procedures, 29.2% had 2 or more prior interventions. Drug-coated balloon usage was 47.1% Lutonix (BD/Bard), 27.1% In.Pact (Boston Scientific), and 1.4% both in all lesions treated. Distal embolization occurred in 1/65 procedures (1.5%). At 1 year, mortality occurred in 3/56 patients (5.4%). Of 65 limbs treated, 2 (3.1%) had major amputation at 1 year. The probability of freedom from TLR was 83.7%. In a realworld cohort of patient with complex disease, the Auryon laser had excellent freedom from TLR at 1 year.

Concomitant Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty With Bail-Out Use of Eluvia Drug-Eluting Stent: Is There Any Downside to a Double Dose of Paclitaxel?

The application of 2 distinct and simultaneously applied drug-delivery platforms for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD) has not been studied. This study investigated the outcomes of femoropopliteal disease treated with drug-coated balloon (DCB) followed by placement of drug-eluting stent (DES) when a bail-out procedure is required. This was a single-center, retrospective study enrolling 22 consecutive patients (23 limbs) treated with DCB + DES. Bail-out stenting was performed for flow-limiting postangioplasty dissections and/or suboptimal angiographic result, such as residual stenosis. Procedural success (<30% residual stenosis) and the incidence of major adverse limb event (MALE) during an average follow-up of 15.2 months were estimated. Among the 22 patients (23 limbs), 14 presented with claudication and 8 with critical limb ischemia. The majority of the lesions were Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus class C/D, with a mean lesion length of 321 ± 130 mm. DCB angioplasty was performed with Stellarex (Philips) in 6 cases and In.Pact DCB (Medtronic) in 16 cases. Eluvia DES (Boston Scientific) was used for bail-out stenting in all cases (in 10 limbs for flow-limiting dissection and in 13 limbs for suboptimal angiographic result due to significant residual stenosis and/or recoil). A single Eluvia DES was used in 15 cases, while multiple Eluvia DESs were used in 8 cases. Procedural success was achieved in all but 1 case where persistent recoil occurred in a heavily calcified lesion. During an average follow-up of 15 months, restenosis or reocclusion of the target vessel was observed in 6 cases (26.1%), although only 3 patients required repeat revascularization (13.0%). During follow-up, 1 death and 1 major amputation occurred, both in patients who had originally presented with critical limb ischemia. Additionally, on routine duplex ultrasound, there were no cases of aneurysm formation at the sites of Eluvia stent placement. DCB with provisional DES implantation could be a viable treatment option for cases of suboptimal DCB results, without apparent additional cardiovascular or limb-related risks. Additional studies are needed to determine the risks and benefits of double-dose paclitaxel approach, especially for those patients with significant residual stenosis after DCB.

Left Ventricular Endocardial Pacing: Update and State of the Art.

Initially, left ventricular (LV) endocardial pacing was performed as a bailout procedure after unsuccessful transvenous cardiac resynchronization therapy implantation in the presence of surgical contraindications. Additional possible advantages of endocardial LV pacing are a more physiologic activation, being less arrhythmogenic, more effective on the hemodynamic level, with better thresholds, and without the risk of phrenic stimulation. Different techniques have been proposed to stimulate the LV endocardium in humans, with feasibility and safety studies involving limited numbers of patients. In this review, we will describe the different techniques proposed to allow LV endocardial pacing, the results observed, and then we will discuss the reasons why LV endocardial pacing seems to be out of fashion today and what are the possible perspectives for development.

Direct pre- and post-ablation cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of tissue characteristics in patients with typical atrial flutter

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Real-time cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging as guidance in electrophysiology (EP) procedures enables a detailed overview of the anatomy of the heart and surrounding structures, active and passive catheter tracking, and real-time visualisation of ablation lesions throughout the ablation procedure, without using fluoroscopy. Purpose To evaluate ablation induced changes in tissue characteristics of the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI), directly following typical atrial flutter ablation in an interventional cardiac magnetic resonance (iCMR) suite. Methods Nine patients with symptomatic typical atrial flutter were referred for CTI ablation in an iCMR suite. Procedures were performed using a 1.5T MRI scanner. Pre-ablation imaging included T2-weighted edema imaging in the right anterior oblique (RAO) and transversal view. During the ablation procedure, CMR imaging facilitated active tracking and real-time navigation of both diagnostic and ablation catheters, as well as visualisation of the ablated tissue. Post-ablation imaging to evaluate the target tissue again included T2-weighted edema imaging as well as dark-blood late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. Data regarding post-ablation imaging findings, ablation outcome, and complications were collected for all patients. All patients provided written informed consent. Results In eight of the nine patients, T2-weighted imaging was successfully performed pre- and post-ablation, which identified myocardial edema at the CTI ablation line in all patients (Figure 1A-B). Due to time restraints, post-ablation LGE imaging was performed in five patients, which showed pathological signal intensity at the level of the CTI in all five patients (Figure 1C). Bidirectional block of the CTI was confirmed by differential pacing in eight patients. No complications occurred during or immediately after the procedures. In one patient, the registration of intracardiac electrograms was not possible due to technical problems and the patient was transferred to a conventional EP lab to complete the ablation following our predefined bailout procedure. Conclusion Real-time CMR guided CTI ablation in patients with typical atrial flutter is safe and successful. CMR enables accurate visualisation of the CTI line and provides immediate post-ablation evaluation of tissue characteristics at the ablation target location. Figure 1. T2-weighted edema cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in the right anterior oblique (RAO) view acquired pre- (A) and post-ablation (B) during interventional CMR ablation therapy. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) CMR in the RAO view post-ablation (C) of the same patient. The blue arrowheads indicate the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) line. High signal intensity at the level of CTI is observed post-ablation on both T2-weighted (indicating edema) and LGE (indicating cell membrane rupture) images.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for refractory ventricular tachycardia: the overall czech experience

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Catheter ablation (CA) is a well-established treatment strategy for the management of drug-refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with structural heart disease. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) was proposed recently as a treatment option for cases of failed CA. Purpose This study reports overall experience with the SBRT from two Czech centers. Methods Since 2014, we enrolled consecutive patients who underwent at least one prior CA for recurrent scar-related VT and had subsequent VT recurrences due to inaccessible substrate. Single-session SBRT for VT was performed without the use of general anesthesia or sedation. A dose of 25 Gy was delivered. Results The study investigated 33 patients (3 women) with a mean age of 66 ± 9 years. Underlying heart disease was ischemic (58%) and nonischemic (39%) cardiomyopathy; one patient had large cardiac fibroma. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 31 ± 8%. Seventy-six percent of patients were on amiodarone. Before SBRT, they underwent a median of 2 (IQR: 1-3; range: 1-5) CA that included epicardial access in 42% of patients. Following SBRT with a planned target volume of 42.6 ± 22.8 ml, the immediate effect was not observed in any patient, VT burden gradually decreased over weeks or months. Seventeen (52%) patients died (2 of them suddenly) during the mean follow up of 29 ± 23 months mainly due to the progression of heart failure (Figure 1). One patient died due to bleeding associated with esophagopericardial fistula that developed 9 months after SBRT. Overall, the number of DC shocks after a single procedure decreased significantly from 0.9 ± 1.9 per month in the period of 6 months before SBRT to 0.1 ± 0.3 per month in the period of 6-12 months after SBRT (P=0.008, Figure 2). However, 14 patients (42%) had to undergo additional CA due to VT recurrences at a mean interval of 13 ± 14 months after SBRT. Three patients underwent repeated SBRT (after 3, 29, and 38 months), which was successful in 2 of them. Conclusions SBRT in patients with refractory VT is feasible but the long-term mortality after the procedure is high and reflects mainly the severity of the underlying disease. The treatment effect of SBRT is delayed and additional CA is often necessary for VT suppression. At present, SBRT should be offered as only a bailout procedure for otherwise intractable VT.

First clinical experience with cardiac magnetic resonance guided typical atrial flutter ablation with the integration of active catheter tracking and electro-anatomical mapping

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background In our university hospital, we previously implemented cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) guided typical atrial flutter ablation in a pre-existing MRI suite which was transformed into an interventional cardiac MRI (iCMR) suite. Purpose To describe our first clinical experience with integration of active catheter tracking and dedicated electro-anatomical mapping (EAM) system for the treatment of typical atrial flutter in a transformed pre-existing MRI suite. Methods Between February 2021 and December 2021, all consecutive patients planned for CMR guided typical atrial flutter ablation were included in this analysis. The procedure was performed under general anaesthesia. Feasibility and safety of active catheter tracking and the integration with a dedicated EAM was evaluated. All patients provided written informed consent. Results In total, nine patients underwent CMR guided atrial flutter ablation. Procedural characteristics are presented in Table 1. In all patients, both active catheter tracking and the integration with EAM were performed successfully. Bidirectional cavo-tricuspid isthmus block was achieved in eight out of nine patients and confirmed by differential pacing using intracardiac electrograms and EAM. In one of these eight patients, the registration of intracardiac electrograms was not possible due to technical problems and the patient was transferred to a conventional electrophysiology lab to complete the ablation following our predefined bailout procedure. Seven out of nine patients were in sinus rhythm at the start of the procedure, one in nodal rhythm with atrial bigeminy, one patient required electrical cardioversion for atrial fibrillation prior to the procedure. No periprocedural complications occurred. Conclusion CMR guided typical atrial flutter ablation in a transformed pre-existing MRI suite using active catheter tracking and a dedicated EAM system is feasible and safe based on this small population. It allows for detailed visualisation of catheters and individual patients anatomy. Further studies in larger patient populations are required to evaluate whether iCMR is cost effective and can improve clinical outcome of typical atrial flutter ablation and other arrhythmias.