| 1. |
- Geirsson, Arnar, et al.
(författare)
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Hospital volumes and later year of operation correlates with better outcomes in acute Type A aortic dissection
- 2018
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. - : Oxford University Press. - 1010-7940 .- 1873-734X. ; 53:1, s. 276-281
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Acute Type A aortic dissection remains a life-threatening disease, but there are indications that its surgical mortality is decreasing. The aim of this report was to study how surgical mortality has changed and what influences those changes.METHODS: Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection is a retrospective database comprising 1159 patients (mean age 61.6 ± 12.2 years, 68% male) treated for acute Type A aortic dissection at 8 centres in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden from 2005 to 2014. Data gathered included demographics, symptoms, type of procedure, complications and 30-day mortality.RESULTS: The annual number of operations increased significantly from 85 in 2005 to 150 in 2014 (P < 0.001). Chest pain was present in 85% of patients, 24% were hypotensive on presentation and 28% had malperfusion syndrome. Open distal anastomosis technique under hypothermic circulatory arrest was used in 85% of cases and its use increased significantly throughout the study. The 30-day mortality decreased from 24% in 2005 to 13% in 2014 (P = 0.003). Independent predictors for 30-day mortality were preoperative cardiac arrest, malperfusion syndrome, Penn Class C, Penn Class B and C and cardiopulmonary bypass time, whereas later calendar year and higher hospital operative volumes predicted improved survival.CONCLUSIONS: Surgical mortality for acute Type A aortic dissection remains high but has decreased significantly over the last decade. This correlated with later year of operation and increased the number of operations performed per year, indicating that cumulative surgical experience contributes significantly to improved surgical outcomes.
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| 2. |
- Geirsson, Arnar, et al.
(författare)
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The Nordic Consortium for Acute type A Aortic Dissection (NORCAAD) : objectives and design
- 2016
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1401-7431 .- 1651-2006. ; 50:5-6, s. 334-340
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection (NORCAAD) is a collaborative effort of Nordic cardiac surgery centers to study acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). Here, we outline the overall objectives and the design of NORCAAD.Design: NORCAAD currently consists of eight centers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. Data was collected for patients undergoing surgery for ATAAD from 2005 to 2014. A total of 194 variables were retrospectively collected including demographics, past medical history, preoperative medications, symptoms at presentation, operative variables, complications, bleeding and blood transfusions, need for late reoperations, 30-day mortality and long-term survival.Results: Information was gathered in the database for 1159 patients, of which 67.6% were male. The mean age was 61.5 +/- 12.1 years. The mean follow-up was 3.1 +/- 2.9 years with a total of 3535 patient years.Conclusions: NORCAAD provides a foundation for close collaboration between cardiac surgery centers in the Nordic countries. Substudies in progress include: short-term outcomes, long-term survival, time interval from diagnosis until operation, effects of surgical techniques, malperfusion syndrome, renal failure, bleeding and neurological complications on outcomes and the rate of late reoperations.
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| 3. |
- Ahlsson, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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A Swedish consensus on the surgical treatment of concomitant atrial fibrillation
- 2012
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal. - London, United Kingdom : Informa Healthcare. - 1401-7431 .- 1651-2006. ; 46:4, s. 212-218
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia among patients scheduled for open heart surgery and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. According to international guidelines, symptomatic and selected asymptomatic patients should be offered concomitant surgical AF ablation in conjunction with valvular or coronary surgery. The gold standard in AF surgery is the Cox Maze III ("cut-and-sew") procedure, with surgical incisions in both atria according to a specified pattern, in order to prevent AF reentry circuits from developing. Over 90% of patients treated with the Cox Maze III procedure are free of AF after 1 year. Recent developments in ablation technology have introduced several energy sources capable of creating nonconducting atrial wall lesions. In addition, simplified lesion patterns have been suggested, but results with these techniques have been unsatisfactory. There is a clear need for standardization in AF surgery. The Swedish Arrhythmia Surgery Group, represented by surgeons from all Swedish units for cardiothoracic surgery, has therefore reached a consensus on surgical treatment of concomitant AF. This consensus emphasizes adherence to the lesion pattern in the Cox Maze III procedure and the use of biatrial lesions in nonparoxysmal AF.
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| 4. |
- Fengsrud, Espen, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Total endoscopic ablation of patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation : a randomized controlled study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. - Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press. - 1569-9293 .- 1569-9285. ; 23:2, s. 292-298
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Total endoscopic ablation of atrial fibrillation is an alternative to catheter ablation, but its clinical role needs further evaluation. The aim of this study was to compare total endoscopic ablation with rate control in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation and to examine the effect of endoscopic ablation on heart rhythm, symptoms, physical working capacity and myocardial function during 1 year of follow-up.Methods: In a prospective controlled study, 36 patients aged >50 years with symptomatic long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation were randomized to either total endoscopic ablation (n = 17, after two drop-outs before ablation n = 15) or rate control therapy (n = 19). In the ablation group, a box lesion encircling the pulmonary veins was performed, using temperature-controlled radiofrequency energy. Loop recorders were implanted in all patients. Echocardiography and quality-of-life assessment were performed at 6 and 12 months, and physical working capacity assessment at 6 months.Results: There was no mortality or thromboembolic event. In the control group, all patients were in permanent atrial fibrillation during 12 months of follow-up. In the ablation group, the proportion of patients in sinus rhythm without antiarrhythmic drugs was 12/15 (80%) at 12 months. The median freedom of atrial fibrillation at 3-12 months was 95% in the ablation group and the proportion of patients with an atrial fibrillation burden of <5% at 3-12 months was 8/15 (53%). The left ventricular ejection fraction increased during follow-up in the ablation group compared with the control group (from 53.7 ± 8.6 to 58.8 ± 6.5%, P = 0.003), combined with a reduction in the left atrial area (from 29.2 ± 5.5 to 27.2 ± 6.3 cm(2), P = 0.002). The physical working capacity increased in the ablation group compared with the control group (from 94 ± 21.4 to 102.9 ± 14.4%, P = 0.011). The subjective physical and mental capacity scale also improved during follow-up in the ablation group, but not in the control group (P =0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusions: Total endoscopic ablation in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation significantly reduced atrial fibrillation burden 12 months after intervention compared with controls. The left ventricular function, physical working capacity and subjective physical and mental health were improved. These results need to be confirmed in larger randomized trials.
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| 5. |
- Olsson, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Medium-term survival after surgery for acute Type A aortic dissection is improving
- 2017
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. - : Oxford University Press. - 1010-7940 .- 1873-734X. ; 52:5, s. 852-857
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To report long-term survival and predictors of mortality in patients included in a large, contemporary, multicentre, multinational database: Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection (NORCAAD), which consists of 8 centres in 4 Nordic countries.METHODS: Currently, NORCAAD includes 1159 patients operated between 2005 and 2014. In 30-day survivors (n = 955, 82%), the Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard methods were used to analyse medium-term (up to 8 years) survival and relative survival versus a matched normal population. Pre- and intraoperative predictors were expressed as hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).RESULTS: Cumulative follow-up was 3514 patient-years with a median of 3.2 years (range 0-10.2 years). Survival was 95% (95% CI 93-96) at 1 year, 86% (95% CI 83-88) at 5 years and 76% (95% CI 72-81) at 8 years. Relative survival versus a matched normal population was 95% (95% CI 94-97) at 1 year, 90% (95% CI 87-93) at 5 years and 85% (95% CI 80-90) at 8 years. In multivariable analysis, increased age (HR 1.05 per year, 95% CI 1.04-1.07), previous abdominal or thoracic aortic repair (HR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.4) and chronic renal disease (HR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2-6.2) were associated with increased medium-term mortality. Open distal anastomosis (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.35-0.87) and operation in the 2010-2014 period (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.97) were associated with decreased medium-term mortality.CONCLUSIONS: Medium-term survival after acute Type A aortic dissection in the NORCAAD registry is satisfactory, close to a matched normal population and improved in the later part of the study period. The use of open distal anastomosis was associated with decreased medium-term mortality.
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| 6. |
- Ahlsson, Anders, 1962-
(författare)
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Atrial fibrillation in cardiac surgery
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia seen in clinical practice. In cardiac surgery, one-third of the patients experience episodes of AF during the first postoperative days (postoperative AF), and patients with preoperative AF (concomitant AF) can be offered ablation procedures in conjunction with surgery, in order to restore ordinary sinus rhythm (SR). The aim of this work was to study the relation between postoperative AF and inflammation; the long-term consequences of postoperative AF on mortality and late arrhythmia; and atrial function after concomitant surgical ablation for AF. In 524 open-heart surgery patients, C-reactive protein (CRP) serum concentrations were measured before and on the third day after surgery. There was no correlation between levels of CRP and the development of postoperative AF. All 1,419 patients with no history of AF, undergoing primary aortocoronary bypass surgery (CABG) in the years 1997–2000 were followed up after 8.0 years. The mortality rate was 191 deaths/1,000 patients (19.1%) in patients with no AF and 140 deaths/419 patients (33.4%) in patients with postoperative AF. Postoperative AF was an age-independent risk factor for late mortality, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.56 (95% CI 1.23–1.98). Postoperative AF patients had a more than doubled risk of death due to cerebral ischaemia, myocardial infarction, sudden death, and heart failure compared with patients without AF. All 571 consecutive patients undergoing primary CABG during the years 1999–2000 were followed-up after 6 years. Questionnaires were obtained from 91.6% of surviving patients and an electrocardiogram (ECG) from 88.3% of all patients. In postoperative AF patients, 14.1% had AF at follow-up, compared with 2.8% of patients with no AF at surgery (p<.001). An episode of postoperative AF was found to be an independent risk factor for development of late AF, with an adjusted risk ratio (RR) of 3.11 (95% CI 1.41–6.87). Epicardial microwave ablation was performed in 20 open-heart surgery patients with concomitant AF. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. At 12 months postoperatively 14/19 patients (74%) were in SR with no anti-arrhythmic drugs. All patients in SR had preserved left and right atrial filling waves (A-waves) and Tissue velocity echocardiography (TVE) showed preserved atrial wall velocities and atrial strain. In conclusion, postoperative AF is an independent risk factor for late mortality and later development of AF. There is no correlation between the inflammatory marker CRP and postoperative AF. Epicardial microwave ablation of concomitant AF results in SR in the majority of patients and seems to preserve atrial mechanical function.
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| 7. |
- Ahlsson, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Kirurgisk behandling av förmaksflimmer i samband med hjärtkirurgi [Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation in connection with cardiac surgery] : konsensusrapport från Sveriges arytmiansvariga hjärtkirurger [Consensus report from Swedish cardiac surgeons responsible for arrhythmia]
- 2012
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - Stockholm : Läkartidningen Förlag AB. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 109:5, s. 214-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Förmaksflimmer är vanligt och förekommer hos 6–10 procent av de patienter som ska genomgå kranskärlsoperation eller klaffkirurgi. Kirurgisk ablation av förmaksflimmer i samband med kranskärlsoperation eller klaffkirurgi bör erbjudas alla symtomatiska och utvalda asymtomatiska patienter. Cox-maze III (labyrintoperation) är den metod som gett bäst resultat vad avser frihet från förmaksflimmer 1 år efter ingreppet.Under senare år har flera nya metoder utvecklats för att åstadkomma elektriskt isolerande lesioner i hjärtats förmak. Dessa är tekniskt enklare och mindre invasiva. De är dock behäftade med sämre resultat än den ursprungliga Cox-maze III-operationen. Arytmiansvariga kirurger på landets samtliga hjärtkirurgiska kliniker har nått samstämmighet om hur förmaksflimmer bör behandlas i samband med annan hjärtkirurgi. Denna konsensus, vilken presenteras här, betonar vikten av att vid kirurgisk ablation följa lesionsmönstret i Cox-maze III och helst behandla både höger och vänster förmak för bästa långtidsresultat.
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| 8. |
- Ahlsson, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation have a doubled cardiovascular mortality
- 2009
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Ingår i: Scandinavian cardiovascular journal : SCJ. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-2006 .- 1401-7431. ; 43:5, s. 330-336
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of postoperative AF on late mortality and cause of death in CABG patients.DESIGN: All CABG patients without preoperative AF surgically treated between January 1, 1997 and June 30, 2000 were included (N = 1419). Altogether, 419 patients (29.5%) developed postoperative AF. After a median follow-up of 8.0 years, survival data were obtained, causes of death were compared and Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine predictors of late mortality.RESULTS: The total mortality was 140 deaths/419 patients (33.4%) in postoperative AF patients and 191 deaths/1 000 patients (19.1%) in patients without AF. Death due to cerebral ischemia (2.6% vs. 0.5%), myocardial infarction (7.4% vs. 3.0%), sudden death (2.6% vs. 0.9%), and heart failure (6.7% vs. 2.7%) was more common among postoperative AF patients. Postoperative AF was an age-independent risk indicator for late mortality with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.56 (95% confidence interval 1.23-1.98).CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative AF is an age-independent risk factor for late mortality in CABG patients, explained by an increased risk of cardiovascular death.
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| 9. |
- Ahlsson, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass surgery carries an eightfold risk of future atrial fibrillation and a doubled cardiovascular mortality
- 2010
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1010-7940 .- 1873-734X. ; 37:6, s. 1353-1359
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: This article presents a study of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) and its long-term effects on mortality and heart rhythm.METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 571 patients with no history of AF who underwent primary aortocoronary bypass surgery from 1999 to 2000. Postoperative AF occurred in 165/571 patients (28.9%). After a median follow-up of 6 years, questionnaires were obtained from 91.6% of surviving patients and an electrocardiogram (ECG) from 88.6% of all patients. Data from hospitalisations due to arrhythmia or stroke during follow-up were analysed. The causes of death were obtained for deceased patients.RESULTS: In postoperative AF patients, 25.4% had atrial fibrillation at follow-up compared with 3.6% of patients with no AF at surgery (p<0.001). An episode of postoperative AF was the strongest independent risk factor for development of late AF, with an adjusted risk ratio of 8.31 (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.20-16.43). Mortality was 29.7% (49 deaths/165 patients) in the AF group and 14.8% (60 deaths/406 patients) in the non-AF group (p<0.001). Death due to cerebral ischaemia was more common in the postoperative AF group (4.2% vs 0.2%, p<0.001), as was death due to myocardial infarction (6.7% vs 3.0%, p=0.041). Postoperative AF was an age-independent risk factor for late mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.57 (95% CI 1.05-2.34).CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative AF patients have an eightfold increased risk of developing AF in the future, and a doubled long-term cardiovascular mortality.
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| 10. |
- Fengsrud, Espen, 1970-
(författare)
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Atrial fibrillation : endoscopic ablation and postoperative studies
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure and cardiovascular death. Initial treatment focuses on rhythm or rate control and anticoagulation after risk assessment. Catheter abla-tion (CA) is an option in highly symptomatic patients but is less effective in long-standing persistent AF(LSPAF). Total endoscopic ablation is an alternative, but its clinical role needs further evaluation. In patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass graft (CABG) surgery, up to 9 % present with preoperative AF. One-third experience postoperative AF, which is associated with increased hospital stay, risk of stroke and decreased long-term survival. The long-term effects on heart rhythm have not been studied.Methods and Results: 571 patients undergoing CABG from 1999 to 2000 were followed for six years. Postoperative AF was the strongest independent risk factor for late AF and an age-independent risk factor for late mortality. 615 pa-tients from the same cohort, including patients with preoperative AF, were fol-lowed up at 15 years. Death due to cerebral ischaemia, heart failure and sudden death were most common in the pre- and postoperative AF groups. The presence of pre- or postoperative AF was an independent risk factor for late mortality.In our first ten patients, total endoscopic ablation of AF using a right-sided unilateral approach was feasible and safe with acceptable results. 36 patients with symptomatic LSPAF were then randomized to total endoscopic ablation or rate control. Loop recorders were implanted in all patients. In the control group, all patients were in permanent AF for 12 months. In the ablation group, 12/15 patients (80%) were in SR without antiarrhythmic drugs at 12 months. Median freedom of AF at 3–12 months was 95%, and 8/15 (53%) had an AF burden of < 5%. Myocardial function, physical working capacity(PWC) and subjective physical and mental health improved.Conclusions: Postoperative AF patients have an eightfold increased risk of future AF and a doubled long-term cardiovascular mortality. Both pre- or post-operative AF in CABG patients is a major risk factor for late cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Total endoscopic ablation of AF is feasible and safe. In patients with LSPAF, it significantly reduced AF burden at 12 months compared with controls. Myocardial function, PWC and subjective physical and mental health improved.
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