Operative variables and in-hospital outcomes
coronary injury, aortic annuloplasty, impingement, patent foramen ovale
CARDIOPULMONARY, AORTIC REGURGITATION
In both groups, concomitant procedures predominantly involved the mitral valve (12.3%, 20 of 159 for PEARS and 11.3%, 16 of 142 for VSRR). Cardiopulmonary bypass was used in 18.3% (24 of 131) of uncomplicated isolated aortic PEARS cases. For patients undergoing VSRR, 57% were operated via the reimplantation/David technique and 37.4% underwent remodelling with aortic annuloplasty. Average aortic cross-clamp time was 138±33 min with nine patients requiring an additional clamping session. Nearly two-thirds (65.5%) of patients undergoing VSRR did not require cusp repair, while one cusp was repaired in 21.1%, most commonly via central free-margin plication. An overview of operative variables is shown in Operative variablesCABG, coronary artery bypass graft; CPB, cardiopulmonary bypass; PEARS, personalised external aortic root support; PFO, patent foramen ovale; VSRR, valve-sparing root replacement.In two patients scheduled for PEARS, an intraoperative conversion to VSRR was performed as the aorta was deemed too fragile (n=1), or after coronary injury occurred (n=1). As patients are entered into the AVIATOR Database by completed procedure, we did not capture conversions during intended VSRR. Seven (4.4%) patients undergoing PEARS needed an intraoperative or postoperative intervention for coronary injury or impingement (In-hospital and postoperative outcomes for total and matched populationContinuous variables compared using Mann-Whitney U test, categorical variables via χAR, aortic regurgitation; Asc, ascending aorta; AV, aortic valve; PEARS, personalised external aortic root support; VSRR, valve-sparing root replacement.
