No abstract

These data suggest a trend towards long-term benefit in patients surviving high-risk surgery for LVFWR repair. Considering the high lethality of LVFWR, the urgency and complexity of the primary surgical intervention early diagnosis and prompt surgery play a key role in the management of this complication.

A significant reduction in transfusion rate and a significant increase in hemoglobin values were observed in the erythropoietin group. No adverse events related to erythropoietin administration were recorded. A very short preoperative erythropoietin administration seems to be a safe and easy method to reduce the need for blood transfusions.

Diabetes is an independent risk factor for early cardiac death only. Long-term survival in patients who survive the first 30 days is not statistically significantly different for diabetic and nondiabetic patients. In fact, the rates appear very similar.

IMPORTANCE Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a rare but life-threatening mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction associated with high mortality despite prompt treatment. Surgery represents the standard of care; however, only small single-center series or national registries are usually available in literature, whereas international multicenter investigations have been poorly carried out, therefore limiting the evidence on this topic. OBJECTIVESTo assess the clinical characteristics and early outcomes for patients who received surgery for postinfarction VSR and to identify factors independently associated with mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Mechanical Complications of Acute Myocardial Infarction: an International Multicenter Cohort (CAUTION) Study is a retrospective multicenter international cohort study that includes patients who were treated surgically for mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction. The study was conducted from January 2001 to December 2019 at 26 different centers worldwide among 475 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for postinfarction VSR. EXPOSURES Surgical treatment of postinfarction VSR, independent of the technique, alone or combined with other procedures (eg, coronary artery bypass grafting). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was early mortality; secondary outcomes were postoperative complications. RESULTSOf the 475 patients included in the study, 290 (61.1%) were men, with a mean (SD) age of 68.5 (10.1) years. Cardiogenic shock was present in 213 patients (44.8%). Emergent or salvage surgery was performed in 212 cases (44.6%). The early mortality rate was 40.4% (192 patients), and it did not improve during the nearly 20 years considered for the study (median [IQR] yearly mortality, 41.7% [32.6%-50.0%]). Low cardiac output syndrome and multiorgan failure were the most common causes of death (low cardiac output syndrome, 70 [36.5%]; multiorgan failure, 53 [27.6%]). Recurrent VSR occurred in 59 participants (12.4%) but was not associated with mortality. Cardiogenic shock (survived: 95 [33.6%]; died, 118 [61.5%]; P < .001) and early surgery (time to surgery Ն7 days, survived: 105 [57.4%]; died, 47 [35.1%]; P < .001) were associated with lower survival. At multivariate analysis, older age (odds ratio [