Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Fred H Edwards

Publications and source records attributed to Fred H Edwards.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Invited commentary.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗

Trends in emergency coronary artery bypass grafting after percutaneous coronary intervention, 1994-2003.

BACKGROUND: In the last decade, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has undergone profound changes in techniques used to achieve revascularization and in patient selection. We examine trends in emergency surgical revascularization after PCI. METHODS: Using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Surgery Database, we examined patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting within 6 hours of PCI from 1994 to 2003. Stratifying into groups of patients who had and had not suffered myocardial infarction within 24 hours of PCI followed by coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), we tracked trends in characteristics, predicted risk, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The proportion of isolated CABG procedures done emergently after PCI decreased over 1994 to 1999 from 3,357 of 115,679 (2.9%) to 1,227 of 155,831 (0.8%), remaining stable through 2003. Those suffering myocardial infarction within 24 hours made up a constant proportion of isolated CABG as emergency after PCI (3,352 of 1,042,864; 0.3%) since 1997. Over the decade, the preoperative risk profile worsened, including more elderly patients and more with cerebrovascular disease and congestive heart failure. Operative mortality among these patients has risen with time (from 8.0% to 9.3%; p < 0.0001 for trend), particularly in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (from 14.1% to 16.6%; p < 0.0001 for trend). Similarly, postoperative complications have increased over time, most notably seen in the need for reoperation (10.62% to 24.56%), prolonged postoperative ventilation (25.65% to 54.58%), and renal failure (10.22% to 18.55%). CONCLUSIONS: In 2005, there remains a low but real need for emergent CABG after PCI, in which operative outcomes are less than ideal, especially in the postinfarction patient, representing an area for cross-specialty collaboration.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

Determinants of operative mortality in valvular heart surgery.

OBJECTIVE: In some respects, outcome reporting in valvular surgery has been hampered by focusing on specific populations, reluctance to publish high-risk subgroups, and possibly skewed or inadequate samples. The goal of this study was to evaluate risk factors for operative mortality comprehensively across the entire spectrum of cardiac valvular procedures over the past decade. METHODS: All 409,904 valve procedures in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database performed between 1994 and 2003 were assessed, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons preoperative and operative variables were related to operative mortality by using a multivariable logistic regression model. Data were greater than 95% complete, and the relative importance of relevant risk factors was determined by ranking odds ratios. The analysis had a high predictive power, with a C statistic of 0.735. RESULTS: In the model, 19 variables independently influenced operative mortality (all P < .01). The most significant was nonelective (acute) presentation (odds ratios, 2.11), followed by advanced age (odds ratios, 1.88), reoperation (odds ratios, 1.61), endocarditis (odds ratios, 1.59), and coronary disease (odds ratios, 1.58). Generally, valve replacement was associated with higher mortality than repair (odds ratios, 1.52). Overall, female gender was very important (odds ratios, 1.37), and earlier year of operation increased risk (odds ratios, 1.34), implying improving outcomes over time. Although any single comorbidity, on average, was only moderately contributory (odds ratios, 1.19), specific comorbidities, such as renal failure, or multiple comorbidities in a given patient could be very significant. Aortic root reconstruction carried the highest risk (odds ratios, 2.78), followed by tricuspid valve surgery (odds ratios, 2.26), multiple valve procedures (odds ratios, 2.06), and then isolated mitral (odds ratios, 1.47), pulmonic (odds ratios, 1.29), and aortic (reference procedure) operations. Reduced ejection fraction and severity of valve lesion were relatively less important (odds ratios, 1.34 and 0.83, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These data illustrate the significance of acute presentation in determining operative risk, and earlier surgical intervention under elective conditions might be emphasized for all types of significant valve lesions. Because aortic root reconstruction doubles mortality compared with simple aortic valve procedures, root replacement should be reserved for specific root pathology. Finally, issues related to reoperation, endocarditis, valve repair, gender, and the various procedures deserve more detailed examination.

Aged↗

Papillary fibroelastoma presenting as left ventricular mass.

A 38-year-old woman presented with chest pain. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed a mobile mass in the left ventricle, attached to the posterior papillary muscle of the mitral valve without valvular involvement. The tumor was resected. Histopathology confirmed the tumor as papillary fibroelastoma. Our case highlights an atypical presentation of papillary fibroelastoma.

Adult↗

Relationship between race and mortality and morbidity after valve replacement surgery.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that black race is an independent predictor of increased operative mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery. Given the higher incidence of hypertension and hypertension-associated left ventricular hypertrophy in blacks, we hypothesized that black race might be associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity after aortic valve replacement (AVR) or mitral valve replacement (MVR). We could not identify a previous study that used a multivariable model to evaluate the association between race and operative mortality after AVR or MVR. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Database was used for a retrospective review of 3137 black and 46,249 white patients who underwent MVR alone or AVR alone from 1999 through 2002. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between race and mortality and 6 other adverse outcomes (stroke, renal failure, prolonged ventilation, prolonged postoperative stay, sternal infection, and bleeding) after adjustment for covariates. Unadjusted operative mortality for MVR only was 5.60% for blacks versus 6.18% for whites (OR 0.90 [95% CI 0.71 to 1.14]) and 4.60% for blacks versus 3.62% for whites for AVR only (OR 1.28 [95% CI 1.02 to 1.62]). After adjustment for other risk factors, black race was not a significant predictor of operative mortality after AVR or MVR; however, black race was associated with an increased risk of several complications: prolonged ventilation after AVR or MVR, postoperative stay >14 days after AVR or MVR, reoperation for bleeding after AVR, and postoperative renal failure after MVR. There was no significant association between race and the risk of stroke or deep sternal wound infection for either AVR or MVR. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to previously published results that defined race as an independent risk factor for operative mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery, race does not appear to be a significant predictor of operative mortality after isolated AVR or MVR; however, there is evidence of an association between race and certain complications.

Black or African American↗

Gender-specific practice guidelines for coronary artery bypass surgery: perioperative management.

Gender differences in coronary bypass surgery have been the focus of numerous publications in recent years. Unfortunately these publications have contradictions that leave surgeons with conflicting recommendations for care. To help resolve these inconsistencies, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on Evidence-Based Surgery has carried out an objective review of published information in this field. The STS Workforce recognizes that there are important gender issues associated with referral bias, the impact of body size, psychosocial factors, and postoperative support, but the intent of this guideline is to focus specifically on perioperative management. As with all practice guidelines, our goal is to gather the most important information, analyze the information in a logical and unbiased fashion, and make recommendations based solely on the available evidence.

Anemia↗

Impact of unstable angina on outcomes of transmyocardial laser revascularization combined with coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: For sole therapy transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR), unstable angina has been demonstrated to be a significant independent predictor of operative mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate the preoperative risk profile of patients undergoing TMR plus coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and to determine the impact of unstable angina on outcomes. METHODS: Using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Database from 1998 to 2003, 5,618 patients underwent TMR plus CABG. These patients were compared with 932,715 patients who underwent CABG only operations. RESULTS: The TMR plus CABG patients had a significantly higher incidence of diabetes (50% versus 34%), renal failure (7% versus 5%), peripheral vascular disease (20% versus 16%), reoperative surgery (26% versus 9%), three-vessel coronary artery disease (80% versus 71%), hyperlipidemia (73% versus 62%; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). The incidence of preoperative unstable angina was similar (46% versus 47%). The unadjusted perioperative mortality was 3.8% for TMR plus CABG patients. When unstable angina patients were removed, the observed mortality for TMR plus CABG was decreased to 2.7%. CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that patients who undergo TMR plus CABG have a higher prevalence of diffuse coronary disease based on their preoperative demographics. Despite the increased risk associated with such anatomy, the mortality rate was not significantly increased when TMR was added to CABG in an effort to provide a more complete revascularization. As was noted from the outcomes of sole therapy TMR, in unstable angina patients, TMR plus CABG carries a higher risk, but this risk is not significantly different from that of such patients treated with CABG alone.

Angina, Unstable↗

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons practice guideline series: transmyocardial laser revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic severe angina refractory to medical therapy who cannot be completely revascularized with either percutaneous catheter intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery present clinical challenges. Transmyocardial laser revascularization, either as sole therapy or as an adjunct to coronary artery bypass graft surgery, may be appropriate for some of these patients. Although transmyocardial revascularization has consistently been demonstrated as an efficacious means of relieving angina, the mechanism of its effects are still debated, and criteria for the selection of patients for this novel therapy have not been adequately defined. METHODS: We reviewed the available evidence to allow us to make recommendations for the appropriate therapeutic applications of transmyocardial revascularization following the format of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology guidelines for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Our recommendations were classified as class I, IIA, IIB, or III. For each recommendation we defined the level of supporting evidence as A, B, or C. RESULTS: We identified class I indications for transmyocardial revascularization as sole therapy and class IIA indications for transmyocardial revascularization as an adjunct to coronary artery bypass graft surgery with levels of evidence A and B, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Transmyocardial laser revascularization may be an acceptable form of therapy for selected patients: as sole therapy for a subset of patients with refractory angina and as an adjunct to coronary artery bypass graft surgery for a subset of patients with angina who cannot be completely revascularized surgically.

Angina Pectoris↗

Selecting patients with mitral regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction for isolated mitral valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines state that patients with an ejection fraction (EF) of 30% or less should not undergo mitral valve replacement for mitral regurgitation (MR). We sought to establish, using a national cardiac surgery database, whether patients with left ventricular dysfunction may safely undergo mitral valve surgery for MR, and if so, which ones. METHODS: We queried the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database to identify patients who had isolated mitral valve replacement or repair for MR between 1998 and 2001. Mortality and morbidity outcomes were compared by EF category (< or = 30% vs > 30%), and observed mortality compared by EF group, stratified by predicted risk for mortality. A classification and regression tree (CART) model was then used to determine which patient characteristics contributed most to designate the high-risk patient. RESULTS: Of the 14,582 patients who had mitral valve surgery, 727 had an EF of 30% or less and 13,855 had an EF of more than 30%. Observed mortality rates were higher for patients with an EF of 30% or less (5.4% vs 3.1%). However, for low-risk to medium-risk patients, mortality rates remained fairly constant across levels of EF. Mortality is notably increased in the high-risk patients (predicted risk > 10%). A classification tree identifies three key characteristics for high risk: age more than 75 years, renal failure, and emergent or salvage procedure. CONCLUSIONS: When the predicted mortality risk is less than 10%, EF has minimal impact on operative mortality for mitral regurgitation. In contrast to the ACC/AHA Guidelines, our data show that operative risk for mitral valve surgery is not prohibitive for most patients with ventricular dysfunction.

Aged↗

Cardiac surgery risk models: a position article.

Differences in medical outcomes may result from disease severity, treatment effectiveness, or chance. Because most outcome studies are observational rather than randomized, risk adjustment is necessary to account for case mix. This has usually been accomplished through the use of standard logistic regression models, although Bayesian models, hierarchical linear models, and machine-learning techniques such as neural networks have also been used. Many factors are essential to insuring the accuracy and usefulness of such models, including selection of an appropriate clinical database, inclusion of critical core variables, precise definitions for predictor variables and endpoints, proper model development, validation, and audit. Risk models may be used to assess the impact of specific predictors on outcome, to aid in patient counseling and treatment selection, to profile provider quality, and to serve as the basis of continuous quality improvement activities.

Bayes Theorem↗