Biomedical subjects

Eija Niemelä

Publications and source records attributed to Eija Niemelä.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Postoperative stroke after off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The value of off-pump over conventional coronary artery bypass surgery in reducing the risk of postoperative stroke is controversial. This issue has been evaluated in light of our recent clinical experience. METHODS: Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery was performed in 557 patients, and conventional coronary artery bypass surgery was performed in 445 patients. Preoperative stroke risk was calculated according to the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group stroke risk-scoring method. RESULTS: Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery was associated with a lower but not significant rate of postoperative stroke in the overall series (1.8% vs 2.5%, P = .45), a difference that slightly increased in the highest tertile of the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group score (2.8% vs 4.2%, P = .75). The postoperative stroke rate was significantly lower when the operation was performed by off-pump coronary artery bypass surgeons using routinely epiaortic ultrasonographic scanning compared with conventional coronary artery bypass surgeons not using epiaortic ultrasonographic scanning (0.4% vs 3.9%, P = .015). The Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group score (mean, 4.6 +/- 2.1 vs 4.9 +/- 2.2; P = .189) was similar in these groups. Logistic regression showed that when adjusted for Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group stroke risk score and critical preoperative status, the treatment approach (off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery and routine epiaortic ultrasonographic scanning) was an independent predictor of postoperative stroke (P = .012; odds ratio, 34.1; 95% confidence interval, 2.2-533.7). CONCLUSIONS: The neuroprotective efficacy of off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery is marginal compared with that of conventional coronary artery bypass surgery. A decreased risk of postoperative stroke after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery is expected, mostly in high-risk patients and when epiaortic ultrasonographic examination is routinely used for better planning of operative strategy, aiming to minimize the risk of intraoperative embolism.

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PubMed2006

Leukocyte filtration to decrease the number of adherent leukocytes in the cerebral microcirculation after a period of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest induce a systemic inflammatory response, including a cascade of leukocyte and endothelial cell activity, during the postischemic reperfusion phase. Accumulation of leukocytes in the brain can lead to neurologic problems after cardiac surgery. The beneficial effects of a leukocyte-depleting filter have been documented, but because of contradictory results the underlying function of the filter remains unclear. METHODS: Twenty-two juvenile piglets (6 to 8 weeks) were randomly assigned to undergo cardiopulmonary bypass with or without a leukocyte-depleting filter 60 minutes before and 60 minutes after a 75-minute hypothermic circulatory arrest at 18 degrees C. The cerebral vessels were visualized with intravital microscopy through a cranial window placed over the parietal cortex. Rhodamine staining was used to observe adherent and rolling leukocytes in the cerebral postcapillary venules. The animals were electively killed 1 hour after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the study groups regarding hemodynamic data. Numbers of adherent activated leukocytes were lower in the leukocyte filtration group, reaching borderline statistical significance when assessed throughout the experiment (between-groups P = .069) and actual statistical significance when assessed during the rewarming period (between-groups P = .029). CONCLUSION: The leukocyte-depleting filter succeeded in reducing the number of adherent leukocytes during the reperfusion period in an experimental operation with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Such a filter thus could mitigate cerebral reperfusion injury after cardiac surgery.

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PubMed2006

Predictors of diseased ascending aorta in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the preoperative risk factors associated with increased prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions of the ascending aorta among patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). MATERIAL AND METHODS: OPCAB was performed in 241 patients who were intraoperatively investigated by epiaortic ultrasound for the presence of atherosclerotic lesions of the ascending aorta. The Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group (NNECVDSG) and the Multicenter Study of Perioperative Ischemia (McSPI) stroke risk scores were retrospectively calculated. RESULTS: A diseased ascending aorta was detected by intraoperative epiaortic ultrasound in 74 patients (30.7%). Patient's age (P = .002, odds ratio [OR] 1.067, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.025-1.110), diabetes (P = .023; OR, 2.211; 95% CI, 1.117-4.378), extracardiac arteriopathy (P = .014; OR, 2.567; 95% CI, 1.214-5.428) and urgent/emergency operation (P < .0001; OR, 3.066; 95% CI, 1.685-5.580) were independent preoperative predictors of a diseased ascending aorta. The area under the ROC curve of the NNECVDSG score in predicting a diseased ascending aorta was 0.710 (95% CI, 0.642-0.778), and that of the McSPI score was 0.722 (95% CI, 0.655-0.788). The prevalence of a diseased ascending aorta was 11.2%, 34.7%, and 49.4% among the NNECVDSG score tertiles (P < .0001), and 11.3%, 31.7%, and 49.4% among the McSPI score tertiles (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the reported high incidence of a diseased ascending aorta in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. Current stroke risk scores, particularly the simple NNECVDSG score, are valuable predictors of increased prevalence of a diseased ascending aorta.

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