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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;118:991-997
© 1999 Mosby, Inc.

SURGERY FOR ACQUIRED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

REOPERATIVE AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: PARTIAL UPPER HEMISTERNOTOMY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL FULL STERNOTOMY

From the Division of Cardiac Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass.

Address for reprints: John G. Byrne, MD, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115 (E-mail: JGBYRNE{at}BICS.BWH.HARVARD.EDU ).

	Abstract

Top Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion Appendix: Discussion References

 
Objective: We developed techniques for partial upper hemisternotomy for reoperative aortic valve replacement and compared the results with those of reoperative aortic valve replacement by way of conventional full resternotomy.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 19 patients who underwent conventional full sternotomy and 20 patients who underwent partial hemisternotomy for isolated elective reoperative aortic valve replacements performed between November 1996 and September 1998. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to document the differences between the groups.
Results: The 2 groups were similar with respect to age, sex, New York Heart Association functional class, valve pathologic characteristics, and numbers and types of previous operations. There were neither any operative deaths nor any postoperative valve-related morbidities in either group. There was 1 injury to a cardiac structure, which occurred in the conventional full sternotomy group. Univariable analysis documented that patients in the conventional full sternotomy group were significantly more likely to have at least 1000 mL blood loss during the first 24 hours after the operation (odds ratio 8.1, P = .02), were more likely to require transfusion of more than 5 units of packed red blood cell (odds ratio 3.6, P = .08), and were more likely to have a total operative duration longer than 5 hours (odds ratio 3.6, P = .08). In the multivariable analysis conventional full resternotomy remained a risk factor for greater blood loss (odds ratio 5.7, P = .06), greater transfusion requirement (odds ratio 2.4, P = .25), and longer total operative duration (odds ratio 7.7, P = .03).
Conclusions: Partial upper hemisternotomy for reoperative aortic valve replacement avoids unnecessary lower mediastinal dissection, thereby reducing blood loss, transfusion needs, and total operative duration. These beneficial effects, which are accomplished without compromising the efficacy of the valve operation, make the partial upper hemisternotomy an excellent alternative to conventional full resternotomy for reoperative aortic valve replacement.

	Introduction

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The most common indications for isolated reoperative aortic valve replacement (AVR) are severe calcific aortic stenosis of the native aortic valve observed years after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and structural degeneration of a bioprosthetic aortic valve. These operations are particularly challenging when they may involve patent saphenous vein grafts or left internal thoracic artery (LITA) to left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) grafts. ¹ Avoidance of dissection or injury of these patent CABG conduits and other vulnerable cardiac structures would be most desirable in these cases.

With the recent development of "minimally invasive" cardiac surgical procedures, ^2-7 we embarked on a program to develop a safe method for partial hemisternotomy for reoperative AVR. We hypothesized that this approach might avoid unnecessary surgical dissection and potential injury to cardiac structures (especially patent CABG conduits), reduce overall surgical trauma, and perhaps reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements without compromising the efficacy of the operative procedure.

	Methods

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Forty-five isolated reoperative AVRs (24 with conventional full sternotomy and 21 with upper partial hemisternotomy) were performed during a 23-month period between November 1996 and September 1998. No additional procedures, such as CABG, were performed in any cases with the exception of replacement of the aortic root in 7 patients (4 in the conventional full sternotomy group and 3 in the partial hemisternotomy group). The choice of operative approach was based on surgeon preference. Because the conventional approach was used in most urgent cases, introducing a possible selection bias, the urgent cases in both groups were excluded from analysis. Five urgent cases from the conventional full sternotomy group and 1 urgent case from the partial hemisternotomy group were thus excluded. This left 19 patients in the conventional full sternotomy group and 20 patients in the partial upper hemisternotomy group for final analysis. Tables I and II summarize the clinical characteristics of both groups in terms of age, sex, New York Heart Association functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction, presence of chronic atrial fibrillation, previous operations (including those with previous CABG), and previous AVR. There were no significant differences in any of the patient characteristics.

View larger version (52K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Previous sternotomy incision is exposed to third (or fourth) intercostal space and extended laterally to right or bilaterally, as needed, for exposure. After dissection of ascending aorta, with particular attention to position of patent CABG conduits and their proximal anastomoses, cannulation is performed (in this example, ascending aorta and innominate vein, but frequently other cannulation sites are required because of space limitations). Ascending aorta is crossclamped and AVR is conducted in standard fashion. SVG, Saphenous vein graft.

During CPB all patients were cooled to between 20°C and 25°C. No attempt was made in either group to dissect out and interrupt the LITA flow to the LAD. At 20°C to 25°C the heart fibrillates and eventually is in cardiac standstill. Venting was accomplished by means of a pediatric vent placed either through the aortic anulus or through a right superior pulmonary vein.

The AVR operation was then performed by standard techniques according to patient indications. The types of valve prosthesis used in each group are shown in Table I. After the AVR procedure intracardiac air was removed by the usual maneuvers and absence of air was documented by transesophageal echocardiography in both groups. The ascending aortic needle vent was maintained open until the patient was separated from CPB. Temporary epicardial pacing wires were placed on the anterior surface of the right ventricle before the aortic crossclamp was removed in the partial upper hemisternotomy group, with the heart completely decompressed.

Statistical methods
We looked for statistical relationships between methods and potential confounders (patient and operative characteristics) with the Fisher exact test. We needed to consider that any apparent relationship between procedure and outcome might be due to a confounding variable (a variable related both to resternotomy and to the outcome), especially since the method of resternotomy was at the surgeon’s discretion. Variables related to resternotomy at P .30 were then evaluated with the Fisher exact test for association with the 3 outcomes of interest. Variables that were also related to an outcome at P .30 were deemed confounders and were entered into multivariable logistic regression models that examined the relationship between resternotomy and each adverse outcome. Because this was a small sample, potential confounding variables were permitted to stay in the multivariate models if their P values were approximately .30 or less.

	Results

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The operative results are summarized in Tables I and III. There were neither any operative deaths nor any postoperative valve-related complications in either group. The patients who underwent conventional full sternotomy had a slightly higher rate of postoperative complications, including 2 cases of infectious complications (pulmonary sepsis and a deep sternal wound infection). Two other patients in this group had renal failure that necessitated hemodialysis. There was only 1 injury to a cardiac structure in the entire population; this occurred in the conventional full sternotomy group and was an injury of a saphenous vein graft to an obtuse marginal coronary artery that required a suture for repair. In the partial hemisternotomy group there were 2 episodes of complete heart block that necessitated placement of a pacemaker. New atrial fibrillation occurred with approximately equal frequencies in the conventional full sternotomy group (16%) and the partial hemisternotomy group (15%). There were no complications related to our technique of femorofemoral bypass.

	Discussion

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Cannulation sites varied more in the partial hemisternotomy group because of the need to be more creative as a result of space constraints in the chest. We used such cannulation sites as the axillary artery, the innominate vein, and percutaneous femoral vein insertion. ^10,11 The use of the innominate vein or the percutaneous femoral vein cannulation site has been extremely helpful in minimizing the dissection of the right atrium, which may be limited by the small upper hemisternotomy. ¹¹ The use of the transjugular retrograde cardioplegia coronary sinus catheter also limits the dissection of the right atrium.

To illustrate the utility of the smaller incision we report the cases of 2 nonagenarians, a 90-year-old man with a degenerative porcine valve 10 years after an AVR and CABG procedure and a 93-year-old man with an infected porcine valve 5 years after an AVR and CABG procedure, on whom we operated through the partial upper hemisternotomy approach. Both of these patients recovered quite smoothly after avoidance of dissection in the vicinity of the patent CABG conduits. This approach seems especially suited to elderly patients, who do not respond well to increased trauma after conventional reoperations.

Important potential confounding variables were the number and type of previous operations, aortic root replacement, aprotinin use, and the timing and duration of CPB. The multivariable analysis, however, failed to demonstrate that any of these accounted for the observed differences in blood loss, transfusions, and total operative duration. The confounders identified were cannulation sites and the use of a standard retrograde cardioplegia catheter as opposed to the transjugular Heartport catheter (Table V). These potential confounders may, however, represent surrogates for additional dissection and thus more blood loss, more transfusions, and greater operative duration.

This technique is relatively new and represents an extension of what has been termed "minimally invasive" AVR. ^4-7 Tam and colleagues, ¹² in a single case report, described a technique similar to this for reoperative AVR, with the exception that they did not extend the sternal incision laterally through 1 of the intercostal spaces. We believe that this small technical detail is important because without the controlled lateral extension subsequent sternal distortion is more likely to impair sternal reapproximation. The lateral extension, however, may compromise the right internal thoracic artery. We believe that it is highly unlikely that this conduit will be needed in subsequent CABGs. Gundry and colleagues ^4,5 reported on their experience with upper hemisternotomy for AVR and briefly described some experience with reoperations in one publication ⁴ but did not elaborate. In our experience we have not had to convert any procedure to a conventional full sternotomy if the proper precautions are taken for pre-CPB exposure of cannulation sites. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomographic scanning may be helpful to locate the level of the aortic valve and to determine the proximity of the aorta to the underside of the sternum.

The final point about myocardial protection is that it must be as meticulous as it is in any AVR. The use of the transjugular retrograde cardioplegia coronary sinus catheter has been invaluable in this regard and has allowed a seamless approach of myocardial protection after an initial dose of antegrade cold blood cardioplegia. We believe that interruption of patent LITA graft flow is not necessary for myocardial protection because the patients are cooled extensively. When the blood is extremely cold the heart usually arrests in a short period. This has been our standard approach in reoperative coronary cases with or without valve replacement. We believe that attempting to isolate the LITA graft poses considerable more difficulty than letting the LITA graft stay open and perfusing the anterior myocardium with extremely cold oxygenated blood during the procedure.

We believe that the approach of a partial upper hemisternotomy for reoperative AVR in the patient with previous CABG or AVR, whether with a prosthetic or bioprosthetic valve, avoids unnecessary surgical trauma, reduces blood loss, and reduces transfusion requirements without compromising the efficacy of the operative procedure. This technique may be a reasonable option for elective isolated reoperative AVR.

	Appendix: Discussion

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Dr William A. Gay, Jr (St Louis, Mo). Dr Byrne and associates have brought out 2 important points with this elegant presentation. The first is that reoperations on the aortic valve can safely be accomplished with a partial sternotomy. The second is that avoiding the dissection of structures caudal to the base of the heart brings about a situation with less perioperative blood loss and avoids the potential of injury to patent CABG conduits, whether these are internal thoracic arteries or saphenous veins.

A few months ago my colleagues and I reported on a series of patients undergoing reoperative AVRs, or AVRs after a previous CABG procedure, with the finding that a previous CABG operation did not adversely affect mortality rate in that group of patients. There can be no question, however, that a previous sternotomy and CABG or AVR makes the second or third or fourth operation considerably more difficult.

The surgical team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both those who did the conventional sternotomy and those who did the hemisternotomy, should be congratulated for carrying out these operations with no deaths and minimum morbidity in this difficult group of cases. Of some significance in drawing conclusions from this series of patients, however, one must realize that the decision regarding the surgical approach was based on the surgeon’s preference and that the patients were not randomly assigned to undergo a given approach versus the other. That could introduce some bias into the conclusions.

This report also emphasizes the importance of the use of transesophageal echocardiography in the operating room. The authors used this approach for the placement of the Heartport retrograde coronary sinus catheter in those patients in whom this approach was used and to ensure that all the left-sided cardiac chambers had been completely emptied of air before termination of CPB. Transesophageal echocardiography has become commonplace in most of our operating rooms today and is an invaluable tool.

Dr Byrne, I have several questions. First, in my experience blood coming back through a patent internal thoracic artery graft once an aortotomy has been performed often significantly obscures the field and the root of the aorta. You did not occlude thoracic artery grafts during the performance of AVRs, although you did cool the patient down and probably dropped the blood pressure a bit. Did you have this problem? If so, how did you deal with it?

Second, our limited experience with partial sternotomies that have been extended in T fashion into an intercostal space has resulted in an increased amount of perioperative pain when compared to a standard sternotomy incision. Did you notice this, and did you use any kind of special analgesia for your patients?

Third, was the hemisternotomy incision abandoned in any of your cases in favor of a conventional full sternotomy?

Finally, it was not clear to me how you accomplished drainage from your limited dissection and your limited incision. Did you use a standard chest tube, sump-assisted drainage, a Jackson-Pratt drain, or what?

Dr Byrne. Regarding the first question of the patent internal thoracic artery with backflow into the ascending aorta and flooding the field, we do routinely cool to 20°C for patients with patent thoracic artery grafts and are then able to turn the pump flows down and thus limit the blood flow obstruction that would be observed. I might add that we do that also for reoperative mitral valve replacements through the right side of the chest. If there is a patent thoracic artery conduit we cool to 20°C and turn the flow down to 500 or 100 mL/min, whatever flow is necessary for us to see and perform the operation.

In response to your second question, we did not measure any indices of postoperative pain. However, my overall subjective (not scientific) assessment was that there was really no particular difference in pain or pain management between the 2 groups.

As for having to abandon the minimally invasive approach for a conventional full resternotomy, that has not yet been the case although we anticipate that it may at some stage. We fortunately have not had to convert any of these procedures to conventional full reoperative sternotomy but appreciate that this may be a factor in the future, particularly if there is some bleeding problem on a reoperative upper hemiresternotomy.

Finally, for the chest tube drainage of the mediastinum and thoracic cavity we placed 2 right angle chest tubes, both through the right pleural space, but 1 was angled into the mediastinum and the other was angled down into the pleural space. So there was drainage of the mediastinum as well as drainage of the pleura. Obviously a tube cannot be placed subxiphoid because that would be right through the undissected operative field.

	Footnotes

 
Read at the Seventy-ninth Annual Meeting of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery, New Orleans, La, April 18-21, 1999.

	References

Top Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion Appendix: Discussion References

 

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2. Cohn LH, Adams DH, Couper GS, Bichell DP, Rosborough DM, Sears SP, et al. Minimally invasive cardiac valve surgery improves patient satisfaction while reducing cost of cardiac valve replacement and repair. Ann Surg 1997;226:421-8. [Medline]
   
3. Aklog L, Adams DH, Couper GS, Gobezie R, Sears S, Cohn LH. Techniques and results of direct access minimally invasive mitral valve surgery: a paradigm for the future. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1998;116:705-15. [Abstract/Free Full Text]
   
4. Gundry SR, Shattuck OH, Razzouk AJ, del Rio MJ, Sardari FF, Bailey LL. Facile minimally invasive cardiac surgery via ministernotomy. Ann Thorac Surg 1998;65:1100-4. [Abstract/Free Full Text]
   
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