Background: Although extracorporeal circulation (ECC) is routinely used during cardiac surgery, the optimal ECC cannulation strategy is still under debate. Therefore, we used our previously published miniaturized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible rabbit ECC model and conducted MRI measurements of blood flow during ante- (via ascending aorta) and retrograde (via abdominal aorta) ECC scenarios.

Background: Multiarterial off-pump coronary bypass surgery through an anterolateral minithoracotomy allows for minimally invasive revascularization (MICS CABG) in patients with coronary multi-vessel disease. The conventional single lung ventilation approach can be limited by a variety of chronic lung diseases, as well as hypoventilation and hypoxemia induced by intrapulmonary shunting, acute lung injury induced by enhanced airway pressure, and pulmonary hypertension induced by hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, particularly in case of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) harvesting.

Background: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) with minimized aortic manipulation avoids extracorporeal circulation-associated complications, and particularly stroke in patients with severe aortic atherosclerosis. While the vast majority of patients are eligible for OPCAB, patients with severely impaired left ventricular function are challenging. We report on our first series of OPCAB under Impella 5.0 support in patients with decompensating left ventricles.

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) aims at prevention of myocardial infarction, relief from angina and dyspnea, and thereby improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). To achieve a beneficial impact especially on the long-term outcome, it is crucial to early identify CABG patients at risk of impaired HRQoL. The present study was designed to determine preoperative risk factors for reduced postoperative HRQoL in a large cohort of consecutive isolated CABG patients. In particular, the significance of socio-demographic variables in comparison to medical characteristics was evaluated.

Objectives: Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for aortic valve disease. PPARγ activation has been shown to reduce the progression of native aortic valve sclerosis, while its effect on bioprosthetic valve degeneration is yet unknown. This project aims to analyze the impact of pioglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, on the degeneration of aortic valve conduits in a standardized model of heterotopic implantation in adipose hypercholesterolemic rats.