Rapid-Deployment Aortic Valve Replacement for a Hemodialysis Patient with Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: Aortic valve reoperation increases the risk of mortality and morbidity. The 2017 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for managing valvular heart disease with a previous heart surgery and intact bypass grafts consider patients with high surgical risk to be injury-prone during sternotomy. In high-risk patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting, several authors have reported the noninferiority or superiority of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) compared with surgical aortic valve replacement; however, in Japan, TAVR cannot be performed for patients on hemodialysis. In this study, we report a case of successful implantation of the new rapid-deployment bioprosthesis in a 65-year-old Japanese man on dialysis with prior coronary artery bypass grafting.

METHODS: The rapid-deployment aortic valve system has demonstrated excellent hemodynamic performance, durability, and safety. However, implantation requires specific training and the analysis of preoperative 3D computed tomographic imaging. The cineangiography revealed patency of all grafts, and the saphenous vein graft (SVG) had overlapped the planned aortotomy position. By avoiding the anastomotic part of the SVG, we could perform rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement efficiently even if the aortic incision was repositioned, and the incision was smaller than planned.

RESULTS: We used the 23-mm Intuity valve without an additional stitch, and the cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times were only 52 and 39 minutes, respectively.

CONCLUSION: This novel valve may be beneficial in complex combinational procedures for hemodialysis patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting.