Background: The Ross operation appears to restore normal survival in young and middle‐aged adults with aortic valve disease. However, there are limited data comparing it with conventional aortic valve replacement. Herein, we compared outcomes of the Ross procedure with mechanical and bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement (M‐AVR and B‐AVR, respectively). Methods and Results: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through March 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials and propensity score–matched studies that investigated outcomes of patients aged ≥16 years undergoing the Ross procedure, M‐AVR, or B‐AVR. The systematic literature search identified 2 randomized controlled trials and 8 propensity score–matched studies involving a total of 4812 patients (Ross: n=1991; M‐AVR: n=2019; and B‐AVR: n=802). All‐cause mortality was significantly lower in the Ross procedure group compared with M‐AVR (hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI], 0.58 [0.35–0.97]; P =0.035) and B‐AVR (HR [95% CI], 0.32 [0.18–0.59]; P <0.001) groups. The reintervention rate was lower after the Ross procedure and M‐AVR compared with B‐AVR, whereas it was higher after the Ross procedure compared with M‐AVR. Major bleeding rate was lower after the Ross procedure compared with M‐AVR. Long‐term stroke rate was lower following the Ross procedure compared with M‐AVR and B‐AVR. The rate of endocarditis was also lower after the Ross procedure compared with B‐AVR. Conclusions: Improved long‐term outcomes of the Ross procedure are demonstrated compared with conventional M‐AVR and B‐AVR options. These results highlight a need to enhance the recognition of the Ross procedure and revisit current guidelines on the optimal valve substitute for young and middle‐aged patients.

The diagnostic accuracy of bronchoscopy for detecting lung cancer, especially peripheral lung cancer with lesions outside the endoscopically visible range, remains unsatisfactory. The aim of this study was to perform next-generation sequencing on bronchoscopic specimens to determine whether this improves the accuracy of bronchoscopy for diagnosing lung cancer and to identify factors influencing sensitivity. The bronchoscopic sensitivity for diagnosing lung cancer was initially evaluated in 191 patients who underwent lobectomy after bronchoscopy at our hospital. Sputum, bronchial wash fluid, and resected lung cancer specimens were subsequently collected from 18 patients with peripheral small cell lung cancer for genomic analysis. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical tissue specimens and the supernatant and cell fractions of sputum and bronchial wash fluid. Deep sequencing was performed using a lung cancer panel covering all exons of 53 lung cancer-related genes. The bronchoscopic sensitivity for diagnosing lung cancer at our hospital was 60.7%. Multivariate analysis revealed that this was influenced by tumor size and location, but not histological type or lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity was the highest for biopsy followed by curettage and bronchial wash specimens. DNA mutations homologous to those identified in the primary lesions were detected in the bronchial wash fluid of 10 patients (55.6%), while only 2 patients (11.1%) were diagnosed with lung cancer based on conventional cytological examinations. In conclusion, the addition of genomic analysis to routine pathological examinations improves the diagnostic accuracy of bronchoscopy.

Background: The optimal nadir temperature for hypothermic circulatory arrest during aortic arch surgery remains unclear. We aimed to assess and compare clinical outcomes of all three temperature strategies (deep, moderate, and mild hypothermia) using a network meta-analysis.Methods: After literature search with MEDLINE and EMBASE through December 2021, studies comparing clinical outcomes with deep (28°C) hypothermic circulatory arrest were included. The outcomes of interest were perioperative mortality, stroke, transient ischemia attack (TIA), acute kidney injury (AKI), postoperative bleeding, operative time, and length of hospital stay.Results: Twenty-four comparative studies were identified, including 6018 patients undergoing aortic arch surgery using hypothermic circulatory arrest (deep: 2,978, moderate: 2,525, and mild: 515). Compared to deep hypothermia, mild and moderate hypothermia were associated with lower mortality (mild vs. deep: odds ratio [OR] 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29–0.87, moderate vs. deep: OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.54–0.86). In addition, mild hypothermia was associated with lower stroke (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.28–0.89), AKI (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.15–0.88) and postoperative bleeding (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.31–0.97) compared to deep hypothermia. There was no significant difference between mild and moderate hypothermia in mortality, AKI or bleeding occurrence, while mild hypothermia was associated with shorter operative time and hospital stay. There was no significant difference in TIA rate among three groups.Conclusions: Mild hypothermia was associated with overall more favorable clinical outcomes with comparable neurological complications compared to deep hypothermia. Furthermore, considering the shorter operative time and hospital stay compared with moderate hypothermia, mild hypothermia may be warranted when appropriate adjunctive cerebral perfusion is employed.