Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most frequent complication of cardiac surgery. Despite clinical and economic implications, ample variability in POAF assessment method and definition exist across studies. We performed a study‐level meta‐analysis to evaluate the influence of POAF assessment method and definition on its incidence and association with clinical outcomes. Methods and Results: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies comparing the outcomes of patients with and without POAF after cardiac surgery that also reported POAF assessment method. The primary outcome was POAF incidence. The secondary outcomes were in‐hospital mortality, stroke, intensive care unit length of stay, and postoperative length of stay. Fifty‐nine studies totaling 197 774 patients were included. POAF cumulative incidence was 26% (range: 7.3%–53.1%). There were no differences in POAF incidence among assessment methods (27%, [range: 7.3%–53.1%] for continuous telemetry, 27% [range: 7.9%–50%] for telemetry plus daily ECG, and 19% [range: 7.8%–42.4%] for daily ECG only; P >0.05 for all comparisons). No differences in in‐hospital mortality, stroke, intensive care unit length of stay, and postoperative length of stay were found between assessment methods. No differences in POAF incidence or any other outcomes were found between POAF definitions. Continuous telemetry and telemetry plus daily ECG were associated with higher POAF incidence compared with daily ECG in studies including only patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Conclusions: POAF incidence after cardiac surgery remains high, and detection rates are variable among studies. POAF incidence and its association with adverse outcomes are not influenced by the assessment method and definition used, except in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the main causes for lack of surgery in patients with infective endocarditis (IE), despite the presence of surgical indications. We aimed to evaluate the impact of early surgery in patients with IE and with ICH on postoperative neurological deterioration and all‐cause mortality and to elucidate the risk of 30‐day mortality in patients who were denied surgery. Methods and Results: Three libraries (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) were assessed. The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality, and the secondary outcome was neurological deterioration. Inverse variance method and random model were performed. We identified 16 studies including 355 patients. Nine studies examined the impact of surgical timing (early versus late) and were included in the meta‐analysis. Only one study examined the fate of patients with IE and with ICH who were treated conservatively despite having an indication for cardiac surgery, showing higher mortality rates than those who underwent surgery (11.8% versus 2.5%). We found no significant association between early surgery, regardless of its definition, and a higher mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.69; 95% CI, 0.95–3.02). Early surgery was associated with higher risk for neurological deterioration (OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.10–3.65). Conclusions: Cardiac surgery for IE within 30 days of ICH was not associated with higher mortality, but with an increased rate of neurological deterioration. The 30‐day mortality in patients with IE and with ICH who were denied surgery has not yet been sufficiently investigated. This patient group should be analyzed in future studies in more detail.

Background: Infective endocarditis represents a life‐threatening disease with high mortality rates. A fraction of patients receives exclusively conservative antibiotic treatment due to their comorbidities and high operative risk, despite fulfilling criteria for surgical therapy. The aim of the present study is to compare outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis and indication for surgical therapy in those who underwent or did not undergo valve surgery. Methods and Results: Three databases were systematically assessed. A pooled analysis of Kaplan–Meier–derived reconstructed time‐to‐event data from studies with longer follow‐up comparing conservative and surgical treatment was performed. A landmark analysis to further elucidate the effect of surgical intervention on mortality was carried out. Four studies with 3003 patients and median follow‐up time of 7.6 months were included. Overall, patients with an indication for surgery who were surgically treated had a significantly lower risk of mortality compared with patients who received conservative treatment (hazard ratio [HR], 0.27 [95% CI, 0.24–0.31], P <0.001). The survival analysis in the first year showed superior survival for patients who underwent surgery when compared with those who did not at 1 month (87.6% versus 57.6%; HR, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.26–0.37], P <0.01), at 6 months (74.7% versus 34.6%) and at 12 months (73.3% versus 32.7%). Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study‐level meta‐analysis, patients with infective endocarditis and formal indication for surgical intervention who underwent surgery are associated with a lower risk of short‐ and long‐term mortality when compared with conservative treatment.

For the 11th consecutive time, we systematically reviewed the cardio-surgical literature for the past year (2024), using the PRISMA approach for a results-oriented summary. In 2024, the discussion on the value of randomized and registry evidence increased, triggered by consistent findings in the field of coronary artery disease (CAD) and discrepant results in structural heart disease. The literature in 2024 again confirmed the excellent long-term outcomes of CABG compared with PCI in different scenarios, generating further validation for the CABG advantage reported in randomized studies. This has been reflected in the new guidelines for chronic CAD in 2024. Two studies indicate novel perspectives for CABG, showing that cardiac shockwave therapy in CABG improves myocardial function in ischemic hearts and that CABG guided by computed tomography is safe and feasible. For aortic stenosis, an early advantage for transcatheter (TAVI) compared with surgical (SAVR) treatment has found more support; however, long-term TAVI results keep being challenged, this year by new FDA and registry data in favor of SAVR. For failed aortic valves, redo-SAVR showed superior results compared with valve-in-valve TAVI. In the mitral field, studies showed short-term noninferiority for transcatheter treatment compared with surgery for secondary mitral regurgitation (MR), and significant long-term survival benefit in registries with surgery for primary MR. Finally, surgery was associated with better survival compared with medical therapy for acute type A aortic intramural hematoma. This article summarizes publications perceived as important by us. It cannot be complete nor free of individual interpretation but provides up-to-date information for patient-specific decision-making.

Background: The fibrosis‐4 index (FIB‐4) score, a noninvasive marker of subclinical liver fibrosis, has shown prognostic utility in general surgical populations. Current risk assessment models for patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting do not account for liver dysfunction apart from overt liver cirrhosis. We analyzed the distribution of the baseline FIB‐4 score and its association with all‐cause death in patients with coronary artery disease using data from the International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches (ISCHEMIA) trial. Methods: The baseline FIB‐4 score was calculated for all ISCHEMIA randomized participants with laboratory data (platelet count, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase). The primary outcome was the association between baseline FIB‐4 and all‐cause death. Secondary outcomes were cardiovascular death, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Multivariable Cox regression was performed adjusting for key risk factors. Results: The FIB‐4 score was calculated for 3735 participants. Baseline FIB‐4 score was significantly associated with an increased risk of all‐cause (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19 [95% CI, 1.07–1.32]; P =0.001) and cardiovascular death (HR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.04–1.36]; P =0.011). This association was consistent across the overall population and within subgroups of patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, and medical therapy. There was no significant association regarding heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Conclusions: The FIB‐4 score may be a significant predictor of death in patients with coronary artery disease. Preprocedural hepatic assessment should be considered to stratify risk in patients undergoing invasive cardiac procedures.

Lung transplantation is a crucial treatment for end-stage lung diseases. However, postoperative pain management remains a significant challenge. Therefore, this study aims to examine the implications of adoption cryoanalgesia on lung transplantation pain control protocol. Three databases were searched for studies comparing cryoanalgesia versus standard of care analgesia in patients after lung transplantation. The primary outcome was opioid consumption throughout the entire hospitalization, at postoperative day (POD) 7 and at POD 14 addressed with Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME). The secondary outcomes were maximum reported pain score at POD 7, hospital length of stay (LOS) and time until extubation. Mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for continuous outcomes. A total of 5 studies encompassing 485 patients undergoing lung transplantation were included, of whom 228 underwent cryoanalgesia. Compared to standard of care, cryoanalgesia demonstrated significant reduction in opioid consumption at POD 7 (MD: −96.79 MME, 95% CI −183.40 to −10.18, p=0.03), at POD 14 (MD −225,26 MME; 95% CI −366.58 to −83.94; p<0.01) and throughout the entire hospitalization (MD: −307.76 MME, 95% CI −461.72 to −153.79, p<0.01). In addition, there was a significant reduction in pain scores in the cryoanalgesia group (MD: −1.10 points, 95% CI −1.77 to −0.43, p<0.01). However, no significant differences were found regarding hospital LOS or time until extubation. This meta-analysis indicates that cryoanalgesia effectively reduces opioid requirements and pain levels in lung transplant patients.