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W. Gerald “Jerry” Austen, MD influential in the design and creation of a cardiopulmonary (heart-lung) bypass machine and the intra-aortic balloon pump at MGH as renowned cardiac surgeon
Curator and reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN
This article is classified in the ontology of LPBI Group’s Journal PharmaceuticalIntelligence.com under the Category of Research
Interviews with Scientific Leaders
This category includes 300 articles. LPBI Group’s will publish in July 2023 its Library of Audio Podcasts on “Interviews with Scientific Leaders.”
The presentations in the video below, about W. Gerald “Jerry” Austen, MD contributions to cardiac surgery are considered to be testimonials as well as qualify as “Interviews with a Scientific Leader” in the domains of cardiac surgery and cardiac repair medical devices with a special focus on:
cardiopulmonary (heart-lung) bypass machine, and
the intra-aortic balloon pump
On these two domains, LPBI Group had published extensively as the sources cited, below: Articles, e-Books in English and Spanish and Chapters in these book on the very specialty of Dr. Austen as included in the title of this article.
Recently, Mass General celebrated the life and legacy of W. Gerald “Jerry” Austen, MD — a renowned cardiac surgeon, beloved family man and visionary leader.
SOURCE
In Memoriam: W. Gerald Austen, MD – Mass General Giving
For 70 years, Dr. Austen was part of the Mass General community, having completed his residency at the hospital and continuing to become one of the most distinguished and well-regarded physicians in the hospital’s more than 200-year history. At 39 years old, he was named Mass General’s chief of surgical services — a position he held for nearly 29 years. Under his leadership, the Department of Surgery became one of the greatest academic departments of surgery in the country. Among his many contributions, he was influential in the design and creation of a cardiopulmonary (heart-lung) bypass machine and the intra-aortic balloon pump.
Hundreds of Dr. Austen’s closest friends, colleagues and family members gathered at Boston Symphony Hall to commemorate his legacy. A variety of speakers — from current Mass General President David F. M. Brown, MD, to former hospital President Peter Slavin, MD, and retired Chairman, President and CEO of Abiomed Mike Minogue — shared fond memories of Dr. Austen, further illustrating his unmatched and lasting impact on others.
The Mass General community will continue to mourn the loss of such a giant in the medical world and will carry on Dr. Austen’s legacy through compassionate care and an unparalleled commitment to all patients.
Susan Hockfield, ex-President of MIT delivered a speech about mechanical engineering and biomedicine, medical devices and cardiac repair devices. How proud Dr. Austen was about his MIT education and functions he fulfilled for this institutions and others.
Other related contributions on the specialty of Dr.W. Gerald “Jerry” Austen, MD – cardiac surgery are covered in e-books and articles on this Open Access Online Scientific Journal, include the following:
Articles
319 articles in the Cardiac and Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures Category
98 articles in the Aortic Valve Category
Among patients with aortic stenosis who were at intermediate surgical risk, there was no significant difference in the incidence of death or disabling stroke at 5 years after TAVR as compared with surgical aortic-valve replacement
Chapter 13: Valve Replacement, Valve Implantation and Valve Repair
13.2 Aortic Valve
13.2.1 New method for performing Aortic Valve Replacement: Transmural catheter procedure developed at NIH, Minimally-invasive tissue-crossing – Transcaval access, abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava
13.2.4 Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) vs Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI): Results Comparison for Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch (PPM) – adjusted outcomes, including mortality, heart failure (HF) rehospitalization, stroke, and quality of life, at 1 year
13.2.6 Off-Label TAVR Procedures: 1 in 10 associated with higher in-hospital 30-day mortality, 1-year mortality was similar in the Off-Label and the On-Label groups
13.2.11 One year Post-Intervention Mortality Rate: TAVR and AVR – Aortic Valve Procedures 6.7% in AVR, 11.0% in AVR with CABG, 20.7 in Transvascular (TV-TAVR) and 28.0% in Transapical (TA-TAVR) Patients
13.2.16 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covers transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) under Coverage with Evidence Development (CED)
Chapter 7: Ventricular Failure: Assist Devices, Surgical and Non-Surgical
7.1 Trends in the Industry
The Voice of Series A Content Consultant: Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC
In addition to minimally invasive treatments for coronary disease and valve disease, there are minimally invasive alternatives to heart transplant for the dangerously weak heart (extreme heart failure) which can otherwise result in Cardiogenic Shock. These involve various means to augment or complement the pumping function of the heart, such as a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) .
With respect to the performance of Mitral Valve Replacement, the current practice favors bioprosthetic valves over mechanical valve replacement for most patients, initially just used for elderly to avoid need for coumadin, but now used at younger ages due to improvements in longevity of the bioprosthetic valves, plus less damage to red cells.
7.1.2 Percutaneous Endocardial Ablation of Scar-Related Ventricular Tachycardia
7.2.4 Experimental Therapy (Left inter-atrial shunt implant device) for Heart Failure: Expert Opinion on a Preliminary Study on Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction
7.3.1 Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Decisions on implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) using left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and Midwall Fibrosis: Decisions on Replacement using late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular MR (LGE-CMR)
Chapter 11: Comparison of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) / Coronary Angioplasty
11.1 Hybrid Cath Lab/OR Suite
The Voice of Series A Content Consultant: Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC
In an uncommon reversal of opinion, the combined forces of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) reviewed compelling data and reversed a prior assessment on the need for an on-site cardiovascular surgery support for sites offering interventional cardiac catheterization. The data show that sites offering the intervention without a surgeon achieve better results that sites that ship patients out for the interventions, and that the risk without on-site thoracic surgery backup is negligible.
AHA, ACC Change in requirement for surgical support: Class IIb -> Class IIa Level of Evidence A: Supports Nonemergent PCI without Surgical Backup (Change of class IIb, level of Evidence B).
Larry H Bernstein, MD, FCAP and Justin D Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC
11.1.2 Coronary Reperfusion Therapies: CABG vs PCI – Mayo Clinic preprocedure Risk Score (MCRS) for Prediction of in-Hospital Mortality after CABG or PCI
Author and Curator: Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP and Curator: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN
11.1.6 Patients with Heart Failure & Left Ventricular Dysfunction: Life Expectancy Increased by coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery: Medical Therapy alone and had Poor Outcomes
11.2.8 CABG: a Superior Revascularization Modality to PCI in Patients with poor LVF, Multivessel disease and Diabetes, Similar Risk of Stroke between 31 days and 5 years, post intervention
JenaValve, a California-based transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) company, has found considerable success in Europe with its Trilogy Heart Valve System for high-risk patients with symptomatic, severe aortic regurgitation (AR), gaining CE mark approval for the device in May 2021. The company has been working toward gaining U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Trilogy, and recent data have suggested that moment could come sooner than later.
JenaValve shared its excitement about the acquisition on social media, saying its employees remain focused on developing “the world’s first transcatheter heart valve technology uniquely designed for patients with AR.”
“Together with Edwards, the world’s leader in TAVR, we are now closer to addressing the global unmet need,” the company wrote.
An 82-year-old man presenting with severe symptomatic tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and right heart failure (RHF).
Expert Opinion: The Voice of Dr. Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC
The TricValve addresses the problem of severe ìncompetance of the tricuspid valve with a relatively simple procedure.
Instead of the challenge of replacing the defective valve, a catheter procedùre places valves at the two venous intake locations, the superior and ìnferior vena cava. A valve at the superior vena cava entrance to the right atrium occurs occasionally in nature, but is usually absent or fenestrated, covering the medial end if the crista supraventricularis.
A similar termed valve is occasionally found in nature on the inferior vena cava. These supernumerary valves can arrest back flow of pressure and volume from the right atrium to the upper and lower venous systems, and alleviate in particular congestion of the liver.
Normally the right atrial pressure is low, in which case this would offer no significant advantage for reproductive success natural selection to offset potential interference with blood flow into the right atrium that might promote thrombosis [Folia Morphology Morphology 66(4):303-6, MRuso].
However, in a setting of right heart failure, such as occurs from pulmonary hypertension, the tricuspid valve often becomes incompetent, and placement of the pair of vena cava valves can alleviate upstream consequences, albeit at the cost of risk of thrombosis and future impediment to other future procedures such as ablation of supraventricular arrhythmia.
The vena cava valves placed by catheter at the Cleveland Clinic helped an 80 year old man alleviate his pressing issue of hepatic congestion. Unlike a replacement tricuspid valve this procedure does not alleviate high pressures dilatìng the right atrium. Instead, it can worsen that problem.
The CLASP II TR trial is investigating the Edwards PASCAL transcatheter repair system [CLASP II TR, Edwards Lifesciences Corp, NIH NCT 0497145]
Survival data for surgìcal tricuspid valve replacements reported 37+-10 percent ten year survival, with average all cause survival of just 8.5 years [Z HIscan, Euro J CT Surgery 32(2) Aug 2007]. None-the‐less, comparison of patients with vs without intervention for incompetance of the trìcuspid valve favored mechanical intervention [G Dreyfus Ann Thorac Surg 49:706-11,1990, D Adams, JACC 65:1931-8, 2015]. Time will tell which interventìon will prevail, and when these catheter alternatives to open chest surgery should be deployed.
Rishi Puri, MD, PhD, an interventional cardiologist with Cleveland Clinic, and Samir Kapadia, MD, chair of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic, performed the procedure. Puri has years of experience with the TricValve system, participating in a thorough analysis of its safety and effectiveness in 2021.
The TricValve system features two biological valves designed to be implanted via femoral vein access into the patient’s superior vena cava and inferior vena cava. This allows a therapy without impacting the patient’s native tricuspid valve. It is available in multiple sizes, allowing cardiologists to choose the best option for each individual patient.
Cleveland Clinic’s statement detailing the successful procedure notes that patients with severe TR and RHF have typically had limited treatment options. Tricuspid valve surgery is associated with significant risks, for instance, and prescribing diuretics is problematic when the patient also presents with kidney problems.
“TricValve can potentially provide an effective and low-risk solution for many patients who currently have no treatment options,” Puri said, adding that the workflow is quite similar to transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
The TricValve Transcatheter Bicaval Valves System was developed by P+F Products + Features GmbH, a healthcare technology company based out of Vienna, Austria. The solution was granted the FDA’s Breakthrough Device designation in December 2020, but it has still not gained full FDA approval.
This procedure was completed under a compassionate-use clearance from the FDA.
In our chat, he summarized the key advances in transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR) therapy and explained a key TAVR trend that came out of TVT for “lifetime patient management.”
It was clear at the meeting that the standard-of-care thinking on TAVR replacements has shifted from just getting a valve implanted and managing immediate complications to looking decades down the road and considering next steps with that same patient. TAVR now makes up about 70% or more of the procedure volume for aortic valve replacements. Latib said the focus of many sessions at TVT was on the longer-term management of valve patients since it is clear TAVR is becoming the standard of care. If a patient gets surgical or TAVR valve today, they will likely need a replacement in 10-20 years. More times than not, Latib explained, this replacement will come in the form of another TAVR valve deployed inside the first valve.
Latib said several sessions discussed what strategy is best, with many experts favoring surgical valve replacement first and two TAVR procedures later in life to eliminate the need for open heart surgery when the patient is much older and more frail. However, many experts admitted this might not be the strategy that gets adopted as a practical standard of care because most patients want the less invasive option versus surgery.
“I think all the companies have realized that they need to move their technologies in that direction,” Latib explained. “The bar has been set really high and so we are going to see a lot of new technologies or iterations of technology.”
The Edwards Lifesciences Sapien X4, the forth generation of the Sapien valve, is about to start the ALLIANCE pivotal trial. It is designed specifically for lower-risk patients with a lower frame height for better coronary access and it is the first balloon-expandable valve that allows the operator to turn the valve to align the commissures, which also will aid further coronary access. The valve is also designed to reduce the need to use oversized valves to ensure a good fit in the anatomy
“What this means is when you do the next valve you are not going to have issues with coronary access and having a more physiologically aligned valve on the commissures made help the valve last longer,” Latib said.
He said the Abbott Portico and Boston Scientific Acurate Neo2 TAVR systems are also undergoing revisions to make them more user friendly and compatible with the shifting needs of TAVR.
Tiberio Frisoli, M.D., interventional structural cardiologist, senior staff physician, Henry Ford Hospital, explains how his center performs transcaval transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) access for patients who have suboptimal abdominal aortic and femoral vascular anatomy. Transcaval access was pioneered at Henry Ford Hospital and involves using femoral vein access and then using a surgical radio frequency cutter to bore a hole from the interior venacava into the aorta to allow the TAVR delivery catheter to path through.
This procedure was developed to enable more patients to receive TAVR via the preferred femoral access route. Some patients are not candidates for femoral artery access because of calcified lesions and heart atherosclerotic plaque, which narrows the vessel lumen, and makes it difficult to thread catheters through. The transcaval access technique can bypass the restricted arteries or heavy calcified plaques to still enable a minimally invasive procedure without the need for surgery.