Objectives: To present our initial experience with MitraClip implantation in 20 high risk patients at Sheba Medical Center.

Methods: Twenty high surgical risk patients with symptomatic significant MR underwent MitraClip implantation. Clinical and echocardiographic parameters were recorded at baseline and at follow-up.

Results: The patients’ mean age was 76 years and 65% were male. Coronary artery disease was present in 85% and 45% had previous bypass surgery. Renal failure was present in 65%, atrial fibrillation in 60%, and 30% had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator/cardiac resynchronization therapy device. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 36%. Grade III-IV MR was present in all patients with the vast majority suffering from functional MR secondary to ventricular remodeling. New York Heart Association (NYHA) class was III-IV in 90%. Patients were followed for a mean of 231 days. Acute reduction of MR grade to ≤ 2 was accomplished in 19 of the 20 patients (95%) with a 30 day mortality of 5%. At follow-up MR was reduced to ≤ 2 in 64% of patients, and NYHA class improved in 70% of patients. An additional 2 patients (11%) died during follow-up.

Conclusions: MitraClip implantation is feasible and safe in high risk highly symptomatic patients with significant MR. Acute and mid-term results are comparable to similar high risk patient cohorts in the literature. Continued surveillance and longer follow-up are needed to elucidate which patients are most likely to benefit from the procedure.

Objectives: To measure the tumor-to-breast volume ratio using MRI in order to assess whether there is a correlation between this ratio and the type of surgery selected (breast-conserving or mastectomy).

Methods: The volumes of the tumor and the breast and the tumor-to-breast volume ratio were retrospectively calculated using preoperative breast MRI in 76 patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy.

Results: Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) was performed in 64 patients and mastectomy in 12. The average tumor-to-breast volume ratio was 0.06 (6%) in the lumpectomy group and 0.30 (30%) in the mastectomy group (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The tumor-to-breast volume ratio correlated with the type of surgery. As measured on MRI, this ratio is an accurate means of determining the type of surgery best suited for a given patient. It is recommended that MRI-determined tumor-to-breast volume ratio become part of the surgical planning protocol for patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

Objectives: To demonstrate the efficacy of rhTSH in radioiodine thyroid ablation in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for well-differentiated thyroid cancer with different levels of risk, treated with rhTSH prior to remnant ablation with radioiodine.  

Results: Seventeen patients with thyroid cancer were studied and followed for a median of 25 months (range 8–49 months). Ablation (defined as stimulated thyroglobulin < 1 mg/ml, negative neck ultrasonography, and radioiodine scan) was successful in 15 patients (88.2%). One of the patients was lost to follow-up.

Conclusions: The use of rhTSH with postoperative radioiodine ablation may be an efficient tool for sufficient thyroid remnant ablation, avoiding hypothyroidal state in the management of thyroid cancer patients.

Objectives: To describe a single-center experience with fenestrated and branched endografts for the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms.

Methods: We reviewed all cases of complex aortic aneurysms treated with branched or fenestrated devices in our center. Data collected included device specifics, perioperative morbidity and mortality, re-intervention rates and mid-term results.

Results: Between 2007 and 2012 nine patients were treated with branched and fenestrated stent grafts. Mean age was 73 years. Mean aneurysm size was 63 mm. Perioperative mortality was 22% (2/9). During the follow-up, re-interventions were required in 3 patients (33%). Of 34 visceral artery branches 33 remained patent, resulting in a patency rate of 97%. Sac expansion was seen in a single patient due to a large endoleak. No late aneurysm- related deaths occurred.

Conclusions: Branched and fenestrated stent grafts are feasible and relatively safe alternatives for the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms involving the visceral segment. Further research is needed to determine the long-term durability of this new technology. 

Objectives: To estimate the effect of implementation of a safety checklist in an orthopedic surgical department.

Methods: We conducted a single-center cross-sectional study to compare the incidence of complications prior to and following implementation of the Guidelines for Safe Surgery checklist. The medical records of all consecutive adult patients admitted to the orthopedics department at Wolfson Medical Center during the period 1 July 2008 to 1 January 2009 (control group) and from 1 January 2009 to 1 July 2009 (study group) were reviewed. The occurrences of all complications were compared between the two groups.

Results: The records of 760 patients (380 in each group) hospitalized during this 12 month period were analyzed. Postoperative fever occurred in 5.3% vs. 10.6% of patients with and without the checklist respectively (P = 0.008). Significantly more patients received only postoperative prophylactic antibiotics rather than both pre-and postoperative antibiotic treatment prior to implementation of the checklist (3.2% vs. 0%, P = 0.004). In addition, a statistically non-significant 34% decrease in the rate of surgical wound infection was also detected in the checklist group. In a logistic regression model of postoperative fever, the checklist emerged as a significant independent predictor of this outcome: odds ratio 0.53, 95% confidence interval 0.29–0.96, P = 0.037.

Conclusion: A significant reduction in postoperative fever after the implementation of the surgical safety checklist was found. It is possible that the improved usage of preoperative prophylactic antibiotics may explain the reduction in postoperative fever.

Objectives: To determine if the decrease rate of serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) levels during the first month of neoadjuvant chemotherapy could serve as a predictive indicator of tumor necrosis and clinical outcome.

Methods: We analyzed the medical files of 53 osteosarcoma patients (19 females, 34 males) (median age 16 years, range 8–24); the disease was metastatic in 12 and localized in the other 41.

Results: The histological responses were good in 38 patients (71.7%) and poor in 15 (28.3%). At a median follow-up of 50 months, 34 patients (64.2%) had no evidence of disease and 19 (35.8%) had died from the disease. High levels of SAP at diagnosis correlated with worse survival (P = 0.002). There was no difference in overall survival between patients whose SAP decrease rate was > 25% and those with a rate < 25% (P = 0.14). Among female patients, "rapid" SAP responders had better survival than "slow" responders (P = 0.026). In patients with metastases the SAP decrease rate was positively correlated with survival (P = 0.042).

Conclusions: There was no evidence that "rapid" SAP responders had a higher percentage of tumor necrosis than "slow" responders, although female "rapid" SAP responders had a better prognosis than "slow" responders. Patients with metastases at presentation and "rapid" SAP response had better prognoses.

Objectives: To assess the results of endovascular revascularization for lower extremity ischemia in dialysis patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all dialysis patients who underwent endovascular treatment for critical limb ischemia (CLI) in our institution between 2007 and 2011. Data collected included comorbidities, clinical presentation, anatomic distribution of vascular lesions, amputation and survival rates.

Results: We identified 50 limbs (41 patients). Indications included: gangrene in 22%, non-healing wounds in 45%, rest pain in 31%, and debilitating claudication in 4%. Mean follow-up was 12 months (1–51 months). Nineteen patients required amputations. Freedom from amputation at 5 years was 40%. Factors associated with amputation included non-healing wounds or gangrene (68% and 36% respectively) and diabetes (P < 0.05). The survival rate was 80% after 5 years.

Conclusions:  Despite improvement in endovascular techniques for lower extremity revascularization, the incidence of limb salvage among dialysis patients remains poor, resulting in a high rate of major amputations. 

Objectives: To assess the relationship between sleep deprivation, key metabolic markers, and professional performance in medical residents.

Methods: We compared 35 residents working the in-house night shift with 35 senior year medical students in a cross-sectional cohort study. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire was administered and blood tests for complete blood count (CBC), blood chemistry panel, lipid profile and C-reactive protein (CRP) were obtained from all participants.

Results: Medical students and medical residents were comparable demographically except for age, weekly working hours, reported weight gain, and physical activity. The ESS questionnaires indicated a significantly higher and abnormal mean score and higher risk of falling asleep during five of eight daily activities among medical residents as compared with medical students. Medical residents had lower high density lipoprotein levels, a trend towards higher triglyceride levels and higher monocyte count than did medical students. CRP levels and other laboratory tests were normal and similar in both groups. Among the medical residents, 5 (15%) were involved in a car accident during residency, and 63% and 49% reported low professional performance and judgment levels after the night shift, respectively.

Conclusions: Medical residency service was associated with increased sleepiness, deleterious lifestyle changes, poorer lipid profile, mild CBC changes, and reduced professional performance and judgment after working the night shift. However, no significant changes were observed in CRP or in blood chemistry panel. Larger prospective cohort studies are warranted to evaluate the dynamics in sleepiness and metabolic factors over time.

Objectives: To evaluate if fetal reduction of triplets to twins improves outcome.

Methods: We analyzed the outcome of 80 triplet gestations cared for at Rambam Health Care Campus in the last decade; 34 families decided to continue the pregnancy as triplets and 46 opted for MFPR to twins.

Results: The mean gestational age at delivery was 32.3 weeks for triplets and 35.6 weeks for twins after MFPR. Severe prematurity (delivery before 32 gestational weeks) was experienced in 37.5% of triplets and in 7% of twins. Consequently, the rate of severe neonatal morbidity (respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage) and of neonatal death was significantly higher in unreduced triplets, as was the length of hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (31.4 vs. 15.7, respectively). Overall, the likelihood of a family with triplets to take home all three neonates was 80%; the likelihood to take home three healthy babies was 71.5%.

Conclusions: MFPR reduces the risk of severe prematurity and the neonatal morbidity of triplets. A secondary benefit is the reduction of cost of care per survivor. Our results indicate that MFPR should be offered in triplet gestations.

Objectives: To describe the phenotypic and genotypic features in five Bulgarian Jewish patients, from different families, with autosomal dominant OPMD.

Methods: We performed clinical follow-up, electrodiagnostic tests and mutation detection. Blood samples were obtained after informed consent and DNA was extracted; measurement of GCG repeats in both PABPN1 alleles and sequencing of OPMD mutations were performed according to standard techniques.

Results: We identified five patients (four females), aged 58 to 71 years, with bilateral ptosis, dysphagia, dysphonia (n=3) and myopathic motor units by electromyography. In all patients we noticed proximal weakness of the upper limbs with winging scapulae in three of them. All cases shared the (GCG)13-(GCG)10 PABPN1 genotype.

Conclusions: OPMD among Bulgarian Jews is produced by a (GCG)13 expansion, identical to the mutation in Uzbek Jews and French Canadians. In addition to the classical neurological and neuro-ophthalmological features, early shoulder girdle weakness is common in Bulgarian Jewish patients; this is an unusual feature during the early stages of OPMD produced by the same mutation in other populations. We suggest that besides the disease-producing GCG expansion, additional ethnicity-related genetic factors may influence the OPMD phenotype. OPMD is a rare disease, and the identification of five affected families in the rather small Bulgarian Jewish community in Israel probably represents a new cluster; future haplotype studies may elucidate whether a founder effect occurred.