A multidisciplinary approach to improve cardiovascular surgery care

Abstract

In recent years, there have been several advancements in the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases, including thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection, aortic valve stenosis (AS), congenital cardiac abnormalities, and acute cardiogenic shock. This progress has been the result of extensive biomedical research efforts where clinicians and engineers closely collaborate to obtain in-depth understanding of disease etiology and progression, ultimately resulting in novel and innovative diagnostic and treatment modalities that may directly impact patient care.

In this thesis, using a multi-disciplinary approach, we sought to explore the role of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) as a promising alternative modality in the treatment of patients with type A aortic dissection. Further, we performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies to assess complex hemodynamics in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and guide interventional planning in congenital heart disease. In the third part of this thesis, we investigated advanced imaging techniques for aortic growth assessment using vascular deformation mapping (VDM). Finally, we assessed the current state of aortic stenosis (AS) management, outcomes and economic impact in the era of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).