AbstractBackgroundThere is a paucity of literature on safety and efficacy of various transseptal puncture (TSP) needles.ObjectivesTo assess the reported mechanisms of failure, complications, and outcomes among the most frequently used transseptal needles in the United States.MethodsWe queried the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database between January 2011 and January 2021 for reports on the most commonly used transseptal needles: NRG (Baylis Medical, Montreal, Canada), and BRK (St. Jude, Saint Paul, MN)]. The primary outcome was the mechanism of failure. Secondary outcomes included clinical consequences of device failure.ResultsThe final analysis included 306 reports of failure/complication with TSP needles (NRG n = 70, BRK n = 236). The most commonly reported mode of failure was detachment of the needle component (i.e., clip, hub, stopcock, shaft, spring, or needle tip) (14.7% overall; 17.8% BRK; and 4.3% NRG). Among these reports, cardiac perforation was the most common complication (69.9% overall; 69.1% for BRK; and 72.9% for NRG). Pericardiocentesis was the second most commonly reported complication (45.1% overall; 48.3% for BRK; and 34.3% for NRG). The procedure was successfully completed in 33.3% of all cases (36.4% for BRK and 22.9% for NRG), while surgical conversion was needed in (13.4% overall; 14% for BRK and 11.4% for NRG) of the reports. Death occurred in 3.9% of all cases overall (3.4% for BRK and 5.7% for NRG).ConclusionsNeedle detachment was the most common mode of failure, and cardiac perforation was the most common complication reported with TSP needles. Future efforts should focus on innovative TSP needle design, best practice guidelines, including role of imaging guidance, and increased TSP training.
Identifying predictive biomarkers for metastatic progression in stage I and II clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
631 Background: For most clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients with early stage disease, surgical resection offers definitive cure. However, for the small percentage of tumors that metastasize, analyzing gene expression profiles from the primary site at the time of nephrectomy can serve as a model to understand the molecular aberrations behind a metastatic phenotype. Differences in gene expression profiles between patients with Stage I and II ccRCC who experience metastasis versus patients who maintain cure after surgery may help elucidate significant molecular targets and stratify patients at higher risk for metastasis. Methods: Nineteen Stage I and twenty Stage II ccRCC tumors preserved in FFPE blocks after nephrectomy were included in this study. Patients were matched for age, gender, tumor size and grade. In both stages, approximately half the patients that experienced metastasis within 5 years of surgery were part of the experimental group, whereas the control group had > 5 years of follow-up without evidence of disease. Extracted RNA for Stage I patients was sequenced using Illumina TruSeq RNA Access Library. Gene counts were assessed by ht-seq counts and differential expression using DESeq2. Significant genes found were validated in the Stage II group using RT-qPCR. Results: In the Stage I experimental group, statistically significant upregulation of several genes associated with unfavorable prognosis in RCC were found: COL1A1, NUMBL, and STEAP3. Random forest classification accurately separated Stage I control versus experimental patients based on expression of COL1A1. Affected genes were consistent with molecular changes seen in TCGA analysis. In the Stage II group, a double-blinded analysis correctly identified the clinical outcome for the majority of the patients using qPCR expression of COL1A1, NUMBL, and STEAP3. Conclusions: Differences in gene expression profiles harbored in the primary site of early stage ccRCC may be employed to predict patients at high risk for developing metastasis. Validating these findings in a larger study carries the potential to better understand mechanisms of metastasis and identify an at risk cohort of patients with early stage disease.