Report of Accidental Anchoring of an Impella Device to a Perceval Bioprosthesis in a Patient.

We herein report a case in which we encountered complications when placing an Impella CP ventricular assist device (catheter-based ventricular assist device) in a patient with a Perceval bioprosthetic valve (sutureless valve). Specifically, the catheter-based ventricular assist device became anchored to the sutureless valve and needed to be removed under cardiopulmonary bypass. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Pannus-related left main trunk ostial stenosis after aortic valve replacement.

A 34-year-old woman was hospitalized with shortness of breath and chest tightness and pain. She had undergone aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis at the age of 18 years. Transthoracic echocardiography showed left ventricular asynergy and a high aortic valve pressure gradient. Thus, structural valve deterioration was diagnosed. Coronary computed tomography and coronary angiography revealed left main trunk ostial stenosis that had caused acute anteroseptal myocardial infarction. Urgent surgery revealed pannus formation around the prosthetic valve and covering the ostium of the left main trunk. A Bentall procedure and coronary artery bypass grafting were performed. The postoperative course was uneventful.

Aortic root remodelling with external ring annuloplasty in acute type A aortic dissection.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the early and mid-term results of aortic root remodelling with external ring annuloplasty in acute type A aortic dissection. METHODS: From January 2015 to April 2019, a total of 194 patients underwent emergency or urgent operation for acute type A aortic dissection in our hospital. Of these, outcomes in 18 patients who underwent valve-sparing aortic root remodelling with external ring annuloplasty were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age of the 18 patients was 49 ± 14 years. Fourteen patients (78%) were men. Five patients had Marfan syndrome and 2 patients had bicuspid aortic valve. Two patients had coronary malperfusion and 1 patient had cerebral malperfusion. All 18 patients underwent aortic root remodelling with external ring annuloplasty. Cusp repair using central cusp plication was required in 9 patients. Concomitant procedures were hemiarch replacement in 8 patients, total arch replacement in 7 patients, partial arch replacement in 1 patient and coronary artery bypass grafting to the right coronary artery in 3 patients. Thirty-day mortality rate was 5.6% (1 of 18). Postoperative echocardiography showed aortic regurgitation of <1+ in all patients. During follow-up (mean 56 ± 41 months), 1 case of recurrent aortic regurgitation required aortic valve replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Aortic root remodelling with external ring annuloplasty may be an appropriate treatment in middle-aged or younger patients presenting with acute type A aortic dissection.