Intraoperative cardiac arrest due to allergic acute coronary syndrome (Kounis syndrome) triggered by cephalosporin.

An acute coronary syndrome due to mast-cell activation in the presence of an allergen is known as Kounis Syndrome (KS). This relatively new entity of KS is being increasingly recognized among allergists, cardiologists, and emergency physicians; however, it is not well-known among anesthesiologists. We report here, a case of type 2 KS due to antibiotic administration causing sudden perioperative cardiac arrest.

Aortic valve replacement in small aortic root- Bi-leaflet mechanical valve is superior to a Mono-leaflet mechanical valve.

Background: Patient prosthetic mismatch is a serious but avoidable complication of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) complicated by a small aortic annulus. This study aims to compare early and midterm outcomes following aortic valve replacement (AVR) with a mono-leaflet (ML) valve and a bi-leaflet (BL) valve in a small aortic root. Methods and selection: From January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2019, 98 patients diagnosed with small aortic root underwent isolated aortic valve replacement with either TTK Chitra valve (Mono-leaflet/ ML group) or St. Jude medical valve (Bi-leaflet/ BL group) of size 17/ 19 mm. Echocardiography was analyzed from medical records and telephonic follow-up. Results: Baseline parameters were comparable. The ML group had 42 patients and the BL group had 56 patients. Aortic cross-clamp time, the incidence of severe patient prosthetic mismatch (p = 0.002) and mean, peak pressure gradients were high in the ML group. Duration of ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, the incidence of stroke, need for intra-aortic balloon pump, permanent pacemaker, dialysis, and left ventricular mass index in echocardiography were comparable between the two groups postoperatively. There was no early mortality in both group. Survival at the end of 5 years was 57 ± 14.4% in the ML group; 91.8 ± 4% in the BL group (p = 0.005). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed elderly age as a risk factor for mortality. Conclusion: We conclude that aortic valve replacement without any root widening procedure, using a small-sized mechanical valve provides acceptable early outcomes. Bi-leaflet mechanical valves provide better hemodynamics and survival percentage.

Oversized donor heart transplantation-clinical experience with an underestimated problem.

PURPOSE: Heart transplantation is the definitive treatment for end-stage heart failure. With respect to donor-recipient size matching, the problems with undersized heart transplantation have been widely discussed, but there is a paucity of information on oversized transplants due to the presumed advantage of large hearts. We intend to share our center's experience with oversized heart transplantation and its associated problems which would help to expand the knowledge on oversized cardiac allografts. METHODS: Patients who underwent isolated heart transplantation at our hospital between March 1, 2008, and March 1, 2020, were included. For adults, a donor-recipient predicted heart mass percentage difference exceeding 30% and for children, a donor-recipient weight ratio < 0.8 and > 2.0 was considered a mismatch. We collected data from the in-patient medical records and analyzed the in-hospital outcomes and survival post-transplant among various other parameters. RESULTS: Out of the 43 patients included in this study, 32 (74.4%) patients received a matched heart and 11 (25.6%) patients received oversized hearts. None of the patients received an undersized heart. The in-hospital mortality rate of oversized transplants was 18.2% whereas that of matched transplants was 9.4% (p = 0.432). The post-operative characteristics and 1-year survival were comparable between the groups. We encountered problems specific to oversizing in 5 of the 11 patients (45.4%) which are discussed. CONCLUSION: With the liberalization of donor criteria to overcome organ shortage, oversized heart transplantation poses certain unique challenges, which when efficiently managed offers acceptable outcomes.