RESUMO
This case report describes an unusual case of a 69-year-old man who had an aortic valve replacement with the Smeloff-Cutter aortic mechanical prosthesis for aortic valve regurgitation at the age of 18 years. Echocardiography revealed a well-suited and well-functioning mechanical prosthesis. Even though the patient did not take any anticoagulant therapy or anti-platelets agent for 12 years, he was in surprisingly good health. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a mechanical 'ball-in-cage' valve prosthesis has lasted for such a long time without complications, although the patient has not been compliant with the anticoagulant therapy for 12 consecutive years.
Assuntos
Insuficiência da Valva Aórtica , Estenose da Valva Aórtica , Próteses Valvulares Cardíacas , Adolescente , Idoso , Anticoagulantes , Valva Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagem , Valva Aórtica/cirurgia , Insuficiência da Valva Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagem , Insuficiência da Valva Aórtica/cirurgia , Estenose da Valva Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagem , Estenose da Valva Aórtica/cirurgia , Humanos , Masculino , Desenho de PróteseRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: While anesthetics are indispensable clinical tools and generally considered safe and effective, a growing concern over the potential neurotoxicity of anesthesia or specific anesthetic agents has called into question the safety of general anesthetics, especially when administered at extremes of age. Areas covered: This article reviews and updates research findings on the safety of anesthesia and anesthetics in terms of long-term neurotoxicity, with particular focus on postoperative cognitive dysfunctions, Alzheimer's disease and dementias, developing brain, post-operative depression and autism spectrum disorder. Expert opinion: Exposure to general anesthetics is potentially harmful to the human brain, and the consequent long-term cognitive deficits should be classified as an iatrogenic pathology, and considered a public health problem. The fact that in laboratory and clinical research only certain anesthetic agents and techniques, but not others, appear to be involved, raises the problem on what is the safest and the least safe anesthetic to maximize anesthesia efficiency, avoid occurrence of adverse events, and ensure patient safety. New trends in research are moving toward the theory that neuroinflammation could be the hallmark of, or could have a pivotal role in, several neurological disorders.