[Refractory Hypertension and Intermittent Claudication Caused by Distal Elephant Trunk Stenosis 10 Years After Total Arch Replacement for Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection;Report of a Case].

A 49-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of intermittent claudication and refractory hypertension 10 years after surgery to Stanford type A acute aortic dissection. He underwent total arch replacement with an elephant trunk of 22 mm in diameter. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed that distal end of the elephant trunk was stenosed. Systolic blood pressure gradient over this portion reached to more than 100 mmHg. Folding of elephant trunk and thrombus formation were considered to be the cause. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair relieved stenosis and intermittent claudication, and enabled better blood pressure control.

Transverse rupture of ring-supported Dacron graft 10 years after axillobifemoral artery bypass: induced by graft deterioration and Fogarty thrombectomy.

A 70-year-old woman underwent an axillobifemoral artery bypass using a bifurcated ring-supported Dacron graft in 2004 and then noticed a pulsatile mass in the left flank 10 years later. A Fogarty thrombectomy was performed for acute graft occlusion. Eight months later, computed tomography revealed pseudoaneurysm formation in the graft body and surgical graft interposition was performed. The operative findings showed a transverse rupture of the graft just above the bifurcation. Histological findings revealed graft deterioration with filaments broken off from the graft. Although the cause of pseudoaneurysm formation was not apparent, the combination of graft deterioration and additional damage from the Fogarty thrombectomy was highly suspicious.

Delayed Right Ventricular Pacemaker Lead Perforation 9 Years After Implantation.

BACKGROUND Cardiac perforation is a rare complication of cardiac implantable electronic devices, with a reported incidence ranging from 0.1% to 5.2%. Delayed perforation, defined as perforation occurring more than 1 month after implantation, is more uncommon. In this report, we present a case of cardiac perforation involving the right ventricle wall that occurred 9 years after pacemaker implantation. CASE REPORT A 79-year-old woman presented with symptoms of dyspnea and was subsequently admitted to a hospital. She had undergone pacemaker implantation for a complete atrioventricular block 9 years prior to the presentation. The patient had right ventricular failure to capture and a resultant complete atrioventricular block. Computed tomography imaging revealed that the right ventricular lead had clearly protruded outside the heart; however, no pericardial effusion was observed. When the patient underwent open surgical repair, the ventricular tined lead was noted to be traversing the right ventricular apex. Device interrogation revealed a sudden increase followed by a gradual decrease in the right ventricular pacing threshold over the course of 2 months, indicating that the lead had slowly traversed the right ventricular muscle before ultimately rupturing through it. CONCLUSIONS This study described the case of a delayed right ventricular pacemaker lead perforation that occurred 9 years after implantation, which was managed via open surgical repair.

Mitral valve repair, tricuspid valve annuloplasty, and ligation of coronary artery-pulmonary trunk fistula in a patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a rare cardiac disorder characterized by replacement of myocytes with adipose and fibrous tissue and often presents with ventricular arrhythmia, heart failure, and sudden death. This report describes a 67-year-old man with ARVC complicated with severe mitral regurgitation, dilated annulus of the tricuspid valve, and coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula. Mitral valve repair, tricuspid valve annuloplasty, and ligation of the coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula were performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 15.

Results of Graft Removal and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Management of Graft Infection.

Graft infections are a challenging complication in lower extremity bypass surgery with poor outcome, even when treated with graft removal (Gr-R) as a gold standard therapy. The efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for graft infections has been reported recently, but it is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of NPWT and Gr-R for treating graft infections. Twelve consecutive patients with graft infections from 2008 to 2014, treated with Gr-R or NPWT, were enrolled. Those procedures were assessed in complete wound healing, reinfection, amputation, and mortality rate. Five grafts were treated with Gr-R, and seven grafts with NPWT. The initial indications for bypass surgery were claudication, in five grafts treated with Gr-R and three grafts treated with NPWT, and critical limb ischemia in four grafts treated with NPWT. The median time until healing in Gr-R and NPWT was 12 and 59 days, with complete healing seen in 100 and 85.7%, respectively. The major amputation rate was 20 and 14.3%, and reinfection rate was 20 and 14.3%, respectively. There was no perioperative mortality. Gr-R did not show devastating outcome when applied for grafts without limb-threatening ischemia. NPWT showed a low level of invasiveness with excellent results, except for anastomosis site infections. To achieve optimal results, a tailored treatment strategy should be considered.

Incidence and risk factors for aspiration pneumonia after cardiovascular surgery in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: Pneumonia after cardiovascular surgery is the leading cause of mortality. Postoperative aspiration pneumonia becomes a critical issue in the management of cardiovascular surgery in the aging society. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of aspiration pneumonia after cardiovascular surgery for elderly patients. METHODS: This study consisted of 123 elderly patients (>65 years old) who survived their final extubation following cardiovascular surgery at Kinan Hospital. Patients were divided into aspiration pneumonia and no pneumonia groups. Postoperative aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed by two independent physicians according to the nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia guidelines by the Japanese Respiratory Society. RESULTS: Among the patients, 12 (9.8 %) had aspiration pneumonia. There were no differences in patients' characteristics between the groups except for a history of cerebral vascular disorder (aspiration pneumonia 42 % vs no pneumonia 15 %, p = 0.04) and ejection fraction (EF) (aspiration pneumonia 56 ± 21 % vs no pneumonia 66 ± 13 %, p = 0.02). Only six (5 %) patients needed more than 12 h intubation. There was no difference in the operative factors between the groups. Neurological deficit was more frequently observed in the aspiration pneumonia group (33 vs 5 %, p = 0.005). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the history of cerebral vascular disorder and neurological deficit after surgery was independent risk factors for aspiration pneumonia after cardiovascular surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our results could assist in screening elderly patients who should be more carefully evaluated before oral nutrition to minimize morbidity and mortality after cardiovascular surgery.

Right atrial approach for repairing a posterior ventricular septal rupture: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a life-threatening complication following acute transmural myocardial infarction. Posteriorly located ruptures are one of the main predictors of poor prognoses because of the surgical difficulties associated with this location. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old man with a posterior VSR underwent surgical repair via the right atrial approach. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and echocardiography showed no residual shunt flow. He was discharged on postoperative day 37. CONCLUSION: By temporally detaching the tricuspid valve leaflet, this approach provides a better view and handling space within the posterior ventricular septum than the trans-ventricular approach. Additionally, avoiding a ventricular incision can better preserve postoperative ventricular function.

Off-pump coronary artery bypass combined with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in an 88-year-old male.

We present the case of an 88-year-old patient who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass using an aortic connector followed by repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm to reduce surgical invasiveness. This approach merits consideration for high-risk patients.

A technique to protect an axillo-coronary bypass graft.

We describe a simple technique to protect an axillo-coronary bypass graft with a stretch, thin-walled 6-mm polytetrafluoroethylene graft with removable rings.

Fulminant apical ballooning syndrome after replacement of a prosthetic aortic valve.

A 70-year-old woman was readmitted to our hospital with a fever of 39 degrees C on the 30th day after replacement of a prosthetic aortic valve. She required percutaneous cardiopulmonary support for her heart failure and was weaned after 7 days. Echocardiography revealed an akinetic and aneurysmally dilated left ventricular apex and hyperdynamic basal segments. This case indicates that fulminant apical ballooning syndrome might be added to the list of potential complications after cardiac surgery.