[Left ventricle free wall rupture - a 10-year experience]. / Rotura de parede livre do ventrículo esquerdo- 10 anos de experiência.

ABSTRACT

The left ventricle free wall rupture is one of the most serious and lethal complications associated to myocardial infarction.The most common treatment in our days consists in direct closure of the rupture with pericardium or synthetic material, applied with the help of histoacryl glue, without extracorporeal circulation.Between January 2000 and September 2010, 35 consecutive patients underwent operation for left ventricle free wall rupture at our hospital.The mean age was 69,5 years and most of the patients were male ( 65,7 % ). 2,9 days was the mean time for rupture after infarction and the anterior and lateral wall were most frequently involved. 94,7 % of the patients were in shock. Surgery was performed without extracorporeal circulation using a patch of pericardium and/or Dacron Sauvage, with histoacryl glue in 85,7 % of cases.Mean time of ICU stay was 7,9 days, in-hospital global mortality 28,6 %. At 2,5 years follow-up, 86 % of the patients were alive.Despite the high morbidity and mortality associated to surgery, the procedure is now safer, simpler and quick allowing the treatment of a situation that conducted to a most certain death without management.