[Use of biological prostheses for cardiac valve replacement in children and adolescents]. / L' impiego di protesi biologiche nela sostituzione valvolare cardiaca in bambini ed adolescenti.

Between January 1976 and June 1980 a consecutive series of 13 patients aging from 9 to 18 years underwent cardiac valve replacement, out of 590 valve replacement operations. All had rheumatic heart disease and many had severe cardiac symptoms; all underwent cardiac catheterization and angiography before operation. Ten single valve replacements, 7 in the aortic, and 3 in the mitral position, and 3 double valve replacements were performed. All patients survived operation, except the one who died 2 months later for congestive heart failure. The others have been followed from 1 to 47 months, averaging 20,5 months. All are free of cardiac symptoms and are being treated with antirheumatic drugs. They are not anticoagulated after 6 months. The operative mortality is low in our bioprosthetic valve replacement, and we think that these operations are safely feasible.

[Suture of the diaphragm by polyglactin 910 (Vicryl): histological study in the rat]. / Sutura del diaframma con polyglactin 910 (Vicryl): studio isotologico nel ratto.

The Authors evaluated the histological aspects on 2nd, 7th, 21st day of diaphragma of rats sutured by polyglactin 910 (vicryl). In result they proved that the absorbment was complete on 21st day and the vicryl produced a greater inflammatory acute and chronic reaction.

[Routine clinical use of a new disposable bubble oxygenator: a comparative study (author's transl)]. / Impiego clinico rutinario di un nuovo ossigenatore a bolle monouso. Una valutazione comparativa.

The new bubble Oxybel oxygenator (Bellco Laboratories) has been used for routine clinical perfusions in this Institution. A comparison has been made between two groups of 51 patients each, one group perfused with on Oxybel oxygenator (OXY) and the other with the Harvey H 1000 oxygenator (H-H). Among these patients a wide range of acquired and congenital cardiac lesions have been encountered. Both series were comparable for patients' age, sex distribution, body weight, procedures performed, perfusion time and preoperative values of hematocrit, serum creatinine, platelet count, plasma hemoglobin. The gas/blood flow ratio was 2.09 +/- 0.07 (+/- SE) for the H-H oxygenator and 1.38 +/- 0.06 for the OXY series (P < 0.001). Serum-creatinine 24-hrs postoperative values (mg/100 ml) were 1.58 +/- 0.17 for the H-H and 1.30 +/- 0.06 for the OXY series (NS); 48-hrs postoperative values were 1.28 +/- 0.11 for the H-H and 1.20 +/- 0.11 for the OXY (NS). The 60 minutes postoperative platelet count was 127.9 +/- 7 X 10(3) for the H-H and 120.9 +/- 6 X 10(3) for the OXY series (NS). Fourtyeight-hrs postoperative platelet count was 153.0 +/- 5 X 10(3) for the H-H and 151.8 +/- 6 X 10(3) for the OXY series (NS). Postoperative plasma hemoglobin values (mg/100 ml) were 91.55 +/- 7.18 for H-H and 117 +/- 17.8 for the OXY series (NS). Total postoperative bleeding was 1037.9 +/- 94 ml in the H-H and 1056.7 +/- 98.9 ml in the OXY series (NS). The more favorable gas/blood flow ratio observed with the Oxybel oxygenator did not affect clinical and haematologic results. These were comparable in both series.