Rare case of coronary to pulmonary vein fistula with coronary steal phenomenon.

Coronary artery fistulas are abnormal connections between coronary artery territories and cardiac chambers or major vessels, most of them are congenital. Patients with coronary artery fistula can be asymptomatic or present with different symptoms like angina. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is one of the best modalities for diagnosis. We present an elderly patient that presented with angina symptoms, non invasive stress test was positive for ischemic heart disease, coronary angiogram could not reveal any obstructive lesions, but an abnormal branch of the left descending coronary artery (LAD), cardiac CT showed fistula that connect left anterior descending coronary artery to left superior pulmonary vein. Our case is extremely rare as most of the reported cases were fistulas between LAD and pulmonary artery, but in our case the fistula between LAD and left superior pulmonary vein. In addition, our patients' symptoms resolved with anti-ischemic medical treatment without any surgical intervention.

Successful endovascular extraction of newer generation Angio-Seal collagen plug and anchor after acute embolization.

A 75-year-old woman with past medical history of coronary bypass, atrial fibrillation, mitral valve repair undergoes percutaneous coronary intervention of left circumflex artery with a drug eluting stent. An Anglo-Seal vascular closure device was used post procedure to obtain hemostasis. Shortly after deployment, frank bleeding was observed necessitating manual compression at the arteriotomy site. After hemostasis was achieved, the right lower extremity was found to be pale, bluish with feeble pulses. Doppler ultrasound was emergently performed revealing decreased blood flow after mid superficial femoral artery (SFA) and an echo lucent object lodged luminally in the SFA. Patient was urgently taken to the vascular laboratory where an Angio-Seal device, including the collagen plug and anchor, was successfully removed endovascularly patient made full recovery and was discharged home the following day.

CASE REPORT Anomalies Associated With Congenitally Corrected Transposition of Great Arteries: Expect the Unexpected.

OBJECTIVE: Congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (CCTGA) is characterized by atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial discordance. Characterizations of these anomalies are important because they may influence surgical approach and management. METHODS: We present a case of newly diagnosed CCTGA at the age of 50. He presented with sudden onset of shortness of breath for the first time and was diagnosed with CCTGA. Echocardiogram, magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiac catheterization were utilized to elucidate the pathology. RESULTS: Intraoperatively, patient's CCTGA and ventricularization of the right ventricle were confirmed. The severe systemic atrioventricular valve regurgitation was replaced with a bioprosthetic valve (Medtronic Mosaic No. 29) with placement of epicardial ventricular leads for possible future placement of automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Pathology report confirmed a degeneration of the systemic atrioventricular valve. CONCLUSIONS: Significant coronary artery anomalies have also been described in literature with CCTGA. The variances encountered in this case are excellent examples of the intricacies associated in diagnosis and surgical care in patients with CCTGA.

Drug-eluting stent thrombosis after 2029 days of placement: longest ever reported interval between drug-eluting stent placement and very late thrombosis.

In this era of very wide-spread use of percutaneous coronary intervention for the management of coronary artery disease, the appropriate duration of antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation still remains a subject of debate. Current recommendations from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (2007) is to continue treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel for 1 year and then continue with aspirin only. However, cases of very late stent thrombosis (more than 12 months postimplantation) are being increasingly reported in literature. In this article we report a case of thrombosis as a result of drug-eluting stent placement after almost 67 months (2029 days), which to our knowledge, is the longest reported duration between the implantation of drug-eluting stent and occurrence of vascular event associated with very late stent thrombosis.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy due to iatrogenic methadone withdrawal.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome characterized by transient apical ballooning or reversible midventricular systolic dysfunction. Most cases occur in postmenopausal women and are typically triggered by an acute medical illness or emotional or physical stress. Its presentation is highly suggestive of myocardial ischemia, but there is little or no evidence of epicardial coronary artery disease. To our knowledge there are only three reported cases in the literature of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy induced by opioid agonist withdrawal in adults; ours is the first reported case of iatrogenic methadone withdrawal leading to Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Warm, beating heart aortic valve replacement in a sickle cell patient.

Patients with sickle cell abnormalities undergoing surgery are generally considered to be at greater risk for perioperative complications. We present a 25-year-old woman with sickle cell disease (SCD) and severe aortic insufficiency. A minimally invasive, warm, beating heart approach was adopted to try and minimize the risk of sickling due to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), low-flow states, cold cardioplegia and aortic cross-clamping. Compared to classical methods, we believe our technique further reduces the risk of systemic and organ hypothermia and thus, sickling.