[Cardiovascular syphilis: a case report]. / Sífilis cardiovascular: a propósito de un caso.

Nowdays, cardiovascular manifestations of syphilis are uncommon. We report the case of a 69-year-old man who underwent surgery for saccular aneurysm of the ascending aorta associated with aortic regurgitation of this etiology, due to sexual transmission of the disease 25 years previously. The patient was born in Morocco and 2 years after surgery he remains asymptomatic.

[Dehiscence of a composite aortic graft (Bono and Bentall technique) secondary to Acinetobacter endocarditis]. / Dehiscencia de un injerto valvulado aórtico (técnica de Bono y Bentall) secundaria a endocarditis por Acinetobacter.

Acinetobacter sp. are gram-negative bacteria and usually resistant to multiple antibiotics. They are a customary cause of nosocomial infections, but are uncommon etiologic agents of endocarditis. We present a case of endocarditis caused by Acinetobacter iwoffi in a composite aortic graft with a St. Jude prosthetic valve, using the Bono and Bentall procedure, complicated with multiple graft dehiscenses causing first a peritube pseudoaneurysm and finally severe paraprosthetic valve regurgitation to the left ventricle which required emergency surgery.

[Reabsorbable banding. Our initial experience]. / Banding reabsorbible. Experiencia preliminar.

Since May 1989 we have been using a reabsorbable 3 mm, polidioxanona band for pulmonary banding instead of the dacron one. This procedure was performed in 5 patients with ages between 33 to 230 days. The diagnoses were atrioventricular canal in one case and ventricular septal defect in the other 4 cases. One of them also had vascular ring with right aortic arch, left patent ductus arterious and aberrant subclavian artery. All the patients were in a poor condition. Subsequent reoperations performed in short, medium, and long term were uncomplicated, and the technique had the added benefit of avoiding the need for pulmonary reconstruction. A close ECO Doppler follow-up is necessary to determine the best moment for definitive correction. We think that this new technique makes the banding a reliable and complications free procedure and its place should be reevaluated in the light of the current tendency for early complete correction.

[Angina caused by subclavian-coronary steal in patients revascularized with internal mammary artery]. / Angina por robo subclavio-coronario en pacientes revascularizados con arteria mamaria interna.

After coronary bypass surgery in the left internal mammary artery, occlusive atherosclerosis in the proximal subclavian artery can produce reverse flow in the mammary artery and myocardial ischemia (coronary-subclavian steal syndrome). This is a rare cause of recurrent myocardial ischemia. We present two patients with postoperative complete obstruction in the proximal subclavian artery and inverse flow in the mammary artery producing severe ischemia in the left anterior descending artery territory. Both patients were treated with subclavian-subclavian bypass, which in one patient was ineffective in producing an adequate anterograde flow in the left internal mammary artery. We review clinical management, diagnostic methods and therapeutic options used in the coronary-subclavian steal syndrome.

[Thrombolysis of thrombosed heart valve prostheses: presentation of 2 cases and review of the literature]. / Trombólisis de prótesis valvulares cardíacas trombosadas: presentación de 2 casos y revisión de la literatura.

Two women aged 38 and 51 years with thrombosed prosthetic heart valves (TPHV) in both tricuspid and mitral positions have been successfully treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA), 70 mg over 5 hours, and streptokinase (SK) 2,000,000 U over 10 hours without important complications. Cardiac surgery is the most commonly used therapy for combating this serious complication with a high mortality rate in general. There is controversy over the use of thrombolytics in TPHV. We reviewed the literature concerning treatment in 90 patients with this complication involving the different valve positions. We found an 80% therapeutical success rate, 8% partially successful, and 7% mortality rate. The main complications were of an embolic nature in 17% of cases, although the majority of these were transitory; haemorrhage occurred in 11% but there was only one case needing a transfusion. We conclude that thrombolytics are an efficient therapy in cases of TPHV in any position and should be started as soon as possible after the diagnosis has been confirmed.

Successful thrombolysis on a mechanical tricuspid prosthesis.

Recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is presently used for the treatment of different clinical entities, mostly myocardial infarction. Its use for treatment of thrombotic dysfunction of prosthetic cardiac valves is more recent and has been only rarely reported. A 33-year-old woman with a St Jude Medical prosthesis in the tricuspid position, had suffered from thrombotic dysfunction of her prosthesis for more than 2 months. She was treated with rt-PA, and after infusion of 70 mg, the prosthesis functioned normally. She showed a moderate systemic fibrinolytic state associated with mild bleeding complications.