ABSTRACT
Post-myocardial infarction ventricular septal perforation (VSP) is one of the lethal complications of transmural myocardial infarction. Although the treatment of VSP mostly requires surgical procedures using heterologous pericardium, thromboembolism rarely occurs in patients who undergo VSP repair. Herein we report the case of a patient who died of sudden massive cerebral infarction two weeks after the surgery. The autopsy findings revealed concaved mural LV thrombus in the dissected heart. It is suspected that the patient died of extensive cerebral infarction due to thromboembolic occlusion of the carotid or central cerebral artery. In the postoperative period after VSP repair, several risk factors for thrombus formation may occur, such as postoperative hypercoagulability due to systemic inflammation by the high operative invasiveness, the presence of foreign material in the impaired left ventricle, or pericardial patch suturing methods. Our clinical experience indicates that meticulous postoperative management may be needed, keeping LV thrombus formation in mind after VSP repair.
ABSTRACT
Caseous calcification of mitral annulus is a rare disease characterized by tumors of the mitral cusps. Operative case reports, however, are rare because this lesion seldom negatively affects hemodynamics. We encountered a 67-year-old female case of mitral regurgitation with caseous calcification of mitral posterior annulus due to ischemic heart disease and performed mitral valve replacement and CABG. The excision of the mitral thickened lesion resulted in a defect of the mitral annulus, which needed to be repaired with an autologous pericardial patch. We mainly report the intraoperative findings of this case.
ABSTRACT
Patients with chronic type B aortic dissection usually require surgical repair due to aortic dissection-related complications, whereas those with uncomplicated type B acute aortic dissection can usually be managed with medical therapy. Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), as well as aortic enlargement, visceral or limb ischemia and recurrent dissection, has been reported as one of the rare complications of type B aortic dissection which require surgical treatment in the chronic phase. DIC is a severe complication which can result in catastrophic events such as gastrointestinal and cerebral bleeding. The management of DIC as a complication of chronic aortic dissection is still controversial, as medical treatment involving anticoagulants and the supplementation of coagulation factors via a transfusion of fresh frozen plasma is not completely reliable. Surgical treatment to close a false lumen can be corrective, but carries the risk of excessive bleeding due to DIC. We report a patient with chronic type B dissection with a patent false lumen complicated by overt DIC. This patient had frequent occurrences of purpura on the upper and lower extremities. Contrast computed tomography in the late phase showed stagnation of contrast medium in the thoracic false lumen, which strongly idicated this false lumen to be the origin of the DIC. We gave the patient a continuous drip infusion of heparin (12,000 U/day) for 1 week before the operation, after which we performed total aortic replacement in order to thrombose the false lumen. His coagulation profile, including platelet count, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio and clinical symptoms improved immediately after the operation. Computed tomography (CT) performed 3 months after the operation showed complete thrombosis and obstruction of the false lumen in the thoracic aorta. The patient is currently well and has resumed routine activities. The continuous infusion of heparin for 1 week was highly effective to improve the coagulopathy in the present case. This case underscores the importance of conducting follow-up to evaluate coagulation-fibrinolysis system function and to measure the aortic diameter by CT in patients with chronic type B aortic dissection with a patent false lumen. Comparison of the early and late phases of contrast-enhanced CT was extremely useful to determine the cause of coagulopathy in this case. Furthermore, the coagulopathy was successfully treated by total aortic arch replacement to close the entry of the false lumen.
ABSTRACT
We evaluated risk factors for prolonged pleural effusion after surgery in 35 children who underwent total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). Duration of their chest tube drainage was 5.4±7.0 days (1-41, median 3). In univariate analysis, significant risk factors for prolonged pleural drainage over 7 days were preoperative body weight (<i>p</i>=0.03), preoperative cardiothoracic ratio (<i>p</i>=0.03), cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time (<i>p</i>=0.02), homologous blood transfusion (<i>p</i>=0.03), serum protein concentration at CPB weaning (<i>p</i>=0.04), central venous pressure (CVP) averaged during 3 postoperative days (<i>p</i>=0.01) and body weight change during 3 postoperative days (<i>p</i>=0.01). However multivariate analysis showed only CVP averaged during 3 postoperative days was a significant risk factor for prolonged chest tube drainage (<i>p</i>=0.03, odd's ratio 3.3). In conclusion, to keep the central venous pressure as low as possible during the early postoperative period might decrease the duration of pleural drainage.
ABSTRACT
The combined method of antegrade and retrograde administration of cardioplegic solution has been established for coronary bypass surgery. We applied this technique in patients undergoing aortic and mitral valve surgery. Between January 1989 and December 1990, 28 patients underwent both aortic and mitral valve replacements. To compare the myocardial protective effect according to the method of cardioplegic administration, they were divided into two groups; Ante group (antegrade, <i>n</i>=15) and Retro group (combined method of antegrade and retrograde, <i>n</i>=13). Aortic occlusion time and cardiopulmonary bypass time were shorter in Retro group. The mean interval of each cardioplegic administration was significantly shorter in Retro group (Ante group, 29.2±4.8min vs Retro group, 24.0±3.8min; <i>p</i><0.01). These results suggest that retrograde cardioplegia method never disturbs ongoing operation during each delivery while antegrade method often does. Serum CPK-MB at 6hr of reperfusion tended to be less in Retro group (Ante group, 120±80IU/<i>l</i> vs Retro group, 78±50IU/<i>l</i>; <i>p</i>=0.09). The results of postoperative cardiac functions were the same in both groups. We therefore believe that this method is an optimal strategy even in patients with valvular heart disease.