Ascending Aortic Aneurysm After Repair of Aortico-Left Ventricular Tunnel.

Ascending aortic aneurysm following aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) repair is an uncommon but life-threatening complication. A 27-year-old man had received patch closure for ALVT at infancy. Eighteen years later, aortic valve replacement for severe aortic regurgitation and direct suture for recurrent slit tunnel were performed. Another 9 years later, ascending aortic replacement was performed because of ascending aortic aneurysm. Thus we report an uncommon case of ascending aortic aneurysm 27 years after the repair of an ALVT.

A case report of a teenager with severe hand, foot, and mouth disease with brainstem encephalitis caused by enterovirus 71.

BACKGROUND: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute viral infection occurring mostly in infants and children. Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection mostly occurs in children < 5 years of age. Severe cases, however, are usually encountered in children under the age of 3 years, and exceedingly rare in teenagers > 14 years and adults. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a rare case of HFMD in a 16-year-old male teenager residing in Chonqing, China. The clinical presentation was typical of HFMD and included vesicular lesions and oral mucosal ulcers, macular and vesicular lesions on palms and soles. He developed severe neurological complications that were suggestive of brainstem encephalitis. EV71 RNA was detected in the patient's faecal samples by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Specific IgM antibody to EV71 was detected in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid by ELISA. Gamma immunoglobulin therapy at 25 g/day was administered for 2 days, along with methylprednisolone, mannitol, ganglioside, and creatine phosphate sodium. The patient showed neurological improvement and recovered completely in 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: This case indicates that EV71 infection may cause HFMD in teenagers with potentially severe neurological involvement. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of HFMD occurring in adults and teenagers as prompt treatment could be life-saving in these patients.

Significance of preoperative acute kidney injury in patients with acute type A aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Acute type A aortic dissection (AAD) is a medical emergency with high mortality even with emergency repair. We explored the risk factors for in-hospital mortality and the impact of preoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with AAD. METHODS: Our hospital database contained records for 156 consecutive patients who underwent AAD repair between March 2000 and February 2013. They were assigned to the in-hospital mortality or the survival group. All data were collected retrospectively. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality, including intraoperative deaths, was 14.1% (22/156). Total in-hospital mortality was 19.2% (30/156). Patients who required preoperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (16.7 vs 3.2%; P = 0.012), or who presented with preoperative cardiac tamponade (46.7 vs 19.0%; P = 0.002), shock/hypotension (56.7 vs 21.4%; P < 0.001), or coma (20.0 vs 6.3%; P = 0.019) had a higher in-hospital mortality rate. There was no difference in in-hospital mortality rate between patients with preoperative AKI or not. Mortality and major complications were significantly correlated with the severity of AKI. Multivariate analysis confirmed that preoperative shock or hypotension (odds ratio = 5.2; 95% CI = 2.2-12.3), and preoperative AKI stage 3 (odds ratio = 4.9; 95% CI = 1.3-19.3) were independent preoperative prognostic factors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our results, preoperative stage 3 AKI is a crucial prognostic risk factor for patients with AAD repair, Cardiac surgeons should be aware of this condition when dealing with AAD patients.

Double right coronary artery and its clinical implications.

Congenital anomalies of the coronary arteries are present in 0.2-1.4% of the general population. These anomalies represent one of the most confusing issues in the field of cardiology and challenges for interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons if the anomalies are unrecognised. Double right coronary artery is one of the rarest coronary arteries. Previously, the probability of developing atherosclerotic changes in patients with a double right coronary artery was considered to be equal to that in those without it. In reality, however, a high prevalence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease was found in patients with a double right coronary artery originating from a single ostium after our comprehensive literature search through the PubMed database. Owing to the fact that double right coronary artery is both a congenital and potentially atherosclerotic coronary artery disease at diagnosis, coronary intervention or cardiac operation is more complicated than previously believed. Individuals with a double right coronary artery may be unaware of its presence until an accidental finding during coronary angiography or cardiac operation and are at risk for unsuspected complications of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease or during cardiac operation. Therefore, it is important to obtain information on the anatomic variants of this congenital coronary anomaly in patients who are undergoing either coronary intervention, aortic root operation or myocardial revascularisation. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive article to discuss the anomalies and their clinical implications.

Ruptured acute type B aortic dissection presenting with bilateral hemathoraces.

Hemathorax is an uncommon but well-described complication of type B acute aortic dissection. Due to the location and anatomic relations of the descending aorta, aortic rupture of acute type B aortic dissection usually causes a left hemathorax. We now report the case of a 42-year-old male who presented with an acute type B aortic dissection and bilateral hemathoraces.

[Changes in haemodynamics and electrolytes during perioperative period of living donor liver transplantation in children and their preventive measures].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the preventive measures of disturbances of haemodynamics and electrolytes by observing their changes during perioperative period of living donor liver transplantation in children. METHODS: Twenty children who had undergone living donor liver transplantation operation were enrolled in the study, their haemodynamics and electrolyte parameters before operation and on the 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after the operation were monitored and analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with levels before operation , systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) significantly increased on the 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after the operation [SBP(mm Hg, 1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa): 106.60 ± 9.58, 116.75 ± 9.11, 117.95 ± 12.15, 116.45 ± 8.73 vs. 92.75 ± 6.72,DBP(mm Hg): 63.85 ± 10.33, 70.70 ± 10.98, 70.90 ± 12.92, 74.65 ± 15.51 vs. 53.95 ± 12.43,MAP (mm Hg):78.15 ± 9.30, 85.30 ± 9.44, 85.35 ± 13.85, 85.90 ± 13.94 vs. 66.45 ± 8.83, all P <0.05], but the heart rate (HR, bpm)was significant lowered only on 5 days after the operation (102.80 ± 26.08 vs. 117.25 ± 19.25,P<0.05). Blood Na(+) (mmol/L)level rose significantly on the 1 day after the operation (146.52 ± 5.89 vs. 139.36 ± 3.91,P<0.01). On the same day, blood K(+) and Ca(2+) were declined significantly [K(+) (mmol/L): 3.36 ± 0.44 vs. 4.12 ± 0.68, Ca(2+) (mmol/L): 1.15 ± 0.15 vs. 1.23 ± 0.06,P<0.01 and P <0.05], but there was no obvious change in them on 3, 5 and 7 days. Significant decrease in blood Mg(2+) (mmol/L) was found on the 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after the operation (0.69 ± 0.11, 0.64 ± 0.10, 0.58 ± 0.10, 0.72 ± 0.17 vs. 0.84 ± 0.10,P<0.05 or P <0.01). CONCLUSION: Hypertension is the main haemodynamics change during perioperative period of living donor liver transplantation in children, and the levels of electrolytes are not stable in early postoperative period of liver transplantation. Early diagnosis and treatment of hypertension is important for children to recover from operation , and it is also important to maintain normal levels of electrolytes to obtain a successful liver transplantation.

Retraction: The unanimity of fluid restriction is still debating in patients with heart failure.

The paper entitled "The unanimity of fluid restriction is still debating in patients with heart failure" by Chen et al., which was published online on April 21, 2020, has been withdrawn by the Publisher because it commented an article by Dr. De Vecchis et al. entitled "Effects of a restricted water intake on various clinical and laboratory outcomes in patients with heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials" which has been retracted due to self-plagiarism.

Vasculoprotective effects of Centella asiatica, Justicia gendarussa and Imperata cylindrica decoction via the NOXs-ROS-NF-κB pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Centella asiatica, Justicia gendarussa and Imperata cylindrica decoction (CJID) is efficacious for hypertension. NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase (NOX)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation modulates nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation and thus mediates hypertension-induced vascular remodeling. This research aims to investigate the anti-remodeling effect of CJID through the mechanism of NOXs-ROS-NF-κB pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE: CJID was orally administered once a day for five weeks in SHRs and normotensive-WKY (Wistar Kyoto) rats. All rats were sacrificed at the end of study and different assays were performed to determine whether CJID ameliorates vascular remodeling in SHRs, such as histological examination; lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) assays; superoxide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation assays, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assays. . Changes in levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), NF-κB-p65, NF-κB inhibitor alpha/IκBα (inhibitory kappa B- alpha), phosphorylation of IκBα (p-IκBα) and NOX1, NOX2, NOX4 in the thoracic aorta were determined. RESULTS: Vascular remodeling indicators, media thickness, collagen and elastic accumulation in the thoracic aorta, of SHRs-treated CJID were attenuated. Redox homeostasis, aortic superoxide and hydrogen peroxide generation were decreased in SHRs-treated group. Aortic iNOS, p-IκBα, NF-κB-p65 and NOX1, NOX2, NOX4 expressions were suppressed. CONCLUSIONS: CJI treatment diminishes oxidative stress response in the thoracic aorta of SHRs via regulation of NOXs-ROS-NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings indicate that CJI possess protective effect against hypertension-induced vascular remodeling in SHRs.

Behcet's disease with involvement of major arteries: a case report.

Vascular involvement is not infrequent in Behcet's disease (BD). It is generally seen in the form of superficial thrombophlebitis or occlusion of major veins. In rare instances, arterial occlusion and aneurysm formation may be seen in BD. We reported a young male with BD, diagnosed at the age of twenty for relapsing and remitting oral ulceration, skin rash, arthralgia and ocular painful redness for three years. At the age of 21, he had recurrent abdominal aortic aneurysm and inconspicuous neurological manifestations including dizziness, tinnitus and transients of blurred vision. The carotid angiography disclosed the occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (CCA). A carotid endarterectomy was subsequently performed to reduce the risk of stroke. The pathological examination of the occluded segment of CCA revealed chronic inflammation, which was attributable to BD. There was no atherosclerotic change. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of concurrent bilateral CCA occlusion and relapsing abdominal aortic aneurysm. Even in the absence of specific neurological symptoms, we suggest that cerebrovascular investigation need to take into consideration in BD patients with unexplained cranial symptoms.

Fate of distal aorta after acute type A aortic dissection repair: Change and persistency of postoperative false lumen status.

BACKGROUND: The role of false lumen patency related to aortic growth, re-interventions, and post-discharge mortality in the chronic phase of repaired type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) remains controversial. We investigated the role of postoperative false lumen patency during long-term follow-up. METHODS: Based on postoperative CT images of 70 candidates, 58 eligible patients without alteration of false lumen status were assigned into three groups: complete patency, partial patency, and complete thrombosis. Aortic growth of 7 levels was analyzed. RESULTS: Persistent complete patency in post-operative TAAAD presents faster expansion of aortic diameter (95% CI, 0.35 to 11.52; P=0.038; B=5.935) and more patients with growth rate>5mm/year (P=0.029). The persistent status of false lumen does not predict post-discharge mortality (P=0.479). History of coronary artery disease (CAD) is the only independent predictor of post-discharge mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In TAAAD patients without change of postoperative false lumen status, completely patent false lumen presents faster aortic growth and more patients with growth rate>5mm/year. False lumen status does not correlate with late survival. Here we provide an insight into persistent postoperative false lumen in TAAAD patients and may help cast light on aortic dissection in this specific subgroup to improve their late outcomes.

Rare anatomic entity of quadricuspid aortic valve with aortic insufficiency: a case report.

Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is a rare congenital heart defect that often causes symptomatic aortic insufficiency in adulthood, imposing valve replacement. Herein, we describe one unusual case of QAV which underwent valve replacement uneventfully.

Indonesian herbal medicine prevents hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy by diminishing NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidative stress.

Indonesian herbal medicine Centella asiatica, Justicia gendarussa and Imperata cylindrica decoction (CJID) are known to be efficacious for hypertension. Oxidative stress plays an important role in hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy (H-LVH). This study evaluated whether CJID inhibit cardiac remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) through mechanism of oxidative stress-related cardiac-NADPH oxidase (NOXs) pathway: NOX1, NOX2 and NOX4. Forty-weeks-old SHRs and normotensive-WKY rats, were both randomly divided into 2 groups: CJID and control. All rats were treated for 5 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured. LV morphology, function and performance were assessed by histological staining and echocardiography. Serum and cardiac superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were assessed. Cardiac superoxide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) productions, protein expressions of SOD2, SOD3, NOX1, NOX2 and NOX4 were also determined. We found that SBP and HR were significantly decreased in SHRs-treated group. Echocardiography showed that CJID significantly improved LV morphometry and function. CJID decreased MDA level, but increased SOD activity. Cardiac superoxide and H2O2 generation were decreased in SHRs-treated group. CJID caused cardiac SODs expressions to be increased but NOXs expressions to be suppressed. In conclusion, CJID prevents H-LVH by reducing reactive oxygen species production via the NOXs-dependent pathway.

Pharmacogenetic dosing of warfarin in the Han-Chinese population: a randomized trial.

AIM: This study aimed to determine clinical utility of genotype-guided dosing for warfarin in Han-Chinese. METHODS: A total of 320 patients were randomly assigned International Warfarin Pharmacogenetic Consortium algorithm, Taiwan algorithm and optimal clinical care arms. The primary outcome of the study was the percentage of time in the therapeutic range during the first 90 days of treatment. RESULTS: The percentage of time in the therapeutic range of the clinical care group in the first 2 weeks was significantly higher than the algorithm groups. This difference was no longer observed after 4 weeks. No difference in excessive anticoagulation (international normalized ratio ≥4.0) and adverse events was observed. CONCLUSION: Genotype-guided dosing did not provide significant benefit. Loading dose with frequent international normalized ratio monitoring could provide sufficient control of anticoagulation.

Leukocyte depletion attenuates expression of neutrophil adhesion molecules during cardiopulmonary bypass in human beings.

BACKGROUND: On the basis of scanty information, the effects of a leukocyte filter during cardiac operations in human beings have been examined from the viewpoint of the expression of neutrophil adhesion molecules. This study was therefore designed to determine whether leukocyte depletion during cardiopulmonary bypass may interfere with neutrophil adhesion properties. METHODS: Twenty-four patients undergoing elective heart operations were randomly allocated to a leukocyte-depletion group or a control group. Blood samples were collected at 7 points: before sternotomy, at 10, 30, and 60 minutes of cardiopulmonary bypass, at termination of cardiopulmonary bypass, 5 minutes after protamine administration, and 2 hours after cardiopulmonary bypass. The expression of the neutrophil surface adhesion molecules L-selectin and beta2-integrins was determined by flow cytometric analysis in whole blood. RESULTS: (1) CD11a expression did not change significantly in either group. There were no significant differences between control and leukocyte-depletion groups (P =.63). (2) There was a significantly higher expression of CD11b on the neutrophils during cardiopulmonary bypass in the control group than in the leukocyte-depletion group (P =.01). (3) CD11c expression was initially up-regulated from the onset of cardiopulmonary bypass, reaching a peak at 60 minutes after bypass in the control group (P =.02). The expression of CD11c did not differ significantly between groups (P =.23). (4) L-selectin expression was significantly lower in the leukocyte-depletion group than in the control group (P =.03). CONCLUSIONS: The major findings of the present study in human subjects undergoing elective cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass are as follows: (1) bypass was associated with an up-regulation of the adhesion molecules L-selectin, CD11b, and CD11c but with no significant change in CD11a expression, and (2) the clinical use of a leukocyte-depleting filter could down-regulate the expression of CD11b and L-selectin.

Acute myocardial infarction with patent coronary artery after a long-distance flight--a case report.

Acute myocardial infarction is unusual in a young woman, especially with normal coronary arteriography. There are several mechanisms hypothesized, including coronary artery embolism, coronary spasm, illegal drug abuse and toxic condition. However, the etiology could be detected in only one third of these patients. Although air travel is known to precipitate deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, it is unclear whether it also causes myocardial infarction. We report a 37 year-old woman who had no risk factor for coronary artery disease, who suffered from acute myocardial infarction complicated with ventricular fibrillation after a long-distance flight across the Pacific Ocean from the United States to Taiwan. The coronary arteriogram disclosed patent coronary artery with slight intraluminal haziness in the proximal left anterior descending artery. The left ventriculogram demonstrated akinesia of anterolateral and apical segments with apical thrombus formation. We reviewed the related literature and considered the myocardial infarction in this patient was related to coronary thrombus formation after long-distance air travel.

Ventricular septal rupture after early successful thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction: a case report.

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a severe complication of acute myocardial infarction and has a high mortality rate. This complication appears to have declined in the reperfusion era. It has mostly been reported in elderly or female patients who suffer from anterior wall infarction, patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) or occluded infarct-related artery (IRA) without collateral circulation, or patients who have had delayed reperfusion therapy. Here, we report the case of a 60-year-old male patient who presented with persistent chest pain and Killip I ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. Thrombolytic therapy was started 3 hours after the onset of chest pain. Based on the subsidence of chest pain, resolution of the elevated ST segment, and early peak of cardiac enzymes, reperfusion was thought to be successful. However, on the third day of admission, the patient complained of dyspnea after defecation and was found to have new-onset grade 3 pansystolic murmur over the left sternal border. Cardiac echography showed an apical VSD. A Swan-Ganz catheter was inserted into the right side of the heart; analysis of blood oxygen saturation revealed a 6% step-up of oxygen in the right ventricle. Coronary angiography showed only one-vessel CAD and TIMI 3 flow in the IRA. The patient received intensive medical management and underwent VSD repair and internal mammary artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery. His recovery was uneventful. This case illustrates that VSD can be found in patients receiving early successful reperfusion therapy, with one-vessel CAD, and TIMI 3 flow in the IRA.

Isolated congenital ventricular septal aneurysm in an adult--a case report.

Congenital ventricular septal aneurysm without ventricular septal defect is a very rare condition. We describe the clinical features of an adult case and the literature was reviewed. A 54-year-old woman experienced intermittent palpitation with rapid heart beating sensation for several years. The duration was only several seconds. There was neither congestive heart failure nor syncope history. Physical examination revealed mid-systolic click with grade II/VI systolic murmur at apical area. Echocardiography disclosed mitral valve prolapse with mild mitral regurgitation. A ventricular septal aneurysm bulging into right ventricle was found incidentally. Transesophageal echocardiographic and cardiac angiographic pictures of ventricular septal aneurysm were demonstrated. Since the patient was relatively asymptomatic, no surgical intervention was advised.