[Pericardial Fenestration in a Patient with Myocardial Metastasis and Cardiac Tamponade after Surgery for Esophageal Cancer;Report of a Case].

We report a case of pericardial fenestration in a patient with myocardial metastasis and cardiac tamponade after surgery for esophageal cancer. A 66-year-old man had been suffering from orthopnea, hypotension and general malaise due to cardiac tamponade and heart failure. Esophagectomy was performed with substernal gastric tube reconstruction for advanced esophageal carcinoma. Nine months after the operation, heart failure developed, and myocardial and pericardial metastasis was subsequently detected. Subxiphoidal pericardiocentesis was abandoned due to the substernal gastric tube, and pericardial fenestration was performed through a small left anterior thoracotomy at the 5th intercostal space. His symptoms were ameliorated immediately and the procedure contributed greatly to maintain his quality of life. Preoperative computed tomography was useful for revealing the anatomical positions of the gastric tube and important vessels.

[Aortic valve replacement for recurrent aortic stenosis after percutaneous transluminal balloon aortic valvuloplasty( PTAV) in a cancer patient].

We report a case of aortic valve replacement( AVR) for recurrent aortic stenosis(AS) after percutaneous transluminal balloon aortic valvuloplasty( PTAV) in a patient with left renal pelvis carcinoma. A 65-year-old female had been suffering from shortness of breath and syncope due to severe AS. She was considered to be a candidate for AVR. Preoperative examination revealed advanced left renal pelvis carcinoma that was a critical comorbidity for AVR. Ureteronephrectomy was also considered to be a contraindication. Despite conservative treatment, her condition was deteriorated. Emergency PTAV was performed when she was transferred to our hospital with circulatory shock. Her symptoms were ameliorated and left ureteronephrectomy was conducted 8 month after the PTAV. She was readmitted to our hospital 16 month after the PTAV and AVR was performed successfully.Antegrade transseptal PTAV is a very useful palliative therapy for AS with severe comorbidities as a bridge to surgery.

The Efficacy and Safety of Antegrade Inoue-Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty to Treat Calcific Critical Aortic Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Critical aortic stenosis (AS) with severe calcific degeneration often resists conventional retrograde percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty (PBAV). To enhance therapeutic efficacy, a novel PBAV technique has been developed by utilizing a single Inoue balloon via an antegrade approach, performing multiple inflations with step-up increases (M-PBAV) of balloon diameter to the size of the surgical valve ring. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 405 non-surgical patients with critical AS were treated by M-PBAV and the acute therapeutic response and long-term clinical course were evaluated; some patients underwent the procedure on two or three occasions. RESULTS: In a total of 456 procedures, mean transaortic valve pressure gradient improved from an initial 63.6 ± 17.3 mm Hg to 22.7 ± 8.9 mm Hg post PBAV (P<.01). Mean aortic valve area increased from an initial 0.55 ± 0.15 cm² to 0.98 ± 0.20 cm² immediately after M-PBAV (P<.01). Clinical symptoms (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class) improved over time. Prior to M-PBAV, baseline NYHA class I-II was 9.1%, and NYHA class III-IV was 90.9%. At 12 months post M-PBAV, mortality was 17.1%, with repeat M-PBAV plus surgical AVR at 12.7%, 10.5% NYHA class III-IV, and 59.6% NYHA class I-II. At 24 months post M-PBAV, mortality was 25.8%, with repeat PBAV plus surgical AVR at 19.0%, 8.8% NYHA class III-IV, and 46.2% NYHA class I-II. Adverse events related to the procedure included critical AR (0.5%), cardiac tamponade (1.8%), intraprocedure hemodynamic compromise requiring percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (0.5%), and reversible cerebral ischemia (1.3%). No myocardial infarct or vascular complications occurred. CONCLUSION: M-PBAV enhanced the therapeutic efficacy and procedural safety of valvuloplasty to treat severely calcified critical AS, and diversified its clinical roles.

Effectiveness of short-term treatment with nocturnal oxygen therapy for central sleep apnea in patients with congestive heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the short term effects of inhalation of oxygen at night in 51 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and sleep apnea syndrome (SAS). METHODS: Fifty-one patients with stable CHF (31 males, 20 females, mean age 79.0 +/- 11.9 years; brain natriuretic peptide level of > 100 pg/ml) were evaluated between September 2003 and August 2004, using a Morpheus monitor. The complication rate of SAS in patients with CHF was assessed and apnea hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation index 3%, heart rate, and autonomic nerve activity under room air compared to supplemental O2 (2 l/min) over two consecutive nights. RESULTS: Thirty-eight (75%)of the CHF patients had SAS. Of these SAS patients, 49% suffered from central SAS and 51% had obstructive SAS. Apnea hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index 3% improved remarkably with supplemental oxygen (p < 0.001), in particular, the central SAS group demonstrated prominent improvement (p < 0.001). Obstructive SAS patients exhibited no significant changes (p = 0.3356), but tended to exacerbate the episodes of sleep apnea. Total heart rate was decreased (p = 0.0079). Nevertheless, heart rate variability analysis showed little effect of nocturnal oxygen therapy on the autonomic nervous system during sleeping. CONCLUSIONS: Nocturnal oxygen therapy improved the number of sleep apnea episodes and decreased total heart rate during sleep time for the CHF patients with central SAS, despite little influence on the autonomic nervous system, based upon assessment of heart rate variability. Obstructive SAS might exacerbate the episodes of sleep apnea.

Allograft pulmonary artery root replacement for refractory isolated pulmonic valve endocarditis.

A 45-year-old diabetic woman was subjected to percutaneous cardiopulmonary support for a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. One month later, she developed isolated pulmonic valve endocarditis. The causative organism was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Because of the uncontrollable infection and residual pulmonary hypertension, she underwent pulmonary artery root replacement with a cryopreserved pulmonary allograft. The postoperative course was very good. In this case, allograft implantation with a full root played a very important role because this method permitted thorough resection of the infected tissues and reconstruction which is highly resistant to infection.