[Self-inflicted cardiac injury : He "nailed" it]. / Plaie cardiaque auto-infligée : il l'a « cloué ¼.

INTRODUCTION: Nail guns are responsible for an estimated 14% of injuries among residential carpenters, intrathoracic injuries are rare but almost always require operative management with a sternotomy or thoracotomy. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a young carpenter who injured himself by accident during work. The nail perforated the right ventricle. He was operated and postoperative course was uneventful. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of urgent and adequate management of these cases and the need to raise awareness about work safety among carpenters.

Primary cardiac hydatid cyst presenting with massive pericardial effusion: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac hydatidosis is a rare manifestation of Echinococcus infection. It represents 0.5 to 2% of hydatic disease (Mustafa et al., Can J Cardiol 22:2, 2006). The most common localization is the myocardium of the left ventricle but can also touch the right ventricle, atrium, pericardium, interventricular septum, and pulmonary artery. Clinical presentation is varied ranging from clinical latency or minor symptoms to cardiogenic shock and sudden death. The present case describes a primary pericardial hydatid cyst, a very exceptional localization of cardiac hydatidosis, which can lead to a delayed diagnosis or to an erroneous treatment that can expose the life of the patient to complications and death if it is not considered. Diagnosis can be established by cardiac imaging and hydatid serology. Therapy management should combine both surgery and medical treatment by albendazole or mebendazole. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 70-year-old woman from Sale, who was admitted for dyspnea New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV evolving in a febrile context with signs of right heart failure related to a rupture of a primary pericardial hydatid cyst with pre-tamponade. The diagnosis was confirmed by echocardiography, computed tomography scan (CT scan), and hydatic serology, and the patient was operated and put on albendazole for 3 months with favorable clinical course. CONCLUSIONS: The aims of this article are to consider the diagnosis of cardiac hydatid cysts in the presence of pericardial effusion, especially if there is a prior history of hydatid disease, a contact with animals, or when it occurs in an endemic country, and to be able to make a differential diagnosis with cardiac imaging in order to avoid its complications and to guide the management.

[Results of aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic stenosis associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction]. / Résultats du remplacement valvulaire chez les patients porteurs de rétrécissement valvulaire aortique avec dysfonction ventriculaire gauche sévère.

The operative risk of aortic valve replacement (AVR) due to tight aortic stenosis (AS) associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction is high. Several risk factors for postoperative mortality have been described, but most of the reported case series are heterogeneous. This study aimed to analyze the postoperative results of AVR in patients with isolated tight AS associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction and to identify predictive factors of in-hospital mortality. We conducted a retrospective study of 46 patients with tight AS associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction who had undergone AVR. The average age was 59±12.70 years. 69.6% of patients were in NYHA Class III or IV. Mean EF was 32.3 ± 5.3%, and mean EuroScore was 12.20 ± 8.70. In-hospital mortality accounted for 15.20%. Morbidity was mainly marked by low cardiac output in 35% of cases. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that renal insufficiency (OR= 11.94, CI [2.65-72.22], p= 0.03) and congestive cardiac failure (OR= 25.33, CI [3.43-194.74], p= 0.009) were related to the risk of in-hospital mortality. Thirty-nine surviving patients were followed up for an average of 59.6± 21 months. Late mortality accounted for 5%. The functional status had significantly improved. EF increased, on average, by 5.5 units in early postoperative period and by 18 units in late postoperative period. In the long term, end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters were reduced by an average of 8 and 9 mm, respectively. The results of AVR due to tight AS associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction are satisfactory. Congestive heart failure and preoperative renal failure are the main risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Patient's outcome is marked by reduction in end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters of the left ventricle with improvement of the EF and of their functional status.

Double-orifice mitral valve associated with atrioventricular canal defects.

A 4 year-old male presented with effort dyspnea, and was diagnosed as atrioventricular canal defects. This finding was confirmed by open heart surgery, and a congenital double orifice mitral valve was discovered. The septal defect was closed but the double orifice mitral valve was respected because of the absence of hemodynamic disturbance. We report this case with review of literature.

Transmitral exclusion of a giant congenital left ventricular aneurysm associated with mitral insufficiency in adult.

Congenital left ventricular aneurysm is rare, poorly understood and potentially lethal. It usually occurs in isolation. Its combination with mitral insufficiency is an uncommon entity. Because the literature on this kind of aneurysms consists of case reports and small series described especially in children, we report here an interesting and unique case of an adult aged 35 years bearing simultaneously a congenital left ventricular aneurysm and mitral insufficiency. Without medical past history, he consults for palpitations and dyspnoea. Once diagnosis was made by chest X-ray, echocardiography and computed tomography, an open heart surgery was necessary to prevent complications. Through a transmitral approach, aneurysmal exclusion was performed by closing the aneurysmal collar with a Dacron patch and mitral replacement was accomplished. At 12 months, follow-up was favourable without residual communication between aneurysm and ventricle or paraprosthetic leak.

Intracavitary hydatid cyst of the left ventricle in child: an emergency surgery case report.

Hydatid cysts of the heart are very rare in child. In this report we describe an interesting and unique case of an 8-year-old boy with a large cardiac intracavitary hydatid cyst filling the left ventricle. Echocardiography, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and serologic test were necessary for the diagnosis. Once assessing the diagnosis, an emergency open heart surgery was necessary to prevent the complications. Surgery associated to medical treatment provides good results as demonstrated in this case report.