Repair of coarctation of the aorta in adults with simultaneous aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting.

The authors present three patients who had either coronary artery disease or severe aortic stenosis or both along with congenital coarction of the aorta. The use of a heterotopic bypass (Dacron tube implanted between the ascending and descending aorta) allowed the surgeons to correct the coarction through a median sternotomy and perform the coronary artery bypass grafting and valve replacement at the same time. The authors are convinced that the scarcely mentioned heterotopic bypassing of the coarcted aorta should be added to the armamentarium of the surgeons who operate on patients with coarctation or recoarctation of the aorta in adulthood or with coarctation that is associated with cardiac lesions.

[Implantable pacemaker-cardioconverter-defibrillator]. / A beültethetö pacemaker-cardioverter-defibrillator.

The aim of this article is to introduce the automatic, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) device in connection with the first two cases in Hungary. At present time, the indications of the AICD implantation in the European Community are as follows: recurrent sustained episodes of ventricular tachycardia ventricular fibrillation or aborted sudden cardiac (arrhythmic) death, when the treatment of the underlying heart disease and/or the application of antiarrhythmic drugs, antitachycardia surgery (or catheter ablation procedures) proved to be unsuccessful in the prevention of the ventricular tachyarrhythmias (guided by serial intracardiac electrophysiologic testing and exercise testing), Holter monitoring. On the one hand the implantation of an AICD is not a causative treatment, on the other hand the cost of an AICD is extremely expensive. On the 8th of January, 1992, the first AICD (PCD Medtronic 7217B) implantation was performed in the Hungarian Institute of Cardiology. At the first patient with dilatative cardiomyopathy, the cardioverter defibrillator discharged successfully at 16 times. Unfortunately, the implantation of this patient with AICD could prolong his life only with months due to the rapid progression of the underlying cardiomyopathy. The second patient with AICD implantation went home after the uneventful surgery. The implanted cardioverter defibrillator unit worked properly, spontaneous ventricular tachycardia was terminated successfully. The AICD treatment considerably decreases the risk of sudden cardiac (arrhythmic) deaths.

[Surgical management of left cor triatriatum in adults]. / A cor triatriatum sinistrum sebészi kezelése felnöttkorban.

Cor triatriatum sinistrum is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly in which a membrane divides the left atrium. Severity of the disease depends on the size of the opening on the membrane. The anomaly presents with severe pulmonary hypertension and prognosis is unfavourable without surgery. From 1976 through 1992, 5 adult patients were treated surgically in our institution. Cor triatriatum can be corrected surgically with a low mortality and excellent late results if an early preoperative diagnosis has been made. Clinical findings and cardiac catheterization do not provide sufficient data for the correct diagnosis. From a review of our experience it is concluded that echocardiography is superior to angiography for diagnosing cor triatriatum.

Total correction of tetralogy of Fallot in adolescents and adults.

From 1976 to 1988, 23 adolescent and adult patients underwent total correction of tetralogy of Fallot. There were 13 males and 10 females, ranging in age from 16 to 47 years (mean 24.3 +/- 8.6 years). Eight patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II, 14 patients in class III, and one patient in class IV. Sixteen patients (69.6%) had undergone previous palliative operation. All shunts were patent at the time of repair. In 9 patients bovine pericardial monocusp patches were used for reconstruction of the right-ventricular outflow tract. Intraoperatively, the right-ventricular to left-ventricular systolic pressure ratio after repair ranged from 0.29 to 0.80 (mean 0.49 +/- 0.13). There were 2 early deaths (8.7%). Eight of 23 patients (34.8%) exhibited postoperative low cardiac output syndrome. One late death occurred: a 22-year-old male patient died of Staphylococcus sepsis 8 months postoperatively. All surviving patients were followed from 3 to 15 years (mean 8.3 +/- 2.7 years). No patient required reoperation in the follow-up period. The actuarial survival estimate for all 23 patients was 87% at the end of 15 years. At follow-up 17 patients were in NYHA class I, two were in class II, and one was judged to be in class III. We believe advanced age is no contraindication to surgery in tetralogy of Fallot. Adolescents and adults remain in need of total correction which can be performed with acceptable risk and long-term symptomatic improvement.

Ruptured aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva.

From 1969 to 1989, 15 patients with an aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva underwent operative correction. This represents 0.23% of 6515 cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass during that time. There were 8 males and 7 females ranging in age from 15 to 54 years (mean 35.8 years). Symptoms of congestive heart failure, fatigue and palpitation were common. All patients underwent cardiac catheterization including aortography. Associated lesions included aortic valve regurgitation in 6 patients and a ventricular septal defect in 3 patients. The following connections occurred: right coronary sinus to right ventricle (8 patients), right coronary sinus to both right atrium and right ventricle (1 patient), and noncoronary sinus to right atrium (6 patients). The aneurysm was repaired via aortotomy or through the chamber into which it emptied. The aortic valve was replaced in 2 patients. There were no early or late postoperative deaths. Fourteen patients were in NYHA functional class I at late follow-up (range 0.5 to 20.5 years, mean 8.7 years). There have been no recurrences. Our experience supports the concept that early surgical intervention in patients with ruptured aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva is justified.

[Thrombolysis by tissue plasminogen activator in acute myocardial infarct]. / Thrombolysis szöveti plasminogén aktivátorral akut myokardiális infarktusban.

The authors participated in the European multicenter investigation, ESPRIT, organized by the Wellcome Research Laboratories. Thrombolytic treatment by intravenous tissue plasminogen activator was performed in 25 patients with early (less than 6h) myocardial infarction. The efficacy of the treatment was controlled by repeat coronary arteriography at 60 minutes, at 90 minutes and at 24 hours of the tpA treatment. The infarct related artery was reperfused in 9/25 patients at 60 minutes, in 16/25 at 90 minutes and 17/18 at 24 hours. Four patients died after unsuccessful treatment or reocclusion. In two patients significant bleeding occurred at the puncture site but no transfusion was required. No other untoward effect was registered. The left ventricular function did not change significantly during the first day of infarction. It is concluded, that tpA is a safe thrombolytic agent in myocardial infarction. Its thrombolytic efficacy is similar to that of streptokinase.

Preoperative silent myocardial ischemia. Has it prognostic significance?

We studied the prognostic significance of preoperative silent myocardial ischemia in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Nonfatal and fatal perioperative myocardial infarction were regarded as prognostically important endpoints. Ninety-five patients (9 women) with stable-effort angina pectoris were studied during their hospital stay in the surgery ward before CABG. Silent ischemia was detected using Holter monitoring; all patients had Holter monitoring 76 +/- 9 h before surgery using Marguette Laser Holter and Cardiodata Prodigy systems. Two-channel electrocardiographic recordings were used which included CM5 and a modified inferior lead. Effort was taken to avoid leads with pathological Q waves and resting ST segment abnormalities. The mean duration of the monitoring was 27.9 +/- 11.3 h. Three patients (3.2%) had angina pectoris during these observations, 1 of them with significant ST depression. Silent ST depression was found in 12 patients (12.6%). Twelve patients (12.6%) had perioperative myocardial infarction. Perioperative myocardial infarction was more common in patients with silent ischemia: 4/12 vs. 8/83; chi 2 = 4.48955, p = 0.0341. Our results suggest that Holter monitoring identifies a group of patients with a higher probability of perioperative myocardial infarction. In the future, it may be possible to study different methods to prevent this surgical complication.

[A case of surgically treated septum perforation associated with acute myocardial infarct]. / Acut myocardialis infarctushoz társuló septum perforatio operált esete.

The authors present the case-history of an elderly female patient with acute myocardial infarction complicated by ventricular septal defect (VSD). She was operated on in order the VSD to be corrected but--probably because of sutural insufficiency--it temporarily reopened, later closed spontaneously. The significance of certain tests in the differential diagnosis of systolic murmur after acute myocardial infarction is discussed, and the importance of these findings compared to the clinical picture is emphasized.

[Value of Doppler echocardiography in the indications for correction of tricuspid valve insufficiency in the course of mitral valve implantation]. / A Doppler-echocardiographia értéke a tricuspidalis insufficientia korrekciójának indicatiójában mitrális mübillentyü beültetés során.

To assess the postoperative reversibility of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) and its relation to preoperative pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) 103 patients were studied by Doppler echocardiography (DE) in whom at the time of mitral valve replacement the correction of the FTR was not considered to be necessary by the surgeon. Moderate or severe FTR was found in 36% of patients preoperatively, and it diminished or disappeared early after operation if the preoperative PASP was more than 60 mmHg, while the improvement of FTR was found only in the half of patients with PASP less than 60 mmHg. Persistent FTR was still unchanged in 7 of 10 patients at 1 year follow-up. It is concluded that DE should be performed prior to mitral valve replacement and severe FTR found by DE should be surgically treated even in case of negative surgical findings if the PASP is less than 60 mmHg.

[The incidence of endocarditis caused by a prosthetic valve and its risk factors]. / A mübillentyü endocarditis elöfordulása és kockázati tényezöi.

UNLABELLED: To study the incidence and risk factors of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) we followed 99.5% of 912 patients who had valve replacement from January 1, 1981 through December 31, 1985, for 1 to 6 (mean 3) years. PVE occurred in 27 patients (2.96% or 0.98% per patient-year). The incidence of PVE in the aortic position (3.9%) was significantly higher than in the mitral position (1.5%): p less than 0.25. PVE developed in 19 out of 329 patients with bioprostheses (5.8%) and in 8 out of 583 patients with mechanical valves (1.4%): p less than 0.005. Actuarially at 5 years follow-up 90.7% of the bioprosthetic group and 98.4% of the mechanical valve group was free of PVE (p less than 0.01). Bioprosthetic valve replacement in infective endocarditis further increased the risk of PVE compared to valve replacement by mechanical prostheses. IN CONCLUSION: in order of importance antecedent endocarditis, bioprostheses, male sex and aortic position are risk factors in the development of PVE. In patients requiring operation for infective endocarditis, mechanical valves are recommended. As the outcome of PVE is still very grave, authors stress the importance of prophylaxis, early diagnosis and timely operation.

[Symptomless (silent) myocardial ischemia and its prognostic significance]. / A panaszmentes ("silent") szívizom ischaemia és prognosztikus jelentösége.

The authors studied the prognostic significance of Silent myocardial ischemia. To study the correlation between the silent ischemia before the operation of coronary revascularization and the perioperative complications (infarction, mortality) Holter-monitoring (HM) was performed with 26 patients. The average time of HM was 43 +/- 3.1 h. During the observation period total 138 silent ischemic episodes were registered with 7 patients. The average heart rate observed during the ischemic event did not differ from that observed in other periods. Three myocardial infarctions occurred in the perioperative period one of them was of lethal outcome. Silent ischemia was detected in 2 of 3 patients before operation. The patient who displayed the gravest ischemic alteration died of perioperative myocardial infarction. On the basis of their observations the authors attribute prognostic significance to the preoperative silent myocardial ischemia.

Surgical treatment of infective endocarditis in the active stage.

The study summarizes the results of surgical treatment of active infective valvular endocarditis (IE) in two cardiac surgical centres in Hungary and the Soviet Union between 1969-1987. Most (92.9%) of the 241 patients operated on were in severe condition pre-operatively (NYHA Class III and IV), their mean age was 38.2 years. The infectious process was localized predominantly on the aortic valve (169 patients), and developed on previously normal valves in 151 patients. Hospital mortality was 17%, the underlying cause of death was often heart failure, sometimes associated with sepsis. Late mortality was 12.5% (25 patients), only six of these patients died of recurrent infection. The authors stress the high efficacy of surgical treatment of active valvular IE.

Incidence and risk factors of prosthetic valve endocarditis.

UNLABELLED: To study the incidence and risk factors of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) we followed 99.5% of 912 patients who had valve replacements from 1 January 1981 to 31 December 1985 for 1-6 (mean 3) years. PVE occurred in 27 patients (2.96% or 0.98% per patient-year). The incidence of PVE in the aortic position (3.9%) was significantly higher than in the mitral position (1.5%): chi-square = 6.1, P less than 0.025. PVE developed in 19 of 329 patients with bioprostheses (5.8%), and in 8 of 583 patients with mechanical valves (1.4%): chi-square = 14.48, P less than 0.005). Actuarially at 5-year follow-up, 90.7% +/- 2.16% of the bioprosthetic group and 98.4% +/- 0.56% of the mechanical valve group was free of PVE (P less than 0.001). Antecedent endocarditis increased both the incidence and relative risk of PVE 7-fold compared to patients without antecedent endocarditis (chi-square = 32.0, P less than 0.0001). Bioprosthetic valve replacement in infective endocarditis increased the risk of PVE 12-fold compared to valve replacement by mechanical prostheses. IN CONCLUSION: in the order of importance, antecedent endocarditis, bioprostheses and aortic position are risk factors in the development of PVE. Bioprostheses implanted in patients with antecedent endocarditis further enhance the risk of PVE.

Successful repair of a left ventricular aneurysm after blunt chest trauma in a child.

A 5-year-old boy sustained multiple serious injuries, including compression trauma to the chest, when he was struck by a piece of timber. Two-dimensional echocardiography and left ventricular angiography revealed a left ventricular apical aneurysm, which was successfully repaired with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. To our knowledge, this is only the 5th case in which a left ventricular aneurysm resulting from closed-chest injury in a child has been successfully treated.

Scientific prognosis of trends in the development of cardiovascular surgery in the socialist countries.

The growing incidence and importance of cardiovascular diseases in a number of countries calls for systematic quest for most efficient methods of treatment, which besides prevention and drug therapy include also surgical treatment. A group of experts from member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) has worked out a scientific prognosis of trends of the development of cardiovascular surgery, which include surgical treatment of ischaemic heart disease, congenital and acquired heart defects, renovascular hypertension and affection of the aortic arch. The prognosis includes also an estimate of the number of operations which will have to be performed in the mentioned diseases per 1 million inhabitants of the CMEA member countries.

Accessory mitral valve tissue causing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

Among the various causes of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction accessory mitral valve tissue is the least common. To the best of our knowledge there have been only five such cases reported to date. The aim of presenting two more cases and reviewing the literature is to bring attention to this rare anomaly as it is easy to treat provided it has been diagnosed preoperatively or recognised at surgery.