Chirurgie à coeur ouvert en République démocratique du Congo : réalité ou utopie/cas clinique d'une indication avortée

La chirurgie à coeur cardiaque est un mode de traitement des pathologies cardio-vasculaires et médicales. Elle n'est plus pratiquée en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) depuis plusieurs décennies. Nous rapportons le cas clinique d'une fillette de 12 ans admise aux Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa pour atélectasie totale du poumon gauche, soignée auparavant comme une tuberculose pulmonaire, et dont le bilan a révélé un faux anévrysme géant de l'aorte descendante. Devant cette urgence, la seule thérapie possible, la chirurgie cardio-vasculaire, n'a pas été possible suite au manque d'équipements adéquats en RDC. Elle est décédée 4 jours après son diagnostic pendant qu'elle réalisait les formalités pour une évacuation sanitaire à l'étranger. La prise en charge d'urgence, notamment la chirurgie à coeur ouvert reste encore un challenge dans notre pays. Elle passe nécessairement par l'équipement de nos hôpitaux, surtout ceux de niveau tertiaire, et par l'amélioration du niveau socio-économique de nos populations

Preliminary results of 130 aortic valve replacements with a new mechanical bileaflet prosthesis: the Edwards MIRA valve.

We present a series of 130 consecutive patients operated for aortic valve replacement (AVR) using the standard MIRA prosthesis between January 1999 and March 2001. Most of the patients were male (sex ratio = 2) with a mean age of 61.5 +/- 9.5 years. The prosthesis was implanted using the continuous suture technique. The mean diameter of the implanted prostheses was 23 mm. This series was composed of 66% of isolated AVR. The associated operative procedures were as follows: coronary artery bypass grafting 23%, replacement of the ascending aorta 6%, replacement of the mitral valves 8% and mitral valvuloplasty 3%. A short-term follow-up was performed and echocardiography data at 6 +/- 2.1 months were collected. Operative mortality (<30 days) was 2.32% for the isolated AVR. No structural dysfunction, endocarditis or paraprosthetic leakage were observed. Postoperative ultrasound echography at 6 months revealed a transprosthetic gradient of 14.8 +/- 4.2 mmHg for the mean prosthesis diameter of 23 mm. The Edwards MIRA prosthesis has produced satisfactory and reliable early results. Long-term follow-up will be necessary to confirm these good early results.

Aortic valve replacement with the composite Labcor porcine bioprosthesis in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: This paper presents the analysis of clinical results of the composite porcine Labcor bioprosthesis in the replacement of aortic valves in the elderly. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out in the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgical Department, La Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital, Paris, for replacement of calcified, stenosed aortic valves between 1988 and 1995. It involved a series of 100 patients aged 70 and over (mean: 80+/-5 years ranging from 70 to 90). There were 63 female and 37 male patients. Preoperatively, five patients were in NYHA Class I, 23 in Class II, 65 in Class III and 7 in Class IV. RESULTS: Fifteen patients died in the early postoperative stage and 13 during the follow-up period. There was no evidence of valve failure. The average follow-up was 32 months and the actuarial survival rate at 5 years was 74+/-5%. Complications due to bleeding occurred in 3 patients taking anticoagulant treatment. There were neither valvular thrombosis nor embolism. Two patients presented with prosthetic endocarditis. Two patients received a reoperation because of leakage (1 septic). The five-year follow-up showed that 96% of patients did not require further surgery. When this study was completed, 83% of patients were in Class I or II versus 71% in Class III or IV prior to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In the early/middle follow-up term, the results obtained when replacing the aortic valve with the composite Labcor bioprosthesis in the elderly are satisfying. Nevertheless, further long-term assessment is needed.

Left centrifugal pump cardiac assist with transseptal percutaneous left atrial cannula.

Left cardiac support postcardiotomy requires a second operation for removal of the atrial cannula following weaning from assistance. To avoid the risk of this procedure, we used a transseptal cannula prototype. The cannula was introduced percutaneously through the femoral vein and advanced into the left atrium guided by the finger of the surgeon. Optimal positioning of the tip of the cannula was verified by perioperative transesophageal echocardiography. A long arterial cannula was positioned in the descending aorta via the femoral artery and a Carmeda circuit with a centrifugal pump was connected to both cannulas. This procedure was used in 3 patients with low cardiac output who underwent emergency surgery, a 63-year-old patient referred for aortic and mitral valve replacement, a 54-year-old man for aortic valve replacement, and a 64-year-old patient in the acute phase of myocardial infarction after myocardial revascularization. The assistance was used systematically at the end of the operation. The assist flow was 1.2-2.6 L/min. The patients were all weaned from support between 18 h and 8 days later. No complications related to the device occurred. Both cannulas were removed surgically from the femoral vessels without reopening the chest. This new procedure is of interest for 2 reasons: the systematic implantation allows for early assistance, and the use of a percutaneous approach avoids the risk of reopening the chest. More cases are needed to confirm this initial good impression.