Medium-term echocardiographic follow-up of systolic and diastolic left ventricular abnormalities after surgical treatment of subacute rupture.

Subacute rupture of the left ventricular free wall is a complication that occurs during the acute phase of a myocardial infarction. The subacute presentation makes surgical management possible. However, it is not known whether either pericardial manipulation or the use of pericardial patches influences left ventricular function over the medium term. Our aim was to monitor changes in left ventricular function and the development of constrictive pericarditis over the medium term in patients who had been treated surgically for subacute rupture of the left ventricle. Eleven patients with subacute rupture underwent surgery, of whom six were followed up over the medium term. A modest improvement in left ventricular systolic function was observed and there was no evidence of constrictive pericarditis. In conclusion, the surgical approach appears to be safe over the medium term and had no influence on left ventricular function. Nor did it lead to the development of constrictive pericarditis.

Seguimiento ecocardiográfico a medio plazo de las alteraciones de la función sistólica y diastólica del ventrículo izquierdo tras rotura subaguda tratada quirúrgicamente / Medium-term echocardiographic follow-up of systolic and diastolic left ventricular abnormalities after surgical treatment of subacute rupture

La rotura subaguda de la pared libre del ventrículo izquierdo es una complicación de la fase aguda del infarto de miocardio. La presentación subaguda permite una resolución quirúrgica. No se conoce si la manipulación del pericardio y el empleo de parches pueden tener consecuencias a medio plazo en la función ventricular izquierda. Nuestro objetivo es evaluar la evolución de la función ventricular izquierda y el desarrollo de datos de constricción a medio plazo en pacientes con rotura subaguda del ventrículo izquierdo intervenida quirúrgicamente. Se intervino de rotura subaguda a 11 pacientes, de los que se siguió a medio plazo a 6. Los resultados muestran que a medio plazo hay una mejoría discreta de la función ventricular y no aparecen datos de constricción. Como conclusión, se puede decir que es una técnica segura a medio plazo y que no se acompaña de secuelas en la función ventricular izquierda ni de desarrollo de constricción (AU)

Subacute rupture of the left ventricular free wall is a complication that occurs during the acute phase of a myocardial infarction. The subacute presentation makes surgical management possible. However, it is not known whether either pericardial manipulation or the use of pericardial patches influences left ventricular function over the medium term. Our aim was to monitor changes in left ventricular function and the development of constrictive pericarditis over the medium term in patients who had been treated surgically for subacute rupture of the left ventricle. Eleven patients with subacute rupture underwent surgery, of whom six were followed up over the medium term. A modest improvement in left ventricular systolic function was observed and there was no evidence of constrictive pericarditis. In conclusion, the surgical approach appears to be safe over the medium term and had no influence on left ventricular function. Nor did it lead to the development of constrictive pericarditis (AU)

Radiofrequency ablation of a left anterior accessory pathway in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White and major venous drainage anomaly.

Anomalies of the venous system may impose serious limitations to the treatment of arrhythmias by means of ablation therapy. We describe a patient who had the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with frequent episodes of antidromic supraventricular tachycardia in whom an ablation was performed. The patient was found to have no inferior vena cava, a hemiazygos vein draining in a persistent left superior vena cava, and a left anterior manifest accessory pathway.