Surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot in a 78-year-old woman: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart disease mostly diagnosed and treated in early childhood. However, there are some adult cases receiving treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 78-year-old Japanese woman who presented with severely hypertrophic right ventricle, ventricular septum defect, overriding aorta, and severe infundibular stenosis in the right ventricular outflow tract. As hypoxemia was mild and daily exertion was sufficiently possible, home oxygen therapy was introduced. After 1 month, she was referred because of a positive blood culture. The blood culture test was positive four times, therefore, the antibacterial drug was administered according to active infective endocarditis. SpO2 repeatedly decreased during hospitalization, thus oxygen was needed. As there were infective endocarditis onset and progressive hypoxemia, we planned a surgical correction. CONCLUSION: Tetralogy of Fallot was diagnosed and successfully treated with complete surgical correction, and the development of infective endocarditis was the definitive indication for surgery at this late age.

Clinical Features of 544 Patients With Ruptured Aortic Aneurysm　- A Report From the Tokyo Acute Aortic Super Network Database.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data on ruptured aortic aneurysms from large-scale studies are scarce. The aims of this study were to: clarify the clinical course of ruptured aortic aneurysms; identify aneurysm site-specific therapies and outcomes; and determine the clinical course of patients receiving conservative therapy.Methods and Results: Using the Tokyo Acute Aortic Super Network database, we retrospectively analyzed 544 patients (mean [±SD] age 78±10 years; 70% male) with ruptured non-dissecting aortic aneurysms (AAs) after excluding those with impending rupture. Patient characteristics, status on admission, therapeutic strategy, and outcomes were evaluated. Shock or pulselessness on admission were observed in 45% of all patients. Conservative therapy, endovascular therapy (EVT), and open surgery (OS) accounted for 32%, 23%, and 42% of cases, respectively, with corresponding mortality rates of 93%, 30%, and 29%. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 50%. The prevalence of pulselessness was highest (48%) in the ruptured ascending AA group, and in-hospital mortality was the highest (70%) in the ruptured thoracoabdominal AA group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated in-hospital mortality was positively associated with pulselessness (odds ratio [OR] 10.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.09-25.07), and negatively associated with invasive therapy (EVT and OS; OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.06-0.20). CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of ruptured AAs remain poor; emergency invasive therapy is essential to save lives, although it remains challenging to reduce the risk of death.

Intracardiac Three-Dimensional Image as Surgical Decision-Making Tool of Congenital Heart Disease.

This study aimed to evaluate the anatomical reproducibility of a preoperative intracardiac 3D image (IC image) created using computed tomography, and to investigate its usefulness as a surgical decision-making tool. Between 2012 and 2022, ventricular septal defect (VSD) patients, and double outlet right ventricle (DORV) or transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with pulmonary stenosis (PS) patients who underwent cardiac surgery and had preoperative computed tomography were enrolled. SYNAPSE VINCENT® (Fujifilm) was used to create an IC image which was analyzed retrospectively. In 14 VSD patients, the diagnostic consistency rate in the Soto classification with intraoperative findings was 100% (14/14) for IC image versus 64% (9/14) for transthoracic echocardiography (P = 0.04). The defect size showed a higher correlation coefficient with IC image (0.837, P = 0.001) than with transthoracic echocardiography (0.567, P = 0.034). In 11 DORV/TGA with PS patients, the diagnostic consistency rate in the Lev classification was 100% (9/9) for IC image versus 77% (7/9) for transthoracic echocardiography (P = 0.47). The secondary interventricular foramen (SVF)/left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) ratio by IC image was significantly smaller in the biventricular-repair group (median 0.71, IQR 0.67-1.06) than in the univentricular-repair group (median 1.79, IQR 1.53-2.42) (P = 0.006). An IC image is useful as a surgical decision-making tool for simple VSDs and complex congenital heart diseases such as DORV or TGA with pulmonary stenosis. The SVF/LVOT ratio determined from the IC image may be a useful indicator for avoiding LVOT obstruction.

Untreated atrial septal defect after intracardiac repair for tetralogy of Fallot.

Tetralogy of Fallot was repaired previously in a preschooler through right ventriculotomy, providing excellent exposure for ventricular septal defect closure and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction relief. Herein, we describe the preschooler as a 50-year-old man with untreated atrial septal defect found at pulmonary valve replacement in the remote period after tetralogy of Fallot repair. It was inferred intraoperatively that the previous tetralogy of Fallot was repaired only through right ventriculotomy, and atrial septal defect closure was performed together with pulmonary valve replacement.

A case of constrictive pericarditis with a milk of calcium pericardial effusion undergoing surgical treatment.

Milk of calcium (MOC) pericardial effusion (PE) is extremely rare and has rarely been reported. A 78-year-old man was referred to our institution because of breathlessness and bilateral leg edema. Echocardiography revealed mild PE. In addition, abrupt posterior motion of the ventricular septum in early diastole was observed. A non-contrast chest computed tomography revealed a hyperdense PE, with Hounsfield units of 130, suggestive of MOC PE. Right heart catheterization (RHC) revealed that the right ventricular pressure had a dip and plateau pattern. We diagnosed the patient with constrictive pericarditis (CP) with MOC PE. As the right heart failure secondary to CP was refractory to medical therapy, we decided to perform surgical treatment. During pericardiectomy, a highly viscous PE, of which the color was pale and reddish brown, was aspirated. Chemical analysis of the PE revealed a very high calcium content of 39.2 mmol/L. The clinical symptoms secondary to CP improved. RHC performed postoperatively confirmed the disappearance of a dip and plateau pattern in the right ventricular pressure. In conclusion, we experienced a of CP with MOC PE and surgical treatment contributed to the improvement of the clinical symptoms and pericardial constriction secondary to CP. Learning objective: Because constrictive pericarditis (CP) with milk of calcium (MOC) pericardial effusion (PE) can cause severe morbidity and even mortality, the early diagnosis of CP is important in patients suspected of having MOC PE. MOC PE has hyperdensity on computed tomography, so its findings could be helpful in the diagnosis of MOC PE. Pericardiectomy for CP with MOC PE may contribute to the improvement of the clinical symptoms and pericardial constriction secondary to CP.

Outcomes of type A acute aortic dissection with cardiopulmonary arrest: Tokyo Acute Aortic Super-network Registry.

OBJECTIVES: Preventing loss of life in patients with type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) who present with cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) can be extremely difficult. Thus, we investigated the early outcomes in these patients. METHODS: Patients with type A AAD who were transported to hospitals belonging to the Tokyo Acute Aortic Super-network between January 2015 and December 2019 were considered for this study. We assessed the early mortality of these patients presenting with CPA and also investigated the differences in outcomes between patients with out-of-hospital and in-hospital CPA. RESULTS: A total of 3307 patients with type A AAD were transported, 434 (13.1%) of whom presented with CPA. The overall mortality of patients presenting with CPA was 88.2% (383/434), of which 94.5% (240/254) experienced out-of-hospital CPA and 79.4% (143/180) experienced in-hospital CPA (P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that aortic surgery [odds ratio (OR), 0.022; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.008-0.060; P < 0.001] and patient age over 80 years (OR, 2.946; 95% CI, 1.012-8.572; P = 0.047) were related with mortality in patients with type A AAD and CPA. Between in-hospital and out-of-hospital CPA, the proportions of DeBakey type 1 (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.065-5.054; P = 0.034), cerebral malperfusion (OR, 0.188; 95% CI, 0.056-0.629; P = 0.007), aortic surgery (OR, 0.111; 95% CI, 0.045-0.271; P = 0.001), age (OR, 0.969; 95% CI, 0.940-0.998; P = 0.039) and the time from symptom onset to hospital admission (OR, 1.122; 95% CI, 1.025-1.228; P = 0.012) were significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with type A AAD presenting with CPA exhibited extremely high rates of death. Patient outcomes following in-hospital CPA tended to be better than those following out-of-hospital CPA; however, this difference was not significantly different. To prevent deaths, aortic surgery, when possible, should be considered in patients with type A AAD who sustained CPA.

Impact of computed tomography on the diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis with acute coronary syndrome: A case series.

Both the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery involvement with Takayasu arteritis (TA) are challenging. In this study, we report different clinical scenarios of two TA cases without Typical symptoms of TA that initially presented in the form of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patient 1 was a 24-year-old Japanese woman without coronary risk factors who presented with exertional chest pain, dyspnea, and syncope. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) revealed a considerable lesion of the right coronary artery and the left main trunk. Ventricular fibrillation was observed immediately after the procedure. Despite conventional treatment, she died on day 16. Patient 2 was a 34-year-old Japanese woman without coronary risk factors who developed cardiogenic shock during a treadmill test for exertional chest pain. Coronary computed tomography angiography confirmed severe left main stenosis, presenting as ACS caused by TA. She was started on steroid therapy before coronary artery bypass grafting, resulting in a good postoperative course and no recurrence of chest pain. Therefore, coronary computed tomography angiography likely is useful for the early diagnosis of TA in young women with typical chest symptoms of ACS. It may help in avoiding complications associated with ICA. Learning objective: When young women with a low pre-test probability of coronary artery disease present with typical anginal symptoms, Takayasu arteritis (TA) should be suspected despite the absence of symptoms such as fever, fatigue, or myalgia. Coronary computed tomography angiography is safe for rapid diagnosis and decision-making when patients suspected of having TA initially manifest an unstable condition such as acute coronary syndrome.

The prognostic impact of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: Various postoperative predictive markers following cardiovascular surgery have been examined for use in the current aging population. The controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, which is advocated not only as a screening tool for poor nutritional status, but also as an immunonutritional assessment, has started to attract attention in several clinical settings, such as in cancer and heart failure patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of the CONUT score as a postoperative prognostic marker in patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery. METHODS: A total of 75 patients who underwent elective cardiovascular surgery between January 2015 and October 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to their preoperative CONUT score (i.e., CONUT < 2 or CONUT ≥ 2), and their clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes, and overall survival were compared. The median follow-up period was 23 months (range 0-43 months) after surgery. RESULTS: The high CONUT group (CONUT ≥ 2), which consisted of 30 (40.0%) patients, had a significantly worse prognosis than the low CONUT group with regard to overall survival (p = 0.0007). On multivariate analyses, the CONUT score was identified as the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio 1.47 per 1 CONUT score increase, 95% confidence interval 1.05-2.06, p < 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The CONUT score is a reliable and independent preoperative predictor of overall survival after cardiovascular surgery.

[Cardiac Strangulation Induced by Epicardial Pacemaker Leads Causing Heart Failure;Report of a Case].

A 5-year-old girl has a history of epicardial VVI-pacemaker implantation due to congenital heart block at the age of 2 months. Five years later, she developed heart failure at the same time of battery depletion. The chest X-ray indicated the loop formation of the epicardial leads and the echocardiogram demonstrated paradoxical movement of ventricles. The 3-dimensional computed tomography finally revealed strangulation of biventricular apex caused by loop of the leads. She underwent reoperation. Cardiac strangulation was relieved by total removal of the loop and repositioning of right atrial and ventricular electrodes in a gentle curve of the leads. She was discharged and doing well. Cardiac strangulation is a rare, but it can be lethal. Therefore epicardial pacemaker leads should not be positioned around the ventricle with excessive redundancy.

Endovascular Treatment for Kommerell's Diverticulum with a Right-Sided Aortic Arch.

We report a rare case of type A dissection involving a right-sided aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery originating from Kommerell's diverticulum in a 76-year-old woman. Endovascular treatment for Kommerell's diverticulum including intimal tear of the dissection was performed. At the 5-year follow-up, the patient was doing well, with no endoleak or dilatation of the Kommerell's diverticulum.

Safety and effectiveness of tolvaptan for fluid management after pediatric cardiovascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative fluid management is important after open heart surgery, because cardiopulmonary bypass evokes an abnormal inflammatory response and increases vascular permeability, especially in pediatric patients. We assessed the safety and effectiveness of tolvaptan for management of postoperative fluid retention after congenital heart surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective study analyzed data from 43 children with uncomplicated congenital heart disease who underwent open heart surgery between September 2013 and August 2016. The patients were divided into two groups. Group N (n = 18; September 2013 through May 2014) received the conventional oral diuretics alone, and Group T (n = 25; June 2014 through August 2016) received a single dose of tolvaptan (0.45 mg/kg) in addition to the conventional oral diuretic therapy. Data were collected, while patients who received intensive care were assessed and compared between groups. Add-on tolvaptan use was associated with increased urinary output standardized by body weight (54.3 ± 4.5 vs 47.3 ± 19.1 mL/kg; p = 0.043), decreased additional intravenous diuretic dose standardized by body weight (0.26 ± 0.23 vs 0.62 ± 0.48 mg/kg; p = 0.001), and a smaller decrease in central venous pressure (1.3 ± 2.7 vs 1.9 ± 3.8 mmHg; p = 0.019). Laboratory analysis showed that electrolyte concentrations in blood and urine did not significantly differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tolvaptan appears to be effective and safe for management of postoperative fluid retention after congenital heart surgery.

Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach for Prosthetic Vascular Graft Infection in the Thoracic Aortic Area.

Prosthetic vascular graft infection in the thoracic aortic area is a rare but serious complication. Adequate management of the complication is essential to increase the chance of success of open surgery. While surgical site infection is suggested as the root cause of the complication, it is also related to decreased host tolerance, especially as found in elderly patients. The handling of prosthetic vascular graft infection has been widely discussed to date. This paper mainly provides a summary of literature reports published within the past 5 years to discuss issues related to multidisciplinary treatment approaches, including surgical site infection, timing of onset, diagnostic methods, causative pathogens, auxiliary diagnostic methods, antibiotic treatment, anti-infective structures of vascular prostheses, surgical treatment, treatment strategy against infectious aortic aneurysms, future surgical treatment, postoperative systemic therapy, and antimicrobial stewardship. A thorough understanding of these issues will enable us to prevent prosthetic vascular graft infection in the thoracic aortic area as far as possible. In the event of its occurrence, the early introduction of appropriate treatment is expected to cure the disease without worsening of the underlying pathological condition.

A Case of an Aortic Abscess around the Elephant Trunk.

A 52-year-old male patient with a history of total arch replacement using the elephant trunk technique for acute aortic dissection 4 years before visited our hospital with the chief complaint of persistent fever. Chest computed tomography (CT) suggested prosthetic vascular graft infection, which was treated surgically after chemotherapy. The first surgery consisted of debridement of an abscess around the vascular graft and in the aorta around the elephant trunk, and thoracic descending aorta replacement and vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) in view of the risk of bleeding from the peripheral region of the elephant trunk. One week later, omental filling was performed as the second step. This is a very rare case of aortic abscess around the elephant trunk that could successfully be managed by graft-conserving treatment.

Morphological Evaluation of Proximal Anastomosis by PAS-Port(®) System in Patients with Long-Term Patent Grafts.

PURPOSE: We examined grafts employing for morphological analysis of early and long-term results on proximal anastomosis with the PAS-Port(®). METHODS: One hundred and four patients treated by OPCAB with PAS-Port(®) were performed postoperative MDCT. Morphological evaluation of the proximal anastomotic region was classified into three groups (A; graft was anastomosed almost perpendicularly to the aortic wall, B; graft was same type A, but subsequently curved to form an acute angle with the aortic wall, C; graft take off acute angle with the aortic wall) evaluated on planar and sagittal sections. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six PAS-Port(®) were used. Patency rate was 99.0% at discharge, 94.7% at 1 year, and no blockages were detected thereafter in patients examined. The morphology rate was A 50.6%, B 15.3% and C 34.1% on planar sections, and A 58.8%, B 10.6% and C 30.6% on sagittal sections. CONCLUSION: The morphological evaluation of grafts revealed the degree of freedom in graft design to be relatively high and long-term patency posed no particular problem even if the layout of the proximal anastomotic region involved a relatively acute angle. The PAS-Port(®) was considered to be a highly reliable device which performed appropriate proximal anastomosis and improved the patency of vein grafting to the aortic wall.

Interrupted aortic arch with massive saccular collateral aneurysm in an adult.

A 49-year-old man was diagnosed with an interrupted aortic arch (IAA), a massive saccular thoracic collateral aneurysm, ischemic renal insufficiency, and multiple abdominal collateral aneurysms. A bypass from the left subclavian artery to the descending aorta and thoracic collateral aneurysmectomy proceeded simultaneously through a posterolateral thoracotomy. The pressure gradient between upper and lower extremities disappeared and renal function was normalized. Thoracic collateral aneurysmectomy and a simultaneous bypass from the left subclavian artery to the descending aorta with postoperative normalization of ischemic renal insufficiency are extremely rare in adult patients with IAA, and the remaining abdominal collateral aneurysms require careful monitoring.

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in patients with renal transplants: reports of two cases.

The artery and vein of the transplanted kidney are generally anastomosed to the external iliac artery and vein, respectively. Therefore, in open abdominal artery aneurysm (AAA) repair in renal transplant patients, kidney ischemia due to a proximal aortic clamp is a serious problem. We successfully performed endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of AAA without aortic clamping in two renal transplant recipient cases. The two patients were diagnosed with large AAAs following the renal transplant, and EVAR was performed. To protect the renal function, we used N-acetylcysteine premedication and hydration before the operation, and we could then reduce the iodine contrast medium by using echography of the artery during the operation. In this report, a case where EVAR with renal function protection is a useful treatment for renal transplant recipients with AAA is described.

Novel infectious agent-free hemostatic material (TDM-621) in cardiovascular surgery.

SUBJECTS: Currently, hemostatic materials made from human blood components and animal-derived collagen is used for controlling operative hemorrhage in the cardiovascular surgery field. In this study, we focused on an entirely synthetic self-assembling peptide (development code: TDM-621) that gels when in contact with blood or other bodily fluids and stops bleeding upon contact with a wound site. We investigated its usefulness as a hemostatic material in animal and clinical studies. METHODS: Before we began the clinical study, we demonstrated the hemostasis efficacy and safety of TDM-621 in animal experimental models. Twenty-five patients (22 men, 3 women) were enrolled in the clinical study, and the following procedures were performed: 1) coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (n = 9), 2) abdominal aortic graft replacement (n = 4), and 3) peripheral artery bypass (n = 12). The TDM-621 material was applied to a total of 33 vascular anastomotic graft sites (some patients received material at more than one site). Both hemostatic efficacy and safety were examined. RESULTS: A total of 33 anastomotic graft sites in 25 patients were evaluated, and the averaged primary and secondary efficacy rate was 94.5%. No postoperative bleeding or adverse events (including serious adverse events) with a causal relationship to treatment were observed. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that TDM-621 is a more effective and reliable hemostat than commonly-used general hemostatic agents and, therefore, will be very useful in several cardiovascular surgery applications.

Antibiotics and Drainage for Treating Stent-Graft Infection after EVAR.

The patient was a 64-year-old man. He developed fever and lumbago 6 months after the EVAR. Because CT showed an abscess in the aortic aneurysm surrounding the stent graft, stent-graft infection was diagnosed, and treatment with intravenous antibiotics was initiated. However, the fever and inflammatory markers persisted; therefore, CT-guided drainage catheter placement was performed. After all the pus had been discharged, the fever subsided, and the inflammatory reaction was also suppressed. One year has elapsed since the treatment, and the patient continues to visit with no complaints. We report that stent-graft infection was relieved with antibiotics and drainage.