Subclavian flap aortoplasty and preservation of left upper extremity circulation using an interposition graft.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce a surgical technique to maintain left upper limb blood flow after subclavian flap aortoplasty (SFA). METHODS: Five patients (9 to 23 months of age) with a diagnosis of long-segment aortic coarctation underwent conventional SFA. A Gore-tex graft was interposed between the stump and the proximal descending aorta to maintain perfusion of subclavian artery. RESULTS: All patients had a patent Gore-tex graft and normal blood flow of the subclavian artery and left upper limb. One patient expired and four others were discharged with a mean follow-up of 48 months. On follow-up all patients had normal development of the left upper limb and no signs of limb ischemia. Echo findings revealed normal arch flow with normal flow in the Gore-tex graft and left upper extremity. CONCLUSIONS: Interposing a Gore-tex graft between the subclavian artery stump and proximal descending aorta concomitant with SFA can be safely performed in infants with long-segment aortic coarctation, with preservation of left upper extremity circulation.

Comparing Clinical and Hemodynamic Parameters between the Two Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Context: Various techniques have been proposed for suturing following prosthetic aortic valve implantation, but each has its potential side effects such as patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) and paravalvular leak (PVL). Aims: In the present study, we aimed to compare the postoperative sequels of aortic valve replacement (AVR) following the use of two suturing techniques including from the inside of the aorta as the common and classic suturing techniques as compared to new approach including from the outside of the aorta. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was performed on patients suffering from symptomatic severe aortic valve disease and candidates for AVR in one of three referral hospitals for cardiovascular disease patients in Shiraz from 2019-2021. Subjects and Methods: The patients underwent one of the two considered surgical techniques for AVR including traditional approach (n = 60) or the tested approach (suturing from the outside of the aorta) (n = 30). Statistical Analysis Used: For statistical analysis, results were presented as mean ± standard deviation for quantitative variables and were summarized by frequency (percentage) for categorical variables. Results: PVL and PPM were revealed in none of the participants undergoing the tested approach, while the pointed complications were found in 41.7% and 25.0% of patients underwent traditional approach, respectively, indicating a significant difference. There was no evidence of abnormal dimensionless valve index (DVI) in the patients undergoing sutures from outside the aorta, whereas the rate of DVI abnormality in the patients undergoing traditional procedures was shown to be 18.3%. The mean aortic valve gradient was significantly higher in the group scheduling for the traditional surgical method. Conclusions: Applying new suturing method as suturing from the outside of the aorta, due to the selection of appropriate valve size, the risk for adverse consequences including PPM, PVL, or DVI can be significantly reduced.

Solidification of hydatid cyst fluid with an injectable chitosan/carboxymethylcellulose/ß-glycerophosphate hydrogel for effective control of spillage during aspiration of hydatid cysts.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE)/hydatid cyst is one of the most important helminthic diseases in the world. The treatment of hydatid cyst ranges from surgical intervention to chemotherapy, although the efficacy of chemotherapy is still unclear. Postoperative complication which results from the spillage of cysts during surgical operation is one of the most important concerns in surgical treatment of hydatid cyst. The aim of the current study was to solidify the hydatid cyst fluid (HCF) with an injectable and thermosensitive chitosan (CS)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/ß-glycerol phosphate (BGP) hydrogel for effective control of spillage during the aspiration of hydatid cysts. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water uptake, rheological analysis, and Alamar Blue cytotoxicity assay were employed to characterize the hydrogel. A five level with three times replication at the central point using a central composite design (CCD), which is a response surface methodology (RSM), was used to optimize the experimental conditions. Assessment of the produced hydrogel showed that the intermolecular interactions of amino groups of chitosan and hydrogen groups of CMC were correctively established and appreciable swelling with a good strength was obtained. Hydrogels morphology had a porous structure. Rheological analysis showed that CS/CMC/BGP blends had a phase transition (32-35 °C) of sol-gel close to the body temperature. Alamar Blue cytotoxicity assay showed that CS (1.75%)/CMC (1.4%)/BGP (2.9%) had IC50 values of 0.598, 0.235 and 0.138 (µg/µL) for 24, 48 and 72 h, which indicated that the produced polymer solution had no significant cytotoxic effect for human fibroblast cell line. In vitro injection of the polymer solution of CS/CMC/BGP with CS/CMC ratio of 1.75/1.4 was done on HCF (1 mL polymer solution to 3 mL of HCF) at 37 °C with a final concentration of 2.9% for BGP resulting in solidification of HCF in less than 45 min.

Correction to: Solidification of hydatid cyst fluid with an injectable chitosan/carboxymethylcellulose/ß-glycerophosphate hydrogel for effective control of spillage during aspiration of hydatid cysts.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake: the spelling of the Shadi Hassanajili's name was incorrect. The corrected name is given above.

Pulmonary artery stenosis caused by a large aortic arch pseudoaneurysm detected 10 years after a minor trauma.

Pseudoaneurysm of aorta is a rare condition usually seen after aortic surgeries or serious accidents. Here we report a 60 years old man without any previous medical condition who presented with non-specific symptoms and underwent different investigations for more than 1 year, until the presence of a continuous murmur raised suspicion toward his cardiovascular system. In echocardiographic and computed tomography (CT) angiographic studies a large pseudoaneurysm of aortic arch with compression effect on pulmonary artery was detected. At this stage he remembered having suffered a minor trauma 10 years ago. He finally underwent operation and his aortic wall was repaired successfully with a patch. This case highlights the importance of thorough history taking and physical examination in patients irrespective of symptoms and high index of suspicion to detect this life-threatening condition.

Retrograde pulmonary embolectomy in massive pulmonary embolism.

The purpose of this study was introduction and evaluation of efficacy and safety of retrograde thromboembolectomy in acute massive pulmonary emboli. The method is described in a 56-year-old woman with acute massive pulmonary thromboemboli. Postoperative course was uneventful. The described surgical technique is not a panacea and definitely not the whole answer, but is a big part of the solution and may be accompanied with less adverse effects. Additionally, there is a need of being reviewed further in large experimental studies and measurements before it could be used safely as a new technique.

Image-based computational simulation of sub-endothelial LDL accumulation in a human right coronary artery.

Accumulation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) in the vessel wall is suggested as the initiator of atherosclerosis and coronary stenosis. This process is associated with the performance of endothelium layer that regulates entering of macromolecules to the vessel wall. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate sub-endothelial accumulation of LDL molecules in a coronary tree and predict atherosclerosis prone sites. Non-Newtonian blood flow is simulated for normal and hypertensive conditions through the lumen of a right coronary artery reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images. A three-pore model is implemented as the endothelium boundary condition and hence, plasma flow and LDL transport are simulated within the arterial wall. Based on the pore model, endothelium pathways divide into normal junctions, vesicles and leaky junctions. Most of LDL molecules pass through the leaky junctions that arise at locations with low wall shear stress (WSS). Results indicate that increase in the number of leaky junctions at branch points with low WSS can lead to both elevated levels of sub-endothelial LDL accumulation and atherosclerosis risk. Findings reveal that at the branch points with disturbed flow, sub-endothelial concentration of LDL for the hypertensive condition is higher than the normal condition, however for the rest of regions with uniform geometry and unidirectional flow, this is reversed. Comparisons of non-Newtonian and Newtonian flows show mean increases of 34% and 13% in the sub-endothelial concentrations of Newtonian flows during the normal and hypertensive conditions, respectively.

The Comparison Between Two Surgical Methods for Left Internal Mammary Artery (LIMA) Anastomosis on Left Anterior Descending (LAD) Artery in Patients with Severe Diffuse Lesions: Short to Mid-Term Results.

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. In this study, we compared two surgical methods of left internal mammary artery (LIMA) anastomosis on left anterior descending (LAD) artery in patients with severe diffuse lesions. A total of 40 patients were included in our study and randomly assigned into two groups. In group A, after a long arteriotomy on LAD, the posterior surface of left internal mammary artery (LIMA) was opened by the same length and was anastomosed along the LAD course through normal and diseased parts. In group B instead of complete opening of LAD, a small arteriotomy was done only in areas where the wall of the vessel was nearly normal (especially the anterolateral wall), and LIMA was anastomosed to these areas in a sequential (Jump) method. The patients were then followed for post-operation results. The two groups showed equal results regarding early mortality, post-operation bleeding, and infection, pleural and pericardial effusion. There were two cases of myocardial infarction (MI) in group A with one mortality after 18 months, while no MI was reported in group B. Group B demonstrated significantly superior results regarding the rise in ejection fraction and the improvement in functional class. In this study it was demonstrated that diffuse coronary artery lesions of LAD should be preferably operated using LIMA with the sequential-jump anastomoses method and the surgeon should avoid long arteriotomy with single long anastomosis because of lower chance of long-term patency.

Profound Bradycardia following Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure; A Rare but Correctable Event.

Proximity of the vagus nerve to  a patent  ductus  arteriosus (PDA) can cause traction  or  entrapment  of vagus nerve during surgical closure of the in rare occasions. This can lead to a life threatening postoperative bradycardia. Herein, we report a case of bradycardia caused by unexpected irritation of the vagal trunk by the end of operation. The patient was managed by re-opening the chest, lung retraction and removal of mediastinal pleura sutures. The vagal trunk entrapped in the suture line was released immediately. Heart rate accelerated and hemodynamic restored after a short period of observation. The operation terminated as routine, patient extubated in OR and discharged within 24 hours with no further complication. This irritation of vagus results in vagal bradycardia during or by the end of operation. Awareness of a surgeon of this issue can minimize the risks and complications of the open closure of PDA.

Residual pulmonary hypertension after retrograde pulmonary embolectomy: long-term follow-up of 30 patients with massive and submassive pulmonary embolism.

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary hypertension is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients following acute pulmonary embolism. Although thrombolytic therapy decreases pulmonary arterial pressure, compared with anticoagulation alone, it has the propensity for haemorrhagic complications, distal embolization and incomplete recanalization, with the potential risk of late pulmonary hypertension. Surgical embolectomy-once performed solely on critically-ill patients-has now gained favour in a wider range of patients. In this paper we present the outcomes of patients who underwent surgical embolectomy complemented with retrograde technique and follow-up systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP). METHODS: From January 2004 to December 2010, 30 consecutive patients with a mean age of 58±15 years underwent pulmonary embolectomy at our centre. The patients were followed for a mean period of 30.5±12 months. Their New York Heart Association (NYHA) classifications were assessed and their SPAPs were measured by echocardiography. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 13.2% (4/30). Of the remaining patients, 19 patients (73.1%) were in NYHA classes I and II, 7 patients (26.9%) in class III and no patient in class IV. The patients' preoperative and postoperative mean SPAPs were 44.9±5.7 and 34.9±7.1 mmHg, respectively, which showed a significant reduction (P<0.001). The mean SPAP in the follow-up was 29.4±11.5 mmHg, which again showed significant reduction compared with early postoperation values (P<0.001). No significant correlations were found between the level of SPAP reduction in patients' follow-up with age (P=0.727) and total days of ICU admission (P=0.700), but weak correlations with sex (P=0.016) and total intubation time were noticed (P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first series reporting the long-term outcome of patients undergoing surgical embolectomy complemented by retrograde embolectomy technique, demonstrating the safety and favourable long-term outcome of this technique. It is also a new element in the growing body of evidence regarding the relevance of surgical embolectomy in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. We concluded that, following surgery, not only does the pulmonary arterial pressure drop immediately, but also the trend toward normalization continues long after operation.

CFD simulation of hemodynamics in sequential and individual coronary bypass grafts based on multislice CT scan datasets.

There is still controversy over the differences in the patency rates of the sequential and individual coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) techniques. The purpose of this paper was to non-invasively evaluate hemodynamic parameters using complete 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the sequential and the individual methods based on the patient-specific data extracted from computed tomography (CT) angiography. For CFD analysis, the geometric model of coronary arteries was reconstructed using an ECG-gated 64-detector row CT. Modeling the sequential and individual bypass grafting, this study simulates the flow from the aorta to the occluded posterior descending artery (PDA) and the posterior left ventricle (PLV) vessel with six coronary branches based on the physiologically measured inlet flow as the boundary condition. The maximum calculated wall shear stress (WSS) in the sequential and the individual models were estimated to be 35.1 N/m(2) and 36.5 N/m(2), respectively. Compared to the individual bypass method, the sequential graft has shown a higher velocity at the proximal segment and lower spatial wall shear stress gradient (SWSSG) due to the flow splitting caused by the side-to-side anastomosis. Simulated results combined with its surgical benefits including the requirement of shorter vein length and fewer anastomoses advocate the sequential method as a more favorable CABG method.

Right ventricular thrombus: a rare complication of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

A 22 years old lady was admitted because of progressive dyspnea, severe abdominal protrusion and lower extremity edema. She had undergone ovarian hyperstimulation for primary infertility by Clomiphen and Human chorionic gonadotropin for 3 months. Abdominopelvic ultrasonography revealed bilateral enlarged multi cystic ovaries and massive ascites. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a large thrombus in right ventrice apex. Spiral chest CT scan showed normal pulmonary vasculature with no evidence of pulmonary thromboembolism. Heparin was started and repeat echocardiographic study showed gradual disappearance of right ventricular thrombus. Human chorionic gonadotropin is the most important substance which leads to capillary leakage and fluid accumulation in third space. Fluid shift and hypovolemia may cause hypotension, hemoconcentration and formation of vascular thrombus.

Short-term results of retrograde pulmonary embolectomy in massive and submassive pulmonary embolism: a single-center study of 30 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical pulmonary embolectomy is usually reserved for critically ill patients with pulmonary embolism. The conventional antegrade technique of embolectomy may miss peripheral clots, rendering the patient amenable to developing pulmonary hypertension. Here, we present our experience with a new retrograde pulmonary embolectomy supplementing the current antegrade technique. METHODS: From January 2004 through December 2010, 30 consecutive patients underwent pulmonary embolectomy in our center. The study included 15 men and 15 women whose age ranged from 28 to 80 years, with mean age of 58±15 years. All the patients except one were taken to the operating room with at least one imaging modality confirming the presence of a large thrombus in pulmonary-arterial vasculature. RESULTS: The most common presenting symptoms of patients was dyspnea (n=27, 90%). The major indications for surgery were severe hemodynamic or respiratory compromise (n=11, 36%). After performing antegrade embolectomy, retrograde flushing of the pulmonary veins was done. The in-hospital mortality in our study was 6.6% (2/30). Mean intubation time for the patients was 52.7±36.5 h, with a range of 12-120 h. Mean intensive care unit (ICU) admission for the patients was 7 days with a range of 2-60 days. CONCLUSIONS: As far as we know, this is the largest series of cases published so far regarding the immediate results of retrograde pulmonary embolectomy. This technique can successfully dislodge the remaining clots in distal pulmonary vasculature not directly visualized. Surgical pulmonary embolectomy is a safe method and should not be used as a last resort for patients with pulmonary embolism.

Retrograde pulmonary embolectomy in 11 patients.

Eleven consecutive patients who had received diagnosis of massive and submassive pulmonary emboli underwent operations. After performing conventional pulmonary embolectomy, we tried to evacuate the impacted thrombus from the minor branches with the retrograde pulmonary vein perfusion. The combined amount of the removed clot was much more than that removed with the antegrade technique (p = 0.001). Postoperative echocardiography showed a significant decrease in systolic pulmonary artery pressure and right to left ventricle dimensions (p = 0.008 and 0.007, respectively). Although the results should not be excessively interpreted, this technique seems to be effective in removing the distal thrombi.