A pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass system that prevents negative pressure at the membrane oxygenator.

Negative pressure is a problem in pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). To avoid this, the authors designed a pulsatile CPB system containing a Sarns centrifugal pump (CP) and a Univox membrane oxygenator, in which the inertial flow is not obstructed by the CP. In both an in vitro study and a clinical study, negative pressure was not observed in the arterial line of the CPB circuit when this system was used. When a roller pump (RP) was used, however, instead of a CP, negative pressure did occur. In a clinical study using this system, mean pulse pressure was 36 mmHg and hemolysis, expressed as the rate of rise in plasma free hemoglobin from 10 to 70 min of CPB, was 26.2 mg/dl/hr, which did not exceed that seen with a pulsatile CPB using an RP instead of a CP. The hemolysis seen in the study caused no clinical problems. Thus, pulsatile CPB using a CP and Univox membrane oxygenator should be considered for clinical use to prevent the occurrence of negative pressure.

[A case of active infective endocarditis in the remission phase of virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome].

We successfully treated a case of active infective endocarditis in the remission phase of virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (VAHS). A 21-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for fever, arthralgia, and general fatigue. His blood cultures revealed staphylococcus epidermidis. He underwent urgent aortic valve replacement and closure of the abscess cavity because of an ineffective antibiotic therapy and a progressive left heart failure. Operative findings showed about 100 ml bloody pericardial effusion, fresh vegetation on the aortic left coronary and non-coronary leaflets, and aortic root abscess just below the left coronary ostium. The aortic root abscess extended to the left ventricular wall between the base of left atrial appendage and the base of main pulmonary artery and was in the state of impending rupture. The left main coronary artery was fully exposed after debridement in the abscess cavity. It was thought that left atrial appendage as a pedicle was useful for filling up the abscess cavity to protect infection.

[Patch angioplasty for isolated ostial stenosis of the left coronary artery].

Two patients with isolated coronary ostial stenosis were successfully treated by patch angioplasty. These two cases were compared angiographically with 49 conventional CABGs for distal coronary stenosis. The patch angioplasty of the ostium can create an large internal diameter, prevent competitive flows, and can be made under limited dissection at reoperation. For isolated coronary ostial stenosis this method is superior to the CABG to the left anterior descending and/or circumflex coronary arteries in which retrograde flow or stasis may occurred.

[A case of new stenosis in the distal portion following transaortic patch angioplasty for the left main coronary stenosis].

A 75-year-old man who had unstable angina underwent transaortic vein patch angioplasty for isolated 60% stenosis of the left main coronary artery. About four months after the operation, he developed effort angina and angiographycally new stenosis was detected in the distal portion of patch dilatation. So he underwent emergency aorto coronary bypass grafting. Transaortic patch angioplasty is attractive technique because of restoration of the original antegrade coronary flow, but this direct surgical approach may induce the stimulation of intima, and may injure the intima. It is important to bear this technique in the mind for selected patients with left main coronary lesions.

[Surgery of aortic arch aneurysm combined with other cardiovascular lesion].

From 1995 to 1996, we performed aortic arch replacement using antegrade cerebral perfusion under deep hypothermia in 7 patients, in whom 4 cases accompanied with cardiac lesion which treated simultaneously and 3 cases had abdominal aortic aneurysm. We compared the surgical results between cases with (group II, n = 4) and without (group I, n = 3) combined cardiovascular lesion. There is no difference between two groups in the cerebral perfusion time and the amount of bleeding and blood transfusion. The cardiac ischemic time and bypass time were insignificantly longer in group II than in group I. We experienced no early death and no cardiac and brain complication in both groups. Three cases with abdominal aortic aneurysm had two-staged operation successfully after arch surgery within a half year. In conclusion, we successfully treated aortic arch aneurysm even in patients combined with other cardiovascular lesion as well as in patients without that.

[A technique of end-to-side anastomosis of a prosthetic graft to the ascending aorta: reinforcement of the anastomosis with wrapping of the ascending aorta].

In temporary, permanent or extra-anatomic bypass grafting to the side of the ascending aorta, a technique of prosthetic fabric wrapping of the ascending aorta associated with reinforcement of the anastomosis is devised as a simple and useful method for aortic surgery. With this technique, dislodgement of the vascular forceps can be prevented completely, and the ascending aortic wall may be protected from injuries owing to the vascular forceps.

[Extra-anatomic bypass operation of ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm].

A successful surgical case of ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm of Crawford type III was reported. The patient was a 40-year-old male suffering from cystic kidney, hypertension and dissecting aortic aneurysm. The operative procedure was implantation of a large Dacron graft between the ascending aorta and the common iliac arteries, with branches of small Dacron grafts anastomosed to the left common carotid, left subclavian, celiac, superior mesenteric and renal arteries, and exclusion of the aorta.

Decrease in aortic distensibility after an extended aortic reconstruction for Marfan's syndrome as a cause of postoperative acute aortic dissection DeBakey type I: a report of two cases.

Two cases of Marfan's syndrome underwent a reconstruction of the abdominal aorta and descending thoracic aorta. A replacement of the abdominal aorta with visceral arteries as well as a wrapping of the descending thoracic aorta was performed in case 1 while a reconstruction of the descending thoracic aorta and infra-renal abdominal aorta was done in case 2. After the reconstruction, both cases developed acute aortic dissection DeBakey type I. Another reconstruction of the ascending aorta was then urgently performed. Cardiac catheterization after the second operation in case 1 revealed that the distensibility of the aorta had disappeared at the location of the vascular prosthesis while it had also decreased at the wrapped portion, and the maximum dp/dt of the ascending aorta also increased. Increases in the pulse pressure and pulse rate after the first operation were observed in both cases. These hemodynamic changes, which were produced by a decreased distensibility of the reconstructed aorta, increased the mechanical stress to the native aortic wall, and may have been one of the causes of acute aortic dissection DeBakey type I occurring after reconstruction with a prosthesis.

[Chordal reconstruction with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) suture for mitral regurgitation caused by prolapsed anterior leaflet].

Cardiac surgeons have hesitated to perform valvuloplasty for MR caused by elongated or ruptured chordae of the anterior leaflet (AL) of the mitral valve. We experienced three cases of successful chordal reconstruction (CR) to the AL last year. Two of them were due to elongation of all chordae tendineae to the AL. Four CRs, one chordal shortening, cleft closure and ring annuloplasty (AP) were performed in one case, and 8 CRs to the AL, two to the posterior leaflet, commissural closure and ring AP in another. In the third case 2 CRs combined with Reed's AP, closure of ASD and tricuspid AP were performed. The MR disappeared in one case and improved to grade I in others postoperatively. NYHA classes improved from class III or IV to I or II postoperatively. The MRs have not increased 6 to 12 months after the surgery. The CR with PTFE suture enabled to do the valvuloplasty for the chordal abnormalities of the AL without valve resection. This technique seems to be adequate for repairing a major prolapse of the AL caused by multiple chordal abnormalities.

[Surgical treatment of acute pulmonary embolism--report of two cases].

Two surgical cases of acute pulmonary embolism with severe cardiocirculatory impairment were reported. In the first case, emergent open pulmonary embolectomy with cardiopulmonary bypass was not effective, and multiple and organized emboli were indicative. In the second case, complete pulmonary thromboembolectomy was accomplished under extracorporeal circulation with remarkable hemodynamic improvement. It was suggested that urgent pulmonary angiography was necessary for definitive diagnosis and medical treatment, and that indications for pulmonary embolectomy included all patients with massive emboli in the main branches of the pulmonary artery. Monitoring of pulmonary arterial pressure was important to assess the effect of thrombolytic therapy, and the system of emergent cardiopulmonary bypass was required for immediate and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

[Is it safe and available to transfuse directly the shed mediastinal blood after cardiac surgery?].

Autotransfusion of the shed mediastinal blood after cardiac operations was performed in 20 cases (ATS group). Safety and efficacy of the autotransfusion were studied comparing with the 10 cases without autotransfusion (control group). A 65.1 +/- 17.1% of bleeding volume within 24 hours after surgery was autotransfused in the ATS group. The ATS group received 1,396 +/- 1,674 ml of the banked blood compared with 780 +/- 1,194 ml for the control group. There was no significant difference between two groups in regard to saving the banked blood. Hematological and biochemical studies after surgery in the ATS and control groups revealed that CPK, BUN and creatinine of the ATS group were significantly higher than those of the control group, although these changes were transitory and trivial. However, prothrombin time of the ATS group was lower than that of control group, so there may be the possibility that this technique itself increases the hemorrhage. Since the cardiotomy filter was obstructed with clots in cases of massive bleeding, shed mediastinal blood may not be fully defibrinogenated in the cases with massive bleeding. These results lead to the following conclusions: autotransfusion of the shed mediastinal blood after cardiac operations is a safe method, but the efficacy of it is doubtful.

Development of a fistula between an internal mammary artery graft and the pulmonary vasculature following coronary artery bypass grafting: report of a case.

We report herein the rare case of a 56-year-old man who gradually developed congestive cardiac failure 6 months after undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and was found to have a fistula between the internal mammary artery and the pulmonary artery of the upper lobe diagnosed by selective left internal mammary arteriogram. A second sternotomy was performed and demonstrated dense adhesion between the fissure surrounding the internal mammary artery and the upper lobe, and the fistula was resected. We believe that the patient's increasing cardiac failure was almost certainly caused by coronary seal.

Chordal reconstruction with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sutures for mitral regurgitation.

Chordal reconstruction of the mitral valve using CV4 or CV5 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (Gore-Tex. Flagstaff, AZ, USA) sutures was performed in seven patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) to ascertain its efficacy. The MR had been caused by prolapse of the anterior leaflet in three patients, the posterior leaflet in two, and both leaflets in two; five of the patients had an MR of grade III or IV. There was one hospital death, which occurred in a patient whose MR had resulted from papillary muscle dysfunction caused by a myocardial infarction (MI). Chordal reconstruction failed and was converted to a mitral valve replacement in two patients, one of whom had suffered a MI and another who had a congenital papillary muscle anomaly. The remaining five patients all underwent successful chordal reconstruction with PTFE sutures, resulting in the disappearance of the MR in two patients and an improvement to grade I in three patients. Although the longest follow-up period has been only 1 year, the MR has not worsened. This technique is relatively easy to perform, and allows almost all the mitral apparatus to remain in situ, while enabling repair of the mitral valve, regardless of the state of the diseased chordae.

Treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma by hepatectomy with right and middle hepatic vein reconstruction using total vascular exclusion with extracorporeal bypass and hypothermic hepatic perfusion: report of a case.

We report herein the case of a patient who had previously undergone a lateral segmentectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in whom recurrent HCC invading the trunk of the right and middle hepatic veins in a damaged liver was treated by reconstruction of both hepatic veins, using total vascular exclusion with extracorporeal bypass and hypothermic hepatic perfusion. Reconstruction was performed using a graft taken from the left external iliac vein and divided into two pieces. Hepatic ischemia lasted for 91 min during the procedure and the intrahepatic temperature, as monitored by inserting a needle-type thermometer, was decreased to 11 degrees C throughout the procedure. The peak levels of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and total bilirubin were 363 IU/l, 1198 IU/ml, and 2.8 mg/dl, respectively, on postoperative day (POD) 2. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful except for mild, temporary swelling of the left leg. Postoperative computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging examinations disclosed no obstruction of either graft, and the patient was discharged on POD 40.

Effects of left intraatrial infusion of prostaglandin E1 after open-heart surgery.

The hemodynamic effects of a left intraatrial infusion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) given to ten patients after open-heart surgery (LA group), were compared with those following no treatment in a control group of ten patients, and to those following a right intraatrial infusion given to another ten patients (RA group). PGE1 was infused at a rate of 0.03 microgram/kg/min in the RA group and at 0.003 microgram/kg/min in the LA group, and hemodynamics were measured immediately after surgery, then 3, 6, and 12 h after the PGE1 infusion was commenced. The heart rate, right atrial pressure, left atrial pressure, and mean pulmonary arterial pressure remained almost unchanged in all three groups; however, the mean radial arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance index decreased, and the cardiac index increased in the RA and LA groups. The pulmonary vascular resistance index decreased only in the LA group. Thus, a much smaller dose of PGE1, being one-tenth of that used for the right atrial infusion, administered directly into the left atrium yielded almost the same hemodynamic effects as the larger dose infused into the right atrium. Furthermore, this method of infusing PGE1 is safe, efficacious, and cost-efficient.