The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Comparative Study
Endoscopic one-way valve implantation in patients with prolonged air leak and the use of digital air leak monitoring.
Prolonged alveolar-pleural air leaks are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Endoscopic valve therapy has been recently introduced as a potential less invasive treatment option. We aimed at quantifying the effects of valve therapy on air leak flow and clinical outcomes in patients with prolonged air leaks. ⋯ Endoscopic implantation of one-way valves leads to a significant reduction in air leakage flow and may thus be a valuable treatment option in patients with prolonged air leakage.
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Comparative Study
Hemodynamic assessment after complete repair of pulmonary atresia with major aortopulmonary collaterals.
Pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collaterals (PA/VSD/MAPCAs) is a complex form of congenital heart defect. There are limited data regarding late hemodynamics of patients after repair of PA/VSD/MAPCAs. This study evaluated the hemodynamics of patients who underwent complete repair of PA/VSD/MAPCSs and subsequently returned for a conduit change. ⋯ The data demonstrate that patients who underwent complete repair of PA/VSD/MAPCAs had nearly identical pulmonary artery pressures when they returned for conduit change some 4.5 years later. This finding indicates that the growth and development of the unifocalized pulmonary vascular bed is commensurate with visceral growth. We would hypothesize that complete repair, along with low RV pressures, will confer a long-term survival advantage.
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Case Reports
Protective effect of previous cardiac operation: survival of contained right ventricular rupture.
Although cardiac contusions are common, cardiac rupture is an uncommon sequela of blunt chest trauma. The mortality rate associated with cardiac rupture is very high, and patients usually do not survive long enough to reach the hospital. We report a 66-year-old man with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting 15 years previously, who was involved in a traffic accident and experienced multiple trauma, including a small contained rupture of the right ventricular outflow tract. ⋯ The patient then underwent a cardiac operation, and the aneurysm was successfully resected. The intraoperative and postoperative courses were uneventful. In this case, the previous cardiac operation with the resulting pericardial adhesions proved to be lifesaving.
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Case Reports
Hybrid repair of subclavian-axillary artery aneurysms and aortic arch aneurysm in a patient with Marfan syndrome.
A patient with Marfan syndrome who had previously undergone a Cabrol procedure and thoracoabdominal aortic replacement had enlarging, symptomatic aneurysms in the subclavian-axillary artery and aortic arch. Both vessels were replaced with prosthetic grafts. ⋯ All the stent graft landing zones were within grafts, avoiding contact between the endoprostheses and fragile aortic wall. The aneurysms were excluded from the circulation, and the patient had no serious complications.
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Comparative Study
Reversible pulmonary trunk banding VIII: Intermittent overload causes harmless hypertrophy in adult goat.
Traditional pulmonary artery banding (PAB) is not always suitable for mature subpulmonary ventricle retraining. We sought to assess in detail the myocardial morphologic adaptations of two different protocols for inducing right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy in an adult animal model. ⋯ This study suggests that a more effective and harmless hypertrophy can be achieved in adult animals using intermittent PAB compared with the traditional approach.