The Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon
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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Dec 2019
Case ReportsIsolated Tricuspid Valvectomy: A Series of cases with Intravenous Drug Abuse Associated Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis.
Surgical management for tricuspid valve (TV) endocarditis is usually TV repair or replacement. When repair is not feasible, and concerns for patient recidivism preclude TV replacement, tricuspid valvectomy without replacement is an option to alleviate symptoms and allow time for addiction management. ⋯ Cardiac surgeons increasingly encounter patients with active endocarditis who suffer from IVDU addiction. Drug addiction increases the risk for recurrent endocarditis and requires an effective management plan. Multidisciplinary endocarditis care teams may play a pivotal role in improving outcomes by better addressing addiction treatment.
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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Dec 2019
Multicenter StudyIs the Freedom SOLO Stentless Bioprosthesis a Useful Tool for Patients with Aortic Endocarditis and Aortic Annular Destruction?
The Freedom SOLO (FS) stentless bovine-pericardial prosthesis with a supra-annular implantation technique can be a viable option for patients with endocarditic annular destruction. We assessed early- and long-term outcomes following the use of this prosthesis in extensive aortic valve endocarditis. ⋯ FS stentless bioprosthesis is a valuable and simple option to achieve AVR in patients with extensive aortic annulus endocarditis. Although in this group of complex patients, early mortality remains considerably high, late survival outcomes are comparable to the more technically demanding homografts and conventional stentless bioprostheses, with low rates of endocarditis recurrence.