Texas Heart Institute journal
-
Case Reports
Transcatheter closure of a patent foramen ovale in an adult with hypoxemia after cardiac transplantation.
We describe a case of refractory hypoxemia secondary to a patent foramen ovale immediately after orthotopic heart transplantation in a 60-year-old woman. The patent foramen ovale was successfully closed with a septal occlusion device, with resolution of the hypoxemia. To our knowledge, transcatheter closure of a patent foramen ovale in an adult patient with refractory hypoxemia during the immediate post-transplant period has not previously been reported.
-
Case Reports
Vasoplegic syndrome after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: an unusual complication.
We report the case of a 65-year-old man who developed norepinephrine-resistant vasoplegic syndrome after elective off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). The failure of norepinephrine to improve the patient's hemodynamics prompted us to start treatment with vasopressin; within 30 minutes, the hemodynamics began to improve. ⋯ To our knowledge, ours is the 1st report of vasopressin use for vasodilatory shock after OPCAB in the English-language medical literature. Herein, we discuss the pathophysiology and management of vasoplegic syndrome--which is controversial--with special emphasis on the use of vasopressin in this situation.
-
A 36-year-old, otherwise-healthy woman with a 6-year history of progressive dysphagia underwent an esophagogram that revealed an oblique extrinsic defect with an inferior-to-superior (left-to-right) course consistent with an aberrant right subclavian artery. An aortogram confirmed the diagnosis of aberrant right subclavian artery. She underwent surgical repair, tolerated the procedure well, and was discharged home, symptom free, on postoperative day 3. We found that the right supraclavicular approach provides good exposure and avoids the morbidity of the classically described approach via a median sternotomy or thoracotomy.
-
Case Reports
Pseudoaneurysm and aortobronchial fistula after aortic coarctation repair by patch aortoplasty.
Pseudoaneurysm and aortobronchial fistula are very rare complications of aortic coarctation repair by means of patch aortoplasty, and are usually fatal if not treated surgically. A 26-year-old man with recent-onset massive hemoptysis had undergone aortic coarctation repair by means of Dacron patch aortoplasty at the age of 10 in our hospital. Computed tomography of the chest showed a descending aortic pseudoaneurysm. ⋯ Lung parenchyma around the fistula was repaired, and the patient was discharged after an uneventful postoperative course. When hemoptysis occurs in a patient with a history of thoracic aortic surgery, aortobronchial fistula should be suspected. Close follow-up is mandatory for patients who have undergone coarctation repair.