Texas Heart Institute journal
-
Is rheumatic mitral valve repair still a feasible alternative?: indications, technique, and results.
Rheumatic heart disease is still a major cause of mitral valve dysfunction in developing countries. We present our early results of rheumatic mitral valve repair. From August 2009 through July 2011, 60 patients (24 male and 36 female) with rheumatic disease underwent mitral repair. ⋯ Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and left atrial diameter significantly decreased postoperatively (P=0.006 and P=0.001, respectively). The mean gradient over the mitral valve decreased significantly from 11 ± 5.9 mmHg to 3.5 ± 1.8 mmHg (P=0.001). Because current techniques of mitral repair can effectively correct valve dysfunction in most patients with rheumatic disease, the number of repair procedures should be increased in developing countries to prevent complications of mechanical valve placement.
-
Comparative Study
Intraoperative device closure of atrial septal defects with minimal transthoracic invasion: a single-center experience.
Atrial septal defect is one of the most common congenital heart defects. Open-heart repair via midline sternotomy or right thoracotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass has been considered the standard treatment for the closure of atrial septal defects, but transcatheter closure with the Amplatzer septal occluder has recently become a viable option. We have adopted a 3rd alternative: intraoperative device closure with minimal transthoracic invasion. ⋯ All discharged patients were monitored for 2.3 years to 5 years. As monotherapy, intraoperative device closure of atrial septal defect with minimal transthoracic invasion is a safe and feasible technique. It is particularly beneficial for elderly patients or patients with pulmonary hypertension and is associated with better cosmetic results and less trauma than is surgical closure.
-
Preoperative risk-prediction models are an important tool in contemporary surgical practice. We developed a risk-scoring technique for predicting in-hospital death for cardiovascular surgery patients. From our institutional database, we obtained data on 21,120 patients admitted from 1995 through 2007. ⋯ Applying the recalibrated model to the validation set revealed predicted mortality rates of 1.7%, 4.2%, and 13.4% and observed rates of 1.1%, 5.1%, and 13%, respectively. Because our model discriminates risk groups by using preoperative clinical criteria alone, it can be a useful bedside tool for identifying patients at greater risk of early death after cardiovascular surgery, thereby facilitating clinical decision-making. The model can be recalibrated for use in other types of patient populations.
-
Isolated interrupted aortic arch, a congenital malformation, is very rarely reported in adults. Most adult patients have presented with type A interruption (interruption just beyond the left subclavian artery) and without an associated ventricular septal defect. Conventional surgical repair is typically a challenge because of the extent of collateral circulation in patients who have survived to adulthood. We describe the successful, single-staged, extra-anatomic ventral aortic repair of type A interrupted aortic arch in an 18-year-old man, and we discuss the pathogenesis of the so-called adult form of the condition.