Texas Heart Institute journal
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Interatrial septal hematoma is a very rare complication after mitral valve surgery. Unusually, it is the result of aortic valve disease, including aortic dissection. We report a case wherein interatrial septal hematoma followed minimally invasive aortic valve replacement in a 68-year-old woman. ⋯ The interatrial septal hematoma was at first drained by needle, but recurrence prompted reoperation and plication of the interatrial septum. Finally, the hematoma resolved after correction of the coagulopathy. Catheter injury to the coronary sinus exacerbated by the retrograde administration of cardioplegic solution is thought to have caused the origin of the interatrial septal dissection.
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Case Reports
Coronary ostial stenosis after aortic valve replacement: successful treatment of 2 patients with drug-eluting stents.
Coronary ostial stenosis is a rare but potentially serious sequela after aortic valve replacement. It occurs in the left main or right coronary artery after 1% to 5% of aortic valve replacement procedures. The clinical symptoms are usually severe and may appear from 1 to 6 months postoperatively. ⋯ Both patients were asymptomatic on 6-to 12-month follow-up. We attribute the coronary ostial stenosis to the selective ostial administration of cardioplegic solution during surgery. We conclude that retrograde administration of cardioplegic solution through the coronary sinus may reduce the incidence of postoperative coronary ostial stenosis, and that stenting may be an efficient treatment option.
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Pericardial cysts are benign intrathoracic lesions that are considered to be congenital. They are usually found incidentally upon chest radiography and typically cause few symptoms. Their true incidence is unknown. ⋯ After the surgery, the patient's fever and chest pain resolved. We know of no other report of a pericardial cyst that had gone undetected upon earlier computed tomography. We believe that surgical treatment of pericardial cysts should be reserved for patients who have severe symptoms due to complications, or when diagnosis is uncertain and malignancy is suspected.
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During carotid endarterectomy, the use of locoregional anesthesia to achieve a combined superficial and deep cervical plexus block can cause cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurologic complications. Seeking to reduce risk and find an easier procedure, we applied locoregional anesthesia and an intermediate cervical plexus block in a series of patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy. From 2006 through 2007, 183 patients underwent primary carotid endarterectomy at our hospital. ⋯ Postoperatively, 2 patients experienced strokes and 1 sustained a myocardial infarction (total rate, 1.6%). We found the intermediate cervical plexus block to be feasible, effective, and safe, with low perioperative and postoperative complication rates. Herein, we report our findings.