Texas Heart Institute journal
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Patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura have safely undergone cardiac surgical procedures; however, platelets were transfused in 20 of 24 reported instances, and no point-of-care testing of coagulation status was performed. Herein, we report the case of a patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura who required urgent coronary artery bypass grafting and intra-aortic balloon pump support. ⋯ No preoperative prophylactic transfusion of allogeneic platelets was necessary, and in fact the patient required no allogeneic blood products during his hospitalization. We believe that point-of-care coagulation tests such as thromboelastometry warrant further evaluation regarding their usefulness in the clinical decision of whether to transfuse platelets and other blood products.
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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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Case Reports
The risk of performing cardiopulmonary bypass in malaria patients: a small case series.
The effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on patients who have active or dormant malaria are unknown. What is known is that malaria-induced hemolysis can be exacerbated by cardiopulmonary bypass. We report 3 cases in which patients with active or dormant malaria underwent open-heart surgery. ⋯ We suggest preoperative quinine prophylaxis for patients with a history of malaria whose blood smears are negative for parasites, and we advocate more radical preoperative treatment with quinine for patients whose blood smears are positive at presentation. These measures appear to prevent hemolysis and fever during both the preoperative and postoperative periods. However, there is need of a multicenter study to ascertain the actual effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on patients with malaria.
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Case Reports
Pericardial tamponade and right-to-left shunt through patent foramen ovale after epicardial pacing-wire removal.
After cardiac operations, careful management substantially reduces the risks of negative complications during or after the removal of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Herein, we report the case of a 58-year-old man who, 4 days after undergoing aortic root replacement, developed pericardial tamponade after the removal of temporary epicardial pacing wires. Consequent to the tamponade, a right-to-left shunt developed through a previously undiagnosed patent foramen ovale. The patient underwent emergency surgery to repair myocardium that had ruptured due to the removal of the wires, and he recovered uneventfully.
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Extrinsic compression of the left main coronary artery by a massively dilated pulmonary artery in patients who have severe pulmonary hypertension can lead to significant myocardial ischemia. A 58-year-old man with a large patent ductus arteriosus and Eisenmenger syndrome presented with angina at rest and worsening heart failure of 3 months' duration. ⋯ Multislice computed tomographic imaging after 6 months showed stent patency and the intimate relation of the stented vessel to the dilated main pulmonary trunk. We discuss diagnostic and management issues pertaining to this uncommon clinical entity.