European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1996
Case ReportsInfected left atrial myxoma with concomitant mitral valve endocarditis.
Myxomas are the most common primary cardiac tumors. They may simulate infective endocarditis but are rarely infected. Currently, 17 infected left atrial myxomas have been reported in the literature [1, 7, 8, 10, 11]. We present a patient with infected left atrial myxoma combined with mitral valve endocarditis, treated by excision of the myxoma and mitral valve reconstruction.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1996
Comparative StudyEndoscopic versus transaxillary thoracic sympathectomy for primary axillary and palmar hyperhidrosis and/or facial blushing: 5-year-experience.
Thoracic sympathectomy is effective in the permanent cure of primary axillary and palmar hyperhidrosis and facial blushing, which can be so troublesome for patients that their social and professional relations can be affected. Between October 1988 and April 1994, a total of 50 thoracic sympathectomies (10 surgical and 40 endoscopic) were performed on 5 and 23 patients, respectively. The operations were performed unilaterally, followed by the contralateral intervention after a period of 6-8 weeks. ⋯ None of them considered these side effects to be troublesome. Although there is no difference between transaxillary thoracic sympathectomy and the endoscopic intervention in terms of efficacy, the latter is associated with less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay and a rapid recovery. The thoracic sympathectomy is the treatment of choice for primary hyperhidrosis and excessive facial blushing.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1996
Aortic valve replacement after aortic valvuloplasty for calcified aortic stenosis.
This study concerns patients who underwent one or several aortic balloon valvuloplasties at our institution and subsequently required cardiac surgery, either on an emergency basis after aortic valvuloplasty or due to the development of aortic stenosis. ⋯ Both our experience and the literature show that balloon aortic valvuloplasty is followed by an immediate improvement in hemodynamic status with a decrease in valve gradient and an increase in valve area. However, the hemodynamic benefit is typically short-lived with a very high restenosis rate. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty is not an alternative to aortic valve replacement, which remains the best treatment for calcified aortic stenosis; the benefits and long-term results of aortic valve replacement are well established, even in the elderly.
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Gastrointestinal (GI) complications after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are uncommon complications with significant morbidity and mortality rates. ⋯ Gastrointestinal complications, although of low incidence, carry a significantly high mortality, and the clinician must be alert to institute early appropriate treatment.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jan 1996
Myocardial protection in chronic volume-overload hypertrophy of immature rat hearts.
The benefit of cardioplegic cardiac arrest for protection of the immature myocardium is controversial. We therefore investigated the efficacy of (1) topical hypothermia alone (2) slow cooling by coronary perfusion hypothermia and (3) cardioplegic cardiac arrest plus topical cooling for protection of isolated immature rat hearts (age: 28 days). ⋯ Rapid cooling by topical hypothermia along provides superior protection of hypertrophied- and non-hypertrophied-immature rat hearts to additional slow pre-arrest cooling. Use of St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegic solution No.2 (STS 2) does not improve protection, and even hinders functional recovery in hypertrophied immature hearts. Endothelial injury caused by cold asanguinous perfusates, including cardioplegia, interferes with the recovery of vascular function, which in turn, may limit mechanical function.