Asian cardiovascular & thoracic annals
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Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann · Jun 2002
Case ReportsIntramural cardiac myxoma in left ventricular wall: an unusual location.
A 27-year-old asymptomatic woman was investigated for an abnormal finding in the cardiac contour on routine chest radiography. Echocardiography revealed a heterogeneous mass in the anterolateral left ventricular wall. Excision of the tumor disclosed an absence of communication between the residual cavity and the left ventricular endocardium. Histological features of the tumor indicated an intramural myxoma.
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Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann · Mar 2002
Common causes of pleural effusion in referral hospital in Isfahan, Iran 1997-1998.
During a one-year period to September 1998, data were collected from all 213 patients referred with pleural effusion. There were 132 males and 81 females; their ages ranged from 18 to 85 years. The most common etiologies of effusion were congestive heart failure (39.4%), malignancy (27.2%), pneumonia (8%), empyema (5.2%), and tuberculosis (5.2%). Pleural effusions are frequent in Iran, and the causes are fairly similar to those reported by European authors, but with slightly more tuberculosis cases, mostly among Afghan refugees.
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Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann · Mar 2002
Case ReportsSpinal cord ischemia associated with cardiac arrest.
Ischemic spinal cord damage from cardiac arrest is rare. A 48-year-old man underwent a straightforward retroperitoneal aortofemoral bypass operation. The following day, he developed cardiac arrest and was resuscitated successfully, but permanent paraplegia was observed soon afterwards.
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Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann · Mar 2002
Transfusion for coagulopathy after heart surgery: efficacy of laboratory studies.
Limited information exists regarding transfusions specifically for coagulopathy following cardiac surgery and the value of pre- and postoperative coagulation tests. Procedures (86% coronary bypass, 7.5% valve, and 6.5% combined valve and bypass) on 478 patients were reviewed; 101 patients (21%) were transfused for postoperative coagulopathy. ⋯ Four postoperative tests showed significant differences between the groups: prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen level, and fibrin split products at 10 dilutions. Patient characteristics and pre- and postoperative testing can identify patients at high risk of transfusion specifically related to coagulopathy.