The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jun 1981
Case ReportsPathological study of infective endocarditis on Hancock porcine bioprostheses.
A pathological study has been performed on 10 infected Hancock bioprostheses removed from nine patients who died of prosthetic endocarditis. The devices had been in place from 2 to 87 months (average 37.5), the interval between operation and onset of infection averaging 30 months. The offending organisms were Gram negative bacteria in three patients (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Serratia marcescens), Gram positive bacteria in two (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus viridans), and fungi in four (Candida species in three and Aspergillus species in one). ⋯ Therefore surgical intervention appears appropriate in the presence of severe hemodynamic complications after adequate antibiotic treatment. However, infection of these particular prostheses still carries an extremely high mortality. In the present series, this poor outcome might be explained by the frequently associated septic and thromboembolic events.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jun 1981
Case ReportsPrimary malignant lymphoma of the trachea. Report of a case successfully treated by primary end-to-end anastomosis after circumferential resection of the trachea.
A 67-year-old Japanese man with exertional dyspnea was found by laminagraphy to have tracheal obstruction. The stricture was localized at the cervical and mediastinal trachea and was 5.0 cm long on an x-ray film. Eight tracheal rings were successfully resected and the ends of the trachea were anastomosed. ⋯ The patient had serum hepatitis postoperatively, but now he is living normally without any difficulty in respiration. No signs of recurrence have been seen in the 5 years, 4 months since the operation. From this experience, the rarity and the possibility of curative operation of this tumor are discussed.