A Case of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) with Postoperative Cerebral Infarction Following Surgical Repair of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 61-year-old man with consciousness disorder was transferred to our hospital. Computed tomography found acute type A aortic dissection and cardiac tamponade, and an emergency operation was performed. Operation findings indicated dissection above the commissure between the left coronary cusp and the right coronary cusp, to the ostium of the right coronary. An ascending aorta replacement and coronary aorta bypass grafting were performed. The postoperative course was good, but he did not regain clear consciousness. Results of magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple cerebral infarctions. At the same time, the platelet count had decreased and we suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Following detection of an heparin-dependent antibody, administration of an heparin was discontinued. However, the platelet count still tended to decrease. Therefore, we started continuous administration of argatroban, which resulted in the gradual increase in platelet count to within normal limits on postoperative day 26. The results indicate that in patients continuously and repeatedly treated with heparin, there is a possibility of the development of HIT and thrombosis with HIT.

The Effective Use of Redo of Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting through a Left Thoracotomy with a Patent Left Internal Thoracic Artery Graft / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

Redo of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) through a left thoracotomy with a patent left internal thoracic artery graft was very effective. A 62-year-old man was admitted because of unstable angina for whom CABG had been performed 6 years earlier (LITA-LAD, Ao-SVG-OM1), the saphenous vein graft soon become occluded. Coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA)#1. For vasoconstruction of the left circumflex artery (LCx) and RCA, off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) was performed through a left thoracotomy. During normal cardiac contraction, a radial artery graft (RAG) was anastomosed sequentially from the descending aorta to the obtuse margin (OM) 1, OM2, RCA#4PL (postero-lateral branch). The postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged on the 26th post-operative day. In patients with patent grafts, re-median sternotomy has a high risk of injury to already patent grafts and adhesions make the dissection difficult. Alternatively, as in this case, off-pump coronary artery bypass through a left thoracotomy can be very effective. Total arterial vasoconstruction was performed and postoperatively there was no early graft occlusion.