Surgical Removal of Amplatzer Duct Occluder for a Patent Ductus Arteriosus / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 1-year-old girl with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was admitted for cardiac catheter examination which identified a 7.8 mm Krichenko D type PDA. An Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) was used but fluoroscopy showed the device at an oblique angle and residual shunt. The girl underwent surgical removal of the device 2 days after deployment because of progression of residual PDA shunt and left pulmonary artery encroachment, suggesting device dislodgement. Median sternotomy was performed, cardiopulmonary bypass was established and dissection was carried out around the PDA. Marked protrusion of the PDA wall made by the ADO retention disc was noted. The main pulmonary artery was incised under cardioplegic arrest. The device was incarcerated in PDA and attempts to remove the device failed. Therefore delivery cable through sheath was reconnected to the device by its microscrew, and the pulmonary end of the device was recaptured into sheath. The incarceration was dissolved and the device was removed. PDA was ligated.

Clinical and Epidemiological Studies of Ixodiasis and Infectious Diseases Sequental to Ixodes Tick Bites in Rural Areas: Report II / 日本農村医学会雑誌

This is the second report of the findings of the clinical and epidemiological studies on pathogen-carrying madani tick bites (ixodiasis) and the vector-borne diseases conducted by a study group of researchers specially organized by the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine. The report covers the period from January 1 through December 31, 2004.The same questionnaires that had been prepared in the previous survey were sentto 80 JARM-affiliated medical facilities and 11 non-member medical institutions to collect information about tick bites and resultant infections.It was found that during 2004 there were 134 cases (67 for men and 67 for women) of skin lesions caused by ixodid tick bites, 14 cases of Lyme disease (7 for men and the same for women), and none for Japanese spotted fever. These ixodiasis cases did not show any speciffic difference from those reported previously. All the Lyme disease patients developed erythema migrans which characterize stage 1 infection.As there is still plenty of catching up to do in terms of coping with the tick bite problems in Japan, we referred to some literature on the control of ixodid ticks, serologic testing techniques for Lyme disease, administration of prophylactic antibiotics and therapeutic methods.