Optimizing aortic valve prosthesis selection in patients with obesity: Institutional experience with multidisciplinary perspective.

BACKGROUND: Aortic valve diseases are life-threatening conditions with increasing prevalence worldwide. Risk factors include gender, age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is closely related to these risk factors and has been linked to a higher risk of developing aortic valve diseases. However, there is no specific guideline for managing aortic valve disease in patients with obesity, and the choice of valve type remains uncertain. METHODS: A total of 130 patients with obesity who met the inclusion criteria underwent surgical aortic valve replacement. The patients were divided into two groups based on the type of prosthesis used. Among the study cohort, 50 patients received a bioprosthetic valve, while 80 patients received a mechanical valve. We compared these groups in terms of perioperative characteristics and follow-up results. Statistical significance was determined using a p-value threshold of 0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, or cardiac comorbidities between the two groups. Preoperative blood results and echo findings also showed no significant differences. Intraoperative characteristics and postoperative outcomes, including mortality and acute kidney injury, did not differ significantly between the groups. In addition, BHVG patients had shorter ICU stays compared to MHVG patients without significance. CONCLUSION: Deliberate consideration is crucial when selecting valves for obese patients, particularly those with class II obesity. This is due to the potential influence of obesity on valve types, as well as the need to account for the possibility of bariatric surgery and its potential effects.

Cardiac Hydatid Disease and Peritoneal Tuberculosis Coexistence.

Hydatid cyst is a parasitic infection caused by Echinocococcus granulosus. The coexistence of tuberculosis and cardiac hydatid cyst is extremely rare and generally seen in developing coun- tries. Here, we describe a unique case of a patient presenting with cardiac and gastrointestinal symptoms, who has coexistence of cardiac hydatid cyst and peritoneal tuberculosis.

The Reliability of the Use of Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Levels in the Assessment of Renal Functions after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of perioperative renal function is very important for early diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury after coronary artery bypass grafting. Serum creatinine levels, creatinine clearance, and estimated glomerular filtration rates used in determination of postoperative kidney injury can lead to late detection. Therefore, it is necessary to make a diagnosis earlier in clinical practice and to search for a reliable method. The reliability of the use of serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels in close follow-up of renal function was evaluated in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting under cardiopulmonary bypass in our study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 40 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting under cardiopulmonary bypass between September 2009 and February 2010 were included in the study. The reliability of the postoperative 1st day plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (Triage® NGAL Device; Biosite Inc.) measurements was evaluated in kidney injury developed in the first 5 days after operation that was detected using the Risk-Injury-Failure-Loss-End stage criteria. RESULTS: Ten (25%) women and 30 (75%) male patients were included in the study. The average age is 59 ± 8.6 years. Kidney injury according to Risk-Injury-Failure-Loss-End stage criteria developed in 8 patients (20%). For 150 ng/mL cutoff value of postoperative plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.965. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin's sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values were 100%, 93.8%, 100%, and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION: It has been determined that plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels can be reliably used for early diagnosis of kidney dysfunction in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

The Surgical Treatment of Primary Cardiac B-Cell Lymphoma of Clinically Unstable Patient.

The incidence rate of primary cardiac tumors is 13.8 per 1 million inhabitants per year, and 2.4% of them consist of primary cardiac lymphoma. Primary cardiac lymphoma is a fatal malignancy. Echocardiography and whole-body computed tomography are useful tools for diagnosis. Although chemotherapy has been previously described as the standard treatment for primary cardiac lymphoma, surgical treatment can be used for clinically unstable patients. Herein we report the first surgically treated case of a 57-year-old man with biatrial involvement of primary cardiac B-cell lymphoma.

Relaxant effect of the prostacyclin analogue iloprost on isolated human radial artery: An approach for the reversal of graft spasm.

Radial artery graft spasm in the perioperative or postoperative period of coronary bypass surgery necessitates urgent treatment due to risk of graft failure and mortality. Herein, we evaluated the effect of iloprost, a prostacyclin (PGI2) analogue, against the contractions produced by noradrenaline and potassium chloride on isolated human radial artery. Following the determination of endothelial and vascular relaxing capacities of the arteries, iloprost (10-9M-10-6M) was cumulatively applied on rings precontracted submaximally with the spasmogens. In some rings, the response to iloprost was assessed following pretreatment with nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, l-NAME (3×10-4M,30min). Iloprost produced complete relaxations on radial artery rings precontracted with noradrenaline whereas, only moderate relaxations against the contractions induced by potassium chloride. Notably, the relaxation to iloprost was remarkably blunted in radial arteries with impaired endothelial function. Moreover, the relaxation to iloprost was unchanged in rings pretreated with l-NAME. Our results demonstrated that iloprost could be a potent relaxant agent in reversing radial artery spasm, particularly initiated by noradrenaline, possibly acting via an endothelium-mediated mechanism unrelated to NO.

[Approach to peripheral arterial disease in the elderly]. / Yaslilarda periferik arter hastaligina yaklasim.

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease, which usually develops on the basis of atherosclerosis and develops as a result of chronic arterial occlusive pathology, increases with age. Peripheral artery disease in the elderly patient population may be asymptomatic due to restrictive conditions associated with immobilization. Concurrent cerebrovascular disease and coronary artery disease risk and mortality rates are higher in elderly patients with peripheral artery disease. The life expectancy in patients with peripheral arterial disease is worse than in prostate cancer patients. Leading risk factors include advanced age, smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperhomocysteinemia and hypothyroidism. The most important physical examination component is the palpation of the entire peripheral pulses. The cases in which the ankle-brachial systolic pressure index measurement for clinical diagnosis is below 0.9 are defined as peripheral arterial disease. It is aimed to completely correct or improve the existing clinical symptoms and to increase the survival rates of the patients. The existing risk factors are modified as the first step of the treatment. Smoking cessation, treatment of hypertension primarily with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, lowering of hemoglobin A1c levels below 7%, anti-hyperlipidemic treatment primarily with statin, antiaggregant therapy primarily with clopidogrel, cilostazol therapy, good foot care, controlled exercise program, if necessary, interventional or operational revascularization, amputation in the presence of irreversible effects are the main treatment components. Indications for major revascularization include the presence of resting pain in the limb and / or open and long-lasting unhealed wound in the extremity and / or severe complaints of intermittant claudication that will result in limitation in daily activities. It should not be forgotten that, all the clinical decisions to be taken in the treatment of elderly patients with peripheral arterial disease are determined by the patient's physical condition, current clinical condition and the expectation level of the patient.

The dose-related effects of dexmedetomidine on renal functions and serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin values after coronary artery bypass grafting: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: Acute kidney failure after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a serious complication that increases morbidity and mortality rates. Early detection and prevention of this complication are very important. A novel biomarker named neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) can play an important role in early diagnosis of acute kidney injury. Recent studies on the favourable effects of Dexmedetomidine on cardiac surgery have been published. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a dose-dependent positive effect of Dexmedetomidine on neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels and renal functions when used after CABG. METHODS: Our randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled study was conducted among 295 patients scheduled for CABG surgery between August 2009 and March 2011 in a tertiary cardiac and vascular surgery clinic. A total of 90 consecutive patients who met inclusion criteria were randomized and divided into three groups. The first group received a placebo. The second and the third groups received 4 and 8 µg/cc concentration of the Dexmedetomidine infusion, respectively. Infusion rates were regulated to obtain sedation with a Ramsey sedation score of 2 or 3. Patients were regrouped according to the total Dexmedetomidine dose. Statistical analyses of variables including serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin values and conventional renal function tests were made for all six possibilities before the blind was broken. RESULTS: Results of conventional renal function tests were not significantly different. However, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels for the first postoperative day for placebo, low-dose and high-dose Dexmedetomidine groups were 176.8 ± 145.9, 97.7 ± 63.4 and 67.3 ± 10.9 ng/ml, respectively. These values were significantly different among the groups (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we found that Dexmedetomidine infusion for sedation after CABG under cardiopulmonary bypass can be useful in the prevention of kidney injury. Conventional renal function tests, including blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, urine output and creatinine clearance rate measurements typically may not detect the development of acute kidney dysfunction in the first 48-h postoperative period. Differences were detected in renal function in the early postoperative period and the development of acute kidney injury, as determined by measurements of blood NGAL levels, was significant and dose-dependent.

Primary renal artery choriocarcinoma causing secondary renovascular hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Choriocarcinoma is a rare primary germ cell tumour of the ovary composed of cyto- and syncytotrophoblast cells. Most of the choriocarcinomas are normally arising in the gestational trophoblast, gonads and, less frequently, mediastinum, pineal gland and retroperitoneum. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of primary choriocarcinoma of renal artery causing secondary renovascular hypertension in a 28 years old woman of reproductive age, presenting with abdominal pain, minimal vaginal bleeding and a delayed menstrual period. DISCUSSION: Non-gestational choriocarcinomas, are histologically related to the pregnancy related gestational choriocarcinomas. These two subtypes may have to be differentiated according the clinical and radiological findings and DNA analysis may be used for this purpose as well. In many studies, authors have stated that nongestational choriocarcinoma diagnosis could be implemented in situations where the presence of a pregnancy could not be considered like the prepubertal period. CONCLUSION: Choriocarcinoma should as well be considered among the possibilities in the differential diagnosis of the causes for secondary hypertension, especially within a picture of pregnancy of unknown location, albeit being one of the rarest.

Coronary artery and mitral valve surgery in Takayasu's arteritis: a case report.

Concomitant coronary artery disease and mitral valve disease are rare in Takayasu's Arteritis. Our patient had Takayasu's Arteritis diagnosed 9 years ago. She had an inferior myocardial infarction and double stent implantation 8 months ago. She was admitted to the hospital for chest pain, and 3 vessel diseases were diagnosed with significant mitral regurgitation due to anterior leaflet prolapse. In this report, we present perioperative management of our patient who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve replacement.

Large cardiac hydatid cyst in the interventricular septum.

Cystic hydatid disease results from infection with the larval or adult form of the Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm. Cardiac involvement is seen in 0.5% to 2% of patients with hydatid disease, and involvement of the interventricular septum is even rarer. Herein, we report our surgical treatment of a large cardiac hydatid cyst in the interventricular septum. A 39-year-old woman presented with dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large cyst in the apical part of the interventricular septum. Thoracic computed tomography showed a cystic lesion in that site, and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of a 50 × 55-mm mass. The patient was placed on cardiopulmonary bypass. Hypertonic saline solution-soaked sponges were distributed within the pericardial cavity to prevent local invasion of the parasite intraoperatively. Through an incision parallel to the left anterior descending coronary artery, and without opening adjacent cardiac chambers, we aspirated the entire contents of the cyst, removed its germinative membrane, and washed the cavity with 20% hypertonic saline solution. The patient recovered uneventfully. She had begun taking albendazole 5 days preoperatively, and this therapy was continued for 12 weeks postoperatively. In cases of an interventricular cardiac hydatid cyst, the combination of surgical resection, washout of the remaining cavity with hypertonic saline solution, and albendazole therapy typically yields excellent results.

Risk factors for requirement of permanent pacemaker implantation after aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of requirement for permanent pacing and related risk factors after aortic valve replacement. METHODS: Among 465 patients operated between 1994 and 2004, 19(4.1%) patients with a mean age 49.9 +/- 17.2 years required the implantation of a permanent pacemaker. Eleven of them were female (57.9%). The main indication was aortic stenosis (89.5%). Severe annular calcification was documented in 78.9% of them, and the aortic valve was bicuspid in 57.9%. RESULTS: Risk factors for permanent pacing after aortic valve replacement (AVR) identified by univariate analysis were female sex, hypertension, preoperative ejection fraction, aortic stenosis, annular calcification, bicuspid aorta, presence of right bundle branch block (RBBB) or left bundle branch block (LBBB), prolonged aortic cross-clamp and perfusion times, and preoperative use of calcium channel blockers. Multivariate analysis showed that female sex (p = 0.01, OR; 5.21, 95% CI: 1.48-18.34), annular calcification (p < 0.001, OR; 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.24), bicuspid aortic valve (p = 0.02, OR; 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07-0.84), presence of RBBB (p = 0.009, OR; 0.03, 95% CI: 0.003-0.44) or LBBB (p = 0.01, OR; 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02-0.69), hypertension (p = 0.03, OR; 0.22, 95%CI: 0.05-0.89), and total perfusion time (p = 0.002, OR; 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01-1.08) were associated risk factors. CONCLUSION: Irreversible atrioventricular block requiring a permanent pacemaker implantation is an uncommon complication after AVR. Risk factors are annular calcification, bicuspid aorta, female sex, presence of RBBB or LBBB, prolonged total perfusion time, and hypertension.

Using the bilateral internal mammary artery in the left or right coronary artery system: 5-year comparison of operation techniques and angiographic results.

OBJECTIVE: Using the bilateral internal mammary artery (IMA) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery has prolonged survival, improved functional capacity, and reduced the rate of reintervention without increasing postoperative early morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Between January 1996 and December 1997, 94 CABG operations were performed using the bilateral IMA. In Group A (n = 45), the right IMA was anastomosed to the left coronary artery system; in Group B (n = 49), the right IMA was anastomosed to the right coronary artery system. The left IMA was always anastomosed to the left coronary artery system in both groups. RESULTS: There was 1 death (Group A) (1.06%), and 1 late death (Group B) (1.07%). One patient in Group A underwent balloon angioplasty, and 1 patient in Group B underwent reoperation after the follow-up. Pre- and postoperative data were similar between both groups, except for off-pump CABG, which was higher in Group B (2.2% versus 36.7%; P <.001). Twenty-three randomized patients in each group underwent control angiography until May 2002. Angiographic results showed that the patency of the right IMA to the right or left coronary artery system was similar (78.26% versus 82.6%; P = .7). But the left IMA had a better patency rate than the right IMA (95.65% versus 80.43%; P = .02). The patency rates of the left and right IMA anastomosis on the beating heart in Group B were not significantly different (92.3% versus 76.9%; P = .27). The patency of right IMA anastomosis with or without off-pump technique in Group B was similar (76.9% versus 80%; P = .84). CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral IMA can be used with low morbidity and mortality. The angiographic and clinical results of off-pump CABG show that bilateral IMA can also be used in off-pump surgery with similar results.

Ultrafast computed tomography in management of post-bentall aortic root pseudoaneurysm repair.

A giant pseudoaneurysm adjacent to the sternum was diagnosed in a patient who had undergone aortic root replacement with use of the Bentall operation 10 years earlier. Electron-beam computed tomography showed that the right coronary artery, which could not be seen on angiography, originated from the pseudoaneurysm itself. At reoperation, we found that both coronary ostia were detached and that the right coronary ostium was totally detached. The source of the right coronary artery blood flow was the pseudoaneurysm itself The defect at the left coronary artery attachment site was repaired primarily. A vein graft was interposed between the ostium of the right coronary artery and the native aorta, distal to the graft anastomosis.

Does mediastinitis affect the graft patency?

As inflammation began to be recognized as a major contributor to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, we evaluated the patients that developed mediastinitis, a long-standing inflammatory process, after coronary artery bypass grafting. There are many studies that have focused on the graft patency. But, till now, no study has been done to detect the effects of mediastinitis to graft patency. So, we aimed to detect the effect of mediastinitis on the graft patency in patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Sixteen of 45 patients who have been operated upon for coronary artery bypass surgery and developed mediastinitis, which was treated with open drainage and mediastinal irrigation with late wound closure, were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 55 +/- 11 (range 35-69) and nine of the patients were male. The graft patency was evaluated with control coronary angiographies after a mean period of 30.42 +/- 43.17 months (range 1-132). The left internal thoracic artery was patent in all patients (100%). Right internal thoracic artery patency rate was 50% (1/2). One individual bypassed radial artery was patent, whereas the sequential bypassed graft was occluded. The patency ratio of radial artery anastomosis was 33% (1/3). Twelve of the 17 saphenous vein grafts were patent (70.58%). The total number of patent distal anastomosis was 30/38 (78.94%). When compared with the graft patency of patients without infection, it was found that mediastinitis does not affect the graft patency rates adversely.

LDH levels and left atrial ultrastructural chances in patients with mitral paraprosthetic regurgitation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of paraprosthetic regurgitation of mitral mechanical valves to myocardial tissue and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. METHODS: We compared 19 patients (study group) who had mitral mechanical valve with severe mitral paravalvular regurgitation with 20 patients (control group) who had native valve with severe rheumatic mitral regurgitation. None of the patients had clinical hemolytic anemia. On transesophageal echocardiographic examination, semiquantative evaluation and spatial distribution of regurgitant jets were noted in both of the groups. Five LDH isoenzymes were studied in two groups. Myocardial tissue specimens were taken from the left atrial wall during reoperation. Grids randomly taken were studied under the transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: Total serum LDH levels of the study group (578 +/- 12 IU/L) were higher than the control group (495 +/- 6.2 IU/L) (p < 0.001). We found LDH1/LDH2 more than 1 in all patients; the ratio was not statistically different in the control group. Electron microscopy revealed the same degree of injury in both groups. Haptoglobin levels were decreased and reticulocyte counts were increased in patients with paraprosthetic valve regurgitation. CONCLUSIONS: Electron microscopic findings support that myocardial injury contributes to increase of total LDH level and high LDH1/LDH2 ratio. But statistically significant elevation in total LDH level in study group and the stable state of LDH1/LDH2 ratio between two groups showed that hemolysis caused by paraprosthetic regurgitation is the most important factor for the increase of total LDH level, so that high LDH level can be used as a reliable parameter for the diagnosis of intravascular hemolysis in paraprosthetic regurgitation.

Successful surgical correction of a single atrium associated with cleft mitral valve persistent left superior vena cava and pulmonary valvular stenosis as an isolated cardiac defect.

Single atrium (SA) is a complex cardiac anomaly and generally a component of certain congenital syndromes. It is extremely rare for SA to be observed as an isolated defect. We report here a 13-year-old male patient with SA as an isolated cardiac defect, successfully corrected by surgery.