[Isolated mitral valve substitution with Beall prosthesis. Long term results]. / Sustitución valvular mitral aislada con la prótesis de Beall. Resultados a largo plazo.

During a three-year period (1970 to 1973) the Beall mitral prosthesis (103, 104 & 105 series) was used in 97 patients for isolated mitral valve replacement. The early surgical mortality rate within the first 30 days of operation was 11.34%. Among the 86 survivors, 7 developed thromboembolic complications (8.14 per cent), and there were 20 late deaths. Incidence of other complications such as prosthetic malfunction and significant intravascular hemolysis are commented. The 92.42 per cent of the late survivors are in Class I or II of the N.Y.H.A. functional classification.

[Aortic coarctation in childhood. Surgical experience in 120 cases]. / Coartación de aorta en la infancia Experiencia quirúrgica en 120 casos

112 cases of coarctation of the aorta and 8 cases of tubular hypoplasia of the aortic isthmus operated upon in the Children's Hospital "La Paz" from Madrid, are reviewed. All children were under 7 years of age. 64.2% of the cases of aortic coarctation were in the first year of life, 47.3% of them had associated lesions, being the most frequently present persistent ductus arteriosus and ventricular septal defect. Hospital mortality was 14.2%, what is considered as very acceptable. All the children operated upon for the correction of tubular hypoplasia of the aortic isthmus were in the first year of age. 75% of them had associated ductus arteriosus and ventricular septal defect, being hospital mortality of 62.5%. Most frequent postoperative complications and cause of death were due to broncopulmonary disorders secondary to the existence of a previous pulmonary hypertension.

[Echocardiographic evaluation of ischemic cardiopathy]. / Valoración ecocardiográfica de la cariopatía isquémica

We studied a group of patients with ischemic heart disease divided into two groups: Group I coronary insufficiency. Group II myocardial infaction. We centered the work on the following aspects: analysis of the contractility; evaluation of the movement of the ventricular wall and of the septum; movement of the mitral valve; diagnosis of ventricular dyskinesias, akinesias, and hypokinesias. The patients in group I did not show significant alterations in the values of the ejection fraction and speed of circunferential shortening. The mean values of these parimeters are significantly less than the group of patients with infarcts, and 41% of these patients have EF less than 50% and Vcf less than 0.9. We did not find a correlation between these perimeters and the localization of the infarct. The velocity of the posterior ventricular wall was disminished in both groups of patients. The amplitude of movement of the posterior wall was reduced in the group of patients with infarctions. These parimeters were more altered in the posterior infarcts than in those with anterior localization and they are more an index of the state of the posterior wall than of the ventricular contractility considered overall, contary to mitral descriptions. In 3 cases of acute infarct we found paradoxical movement of the septum, which normalized itself in one patient in 6 months. In 6 other patients with old infarct we observed localized dyskinesias of the septum and of the free wall of the left ventricle. The mitral valve appears altered in a great proportion of coronary patients the most notorious characteristics being: a decrease in the EF pendent; an increase of the F index. These findings are considered in relation with the ventricular pressures and with the degree of distensibility of the left ventricle.