Head cooling wrap could suppress the elevation of core temperature after cardiac surgery during forced-air warming in a pediatric intensive care unit: a randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: The main aim of the current trial was to explore our hypothesis that cooling head wraps lower the core temperature more effectively than ice packs on the head during forced-air warming after pediatric cardiac surgeries. METHODS: This study was a single-center Randomized Controlled Trial. Participants were children with a weight ≤ 10 kg and hyperthermia during forced-air warming after cardiac surgeries. When the core temperature reached 37.5 °C, ice packs on the head (group C) or a cooling head wrap (group H) were used as cooling devices to decrease the core temperature. The primary outcome was the core temperature. The secondary outcomes were the foot surface temperature and heart rate. We measured all outcomes every 30 min for 240 min after the patient developed hyperthermia. We conducted two-way ANOVA as a pre-planned analysis and also the Bonferroni test as a post hoc analysis. RESULTS: Twenty patients were randomly assigned to groups C and H. The series of core temperatures in group H were significantly lower than those in group C (p < 0.0001), and post hoc analysis showed that there was no significant difference in core temperatures at T0 between the two groups and statistically significant differences in all core temperatures at T30-240 between the two groups. There was no difference between the two groups' surface temperatures and heart rates. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to ice packs on the head, head cooling wraps more effectively suppress core temperature elevation during forced-air warming after pediatric cardiac surgery.

Tubular Pouch Technique Using Aortic Tissues for Single Coronary Artery Transfer.

A single coronary artery with a single ostium from sinus 2 (2 R L Cx) is rare and difficult to transfer. A 6-day-old male neonate was diagnosed with dextro-transposition of the great arteries with an intact ventricular septum at birth. Computed tomography revealed the presence of a single coronary artery with a single ostium from sinus 2 (2 R L Cx). We performed a new coronary transfer technique involving a tubular pouch using the original aortic tissue for this single coronary artery. The postoperative course was uneventful, and postoperative computed tomography revealed a smooth coronary route with no stenosis.

Ductus arteriosus banding to regulate excessive pulmonary blood flow in a neonate with necrotizing enterocolitis and complex congenital heart disease, including pulmonary atresia and total anomalous pulmonary venous return: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Patients with right isomerism have accompanying complex congenital heart disease, which is characterized by pulmonary atresia and total anomalous pulmonary venous return. Balanced regulation of the systemic and pulmonary circulation is essential for successful management, especially for cases complicated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). CASE PRESENTATION: A 6-day-old male neonate with a single ventricle, pulmonary atresia, patent ductus arteriosus (DA), and total anomalous pulmonary venous return associated with right isomerism was admitted because of dyspnea, cyanosis, and melena. The patient presented circulatory incompetence due to excessive pulmonary blood flow, resulting in NEC. The patient underwent DA banding and colectomy following continuous intravenous infusion of prostaglandin E1 at six days. Subsequently, his condition improved, reaching a systemic oxygen saturation of around 80%. He underwent a bidirectional Glenn procedure and closure of colectomy at the ages of 5 and 6 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: DA banding can be an alternative to placing an aortopulmonary shunt, which is conventional in patients with ductus-dependent pulmonary circulation, because DA banding is feasible without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Cosmetic and shoulder functional outcomes in posterolateral minithoracotomy atrial septal defect closure: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Transcatheter device closure has become the first treatment option for atrial septal defects (ASD). Surgical ASD closure, although still implemented, is cosmetically inferior to transcatheter closure. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility as well as short- and long-term clinical outcomes of the right posterolateral minithoracotomy approach for surgical ASD closure. METHODS: In total, 102 consecutive patients underwent posterolateral minithoracotomy for ASD between January 2014 and December 2021 at our center. Early surgical outcomes, cosmetic findings, and skin perception were evaluated over 1 year of postoperative follow-up using a self-satisfaction survey (1: very good, 2: good, 3: normal, 4: not good, 5: bad), Cavendish score, and shoulder joint function (angles of flexion, extension, and abduction). RESULTS: No patient required conversion to median sternotomy. Only one patient required reoperation due to bleeding. Postoperative echocardiography revealed no residual shunt at discharge in all patients. The mean follow-up period was 3.7 years (range: 0.3-7.1 years), during which the questionnaire was answered by 69 of 98 patients who were evaluated after more than 1 year. The mean self-satisfaction survey scores for cosmetic findings and skin perception were 1.3 ± 0.6 and 1.2 ± 0.5, respectively. The Cavendish score was under Grade 1 in all patients. Shoulder flexion and abduction were normal at 180° in all patients, except one, while extension was normal at 50° in all patients, except three. CONCLUSIONS: Our procedure achieved not only good early surgical outcomes but also excellent long-term cosmetic and shoulder function results.

Rare Clinical Course of Immunoglobulin G4-Related Inflammatory Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with Multiple Rare Complications.

Immunoglobulin G4- (IgG4-) related inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been recognized as a manifestation of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). We experienced one patient with multiple consecutive manifestations before and after endovascular stent grafting for IgG4-related inflammatory AAA (IAAA). A 71-year-old man was diagnosed with IgG4-RD due to increased IgG4 serum concentration, typical findings of parotid gland biopsy, and periaortitis in another hospital 2 years and 7 months before visiting our hospital. He came to our hospital because of abdominal pain and IAAA. He developed paraplegia after hospitalization and underwent endovascular stent grafting for the IAAA. About one month after stent grafting, he developed perforation of the sigmoid colon due to enteritis. He also had myocardial infarction. Finally, he died of intestinal bleeding. Here, we describe this case with rare, multiple, consecutive manifestations of IgG4-RD, some of which might be caused by IgG4-related IAAA or side effects of treatments rather than by IgG4-RD itself. We report this case because the clinical course seemed rare for IgG4-RD or IgG4-related IAAA. For treating IgG4-RD with IgG4-related IAAA, we should consider factors causing the symptoms and carefully select the proper treatment.

[Surgical Removal of Left Atrial Thrombus Originating from the Left Upper Pulmonary Vein Stump after Left Upper Lobectomy;Report of a Case].

Left upper lobectomy may be a risk factor for thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump. We report a case of surgical removal of a left upper pulmonary vein stump thrombus after left upper lobectomy. A 73-year-old man with transit ischemic attack had a history of left upper lobectomy for pulmonary tuberculosis 40 years before. Echocardiography and chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a mobile thrombus in the left atrium originating from the left upper pulmonary vein stump. Surgical removal of the thrombus as well as the left upper pulmonary vein stump was performed under extracorporeal circulation and cardioplegic cardiac arrest. Pathological examination of the pulmonary vein stump revealed no growth of tumor nor injury of endothelial cells. Postoperative course was uneventful and no recurrence of the thrombus was observed during 7 years after surgery.

[Endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting with non-disposable device].

Endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) for coronary artery bypass grafting has been proved to be effective in reduced wound complications, without compromising long-term mortality or composite of death, myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization. However, only disposable devices that are costly and raise environmental problems, have been obtained on the market in Japan. Now, a non-disposable device for EVH is available. With this equipment, a 50 cm-long great saphenous vein can be obtained with a single 3 cm-long incision. We demonstrate how to use this device and show its tips and pitfall.

Surgical strategy for aortoesophageal fistula in the endovascular era.

OBJECTIVE: Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) is relatively rare and usually life-threatening. Lots of strategies have so far been discussed for this entity including the role of endovascular repair. The aim of this study is to review our experiences and reconsider the surgical strategy for aortoesophageal fistula in the endovascular era. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter study. From 1995 to 2011, 10 aortoesophageal fistula cases were identified in four institutions. For all of these cases surgical procedures and results were retrieved from medical records. RESULTS: Six patients underwent open aortic repair and four patients underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) as a primary intervention. Three patients who underwent open aortic repair with esophagectomy and omental coverage in early phase, either as a primary intervention or performed after bridging TEVAR, showed 100 % 1-year survival. On the other hand, three patients with TEVAR alone did not survive more than 1 year without recurrence. One patient with bridging TEVAR underwent concomitant esophageal resection and conventional aortic graft replacement 2 days later, and simultaneous gastric tube reconstruction was performed with intact whole omentum covering the aortic prosthesis. This patient is doing well with no sign of infection at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: For AEF, TEVAR as a primary approach is quite useful to stabilize the patients' condition. However, definitive aortic repair with omental coverage should be performed as early as possible as a next step. It may be one of the strategies for the treatment of AEF that concomitant esophageal resection and aortic graft replacement is performed with simultaneous gastric tube reconstruction with intact whole omentum after removing the stent graft, so far as the patient's physical condition permits.

Late rupture of knitted Dacron graft.

An 87-year-old man underwent aorto-bifemoral bypass using a bifurcated Bionit II knitted Dacron graft for high aortic occlusion in 1987 at another hospital. In November, 2004, he was admitted to our institution because of difficulty in walking due to swelling and tenderness in the right groin. Computed tomography (CT) scan indicated bilateral aneurysms of the grafts in the groins. The size of the right and left aneurysms were 73 mm and 52 mm, respectively. Angiography showed some extravasation in the right thigh. We performed surgical replacement of all the dilated parts with new ringed-Dacron grafts. We report a rare case of late rupture of bifurcated Sauvage Bionit II Dacron graft.

A surgical case for severe hemolytic anemia after mitral valve repair.

We report a rare case of severe hemolytic anemia accompanied by moderate renal insufficiency after mitral valve repair. Although the degree of the residual mitral regurgitation was less than 1+ during the first three weeks after the operation, the maximum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was up to 7,430 U/l and the minimum hemoglobin was 4.9 g/dl. The mitral valve replacement successfully resolved the hemolysis, but the renal function did not completely recover.

[Surgical treatment of ventricular and pericardial perforation by a permanent pacing lead: a case report].

An 83-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital because of pacing failure and suspected ventricular perforation by a permanent pacing lead. She had undergone permanent pacemaker implantation 5 months previously. Chest radiography showed the pacing lead running out of the cardiac shadow. Computed tomography and echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis of ventricular perforation by the pacing lead. No evidence of cardiac tamponade was found. The lead was surgically removed through a median sternotomy. Intraoperatively, the lead was found perforating the ventricle and the pericardium, and reaching into the left pleural cavity but not injuring the left lung. A pacing lead may potentially injure the heart or the lung. Regular check-up of lead position and pacing status is recommended.

A surgical case for hemolytic anemia after ascending and total arch replacement.

A 61-year-old man presented with consistent hemolytic anemia 15 months after ascending and total arch replacement for DeBakey I type acute aortic dissection. The cause of hemolysis turned out to be mechanical damage of red blood cells at the inverted felt of the proximal anastomosis. Reoperation of resection of the felt and repair of the proximal anastomosis successfully resolved this problem. We report a rare case of hemolytic anemia at the site of inverted felt strip after total arch replacement.

Left atrioventricular valve regurgitation after repair of incomplete atrioventricular septal defect.

BACKGROUND: Excellent surgical results have been reported for repair of incomplete atrioventricular septal defect; however, left atrioventricular valve regurgitation (ltAVVR) is a major cause of late morbidity. We reviewed our entire experience with incomplete atrioventricular septal defect in order to investigate long-term results of ltAVVR after repair and determine the factors influencing the progression of ltAVVR in late follow-up. METHODS: Between 1983 and 2002, 61 patients underwent surgical repair of incomplete atrioventricular septal defect, including 7 patients with intermediate forms. The age of operation ranged from 1 month to 62 years old (median 5.3 years old). Thirteen patients were less than 2 years old, including 7 infants, while there were 15 adult patients. All patients underwent patch closure of the ostium primum defect. Before 1995, the cleft was left open in 7 patients and partial closure of the cleft was done in 41 patients, whereas complete closure of the cleft was performed in 9 patients since 1996. Preoperative and postoperative ltAVVR at hospital discharge and late follow-up were graded 0-IV by echographic evaluation. RESULTS: There was 1 early death and 4 late deaths with a 91% 10-year actuarial survival rate. Preoperative ltAVVR grade was I in 25 patients, II in 31 patients, III in 4 patients, and IV in 1 patient. Postoperatively, ltAVVR deteriorated in 3 patients. Left AVVR decreased in 21 patients, whereas in 37 patients it remained the same at hospital discharge. Consequently, ltAVVR remained grade II in 18 patients, grade III in 2, and there was no patient with grade IV. During the long-term follow-up, 24 patients were noted to have increased ltAVVR, including grade III in 8 patients and grade IV in 4. Reoperations for ltAVVR were required in 5 patients (8.3% of hospital survivors); valve replacement in 3 patients and valve repair in 2. Actuarial freedom from reoperation for ltAVVR was 91% at 10 years, whereas actuarial freedom from postoperative ltAVVR grade III or more was 89% at 5 years and 78% at 10 years. Multivariate analysis indicated that postoperative ltAVVR grade II or more at hospital discharge (p = 0.0032, odds ratio = 7.41, 95%CI: 1.95-28.10) was the only independent variable related to late ltAVVR, whereas age at operation, preoperative grade of ltAVVR, and the method of cleft repair were not significant risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Left AVVR is still a significant risk in long-term follow-up. Because the postoperative grade of ltAVVR is the only independent risk factor for late ltAVVR, more efforts should be focused on left atrioventricular valve repair so as to minimize residual regurgitation, even mild regurgitation.