Concomitant cardiac and pulmonary operation: the role of cardiopulmonary bypass.

To assess the safety and efficacy of concomitant pulmonary resection and cardiac operation requiring cardiopulmonary bypass, the records of 19 patients were reviewed. Eighteen patients (94.7%) presented with cardiac symptoms and were found to have pulmonary pathology of indeterminate etiology. Pulmonary resections were performed through a median sternotomy in all but 1 patient, who underwent posterolateral thoracotomy and right middle lobectomy after repositioning because dense adhesions prevented adequate dissection through the initial incision. A total of 24 resections were performed. Sixteen (66.7%) were performed on cardiopulmonary bypass. Six wedge resections (25.0%) were performed before bypass. Two lobectomies (8.3%) were performed after infusion of protamine sulfate. Nine patients (47.4%) had benign pathology, 7 (36.8%) had primary carcinoma, and 3 (15.8%) had metastatic disease. Bleeding complications occurred in 15.8% of patients (3/19). There was 1 perioperative death (5.3%), which was due to adult respiratory distress syndrome after intraoperative hemorrhage followed lobectomy for bullous disease. Another patient required lateral extension of the sternotomy during an episode of exsanguinating intraparenchymal pulmonary hemorrhage, which resulted in lobectomy, as well as costochondral and sternal osteomyelitis. A third patient required exploration for bleeding at the staple line. Postoperative complications occurred in 7 patients (36.8%) and were predominantly respiratory (5/7, 71.4%) (p = 0.006). The median postoperative hospitalization was 15 days. Although comparison of patients who underwent pulmonary resection during bypass with those who had resection either before heparinization or after protamine infusion showed no significant difference with respect to age, incidence of malignancy, operation performed, complications, postoperative hospitalization, or survival, this was probably due to the small number of patients in the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The post-cardiac surgery chest radiograph: a clinically integrated approach.

The post-cardiac surgery chest radiograph is often read without full knowledge of the patient's pathophysiology or of the specific surgical approach employed. This lack of clinical integration severely limits the effectiveness of the radiologic consultation. This article synthesizes a pathophysiologic foundation for interpretation, drawing on (1) the preoperative physiology and radiographic findings, (2) the events of surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, and hypothermia, and (3) a detailed survey of the postoperative occurrences and their radiographic presentations including the various appliances, disturbances in fluid balance and ventilation, and complications encountered in the immediate postoperative period. The objective is to define the perioperative events and their radiographic correlations more accurately so that effective radiologic consultation will result.

Case report: transthoracic retrograde venous bullet embolization.

The embolism of bullets in the venous system is an uncommon complication of penetrating missile injuries. Retrograde transthoracic venous bullet embolization is exceedingly rare. This report describes embolization of a small-caliber bullet from the left subclavian vein to a branch of the right popliteal vein. The patient was treated successfully without surgery.