Bilateral skeletonized mammary artery grafting: experience with 560 consecutive patients.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the skeletonized technique of harvesting the internal thoracic artery improves the surgical results of bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting, we reviewed our 7-year experience with this technique. METHODS: Between July 1987 and December 1994, 560 patients received bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts and 236 additional grafts (average 2.6 +/- 0.6 anastomoses per patient). There were 515 men (92%) and the average age was 56.9 +/- 8.8 years. There were 63 diabetic patients (11.3%). During harvesting, the internal thoracic arteries were always totally skeletonized from the surrounding tissues without the use of electrocautery. RESULTS: Postoperative complications included reoperation for bleeding, 17 patients (3%), phrenic nerve paresis, 17 patients (3%), acute respiratory distress syndrome, 9 patients (1.6%), digestive complications, 8 patients (1.4%), neurologic complications, 6 patients (1.1%), and sternal complications, 6 patients (1.1%). No wound complications were observed in diabetic patients. The hospital mortality rate was 1.6% (9 patients, 2 cardiac causes). The early patency of internal thoracic artery grafts was 97.9%. Follow-up averages 29 +/- 20 months. There were 14 late deaths (4 cardiac causes). Angina recurred in 51 patients and the maximal stress test was abnormal in 47 patients. CONCLUSION: Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting with skeletonized harvesting carried low post-operative mortality and morbidity and therefore it could be applied routinely without the fear of increased complication rate.

Effects of two different crystalloid cardioplegic solutions assessed by myocardial pH, tissue lactate content and energy metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of composition of crystalloid cardioplegia is imprecise in clinical practice. Therefore, we investigated changes in intramyocardial pH, tissue lactate content and energy metabolism during cardioplegic arrest with 2 different crystalloid cardioplegic solutions. METHODS: Twenty patients were randomly allocated to 2 groups: 10 patients had crystalloid cardioplegia buffered with bicarbonate (neutral pH of 7.8 at 20 degrees) with no additives (St Thomas' II solution) and 10 patients had a non buffered crystalloid cardioplegia (mildly acidic pH of 7.4 at 20 degrees) enriched with glutamate and mannitol (Menasché's solution). Tissue lactate and energy metabolism were measured on myocardial biopsy specimens and intramyocardial pH were continuously measured during cardioplegic arrest by a miniature glass electrode. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in hemodynamic results and in AMP, ADP, ATP, lactate values measured on biopsy specimens. The curves of intramyocardial pH were very similar in the 2 groups, the median values were 7.42 +/- 0.1 in group 1 and 7.41 +/- 0.1 in group 2 (temperature corrected values) and the areas under the curves were 260 +/- 4 and 259 +/- 4 in groups 1 and 2 respectively (P = NS). CONCLUSIONS: Glutamate provided no additive metabolic myocardial protection, bicarbonate had a weak buffering capacity in cold cardioplegic solutions and the 2 studied crystalloid solutions warranted a good myocardial protection in clinical practice.

[Atypical coarctation of the thoracic aorta caused by fibromuscular dysplasia]. / Coarctation atypique de l'aorte thoracique par dysplasie fibromusculaire.

Fibromuscular dysplasia is a non-inflammatory disease unrelated to atherosclerosis of the small and medium sized arterial walls, which often affects the renal and carotid arteries and occurs mainly in women. The authors report a case of atypical coarctation of the thoracic aorta due to fibromuscular dysplasia confirmed histologically in a 27 year old man. Arteriography was performed because of hypertension and asymmetry of blood pressure measurements and showed irregular stenosis of the aortic isthmus and of the origin of the left subclavian artery. Surgery comprised resection of the pathological segment of the aorta which was replaced by a prosthetic tube with reimplantation of the left subclavian artery. Histological examination showed fibromuscular dysplasia in perimedial areas and diffusely throughout the media. To the author's knowledge this is the first case to be reported in the medical literature.

[False aneurysm of the left ventricle and coronary aneurysms in Behçet disease]. / Faux anévrisme du ventricule gauche et anévrismes coronaires au cours d'une maladie de Behçet.

A false left ventricular aneurysm and coronary artery aneurysm were discovered in a 29 year old patient with Behçet's syndrome. The operation under cardiopulmonary bypass consisted of closing the neck of the false aneurysm by an endo-aneurysmal approach with a Gore-Tex patch. The coronary artery aneurysms were respected. There were no postoperative complications. Cardiac involvement is rare in Behçet's syndrome (6%). The originality of this case is the association of two aneurysmal pathologies: the coronary and ventricular aneurysms due to the angiitis and the myocardial fragility induced by ischaemia.

[Value and indication of the use of 2 internal mammary arteries in repeated coronary surgery]. / Intérêt et indication de l'utilisation des 2 artères mammaires internes dans la chirurgie coronaire redux.

Forty-nine patients who had coronary artery reoperations were divided into two groups: the 29 patients of the first group were operated conventionally with use of one internal mammary artery or a saphenous vein; the 20 patients of the second group were reoperated using both internal mammary arteries. Three patients (6%) died prematurely: two in the first and one in the second group. The rates of peri-operative infarction were 7% and 15% respectively. The average postoperative bleeding was 472 +/- 385 ml in the first group and 700 +/- 628 ml in the second group (NS). All patients are pauci-symptomatic and have a negative exercise stress test. The mortality and morbidity of coronary reoperation does not seem to be greater with double internal mammary artery bypass grafting. However, this technique should be reserved for patients who can derive long-term benefit from reoperation with arterial grafts, that is to say in patients in good clinical condition, less than 65 years of age with good left ventricular function. In these patients, double internal mammary artery bypass grafting may avoid a third operation for myocardial revascularisation.

[Coronary artery bypass with 2 internal mammary arteries. Early clinical and angiographic results in 100 patients]. / Pontages coronaries avec les 2 artères mammaires internes. Résultats cliniques et angiographiques précoces chez 100 malades.

One hundred patients underwent coronary revascularisation with both internal mammary arteries between 1987 and 1990. The average age of the patients was 55 years. The left internal mammary was used in 97 of the 100 cases as a pediculated graft to revascularise the left anterior descending (66 cases), left lateral (27 cases) or a bissecting artery (4 cases). The right internal mammary was used as a pediculated graft in 51 cases and as a free graft to revascularise a left lateral (51 cases), left anterior descending (29 cases) or right coronary artery (20 cases). There was one death in the first 30 postoperative days. Morbidity was low with no cases of sternal infection. The average postoperative bleeding was 633 +/- 550 ml per patient. The incidence of phrenic nerve paralysis decreased from 36% in the first 50 patients to 6% in the second 50 patients. Angiography at the 10th postoperative day showed 4 occlusions out of 132 internal mammary arteries opacified (97% patency). Ninety four patients are asymptomatic and have negative exercise stress tests. Mortality and morbidity of coronary surgery using the two internal mammary arteries are therefore the same as those of conventional coronary surgery using saphenous veinar only one internal mammary artery, providing that it is reserved for patients in good general condition, under 65 years of age, without obesity or diabetes. This technique of coronary artery revascularization should provide better long-term results because of the high patency rate of the grafts.

[Decrease of postoperative morbidity in coronary surgery using the two internal mammary arteries]. / Diminution de la morbidité post-opératoire dans la chirurgie coronaire utilisant les deux artères mammaires internes.

The surgical risk of bilateral internal mammary artery grafting was analyzed in 100 successive patients separated chronologically into two groups. These groups were not statistically different in terms of age, severity of angina, and extent of coronary artery disease. The number of grafts per patient and the time of aortic cross clamping were not statistically different in the two groups. The postoperative mortality was 1% in the 100 patients. The incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction was not statistically different in the two groups. No mediastinal suppuration was observed. The mean postoperative hemorrhage was 633 +/- 558 ml in the first 50 patients and 560 +/- 410 ml for the last 50 patients (p < 0.05). The percentage of patients receiving no homologous blood transfusion was 64% in the first 50 patients and 94% in the last 50 patients. The percentage of phrenic palsy was 36% in the first 50 patients and 6% in the last 50 patients (p < 0.05). With surgical experience, the risk of coronary bypass with bilateral internal mammary artery was lowered and very similar to the surgical risk of conventional aorto-coronary bypass with saphenous veins or one mammary artery.

Comparison of different types of cardioplegia and reperfusion on myocardial metabolism and free radical activity.

Current techniques of myocardial protection during global ischemia include hypothermia, cardioplegic arrest and controlled reperfusion. To compare different types of cardioplegia and reperfusion techniques we measured the levels of adenine nucleotides and malondialdehyde (MDA, as free radical activity) in 33 patients undergoing heart surgery. The patients were randomized in three groups according to the characteristics of cardioplegia and reperfusion: cold blood cardioplegia with unmodified blood reperfusion (control group, 11 patients), crystalloid cardioplegia and reperfusion (Hôpital Lariboisière protocol, 11 patients) and crystalloid cardioplegia with allopurinol enriched blood reperfusion (Hôpital Broussais protocol, 11 patients). Myocardial biopsy specimens were obtained before cardioplegic arrest (preischemic values), at the end of ischemia and after 30 minutes of reperfusion. Biopsy specimens were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography for levels of adenine nucleotides and MDA. In the three groups, the preischemic values of adenine nucleotides and MDA were not significantly different. For AMP and ADP concentrations neither treatment nor biopsy-time effects appeared. ATP concentration decreased significantly with biopsy-time without specific treatment effect. For MDA concentration neither treatment nor biopsy-time effects were observed. This study suggests that there is no statistically significant difference between any of the three cardioplegia and reperfusion techniques for either ATP or MDA; the three reperfusion techniques limit the free radical activity but do not prevent the fall in high energy phosphates.

[Value of coronary reperfusion in cases of very low cardiac output following coronary artery bypass grafts]. / Intérêt de la reperfusion coronaire dans les bas débits cardiaques graves après pontage coronaire.

From January 1986 to December 1988, 244 patients had a coronary artery revascularization at St Joseph Hospital. Four patients (1.8%) died in post operative time (less than 30 days). None died directly from cardiogenic shock. Five patients had a severe low cardiac output (2 h to 48 h post-op) and needed cardiac resuscitation. These patients were immediately taken to the operating room. The coronary bypasses were explored (2 technical errors corrected), the metabolic disorders were treated and a coronary reperfusion was done with the Buckberg's technique. All the patients could be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass, two with intra aortic balloon pumping. One patient died of digestive complication the 10th postoperative day. The four other patients survived and are in good clinical condition. The severe low cardiac output after coronary revascularization can be reversible with resuscitation in operating room, short assistance, and coronary reperfusion.

[Improvement in the prognosis of severe mediastinitis by the use of muscle flaps]. / Amélioration du pronostic des médiastinites graves par les musculoplasties pédiculées.

Between 1984 and 1988, 12 mediastinitis were observed in a series of 1.724 cases of cardiac surgical procedures by sternotomy (0.7%). These 12 patients were retrospectively separated in 2 groups in terms of surgical management. In group I (5 patients in 1984 and 1985) the treatment was mediastinal irrigation and in case of failure, an omental transposition. In group II (7 patients in 1986, 86 and 88) the treatment was mediastinal irrigation and in case of failure, a mobilization of muscle flaps. Four patients died in group I of poly-visceral failure with a persistent severe sepsis. In group II, there was no death and the cicatrization was quickly obtained with an average length of stay in intensive care unit of 62 days. The mediastinal irrigation is the treatment of choice for benign mediastinitis, but the prognosis of severe mediastinitis was in our series greatly improved by muscle flap procedures realized with plastic and reconstructive surgical techniques.

[Evaluation of 90 normal aortic valve prosthesis of the Saint-Jude Medical type by echocardiography]. / Evaluation par échocardiographie doppler de 90 prothèses valvulaires aortiques normales de type Saint-Jude Medical.

Between September 1986 and February 1989, ninety patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement were studied on the 15th postoperative day, in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at St Joseph's Hospital, Paris. Patients with a diastolic murmur, fever, significant, pericordial effusions and poor quality Doppler recordings were excluded. The aim of the study was to determine normal Doppler echocardiographic parameters of St Jude medical aortic valve prostheses. Maximum and mean transprosthetic pressure gradients were calculated by the simplified Bernoulli equation. Functional value surface area was assessed by the continuity equation using the diameter of the left ventricular output tract measured by 2D echocardiography (continuity) and the external diameter of the prostheses (modified surface area) to calculate the subaortic surface area. The transprosthetic pressure gradients G max and G mean were inversely correlated to the size of the prostheses (r = 0.42 and r = 0.45). The functional valve surface area calculated by the continuity method gave a poor correlation but this improved considerably when the diameter of the prosthesis (modified surface area) was considered. Finally, the permeability index which is the ratio of subaortic and transaortic velocities seemed to be a good parameter for assessing prosthetic valve function.

[Peroperative autologous transfusion in cardiac surgery. Course, medical and economic evaluation. Prospects]. / Transfusion autologue per-opératoire en chirurgie cardiaque. Evolution, bilan médical et économique. Perspectives.

The authors report their experience since 1979 in the utilization of a system for blood salvaging in cardiac surgery. An initial comparative study showed that the patient group in which blood salvaging was used, received only 0.8 unit of red cells per patient and per hospitalisation and 50% of patients required no transfusion. In the patients receiving ATS, postoperative bleeding was significantly decreased. To confirm the advantages of the technique, a group of 200 patients was studied, consisting of 28 children and 172 adults. Hemodilution was difficult to perform in children weighing less than 15 kg. Nevertheless, ATS allowed for a significant reduction in the number of red cell units transfused. In the adult group, homologous blood consumption was 0.3 unit per patient and per hospitalization. 83% of the patients received no red cells, and 93% had no need for FFP. This reduction in homologous blood transfusion ensures a reduction in the transfusional risk. An improvement in these results will be obtained by a better organization of preoperative ATS and of the retrieval of postoperative blood.

Cardiac pacing and valvular surgery.

Over a 17-year period (1970-1987) 75 patients, 3% of overall valvular surgery (VS) patients have been permanently paced at the time of VS (group 1), nine have been paced long after (group 2), 12 were already paced at the time of valve replacement (group 3), and 81 had a permanent pacing lead inserted during VS without further need for permanent pacing (group 4). Based on pre-, per- and post-operative clinical and electrocardiographic data we studied these four groups (GR). Aortic disease and especially calcified aortic stenosis (CAS) are the main valvular pathologies in all GR. The survival rate in GR 1 is lower than the survival rate of our overall VS PT5 due to older average ages and more severe cardiac conditions. In five patients GR 2 a myocardial pacing lead placed during VS was used long after for permanent stimulation. Patients in GR 3 were older than in other GR at the time of VS. The mortality was high in the patients operated on between 1973 and 1978 (average survived 3.5 years after pacing/2 years after VS) thus demonstrating the benefit of myocardial protection. For GR 4 the ratio of permanent lead implantation during VS was high in the late seventies (10%), it is now around 0.5%. In cases where the evolution of peroperative conduction disturbances is doubtful, it seems to us simpler to place a myocardial lead avoiding subsequent endocardial pacing if necessary, later, especially in patients with tricuspid disease.

[Early postoperative thrombosis of an aortic Saint-Jude prosthesis. Success of fibrinolytic treatment]. / Thrombose post-opératoire précoce d'une prothèse de Saint-Jude en position aortique. Succès du traitement fibrinolytique.

We are reporting the case of a 63 year-old woman presenting an early thrombosis of a mechanical aortic Saint-Jude prosthesis, on the 21st post-operative day, following an insufficient anti-coagulant treatment and discovered by the presence of a well tolerated murmur of aortic insufficiency. The treatment consisted in fibrinolysis using urokinase, administered intravenously at a dose of 4,400 IU/kg/hour, for 12 hours. The clinical, ultrasound and radiocinematographic control performed on the 75th day, were normal; the patient, at that time being treated with anti-vitamin K and platelets anti-aggregates. No complication was observed. This case demonstrates the advantages of fibrinolytic treatments in early thrombosis following insertion of a valvular prosthesis.

[Cor triatriatum of adults. Apropos of 2 new surgically treated cases in adults]. / Coeur triatrial de l'adulte. A propos de 2 nouveaux cas opérés chez l'adulte.

The authors report two cases of cor triatriatum in a 54 year old woman undergoing open heart surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of mitral stenosis, and a 24 year old woman in whom the diagnosis had been made before surgery. Resection of the abnormal intra-left atrial fibrous membrane successfully restored normal haemodynamics in both cases. The main clinical and diagnostic features of the condition are described.

[Cardiac stimulation in children. A multicenter study of 241 patients]. / Stimulation cardiaque de l'enfant. Etude multicentrique de 241 patients.

This study analyses the results of cardiac pacing in 241 children operated between 1965 and March 1982 in 9 french cardiac centres. The ages at primary implantation were: less than 5 years, 32.8 p. 100, 6 to 10 years, 33.6 p. 100 and 11 to 16.5 years, 33.6 p. 100. Atrioventricular block was congenital in 40.7 p. 100 of cases (98 children) and postoperative in 56.4 p. 100 (136 children) with 67 cases, after repair of isolated ventricular septal defect and 18 after repair of an endocardial cushion defect. The symptoms preceding pacing were syncope (67 cases), bradycardia (92 cases) and cardiac failure (33 cases). The electrocardiographic indications were third degree block in 66.8 p. 100 of cases. The pulse generators were usually implanted in the abdominal wall (71.8 p. 100). The power sources in service (August 1982) were lithium (74 p. 100) and isotopic batteries (26 p. 100). Myocardial electrodes were used in 93.4 p. 100 of cases; 82.2 p. 100 were made by Medtronic. Early problems included: infection (10 cases), displacement of endocavitary electrodes (3 cases), elevated thresholds (2 cases). The late problems encountered were due to fracture of the pacing electrodes (19 cases) and elevated thresholds (50 cases). Two hundred and seven children are alive and well. A total of 341 pulse generators were implanted, 90 p. 100 being VVI mode. In August 1982, 56.6 p. 100 were programmable or multiprogrammable. Despite the technical problems involved, the myocardial approach is still used with good results, especially in young children and babies. The endocavitary approach is an alternative after 5 years of age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)