Feasibility of the fast-track recovery program after cardiac surgery in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine if a fast-track recovery protocol that is applied in other countries can be used in the present Japanese medical system. Second, we wanted to evaluate the differences if the protocol was adapted from the viewpoint of cost saving, postoperative hospital stay, and adverse complications. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 94 consecutive patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery with conventional techniques on cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary bypass between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2006. We started our fast-track recovery protocol from July 1, 2005. We compared the results of the conventional group (before July 1, 2005) and the fast-track recovery protocol group (after July 1, 2005). Moreover, we used a unique questionnaire and investigated how the patients in the fast-track group felt about the short hospital stay postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean postoperative hospital stay was 36.7 +/- 6.0 days for the conventional group and 15.0 +/- 12.4 days for the fast-track group, with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.01). The mean cost fell by almost half, from 712545 yen to 383268 yen (P = 0.038). The difference in complication rates was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: A fast-track recovery protocol can be safely adapted to patients in the Japanese system without increasing the mortality or morbidity rate. Based on our unique questionnaires, the most important factor was sufficient and repeated explanations preoperatively to the patients and their family members. Second, good pain control with routine use of acetaminophen and sporadic morphine orally has a great effect on the patients' recovery.

[Successful treatment for prosthetic valve endocarditis with use of strip shaped pericardum].

We presented a case of endocarditis with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis that was successfully treated with linezolid. Endocarditis has been hard to cure completely with either antibiotics or surgery. In particular, it is harder to eradicate disease-causing bacteria when it is staphylococci or streptococci. In this case, an innovative operative technique and a new kind of antibiotics were involved after the failure with some sorts of antibiotics. We put a strip shaped pericardium around a newly implanted artificial ring to prevent its organism from touching it. This technique costs little and may be easy to handle, thus it may become a reliable technique for endocarditis.

Saccular aneurysm of the aortic cusp associated with discrete subaortic stenosis.

A 54-year-old male who experienced a syncopal episode underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and regurgitation. The aortic valve was incompetent as a result of thickening of the left coronary cusp and noncoronary cusp. In addition a saccular aneurysm was indicated on the left coronary cusp. A shelf of tissue protruding at right angles from the ventricular septum was particularly prominent below the right coronary cusp, resulting in subvalvular stenosis. The cause of the saccular aneurysm was most likely caused by the long-term effects of the jet stream instigated by discrete subaortic stenosis.

Partial left ventriculectomy for end-stage cardiomyopathy: report of a case.

Cardiac transplantation is an established treatment for end-stage heart failure, but its use is very limited. Partial left ventriculectomy has been reported as an alternative treatment for end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy. However, it has been well recognized that emergency partial left ventriculectomy for intractable decompensation is associated with poor survival. We report a case of a 68-year-old man with a left ventricular end-diastolic diameter of 108 mm, who underwent emergency extended partial left ventriculectomy, without papillary muscle resection, and mitral valve replacement with chordae preservation to deal with ongoing cardiogenic shock caused by end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy. The patient's cardiac status and general condition improved after the operation, and he survived the crisis. This operation should be considered as an alternative strategy for patients with septal motion and very large left ventricle. Thus, we report a successful extended partial left ventriculectomy and mitral valve replacement for end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy with very large left ventricular end-diastolic diameter.

Inflammatory response after coronary revascularization: off-pump versus on-pump (heparin-coated circuits and poly2methoxyethylacrylate-coated circuits).

OBJECTIVE: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) may reduce the inflammatory response associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and contribute to minimizing postoperative complications. Heparin-coated circuits and poly2methoxyethylacrylate (PMEA)-coated circuits were developed to reduce such complications. We compared the postoperative inflammatory response with or without CPB. METHODS: Eighteen consecutive patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were divided into three groups: OPCAB group (n=6), heparin-coated circuits group (n=6), PMEA-coated circuits group (n=6). The plasma concentrations of the following inflammatory markers were measured: cytokines [interleukin (IL-10)], polymorphonuclear elastase (PMNE), coagulofibrinolytic factor [thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT)], complement factor (C3a). RESULTS: At the end of CPB, IL-10 and TAT concentrations were significantly different among the three groups (OPCAB group < PMEA-coated group < heparin-coated group). The PMNE concentration was significantly lower in the OPCAB group and the heparin-coated group as compared to the PMEA-coated group both at the end of CPB and 4 hours after CPB. C3a concentration was significantly lower in the OPCAB group than in the CPB groups at the end of CPB. Clinical variables did not differ significantly among the three groups. CONCLUSION: Off-pump CABG is associated with a reduction in the inflammatory response when compared with on-pump CABG, using either PMEA-coated or heparin-coated circuits.

Consideration of prosthesis-patient mismatch and left ventricular mass regression after implantation of the Carpentier-Edwards pericardial valve in elderly Japanese patients: body surface area may be irrelevant.

The assessment of prosthesis patient mismatch (PPM) for small aortic annulus is important for prognosis after aortic valve replacement (AVR). Recent investigations have demonstrated that PPM occurs in AVR patients with an indexed effective orifice area (iEOA) of less than 0.85 cm2/m2. We investigated hemodynamic performance and left ventricular mass (LVM) regression after AVR. Eighteen patients who underwent AVR using a 19-mm Carpentier-Edwards pericardial (CEP) valve without annular enlargement were studied by echocardiography and Doppler examination 4 months after AVR. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of their body surface area (BSA); the smaller BSA (group S, 1.14-1.36 m2, nine patients) and the larger BSA (group L, 1.40-1.83 m2, nine patients). Of these 18 patients, ten underwent isolated AVR, and five underwent AVR with coronary artery bypass graft; (i.e., double valvular replacement, AVR with maze procedure, and AVR with mitral valvulophasty. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, except for age (group S, 78.3+/-2.5 years; group L, 73.6+/-2.4 years). There was no significant difference for the iEOA during the late phase at rest (group S, 1.10+/-0.26 cm2; group L, 1.02+/-0.28 cm2). However, there was a significant difference for the LVM regression between the preoperative and postoperative values (group S, 243+/-23.6 mg/cm2 [pre], 190+/-16.9 mg/cm2 [post]; group L, 302+/-13.7 mg/cm2 [pre], 199+/-16.7 mg/cm2 [post]). In elderly Japanese patients with a BSA of less than 18 m2, we demonstrated LVM regression and avoidance of PPM after implantation of the aortic 19-mm CEP valve.