Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm in a patient with aortic valve stenosis.

A 77-year-old, high-risk woman with symptomatic aortic valve stenosis (aortic valve area 0.77 cm(2)) underwent coronary artery catheterization and right heart catheterization. After catheterization, she suddenly developed hemoptysis, and became hypoxic and hypotonic. She was intubated and the bleeding was stopped using positive end-expiratory pressure. Chest X-ray and computed tomography showed a pulmonary artery (PA) pseudoaneurysm with a maximum diameter of 40 mm at the right middle lobe. Endovascular treatment approaches by coil embolization failed, so surgical resection was indicated. In preparation for the procedure and to reduce perioperative risk, transapical aortic valve implantation was performed. The operation took about 40 minutes and the intraoperative activated clotting time was controlled at 180-200 sec. After successful transapical aortic valve implantation, aneurysmectomy was performed. Intraoperatively, the PA pseudoaneurysm was found to occupy nearly the entire middle lobe. A right middle lobectomy was performed. The operative course was uneventful. Transapical aortic valve implantation may have eliminated the risk of rupture or re-bleeding in such bleeding-prone patient.

Is repeated administration of blood-cardioplegia really necessary?

The aim of this work was to question the necessity of repeated administration of warm blood cardioplegia in modern cardiac surgery. A consecutive series of 4014 patients underwent cardiosurgical procedures in the period from January 2001 to December 2006 in our centre, where modified Calafiore warm blood-cardioplegic solution was used. 1708 patients received a single shot of cardioplegia instead of repeated blood cardioplegia (every 20 min). A multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression models to reveal the statistical significance of the effect of single-shot cardioplegia on the occurrence of: death, intraoperative need of inotropics, intraoperative intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), postoperative infarction, arrhythmia, postoperative need for inotropics and postoperative IABP. The results showed statistical insignificance concerning mortality (P=0.704), intraoperative IABP (P=0.247), postoperative inotropics (P=0.273), postoperative IABP (P=0.678), postoperative arrhythmia (P=0.661). Single-shot cardioplegia showed a positive effect concerning postoperative myocardial infarction (P=0.003). However, it showed an unfavourable effect concerning intraoperative inotropics (P=0.038) and postoperative dialysis (P=0.015). The clinical safety of the first shot of warm blood cardioplegia might be exceeding 20 min. In the light of increasingly short cross-clamping time, the safety of the first shot might be long enough to cover the whole cross-clamping time.