Coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with COVID-19: What have we learned ?

COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 led to the pandemic, causing unprecedented health and social crisis worldwide. Acute coronary syndromes patients, especially when coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is needed, may present with higher severity risk if affected by COVID-19. Extracorporeal circulation leads to activation of endothelium and microcirculatory network, which activates the coagulation, platelet aggregation and inflammation 1. COVID-19 may also course with severe inflammation, massive secretion of inflammatory cytokines, plaque rupture and a procoagulant state 2. Therefore, it is advisable to postpone surgeries interventions when possible. However, our institution is a public tertiary referral hospital for high-risk cardiovascular patients even in SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We describe a series of thirteen high risk coronary artery disease patients submitted to CABG and who had COVID-19 infection during the same hospitalization, six patients had COVID-19 before surgery, three patients were operated with active infection and four patients were infected after surgery…

A utilização de retalho composto de pele e tecido mamário na reparação de área cruenta resultante da deiscência de esternotomia em cirurgia cardíaca / Use of a flap composed of skin and breast tissue for repairing a recalcitrant wound resulting from dehiscence of sternotomy in cardiac surgery

OBJETIVO: Descrever nova técnica para a reparação de áreas cruentas resultantes de infecção e deiscência de esternotomia na cirurgia cardíaca em seis mulheres que, além de área cruenta extensa na região esternal, haviam sido submetidas a uma primeira reintervenção com recidiva. MÉTODOS: É descrita a técnica cirúrgica utilizada baseada em retalho triangular composto de pele e tecido mamário com base no sulco inframamário inferior, transposto para a área cruenta a fim fornecer uma cobertura de tecido bem vascularizado. RESULTADOS: São discutidos os diversos tratamentos da fase aguda e também de reconstrução nas deiscências de região esternal. CONCLUSÃO: Este retalho preenche as necessidades em relação às dimensões da perda de tecido da área cruenta além de fornecer uma maior proteção contra infecção a uma área que, pela deiscência ocorrida, permaneceu por certo tempo exposta.

Risk factors associated with cardiac surgery during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: This study is aimed at analyzing risk factors for fetal and maternal mortality in cardiac surgery during pregnancy. METHODS: Seventy-four pregnant women underwent cardiac surgery and 58 (78.3%) were followed. The most frequent pathology was valve disease (93.2%). Mitral valve disease was the most prevalent (72.9%), and mitral commissurotomy or replacement was required in 78% of the cases. Most were in functional class III or IV and mean gestational age was 22 weeks. RESULTS: There was functional class improvement after surgery (91% into class I or II), and 70.4% were restored to sinus rhythm. Twenty percent required reoperation. There were five maternal deaths (8.6%) and 11 fetal deaths (18.6%). Several aspects were considered as contributing risk factors for maternal mortality, such as the use of vasoactive drugs and other preoperative medications, age, kind of surgery, reoperation, and functional class. Functional class was the factor that predicted higher risk for maternal death. As to fetal mortality, several factors played a role, such as maternal age more than 35 years, functional class, reoperation, emergency surgery, type of myocardial protection, and anoxic time. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac surgery during pregnancy is associated with acceptable maternal and fetal mortality rates. These rates may be even lower if the factors mentioned above are maintained under control.

Risk factors associated with cardiac surgery during pregnancy

The patients were followed by our Cardiopathy and Pregnancy Group for an average of 78 months. One patient has been followed for 260 months. A retrospective analysis of our records was performed and was subjected to a statistical analysis in order to identify risk factors associated with maternal and fetal mortality. The statistical analysis of the qualitative variables was carried out by associating the variables two by two through either the 2 or Fisher’s exact test. For the quantitative variables, we used Student’s t test (mean difference test). The significance level was 0.05. The multivariate analysis for independent variables was performed. Results After surgery, most hearts resumed sinus rhythm (38 patients [65.5%]), with improvement in quality of life and significant improvement in functional class (50 patients [86.2%] in functional class I or II). During the late follow-up period, 19.6% of the patients underwent a new surgical procedure (commissurotomy or valvular replacement). The maternal mortality rate in this group was 8.6%. Analyzing the outcomes in different decades, there were no maternal deaths between 1972 and 1981 (2 patients). In the second decade (1982 to 1991), 34 patients were operated on and 3 died (8.8%); and in the last decade (1992 to 2002), there were two deaths out of 22 operated patients (9.09%). The deaths were as follow. Two patients had endocarditis preoperatively. They underwent surgery in unfavorable conditions in functional class IV. One had had a previous cerebral event...

Miniesternotomia e mini-incisão: experiência inicial do Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia / Initial study in ministernotomy and mini-incision Dante Pazzanese Institute of Cardiology

OBJETIVO: Como opção para abordagem cirúrgica do coração temos a miniesternotomia e a mini-incisão, sendo a última caracterizada por uma pequena abertura na pele com secção mediana total do esterno. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar estas duas opções de abordagem do coração quanto a viabilidade, reprodutividade e efeito estético final. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Foram realizadas miniesternotomias em "H" e em "L" e operações através de mini-incisão para tratamento de valvopatias (aórtica e mitral), cardiopatias congênitas (CIV e CIA) e revascularização do miocárdio. Analisamos 35 pacientes, sendo 10 (40 porcento) submetidos a miniesternotomia e 25 (60 porcento) a mini-incisão. A idade média foi de 23,4 anos (variando de 1,3 a 52 anos de idade) com predomínio do sexo feminino (54 porcento). RESULTADOS: As operações realizadas foram: troca de valva aórtica em 9 (25,7 porcento) pacientes (8 próteses biológicas e uma metálica); troca de valva mitral em 6 (17,1 porcento) casos (em todos utilizou-se próteses biológicas) e uma plastia mitral (2,9 porcento); 2 (5,8 porcento) pacientes com troca mitro-aórtica; atrioseptoplastia em 13 (37,1 porcento); ventriculoseptoplastia em 1 (2,9 porcento); e 3 (8,5 porcento) revascularizações do miocárdio sendo uma sem o auxílio de circulação extracorpórea. A abordagem cirúrgica foi feita por miniesternotomia em "H" em 7 (20 porcento) casos em "L" em 3 (8,5 porcento) e nos 25 casos restantes via mini-incisão. O tamanho das incisões variou de 7 a 14 cm, com média de 9,9 cm. CONCLUSÃO: Estas duas vias de acesso ao coração na operação cardíaca são perfeitamente viáveis e reprodutíveis, sem alteração no tempo cirúrgico, bem como no tempo de CEC, não acarretando portanto, maiores riscos ao paciente, apresentando efeito estético final melhor do que as esternotomias convencionais