Cardiopulmonary bypass in a glaucoma patient.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in a patient with glaucoma is a challenge. The glaucomatous eye is at risk during CPB. We report a case of ostium secundum atrial septal defect that was not amenable to device closure. The unique feature in the patient was the presence of congenital glaucoma. She was blind in the left eye, and the visual acuity in the other eye was decreased because of glaucoma. She underwent direct closure of the atrial septal defect under CPB and fibrillatory arrest, with intraoperative monitoring of intraocular pressure. There was no change in visual acuity after 1 year of follow-up.

Sternal cleft--a natural absurdity or a surgical opportunity.

Sternal cleft is a rare visually dramatic congenital anomaly. It results from failure of fusion of the 2 lateral mesodermal sternal bars by the 8 weeks of gestation. Superior clefts are more frequent than inferior ones, and isolated central clefts are extremely rare. We describe the case of a 4-year-old girl with a central sternal cleft that was closed autogenously with pectoralis major advancement flaps.

Early changes in pulmonary functions after mitral valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates changes in pulmonary functions before and after mitral valve replacement (MVR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with rheumatic mitral lesions who had undergone MVR were divided into three groups, based on New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. They were evaluated for changes in pulmonary functions, preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months to find any improvements after MVR. RESULTS: Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow rates were universally found to be decreased preoperatively. Total lung capacity (TLC) and diffusion capacity (DLCO) were significantly reduced preoperatively in NYHA Class III and IV. The pulmonary functions further declined at 1 week after surgery. Except for FVC in NYHA Class IV (32.3% improvement, P < 0.05), the changes were statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary functions deteriorate immediately after surgery and then recover gradually over a period of 3 months. However, they remain below the predicted values.

Management of superior vena cava syndrome by internal jugular to femoral vein bypass.

We report a 30-year-old man with superior vena cava syndrome due to fibrosis from a previously irradiated malignant thymoma. The patient presented 4 years after the initial treatment, after having been lost to follow-up. Investigations revealed total obstruction of the superior vena cava, and right subclavian and right internal jugular vein. The patient underwent an extra-anatomic bypass (ringed polytetrafluoroethylene graft 10-mm diameter) between the left internal jugular vein and the left femoral vein brought in a subcutaneous tunnel over the anterior chest and abdominal wall. Entry to the thoracic cavity was avoided due to extensive fibrotic changes visualized in the computed tomographic chest scan. Follow-up Doppler at 2 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years showed a patent graft. An internal jugular vein to the femoral vein bypass is a simple method for palliation of superior vena cava syndrome.