[Cardiac Tamponade by Chest Compression at Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation;Report of a Case].

We report a case of right ventricular rupture caused by sternal bone fracture following chest compression at cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A 68-year-old man presented with syncope and was referred to our hospital in an ambulance. Ventricular fibrillation was confirmed by electrocardiography(ECG), and CPR was performed with chest compression. He was resuscitated and his ECG showed ST elevation. He immediately underwent percutaneous coronary intervention to the right coronary #1 which was subtotally occluded. Thereafter, massive cardiac tamponade was noted by echocardiography, and coronary injury or left ventricle( LV) rupture was suspected. Emergency exploratory surgery was performed through median sternotomy. Laceration of the right ventricle corresponding to the sternal bone fracture was found intraoperatively. We repaired the injury and he was discharged without complication. The possibility of iatrogenic cardiac tamponade should be considered when a resuscitated patient by chest compression develops hypotension.

[Rupture of Coronary Artery Aneurysm with Coronary Artery to Pulmonary Artery Fistula;Report of a Case].

We report a rare case of ruptured coronary artery aneurysm. A 58-year-old woman experienced a sudden chest pain. Coronary arteriography( CAG) and computed tomography(CT) showed pericardial effusion and 2 saccular coronary artery aneurysms connected by a communicating artery. The 1st one was originated from the right coronary artery and flowed to the communicating artery. The 2nd one was originated from both the diagonal branch and the communicating artery, and flowed to the main pulmonary artery, forming a fistula. Since the 1st one was larger, it was suspected to be the rupture site. Emergency operation was performed and the aneurysms were directly closed under cardiopulmonary bypass. The postoperative course was uneventful.

Mitral and tricuspid valve surgery for Coffin-Lowry syndrome.

Coffin-Lowry syndrome is a rare X-linked disorder characterized by craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities, mental retardation, short stature, and hypotonia. An 18-year-old man with morphologic features characteristic of Coffin-Lowry syndrome was referred to our institution for valve disease surgery for worsening cardiac failure. Echocardiography showed severe mitral valve regurgitation associated with tricuspid valve regurgitation. Mitral valve implantation with a biological valve and tricuspid annular plication with a ring was performed. The ascending aorta was hypoplastic. Both the mitral papillary muscle originating near the mitral annulus and the chordae were shortened. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful and his cardiac failure improved.

Congenital pericardial defect with ruptured acute type A aortic dissection.

We report 2 cases of congenital pericardial defect with ruptured acute type A aortic dissection. Case 1: An 83-year old man presented with sudden chest and back pain, and computed tomography (CT) showed acute aortic dissection with left pleural massive effusion. Because of his unstable haemodynamic condition with low blood pressure, an emergency operation was performed. We observed small amounts of bloody pericardial effusion, massive left-sided bloody pleural effusion and a partial left-sided pericardial defect of the pulmonary artery. The ascending aorta was replaced. The postoperative course was uneventful. Case 2: A 79-year old man presented with fainting followed by cardiac arrest and was resuscitated. Chest CT showed acute aortic dissection and massive haemothorax. Emergency operation was attempted, but was given up. We observed partial left-sided pericardial defect of the pulmonary artery. Further, we reviewed 6 cases of congenital pericardial defect with ruptured acute aortic dissection, including our 2 cases. In all the cases, the patients did not develop cardiac tamponade but had massive haemothorax due to congenital pericardial defects leading to confusion in diagnoses and surgical strategies. Therefore, it may be necessary to consider congenital pericardial defects before performing an operation in case of acute type A aortic dissection with massive haemothorax.

[Ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated by acute aortic dissection and aortic valve regurgitation; report of a case].

An 87-year-old man was found loss of consciousness after falling. He was found in a state of shock. Computed tomography showed rupture of aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic arch with acute aortic dissection. Echocardiography revealed aortic valve regurgitation and cardiac tamponade. As the result of emergency operation, a large hematoma in the mediastinum and pleural cavity as well as massive serous pericardial effusion were found. The dissection was seen in aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic arch with an intimal tear located in the aortic arch. After aortic valve replacement was performed, the ascending aorta and aortic arch were replaced, and reconstruction of 3 cervical vessel branches was performed under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with selective cerebral perfusion. Despite the complex clinical state and serious condition in the elderly patient, emergency surgery saved the life of the patient without complications.

[Mobile mass in the descending aorta with multiple embolism].

A 46-year-old man was referred to our hospital for abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) revealed mobile mass in the descending aorta and multiple systemic embolism. Emergent operation was indicated. Under femoral vein to femoral artery bypass, removal of mobile mass was performed. We resected the mass with stem including aortic wall and closed the aortic defect with the pericardial patch. Postoperative course was uneventful. Histopathology of the mass was organized thrombus with inflammatory change.

Cardiogenic shock without cardiac tamponade caused by a subepicardial hematoma after percutaneous coronary intervention.

A 73-year-old man complaining of pain on effort was admitted to a hospital for a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) because of severe stenosis of the mid right coronary artery. During PCI, a coronary artery was ruptured, and the patient suddenly went into shock. Percutaneous pericardiocentesis was successfully performed, and cardiac tamponade was relieved. Despite the echocardiographic finding of no cardiac tamponade, the patient remained in the shock state. An emergency operation was performed. There was little pericardial effusion, but a large subepicardial and intramyocardial hematoma was present and was being compressed by the pericardium. Pericardial incision and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were performed. The patient was discharged on the 12th postoperative day. Decompression of the subepicardial hematoma by pericardiotomy ameliorated the condition of the patient, who was in cardiogenic shock. We thus report a rare case of subepicardial hematoma resulting in shock during PCI in which cardiac tamponade was not observed.

[Cylindrical patch repair for circumferential subvalvular abscess due to prosthetic valve endocarditis].

A 51-year-old male underwent aortic valve replacement and vascular prosthesis implantation due to an aneurysm of the ascending aorta combined with aortic regurgitation caused by the bicuspid aortic valve. Semi-emergency surgery was performed due to severe paravalvular leakage with prosthetic valve endocarditis 16 months after the 1st operation. The circumferential annular abscess cavities were closed with a cylindrical patch, and a mechanical valve was installed on the upper edge of the sutured cylindrical patch. A vascular prosthesis was reimplanted to the ascending aorta. Use of the cylindrical patch provides a good exposure of operative field to close circumferential annular abscess cavity.

Ventricular septal perforation caused by right-sided infective endocarditis associated with giant vegetation.

A 71-year-old man presented with general fatigue associated with syncope and fever, and was admitted to our hospital and treated with antibiotics for pneumonia. On day 10 after admission, cardiac echocardiography showed a ventricular septal perforation and giant vegetation floating in the right ventricle near the tricuspid valve, which had not been detected at the time of admission. An emergency operation (including vegetation excision, debridement, ventricular septal perforation patch closure, and tricuspid valve replacement) was performed. A permanent pacemaker was implanted on postoperative day 34, and the patient was discharged without any complications. A culture of the excised vegetation and blood culture revealed methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. There has been no previous report of a presenting ventricular septal perforation caused by right-sided infective endocarditis.