Congenital giant right coronary artery.

Giant coronary artery aneurysms are exceptionally uncommon with an incidence of 0.02%. The natural history and prognosis of giant coronary artery aneurysm are still not well known.

An intriguing case of post-operative respiratory failure from an occult diaphragmatic hernia- be aware of the masquerader.

Though respiratory complications after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease are common, and malformations of the diaphragm can be expected in these patients, the presence of an occult diaphragmatic defect unrecognisible preoperatively and complicating the post operative course is very rare and need a high index of suspicion for diagnosis in the setting of post operative respiratory failure. We present here a case of post operative respiratory failure from a delayed presenting diaphragmatic hernia in a 2-month-old boy who underwent corrective surgery for Taussig bing anomaly and hypoplastic aortic arch. Surgical repair of the diaphragmatic defect and reduction of the bowel loops to the abdomen resulted in rapid weaning from ventilation and recovery with subsequent discharge from hospital.

A curious case of raised gradient across mitral bioprosthetic valve.

High Doppler valve gradient is generally suggestive of valve thrombosis. However, it should be corroborated with the finding of restricted leaflet movement to confirm the diagnosis. In the present case, abnormally high gradient was not associated with limited leaflet movements or any valve thrombus.

Contained rupture of mycotic aneurysm of the left circumflex coronary artery in a child.

Coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is defined as dilatation of a coronary artery segment to a diameter of more than 1.5-fold normal size. Rupture of CAA is a catastrophic event and may result in sudden death or myocardial infarction. We report this unusual case of contained rupture of the left circumflex CAA.

Bivalirudin in venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Optimal anticoagulation plays a pivotal role in successful outcome of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Heparin has been the anticoagulant of choice owing to its advantages like easy monitoring and reversibility. However, if heparin resistance is encountered, one has to decide whether to treat heparin resistance with fresh-frozen plasma or antithrombin concentrates or to choose one of the heparin alternatives for anticoagulation. We report a case of heparin resistance resulting from antithrombin III deficiency in a patient on venovenous ECMO, in which anticoagulation was managed with bivalirudin. The dose of bivalirudin for anticoagulation in ECMO has not been standardized and different authors have reported different doses. We found a bivalirudin dose of .1-.2 mg/kg/h to be adequate to maintain a target activated clotting time of 200-220 seconds. Platelet counts were stable throughout and no major bleeding or thrombotic complications took place. We found bivalirudin to be a feasible and effective anticoagulant and safe to use for long durations in ECMO without any major complications.

Management of a case of left tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy under cardiopulmonary bypass: anesthesia perspectives.

The lung tumors with carinal involvement are frequently managed with tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy and tracheobronchial anastomosis without use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Various modes of ventilation have been described during tracheal resection and anastomosis. Use of CPB during this period allows the procedure to be conducted in a more controlled way. We performed tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy for adenoid cystic carcinoma of left lung involving carina. The surgery was performed in two stages. In the first stage, left pneumonectomy was performed and in the second stage after 48 h, tracheobronchial resection and anastomosis was performed under CPB. Second stage was delayed to avoid excessive bleeding (due to heparinization) from the extensive vascular raw area left after pneumonectomy. Meticulous peri-operative planning and optimal post-operative care helped in successful management of a complex case, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality.