Arterial wall damage caused by snaring of the coronary arteries during off-pump revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Anastomosis of a saphenous or mammary artery conduit to the coronary artery requires precise and reproducible microsurgical technique. Over the past 3 decades, the elective induction of cardiac arrest and circulatory support have provided the conditions suitable for microsurgical anastomosis to all coronary vessels. Beating heart coronary grafting was rejuvenated at our center in 1985 as an alternative to cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest. One of the requirements for off-pump grafting is local vascular control of the target vessel and prevention of bleeding into the field from the open coronary artery. The most common hemostasis technique in use today is the application of circumferential traction sutures and snares around the coronary artery. We performed a human cadaver study to evaluate the potential for local trauma to the native coronary artery caused by this method of hemostasis. METHODS: Our research team applied both 5-0 polypropylene and 2-0 polyester snares to the proximal and distal right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending (LAD) in 25 isolated fresh human cadaver hearts. A total of 100 points of snare application to the native coronary vessels were induced and then investigated histologically, with hematoxylin-eosin, Weigert, and phosphotungstic hematoxylin staining. RESULTS: The results suggested a direct relationship between the severity of the arterial lesion induced by the snares and the degree of local atherosclerotic disease in the native coronary artery. Compression and buckling of the elastic lamellae with medial fractures (similar in nature to angioplasty but directed inward) were seen when snares were applied to a region with marked atherosclerotic disease. CONCLUSIONS: The application of snares to the coronary artery proximal and distal to the anastomotic site must be done with caution. In cases of marked atherosclerotic disease in the underlying coronary artery, a new intimal-medial lesion can occur with indiscriminate application of a tourniquet. This phenomenon may account for some of the reported cases of late peri-anastomotic or distal stenoses seen with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and significantly detract from the advantages offered by beating heart surgery. If one or both snares can be avoided entirely, or applied carefully to disease-free segments of the vessel, this problem may be avoided entirely.

Useful prognostic panel markers to express the biological tumor status in resected lung adenocarcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Tumor stage and its histological subtype remain the most important predictors of clinical behavior in current pulmonary practice of lung cancer. However, many investigators agree that these parameters are not sufficient to predict which tumor will recur, even after radical curative surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the significance of other morphological, biological and molecular parameters beyond TNM classification. METHODS: Pathological specimens were collected from 45 patients after resection for stage IA (five), stage IB (10), stage IIB (10), stage IIIA (14) and stage IV (six) lung adenocarcinomas. A panel of two morphological (proportion of stroma within the tumor and degree of tumor differentiation), two biological [DNA ploidy and argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR)] and three molecular (immunohistochemical expression of Ki-67, p53 and bcl-2) markers was chosen for analysis of the primary tumor. Life Tables for Survival were used to analyze the individual impact of each variable on survival. Cox proportional hazards model analysis was used to construct an independent tumor status model for cancer recurrence and death. Chi-squared analyses were used to determine the statistically significant relationship among all the variables present in the study. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis demonstrated statistically significant risk for the following markers: AgNOR, p53 and bcl-2, controlled for stages and surgical resection. CONCLUSIONS: The immunohistochemical expression of p53 and bcl-2 oncogenes and the expression of AgNOR cell proliferation index are critical values in the progression of lung adenocarcinomas. They can express the biological tumor status and indicate a more accurate prognosis.

[Effect of total++ time of extracorporeal circulation in in myocardial revascularization surgery on urinary urea nitrogen loss]. / Efeito do tempo total de circulação extracorpórea em cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica sobre a perda urinária de nitrogênio na forma de uréia.

Cardiopulmonary bypass probably should be an important factor increasing surgical stress when heart surgery is focused. This study was undertaken in order to evaluate the role of cardiopulmonary bypass in proteic catabolism. Study group consisted of patients who underwent cardiac aortic bypass graft as an isolated procedure. Inclusion criteria were elective surgery and absence of comorbidities after a rigorous preoperatory evaluation. One hundred and five patients were studied prospectively and urinary nitrogen loss was measured in the first 24 hour postoperative period. Operations performed were standard cardiopulmonary bypass procedures, under cardiopulmonary bypass, moderate hypothermia and hemodilution. Saphenous veins and mammary artery grafts were performed in all cases. Correlation and multiple linear regression were used. There was found no correlation between urinary nitrogen loss and age, gender and time under cardiopulmonary bypass. A positive correlation was found between number of grafts and increased urinary nitrogen loss. Further studies comparing cardiac aortic bypass graft with and without cardiopulmonary bypass are suggested.

Economic longitudinal lateral posterior thoracothomy. Minimally invasive option in pulmonary resections.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary resections are usually performed through posterolateral thoracotomy. However this approach has been associated largely with early and late incidence of postoperative morbidity. Several lateral chest approaches have been reported in the medical literature with the objective to decrease morbidity due to thoracotomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of pulmonary resection, performed by means of a minor thoracotomy in the posterior axillary region. METHODS: The skin incision was longitudinal and scapular; shoulder and chest wall muscles were not cut, a subperiosteally lateral portion of rib was removed and the thoracic wall was opened in the rib bed. The approach in this place allowed a smaller skin incision, skin flaps were not necessary and the chest wall opening stayed in a better position in relation to the pulmonary hilum, facilitating the exposition of its anterior and posterior faces. From January 1994 to December 1996 seventy-eight consecutively non-selected patients underwent eighty surgical procedures for several kinds of pulmonary resections. RESULTS: All surgical procedures occurred without difficulties and with a lower number of postoperative complications. A very good aesthetic result was reached. CONCLUSIONS: We believe this chest approach may be a good choice for pulmonary resection.

[Polyalveolosis: pathogenesis of congenital lobar emphysema?]. / Polialveolose: patogênese do enfisema lobar congênito?

BACKGROUND: Congenital lobar emphysema is an unusual condition and its pathogenesis remains unknown. The variety of findings in pathology studies of the resected specimens led to increasing academic interest. About 50 per cent of the cases have no definitive diagnosis in pathology. The most recent theory proposes an increased number of alveoli within each acinus (polyalveolar lobe). PURPOSE: The aim of this paper is to report the morphometric measures of surgical specimens of 12 patients with congenital lobar emphysema, using the Emery and Mithal technique (radial alveolar count). METHODS: We made a case-control study, classifying the cases by age. Mann-Whitney's U test and linear regression techniques were used in data analysis: Mann-Whitney's U in comparing the cases and respective controls and linear regression to evaluate the influence of age in the measures found. RESULTS: The results revealed a significantly higher radial alveolar count than expected for the age group under 3 years; no difference was observed in the age group between 3 and 7 years and in children older than 7, the radial alveolar count was lower than expected. The normal development of the lung consists in an increasing number of alveoli increase from birth until adulthood, but this number remains constant, independent of age in congenital lobar emphysema. CONCLUSIONS: Such findings allow us to conclude that polyalveolar lobe can and must be diagnosed by a simple and practical method, such as the radial alveolar count, which decreases the incidence of the unknown etiology. The findings of an increased number of alveoli on patients younger than 3 is related to congenital lobar emphysema, since the number of alveoli does not increase in congenital lobar emphysema, just the opposite to what one would expect in the normal development of the lung.

Polialveolose: patogênese do enfisema lobar congênito? / Polyalveolosis: pathogenesis of congenital lobar emphysema?

Introduçao. O enfisema lobar congênito é doença rara, cuja patogênese permanece desconhecida. O interesse acadêmico reside na falta de uniformidade dos achados anatomopatológicos. Em cerca de 50 por cento, nao se consegue definir a lesao anatomopatológica. A teoria mais recente relaciona esta doença com um número aumentado de alvéolos dentro de cada ácino pulmonar. Objetivo. O objetivo deste trabalho é efetuar uma revisao do estudo anatomopatológico original de 12 crianças com diagnóstico de enfisema lobar congênito, procurando, mediante método quantitativo, pesquisar a presença do aumento do número de alvéolos no ácido pulmonar. Método. Os autores realizaram um estudo caso-controle pareado pela idade. O número de alvéolos em cada ácino pulmonar foi pesquisado pela técnica da contagem radial de alvéolos. Para comparar as medidas obtidas nos casos e seus respectivos controles, utilizaram a prova U de Mann-Whitney Regressao linear avaliou a influência da idade sobre as medidas. Resultados. Encontraram um número elevado de alvéolos nos portadores de enfisema lobar congênito operados com idade inferior a 3 anos, um número semelhante entre as idade de 3 e 7 anos e um número diminuído a partir dessa idade. Na criança normal, ocorre um aumento no número de alvéolos com o aumento da idade. No enfisema lobar congênito, esse número se mantém praticamente constante, independente da idade. Conclusao. Os achados permitiram concluir que: o lobo polialveolar pode ser diagnosticado por um método simples e prático como a contagem radial de alvéolos, colaborando para diminuir a freqüência de casos de etiologia desconhecida, um número de alvéolos maior que o esperado para idade encontra-se associado ao enfisema lobar congênito no paciente (operado) antes dos 3 anos de idade e que, ao contrário do que ocorre no pulmao normal, no lobo acometido por enfisema lobar congênito nao ocorre aumento no número de alvéolos com o aumento na idade.

Transaortic approach has a role in the surgical treatment of ventricular septal defects.

A transaortic approach was used for surgical closure of ventricular septal defects (VSDs), sometimes as first choice and otherwise as an alternative approach. This paper presents the experience in a group of 124 patients who underwent VSD closure by a transaortic approach in an 18-year-period, between 1974 and 1992. Patients were divided in three groups: (I) Isolated VSD, 89 patients (mean age 7.6 years); (II) VSD associated with other malformations, 27 patients (mean age 10.8 years); and (III) recurrent VSD, eight patients (mean age 15.6 years). Two deaths occurred in the postoperative period (2/124), one after closure of VSD in a patient with severe pulmonary hypertension; another death was observed after transaortic closure of the VSD as part of the repair of a complex heart malformation. There were no instances of new right bundle branch block (RBBB) in the group operated on for isolated VSDs. Three cases of left bundle branch block (LBBB) (3.4%) occurred in the isolated VSD group. There were no cases of complete aortic valve (AV) block in the whole series and no instances of AV dysfunction. The transaortic approach is an alternative for the surgical treatment of ventricular septal defects. The ease of exposure and closure of defects suggest this technique to be a particularly attractive approach in the treatment of small to moderate-sized VSDs and also in recurrent VSDs.

[Submitral left ventricular aneurysm in a Brazilian Indian]. / Aneurisma submitral do ventrículo esquerdo em um Indio Brasileiro.

Subvalvar left ventricular aneurysm is a rare disease of unknown etiology, that has been described most often in black Africans. A case of Brazilian indian with heart failure and a murmur of mitral regurgitation is reported. The chest x-ray showed a mild bulge in the left cardiac border and two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated submitral left ventricular aneurysm, confirmed by left ventricular angiography. Surgical treatment consisted of resection of the aneurysm and mitral valvuloplasty. A perforation of the aneurysm, undetected neither by two-dimensional echocardiography nor by angiography was found at surgery.

[Assessment of pulmonary arterial pressure in adults with Doppler echocardiography]. / Avaliação da pressão arterial pulmonar em adultos pela Eco-Dopplercardiografia.

PURPOSE: To assess the role of pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) in the indirect assessment of pulmonary artery (PA) pressure (P), analysing the pulmonary velocity blood flow curves (PVBFC) profile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-one adults with several kinds of heart disease were submitted to heart catheterization to obtain PAP (systolic, diastolic, mean), and other hemodynamic variables. A PDE examination was performed in all to obtain the PVBFC at the level of the pulmonic annulus. Qualitative features of the curve were analysed (morphological pattern, presence of pulmonic regurgitation) as well as quantitative data (acceleration time = AT, right ventricle ejection time = RVET index, AT/RVET index AT corrected for heart rate = ATC), which were compared to the invasive measurements. RESULTS: An abnormal rapid acceleration of the PVBFC, with triangular configuration, was noted in patient with pulmonary hypertension (PH), in contrast to the dome-like shape of the PVBFC in normal PAP. Pulmonary regurgitation was more frequent (p < 0.05) in patients with severe PH (mean PAP > or = 40 mmHg), comparing with patients with PAP < 40 mmHg. Inverse linear correlations were observed between AT and mean PAP, particularly when sinus rhythm was present (r = 0.89; p < 0.05) excluding patients with atrial fibrillation (19 cases). CONCLUSION: PDE is an useful and noninvasive method for indirect evaluation of PAP in adults, especially during stable sinus rhythm, in heart rate range from 60 to 115 bpm.

[Early and late results of myocardial revascularization after coronary thrombolysis with intravenous streptokinase in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction]. / Resultados imediatos e tardios da revascularização cirúrgica do miocárdio pós-trombólise coronariana com estreptoquinase intravenosa no tratamento do infarto agudo do miocárdio.

PURPOSE: To study the early and late results of patients treated initially intravenous streptokinase and then with coronary artery bypass surgery. METHODS: One hundred and twenty one patients with acute myocardial infarction less than 6 hours duration were treated initially with intravenous streptokinase, and 1-38 days after (median 8.80 days) coronary artery bypass was undertaken. Ninety six patients were operated with extracorporeal circulation and 25 without it. RESULTS: Overall operative mortality was 3.30% (4/121). Reoperations due to bleeding was necessary in 3.30% (4/121). Late mortality was 5.40% with survival probability of 94.60% after 36 months and 92.30% after 70 months. Late morbidity events in terms of angina and cardiac insufficiency demonstrated that 7 patients had angina, 4 cardiac insufficiency and two angina and cardiac insufficiency; probability to be free from these events was 88.20% after 46 months and 66.40% after 70 months. CONCLUSION: Coronary artery bypass surgery after intravenous streptokinase can be undertaken with security and excellent early and late results.

[Pulmonary artery pressure evaluation in adults by Doppler echocardiography]. / Avaliação da pressão arterial pulmonar em adultos pela ecodopplercardiografia.

PURPOSE: To assess the role of pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) in the indirect assessment of pulmonary artery (PA) pressure (P), analysing the pulmonary velocity blood flow curves (PVBFC) profile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-one adults with several kinds of heart disease were submitted to heart catheterization to obtain PAP (systolic, diastolic, mean), and other hemodynamic variables. A PDE examination was performed in all to obtain the PVBFC at the level of the pulmonic annulus. Qualitative features of the curve were analysed (morphological pattern, presence of pulmonic regurgitation) as well as quantitative data (acceleration time = AT, right ventricle ejection time = RVET index, AT/RVET index AT corrected for heart rate = ATC), which were compared to the invasive measurements. RESULTS: An abnormal rapid acceleration of the PVBFC, with triangular configuration, was noted in patient with pulmonary hypertension (PH), in contrast to the dome-like shape of the PVBFC in normal PAP. Pulmonary regurgitation was more frequent (p less than 0.05) in patients with severe PH (mean PAP greater than or equal to 40 mmHg), comparing with patients with PAP less than 40 mmHg. Inverse linear correlations were observed between AT and mean PAP, particularly when sinus rhythm was present (r = 0.89; p less than 0.05) excluding patients with atrial fibrilation (19 cases). CONCLUSION: PDE is an useful and noninvasive method for indirect evaluation of PAP in adults, especially during stable sinus rhythm, in heart rate range from 60 to 115 bpm.

[Systemic-pulmonary shunts in congenital heart diseases with decreased pulmonary blood flow: critical analysis of the surgical techniques and immediate results]. / Derivação sistêmico-pulmonar em cardiopatias congênitas com hipofluxo pulmonar: análise crítica da técnica cirúrgica e resultados imediatos.

PURPOSE: To evaluate immediate postoperative results in children with congenital heart disease and decreased pulmonary blood flow who underwent a systemic to pulmonary shunt. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients underwent surgery, 46.8% (30) of them males with ages from 1 day to 17 years old. They were divided in three groups: I--13 pts (20.3%) who underwent classical Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt; II--46 pts (71.8%) who underwent modified BT shunts, 34 of them with polytetrafluoroetylene (PTFE) and 12 of them with umbilical vein shunts; III--5 pts (7.8%) with central anastomosis that were made with three different types of graft; 3 PTFE, umbilical vein and bovine mammary artery in one each. The simultaneous procedures were: section and suture of PDA--2, closure of systemic-pulmonary collaterals--3, pulmonary valvotomy--3, right ventricular outflow patch--3, pulmonary branch stenosis (enlargement)--2. RESULTS: In group I there were 4 (30.7%) closures, with two immediate reoperation and a total mortality of 30.7%. In group II there were 4 closures (8.6%) and two reoperations with a mortality of 15.2% (7 cases). In group III there was one graft closure and an overall mortality of 80% (4 pts). When analysing deaths due to the shunt itself the mortality rate was respectively 15.3%, 8.6% and 40.0%. CONCLUSION: Modified BT operation was performed most frequently in our service; it was associated with less closure and mortality than the other types of shunt. It is considered our first alternative for a systemic-pulmonary shunt.

Surgical myocardial revascularization without using extracorporeal circulation in patients with acute myocardial infact treated previously with intravenous streptokinase

The utilization of thrombolytic agents during the first hours of acute myocardial infarct has been accepted as one of the main methods to limit infarct extension. However, persistence of residual stenosis requires a complementary revascularization method. Twenty-five patients with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarct were successfully treated within six hours from onset of symptioms with intravenous streptokinase, followed 1 to 21 days (mean of 8 days) afterwards by surgical revascularization of the myocardium without extracorporeal circulation. The mean age of the group was 53.8 years and the mean ejection fraction 60 per cent; 10 patients were uniarterial, 14 biarterial and 1 triarterial; in 15 patients the infarct was located at the anterior wall and in 10 at the posterior wall. Eight patients received one bypass and 17, two. Our nosocomial mortality was 0 per cent and in none was there a need for reoperation due to bleeding. Surgical revascularization of the myocardium withou using extracorporeal circulation is thus a method that can be used in some patients with acute myocardial infarct with excellent results regarding morbidity and nosocomial mortality