Carpentier "sliding leaflet" technique for repair of the mitral valve: early results.

Reconstructive mitral valve operation is now the preferred technique for the surgical treatment of prolapse of the posterior leaflet due to degenerative disease. Systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction has been observed after such repair, with an incidence ranging from 4.5% to 10%. In an attempt to reduce the incidence of this complication, Carpentier has devised a new technique: the sliding leaflet plasty of the posterior leaflet. We report on 48 patients who underwent this new procedure between July 1990 and July 1992. One patient died perioperatively (2.1%). All other patients were able to be discharged on the ninth postoperative day. All patients underwent M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography before discharge. Forty-one patients (85%) had no evidence of postoperative regurgitation, whereas 7 patients (15%) showed mild mitral valve insufficiency. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction due to systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve was never detected. We believe that this technique of mitral valve repair is safe and seems to be effective in achieving a decreased incidence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

Protective influence of pretreatment with allopurinol on myocardial function in patients undergoing coronary artery surgery.

Xanthine oxidase is responsible for the release of free oxygen radicals during myocardial reperfusion. Allopurinol was shown to be an effective inhibitor of this reaction in the laboratory experiments, but not in patients. Thirteen male patients undergoing routine coronary artery bypass graft surgery were treated with allopurinol in doses of 15 mg/kg per day for 4 days before the operation. Haemodynamic function in the early period after cardiopulmonary bypass, ECG, enzyme release and ultrastructural findings in this group were compared with those in a control group of 13 male patients matched for age distribution and stage of coronary disease. Left ventricular stroke work index was higher in the treatment group 10 min (P less than 0.001) and 15 min after termination of cardiopulmonary bypass (P less than 0.01) and also 2 h later (P less than 0.02). In the early post-operative recovery phase fewer episodes of arrhythmia were observed in this group of patients (P less than 0.001). Electron microscopy studies of the myocardium and CK and CK-MB release showed no significant differences between groups. Thus, allopurinol may have a protective effect on the human ischaemic myocardium in the early period of reperfusion.

Temperature-dependence of the effect of trifluoperazine as a protective agent during cardioplegia in the isolated working rat heart.

The duration of ischemia resulting in 50% post-ischemic recovery of hemodynamic functions was 25 min in the control isolated working rat hearts and increased to 45 min in the hearts subjected to normothermic cardioplegia plus normothermic global ischemia (36 degrees C) and to 180 min in the hearts subjected to hypothermic cardioplegia and hypothermic ischemia (22 degrees C). Addition of 10(-6) M trifluoperazine to the normothermic St. Thomas' cardioplegic solution considerably improved the protective properties of the solution as assessed by the functional recovery of the heart. Under conditions of hypothermic ischemic arrest the drug failed to improve the protective properties of cardioplegic solution, suggesting a common modality between hypothermia and trifluoperazine-induced protection.