Infected thrombus in a Fontan circulation.

The Fontan operation was introduced in 1968 as a palliative treatment for patients with univentricular heart physiology. Natural history and outcomes are poor. By 10 years after Fontan operation, most patients will develop any complication such as tachyarrhythmias, any spectrum of Fontan-associated liver disease, protein-losing enteropathy, heart failure, thrombosis, and infective endocarditis among others. Echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the first-line diagnostic tools for detecting such complications. Clinical and imaging follow-up are a mainstay for the evaluation of this patients.

Oclusión total de la arteria coronaria derecha y disfunción de la arteria del nodo sinoatrial / A total occlusion of the right coronary artery and a dysfunction of the sinoatrial node artery

Resumen La arteria del nodo sinoatrial irriga al marcapasos principal del corazón y su oclusión o lesión puede generar arritmias. Se reportó un infarto de miocardio inferior, el cual presentó oclusión total trombótica proximal de la coronaria derecha, y presentó desde extrasístoles atriales hasta bloqueo atrioventricular. Se describieron las 6 rutas que puede seguir la arteria del nodo sinoatrial y las distintas manifestaciones clínicas que puede tener su oclusión o daño. Se deben realizar estudios de prevalencia para conocer la distribución de esta arteria en la población mexicana, y poder predecir con mayor probabilidad los trastornos del ritmo.

Abstract The sinus node artery irrigates the main pacemaker of the heart and its occlusion or damage can generate arrhythmias. We reported the case of a patient that had an inferior myocardial infarction due to total thrombotic occlusion of the proximal right coronary artery, atrial premature beats and an atrioventricular block. We described the 6 routes that the sinus node artery can follow and the different clinical manifestations that can be observed if occluded. Prevalence studies should be conducted to determine the distribution of this artery in the Mexican population, and to be able to predict rhythm disorders with a higher probability.

Fourth mitral valve replacement in a 15-year span in a woman of childbearing age.

There is no report of four valve replacement surgeries in a woman during 15-year follow-up. A 23-year-old female was diagnosed at 7 years with rheumatic fever. She developed severe mitral regurgitation and at the same age a prosthetic valve was placed. In the next 15 years her mitral valve was changed 3 times because of clinical, echocardiographic, and histopathologic evidence of thrombosis. Her coagulation tests all showed infratherapeutic international normalized ratio and by the age of 15 years she had had an ischemic stroke with total recovery. She developed a normal pregnancy by the age of 19 years with no complications. This case exposes the complexity of the decision making that cardiologists face in terms of choosing the type of prosthetic valve that should be indicated in a woman of childbearing age. With each surgical valve replacement prognosis is less favorable and choosing the best therapy remains a challenge for the heart team. .