Left atrial myxoma in a child with unique presentation: chest pain.

We present a 16-year-old girl who presented with chest pain. Given her obesity and positive family history, she was felt to have atherosclerotic heart disease. However, an echocardiogram showed an atrial myxoma, which prompted surgical excision. This case supports the routine use of echocardiography and widened differential diagnosis when presented with pediatric chest pain.

Outcomes of acute type a aortic dissection after previous cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Reports on outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) repair after previous cardiac surgery (PCS) are few. Some suggest no difference in mortality while others note decreased risk of free rupture due to adhesions. We analyzed our experience of ATAAD after PCS. METHODS: Between January 1992 and March 2009 we repaired 330 patients with ATAAD. Of these, 49 (15%) patients had PCS: coronary artery bypass in 30 (61%), aortic valve replacement in 8 (16%), coronary artery bypass/aortic valve replacement in 5 (10%), aortic valve replacement-mitral repair in 1 (2%), aortic valve replacement-tricuspid repair in 1 (2%), and others in 4 (9%) patients. The ATAAD patients with and without PCS (primary) were compared. RESULTS: The PCS group was older (63 vs 58 years, p < 0.02), more frequently men (82% vs 67%, p < 0.04), and less likely to have aortic insufficiency (30% vs 47%, p < 0.05). Otherwise, the PCS group did not differ in clinical presentation, with similar malperfusion and tamponade. Operative procedures did not differ between groups except for repair of pulmonary artery fistula (4% vs 0%, p < 0.03), more use of Cabrol shunt (18% vs 3%), p < 0.03), and more frequent need for mechanical cardiac support in the PCS group (8% vs 3.6%, p < 0.04). The PCS group suffered more strokes (10% vs 2.5%, p < 0.03), temporary neurologic deficits (24% vs 10%, p < 0.007), and higher hospital mortality (31% vs 13.8%, p < 0.007) than the no-PCS group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ATAAD after PCS exhibited similar risks for malperfusion, hypotension, and cardiac tamponade. This suggests that adhesions formed after PCS do not eliminate the risk of cardiac tamponade from aortic rupture. Although results from surgical repair are acceptable, justifying timely repair, mortality still remains higher than without prior history of cardiac surgery.

Postoperative renal function preservation with nonischemic femoral arterial cannulation for thoracoabdominal aortic repair.

BACKGROUND: Renal failure after thoracoabdominal aortic repair is a significant clinical problem. Distal aortic perfusion for organ and spinal cord protection requires cannulation of the left femoral artery. In 2006, we reported the finding that direct cannulation led to leg ischemia in some patients and was associated with increased renal failure. After this finding, we modified our perfusion technique to eliminate leg ischemia from cannulation. In this article, we present the effects of this change on postoperative renal function. METHODS: Between February 1991 and July 2008, we repaired 1464 thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Distal aortic perfusion was used in 1088, and these were studied. Median patient age was 68 years, and 378 (35%) were women. In September 2006, we began to adopt a sidearm femoral cannulation technique that provides distal aortic perfusion while maintaining downstream flow to the leg. This was used in 167 patients (15%). We measured the joint effects of preoperative glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and cannulation technique on the highest postoperative creatinine level, postoperative renal failure, and death. Analysis was by multiple linear or logistic regression with interaction. RESULTS: The preoperative GFR was the strongest predictor of postoperative renal dysfunction and death. No significant main effects of sidearm cannulation were noted. For peak creatinine level and postoperative renal failure, however, strong interactions between preoperative GFR and sidearm cannulation were present, resulting in reductions of postoperative renal complications of 15% to 20% when GFR was <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). For normal GFR, the effect was negated or even reversed at very high levels of GFR. Mortality, although not significantly affected by sidearm cannulation, showed a similar trend to the renal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Use of sidearm cannulation is associated with a clinically important and highly statistically significant reduction in postoperative renal complications in patients with a low GFR. Reduced renal effect of skeletal muscle ischemia is the proposed mechanism. Effects among patients with good preoperative renal function are less clear. A randomized trial is needed.

Acute type A intramural hematoma: analysis of current management strategy.

BACKGROUND: Management of acute type A intramural hematoma (IMH) remains controversial, varying from immediate surgery to medical management only. Conversion to typical dissection remains a concern. We analyzed our experience managing acute type A IMH. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between October 1999 and May 2008, 251 patients with acute type A aortic dissection were treated, including 36 (14.3%) with type A IMH. Seven IMH patients (19%) were repaired immediately, 28 (80%) managed initially with optimal medical management and eventual repair and 1 (3%) with medical management only. End points analyzed were early mortality and conversion to typical dissection (flow in the false lumen of the ascending aorta). Time (hours) from onset of symptoms defined initiation of IMH. Early mortality for acute type A IMH was 8.3% (3/36): 14.3% (1/7) with immediate repair and 7.1% (2/28) when optimal medical management with eventual repair was undertaken (P=0.69). The 1 medically managed Asian patient survived with resolution of the IMH. Conversion to type A IMH to typical dissection occurred in 33% (12/36) of cases. No conversions were observed within 72 hours. Aortic diameter did not predict conversion. In actuarial analysis among the initially medically managed group with eventual repair, the hazard conversion to typical dissection increased significantly at 8 days from the onset of symptoms (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Despite optimal medical management, conversion of type A IMH to typical dissection still remains a concern, with the most significant risk beyond 8 days. In our patient population, timely surgical repair is recommended.

Cerebrospinal fluid drainage during thoracic aortic repair: safety and current management.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage during thoracic aortic repair has been established. Few studies, however, report management and safety of CSF drainage. METHODS: Between September 1992 and August 2007, 1,353 repairs of the thoracic aorta were performed, with 82% using CSF drainage. The CSF drainage was not used in cases of rupture, acute trauma, infection, or prior paraplegia. Thirty-one percent (76 of 246) of patients without CSF drainage were repaired prior to standardized use. All drains were inserted by cardiovascular anesthesia staff. Repairs were performed using distal aortic perfusion with heparinization. Early management involved free drainage to maintain CSF pressure less than 10 mm Hg, but was later modified to limit CSF drainage unless neurologic deficit occurred. RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid drainage was technically achieved in 99.8% (1,105 of 1,107) of cases. The CSF catheter-related complications occurred in 1.5% (17 of 1,107) of patients. No spinal hematomas were observed. The CSF leaks with spinal headache, CSF leak without spinal headache, spinal headache, intracranial hemorrhage, catheter fracture, and meningitis occurred in 6 (0.54%), 1 (0.1%), 2 (0.2%), 5 (0.45%), 1 (0.1%), and 2 (0.2%) cases, respectively. Mortality from subdural hematoma was 40% (2 of 5), and from meningitis was 50% (1 of 2). Spinal headaches resolved with conservative management. All CSF leaks resolved, but 71% (5/7) required blood patches. Since implementation of a limited CSF drainage protocol, no subdural hematomas have been observed. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebrospinal fluid drainage for thoracic aortic repairs can be performed safely with excellent technical success. Perioperative management of CSF drains requires diligent monitoring and judicious drainage. Standardizing CSF management may be beneficial.

Management of primary pulmonary artery sarcomas.

The objective of this review is to determine the outcome of patients with sarcomas involving the main pulmonary artery, pulmonic valve, or right ventricular outflow tract. Survival data were analyzed using an aggregate series derived from the published literature in conjunction with a current series. Median survival was 36.5 +/- 20.2 months for patients undergoing an attempt at curative resection compared with 11 +/- 3 months for those undergoing incomplete resection. Median survival was 24.7 +/- 8.5 months for patients undergoing multimodality treatment compared with 8.0 +/- 1.7 months for patients having single-modality therapy. A complete review of diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and surveillance of primary pulmonary artery sarcomas follows.

Novel technique for arch and visceral artery debranching using ascending aortic inflow.

Aortic arch aneurysms extending proximally to the left subclavian artery have traditionally been approached through a median sternotomy and a staged elephant trunk procedure requiring a left thoracotomy or thoracoabdominal incision. We describe a novel technique for repair of such aneurysms in a single-stage, hybrid approach using bypass grafts arising from the ascending aorta to all arch and upper abdominal visceral arteries followed by endovascular exclusion of the aortic aneurysm.

Aortic paraganglioma requiring resection and replacement of the aortic root.

This case report demonstrates the resection of an aortic root paraganglioma incidentally discovered in a 32-year-old male with replacement of the root for an oncologically complete resection.

Therapy insight: malignant primary cardiac tumors.

Benign cardiac tumors are resected with a high degree of success with modern cardiac surgical techniques. Malignant cardiac tumors, however, continue to pose a therapeutic challenge to cardiac surgeons and oncologists because of the technical difficulty involved in extensive cardiac resections and the aggressive biological nature of the tumors. The majority of malignant cardiac tumors are sarcomas and can be categorized as right heart sarcoma, left heart sarcoma or pulmonary artery sarcoma. Right heart sarcomas are generally angiosarcomas, which infiltrate widely and metastasize early. A combination of chemotherapy and surgical resection is the preferred therapy. Left heart sarcomas, although large, are often less infiltrative and metastasize later than right heart sarcomas, but a similar approach to treatment is usually employed. Surgical resection is more-frequently necessary for left heart sarcomas because of intracardiac blood flow obstruction and congestive heart failure, although the anatomic position and relation of these tumors to cardiac structures can complicate surgery. We have developed and employed the technique of cardiac autotransplantation, which involves cardiac excision, ex vivo tumor resection with cardiac reconstruction, and cardiac reimplantation, to lessen these technical difficulties. Pulmonary artery sarcomas can be treated by radiotherapy, as well as by the other therapies, because the myocardium can be avoided by the radiation fields. Surgical resection of this sarcoma type often requires pneumonectomy and can require pulmonary root replacement.

Cardiac autotransplantation for primary cardiac tumors.

BACKGROUND: Complete tumor resection is the optimal treatment of cardiac tumors. Anatomic accessibility and proximity to vital structures complicates resection of tumors involving the left heart. The results of standard resection and resection with orthotopic heart transplantation are dismal. We, therefore, reviewed our series of patients with complex left-sided primary cardiac tumors who underwent tumor resection with cardiac autotransplantation. METHODS: Since April 1998, 11 consecutive patients with complex left atrial or left ventricular intracavitary cardiac tumors underwent 12 resections using cardiac autotransplantation-cardiac explantation, ex vivo tumor resection with cardiac reconstruction, and cardiac reimplantation. Demographics, tumor histology, operative data, and mortality were analyzed. Follow-up was complete in all patients. RESULTS: Complete resection by cardiac autotransplantation was used in 7 patients with left atrial sarcoma, 1 patient with left ventricular sarcoma, 2 patients with left atrial paraganglioma, and 1 patient with a complex giant left atrial myxoma. Eight patients had previous resection of their cardiac tumor, and 1 patient had a repeat autotransplantation for recurrent disease. There were no operative deaths. Median overall survival was 18.5 months in patients with sarcomas. All patients with benign tumors are alive without evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac autotransplantation is a feasible technique for resection of complex left-sided cardiac tumors. Recurrent disease after previous resections can be safely treated with this technique. Operative mortality and overall survival seems favorable in this series of patients. Benefits of this technique include improved accessibility and ability to perform a complete tumor resection with reliable cardiac reconstruction.

Coronary pseudoaneurysm: an unreported complication of Castleman's disease.

Castleman's disease is considered a benign disease with very few reports of local invasion into adjacent structures. We present the first reported case of myocardial involvement with Castleman's disease. Careful preoperative planning allowed the placement of a left ventricular assist device with eventual heart transplantation after complete resection of the tumor and unsuccessful myocardial revascularization.

Cardiac autotransplantation for surgical resection of a primary malignant left ventricular tumor.

Primary cardiac sarcomas are rare. In such tumors, surgical resection is sometimes considered necessary to correct obstruction of flow caused by the tumor and to accomplish complete resection. The anatomic difficulties associated with large, primary, intracavitary left-sided sarcomas have led us to use cardiac explantation, ex vivo tumor resection, and cardiac autotransplantation to meet the anatomic challenges of left atrial tumors. We report the case of a patient who had a large, primary, intracavitary, left ventricular sarcoma that was successfully removed by cardiac explantation and ex vivo reconstruction with use of the cardiac autotransplantation technique. This is the 1st report describing the use of cardiac autotransplantation to surgically resect an intracavitary left ventricular malignancy.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia associated with bilateral adrenal hemorrhage after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a well-recognized syndrome associated with thrombosis and multiple potential clinical sequelae. We report a case of bilateral adrenal hemorrhage, a known but rare complication of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia complicating a routine coronary artery bypass surgery. Thrombocytopenia, abdominal pain, and signs of adrenal insufficiency in the context of heparin treatment should raise suspicion of this unusual complication.

Stentless bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement after a homograft root replacement: Toronto SPV implantation after a homograft root.

Stentless bioprosthetic valves for the aortic position offer excellent hemodynamic characteristics, making them an attractive choice ahead of other valve prostheses. We present a unique case in which a patient underwent aortic valve replacement with a stentless porcine valve and mitral valve repair for severe aortic and mitral regurgitation 1 year after a homograft root replacement for acute aortic endocarditis. The rationale for our approach is outlined in the context of current surgical trends.

Status of mitral valve surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the evolution of mitral valve repair and outline currently favored repair techniques. RECENT FINDINGS: Chordal replacement with polytetrafluoroethylene sutures is an accepted and reproducible technique for repair of the anterior leaflet. Most posterior leaflet problems can be addressed with either a quadrangular resection or a sliding repair. SUMMARY: Mitral valve surgery has gradually evolved over the period of the last 50 years. Initially, most surgeons replaced the mitral valve in patients with regurgitant disease. It is now known, however, that long-term outcome for patients undergoing repair is superior to that for patients undergoing replacement. Mitral valve repair avoids the complications associated with the artificial valve and anticoagulation. The ability to reproducibly repair the mitral valve requires a detailed knowledge of the disease process and the reparative techniques. This article describes the current approach to mitral valve surgery and the important concepts necessary to achieve a durable repair.

Autotransplantation for central non-small-cell lung cancer in a patient with poor pulmonary function.

Lung resection is the standard therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer confined to the lung. The extent of pulmonary resection is dictated by the location and extent of the tumor and the patient's physiologic ability to tolerate resection. We present the case of a patient who had a large non-small-cell tumor of the lung that involved the right main stem bronchus and the adjacent pulmonary artery; poor pulmonary function precluded a pneumonectomy. Right upper and middle sleeve bilobectomy resection was performed, but reconstruction was not possible due to tethering by the intact lower lobe vein. Therefore, the remaining lower lobe was removed, and the lower lobe vein was divided and reimplanted into the upper lobe pulmonary venous stump. Cephalad advancement and autotransplantation of the lower lobe were then accomplished. These procedures allowed enough mobilization for direct bronchial and arterial reconstruction.

Current thinking in stentless valve surgery.

Aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis represents a tremendous achievement in the management of cardiac disease. However, despite 4 decades of use, the ideal substitute for the diseased aortic valve is still not agreed upon. Stentless aortic valves represent the optimum in hemodynamic performance. This article reviews the current thinking in stentless aortic valve surgery.

Outcomes in single versus bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in coronary artery bypass surgery.

The authors analyzed the early outcomes in two groups of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with single versus bilateral internal thoracic arteries (ITA) in their institution. One thousand sixty-nine patients underwent CABG with single or bilateral ITAs from 1990 to 2000. Of these patients, 911 (85.2%) had single ITA and 158 had bilateral ITA (14.8%). The incidence of tobacco abuse was 40.3% in the single ITA group and 56.7% in the double ITA group (P = 0.0001). The incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction, renal failure, reoperation for bleeding, stroke, or operative mortality did not differ in the two groups. There was a 4.4% incidence of mediastinitis in the bilateral ITA group versus 2.2% in the single ITA group (P = 0.0602). Early outcomes after bilateral ITA grafting for CABG are similar to single ITA grafting. Careful judgment should be exercised in selecting patients for bilateral ITA grafting, particularly if the patient smokes.