Repair of multiple aneurysms of the thoracic aorta with a hybrid prosthesis.

Complex aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta is commonly treated with the elephant trunk technique using two-stage surgery. However, this procedure is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We present the surgical technique used to correct diffuse aneurysmal aortic disease that involves the aortic arch and the descending aorta.

The use of a membrane oxygenator with extracorporeal circulation in bronchoalveolar lavage for alveolar proteinosis.

Alveolar proteinosis is a rare pulmonary disease, characterised by the accumulation of a proteinaceous material in the alveoli, which severely reduces gas exchange and causes progressive disability of the patient, usually moderate, but sometimes completely disabling. Whole-lung lavage (WLL) is the preferred technique for the treatment of this disease, and it is performed by introducing into the lungs and draining a fluid (saline), which removes the phospholipidic material present in the alveoli, offering the patient a marked improvement in a short period of time. Sometimes the whole-lung lavage technique is not well tolerated by the patient, requiring the support of a membrane oxygenator during the course of the procedure.

[Percutaneous extraction of pacemaker and defibrillator leads].

Introduction And Objectives: There is an increasing need for endocardial pacing and defibrillators leads to be removed. However, the procedure can be complex and it is not risk-free. We reviewed our experience between April 1989 and June 2006 with the percutaneous extraction of leads.

[A patient with cardiac angiosarcoma who survived for four years. Case report and literature review].

We describe a 57-year-old woman with a diagnosis of primary cardiac angiosarcoma. She underwent emergency surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of atrial myxoma, and pathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac angiosarcoma. Two years later she was readmitted to the hospital with recurrence of the tumor in the left atrium and involvement of the mitral valve.