Recurrent left ventricular false aneurysm.

A recurrent left ventricular false aneurysm 5 years after patch repair and causing progressive congestive heart failure was readily diagnosed by echocardiography and heart catheterization. Its substrate was suture dehiscence of undetermined origin. Urgent repair was successful.

[Immediate results of surgical treatment of intracardiac myxomas in 45 patients].

Between 1961 and 1992, 45 patients with intracardiac myxomas localised in the left ventricle--40 (89%) and in the right ventricle--5 (11%) were operated on. There were 27 women and 18 men, aged 15-63, mean age, 46.5 years.

[Infections of the sternum after cardiac surgery].

Methods of treatment of suppurative mediastinitis in cardiosurgical operations applied at the clinic are analysed. These methods are: debridment with closure of the sternum with irrigation of the substernal space, debridment with bandage of open wound and healing per secundam, debridment with bandage of open wound and its closure by myocutaneous layers. It has been concluded that these infections are very complex etiopathogenetically because of which it is very important to know all relevant risk factors aiming to prevent development of this complication in cardiosurgical operations.

Doppler echocardiographic analysis of the transmitral flow velocity profile in patients with ventricular septal defects.

Using continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography, we evaluated the mitral flow velocity pattern in 30 ventricular septal defect patients, 11 of whom had severe pulmonary vascular obstructive disease (Group I); 10 of whom had severe pulmonary hypertension without pulmonary vascular obstructive disease (Group II); and 9 of whom had no pulmonary hypertension and hemodynamically unimportant left-to-right shunts (Group III). In addition, 25 healthy subjects (Group IV) were studied for comparative purposes. The peak velocity of early left ventricular filling (E) was significantly lower in Group I than in all the other groups (p < 0.

Evaluation of the new type of military bullet and rifling.

The 5.56-mm caliber SS 109 projectile was fired from 7.7'' and 12'' twist rifles, respectively, into soap blocks and porcine thighs at 50-metre range using a standardized experimental setup.

Surgical treatment of cardiac echinococcosis: report of nine cases.

We reviewed the results in eight patients followed from 10 months to 22 years after one-stage surgery for removal of primary and secondary myocardial and pericardial hydatid cysts. The results were satisfactory in eight patients who survived the operation. One patient, however, with recurrent myocardial echinococcosis, pulmonary embolization, and sepsis died at reoperation.

[Study of the mechanism of injuries due to high velocity projectiles].

In the experiments on pigs wounds on the muscle-connective tissues of the thighs were made at 50 meter range by projectiles of military Rifles M 48, M 70, M 16A FAL (the length of the wound canal from 214 to 228 mm), M 91/30 and Dragunov (the length of the wound canal from 160 to 164 mm). The mass of tissue excised at primary surgical debridement was taken as a criterium of the primary devitalization of tissue, the amount of the transferred energy was calculated as well as other parameters of the terminal ballistics. Shooting through the glycerine-soap blocks under the same conditions were parallelly performed.

Cardiac valve replacement: Experience in 2400 patients.

In the series described here, 2400 patients over a 15-year period underwent surgery for correction of acquired valvular heart disease. Of these, 1586 patients had single valve replacement, 714 had double valve replacement, and 100 had triple valve replacement. Concomitant surgery for associated congenital and acquired lesions was done in 114 patients.

[Heart valve replacement].

From 1965 to 1980, the authors accumulated vast experience by operating on 2500 diseased heart valves. Some of these patients had one, two, or three valves replaced. Among the two/three patients, there was a monovalvular problem in III, and more than half the patients with multivalvular problems in IV functional group NYHA.

Experimental soft tissue wounds caused by standard military rifles.

Soft tissue wounds were caused by penetration of a bullet through both thighs in 42 pigs, fired from N48, M70, M16A1 and FAL rifles at 50 meter range. Four comparable groups of wounds, consisting mainly of injured muscle, were examined. Primary debridement was carried out 5-6 hours following wounding, multiple muscle biopsies up to 40 mm sidewise of permanent wound channel were taken for HE and histochemistry.