Initial Surgical Experience with Aortic Valve Repair: Clinical and Echocardiographic Results.

Introduction: Due to late complications associated with the use of conventional prosthetic heart valves, several centers have advocated aortic valve repair and/or valve sparing aortic root replacement for patients with aortic valve insufficiency, in order to enhance late survival and minimize adverse postoperative events.

Methods: From March/2012 thru March 2015, 37 patients consecutively underwent conservative operations of the aortic valve and/or aortic root. Mean age was 48±16 years and 81% were males.

Initial experience with minimally invasive cardiac operations.

Background: Minimally invasive cardiovascular operations have been proposed as an alternative method to correct several cardiac congenital and acquired heart diseases, with the aim to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: Describe the two years initial experience with minimally invasive operations, with emphasis on technical aspects and the learning curve.

Methods: Between July 2009 and March 2012, 95 patients were operated using minimally invasive operations.

L-glutamic acid in the prevention of the calcification of bovine pericardial fixed in glutaraldehyde: study in rats.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of L-glutamic acid to prevent calcification of glutaraldehyde bovine pericardium implanted in rats' subcutaneous tissues.

Methods: Fifty four Wistar rats were divided in six groups according to the type of the bovine pericardium implanted. At first, all pericardia were initially cross-linked with 0.

Ten-year experience with the Ross operation.

Objective: To evaluate the 10-year outcomes of the Ross Operation, analyzing survival rate, incidence of reoperations, and late performance of pulmonary autografts and homografts in the reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty seven patients with a mean age of 29.1 +/- 11 years underwent Ross operation from May 1995 to February 2005.