Saphenous Vein Graft Pseudoaneurysm Repair with GraftMaster®.

Saphenous vein graft (SVG) pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Despite the high mortality associated with SVG pseudoaneurysm, there is no consensus on the optimal management of these pseudoaneurysms as they are infrequently reported in the literature. We report a case of a 55-year-old man with prior CABG surgery who presented with cough associated with hemoptysis and chest pain, and was found to have SVG pseudoaneurysm.

Cardiac tamponade complicating trimodal therapy for malignant mesothelioma.

Trimodal therapy, which includes extrapleural pneumonectomy as the cytoreductive procedure followed by combination chemoradiotherapy, is becoming the standard of care in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. We report here a case of hypotension secondary to tension hydrothorax in which echocardiography and hemodynamic monitoring demonstrated evidence of tamponade physiology. Thoracentesis was lifesaving.

Simple access to the coronary venous system for left ventricular pacing.

Implantation of the LV lead for biventricular pacing can be challenging, time consuming, and often requires extensive fluoroscopy time. A conventional diagnostic 5 Fr left Amplatz catheter was used to cannulate the coronary sinus in 15 consecutive patients undergoing implantation of a biventricular pacemaker. When the coronary sinus was cannulated, the proximal end of the Amplatz catheter was cut and the coronary sinus sheath was passed over the Amplatz catheter that was then removed.