Anomalous origin of the pulmonary artery from the aorta: early diagnosis and repair leading to immediate physiological correction.

Introduction: Anomalous origin of one pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta is a rare cardiac anomaly in which the pulmonary artery abnormally arises from the ascending aorta. Physiologically, most patients develop signs of cardiac failure due to high flow to both lungs, with systemic or supra-systemic pressures in the normally connected lung. The purpose of this study is to present our experience with this rare anomaly, in which early anatomic repair lead to rapid physiologic correction.

Primary cardiac valve tumors.

To assess the prevalence, characteristics, and outcome of surgical treatment of primary cardiac valve tumors in a single center, we reviewed our experience in 6 women and 1 man, aged 49 to 76 years (mean, 64.7 years) who presented between 1999 and 2006. In one patient, the diagnosis of cardiac valve tumor was made incidentally on transesophageal echocardiography during aortocoronary bypass surgery.

Video-assisted pericardial fenestration for effusions after cardiac surgery.

Delayed-onset pericardial effusion following cardiac surgery can give rise to significant morbidity due to its presentation as well as management by traditional surgical techniques. An institutional experience of a video-assisted thoracoscopic technique to create a pericardial window, with the advantages of a minimally invasive approach combined with excellent visualization in such patients, was reviewed. A retrospective analysis was conducted on all patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic for delayed pericardial effusion after cardiac surgery from January 2001 to January 2006 at our center.

Limb performance and patient satisfaction after radial artery harvesting: endoscopic versus open techniques.

Background: The differences in hand functionality after harvesting the radial artery for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in an endoscopic technique relative to open technique are unclear.

Methods: One hundred and sixty-four patients who had CABG and their non dominant hand radial artery was harvested either in an open technique (n = 92) or in an endoscopic technique (n = 72) in a period of 9.8 +/- 3.