Early and late troponin T determination after elective cardiac surgery. Two different meanings.

Aim: Although Troponins are demonstrated to be better predictors than CK-MB in quantification of myocardial damage, the relation between cut-off values for the diagnosis of perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) and sample time is still not clear. In the present study we sought to analyse the clinical consequence of an early and late cTnt determinations after elective cardiac surgery.

Material Of Study: Data of 117 patients undergone elective open heart surgery between January 2006 and June 2007 were prospectively collected.

Bicaval versus standard technique in orthotopic heart transplant: assessment of atrial performance at magnetic resonance and transthoracic echocardiography.

Despite a more physiological morphology of atrial anastomosis in the bicaval technique with respect to standard biatrial anastomosis in orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT), the impact on the long-term outcome is still not clear. In this retrospective study, we sought to investigate the morphology and function of the atria through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Moreover, we aimed to analyse the accuracy of TTE with respect to MRI.

Left atrial appendage occlusion by invagination and double suture technique.

Left atrial appendage (LAA) plays a crucial role as a source of atrial thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Thus, the need to close LAA becomes evident in patients with AF who undergo concomitant mitral valve surgery. Unfortunately, it has been reported a high rate of unsuccessful LAA occlusion, regardless of the technique employed.

Systolic prospectively ECG-triggered dual-source CT angiography for evaluation of the coronary arteries in heart transplant recipients.

Objectives: To assess feasibility, image quality, and radiation dose of prospectively ECG-triggered coronary CT angiography (CTA) in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) recipients.

Methods: 47 consecutive OHT recipients (40 men, mean age 62.1 ± 10.

Giant left atrial thrombus 17 years after orthotopic heart transplantation.

We present the case of a 66-year-old woman who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation 17 years earlier for dilated cardiomyopathy. After 7 years allograft coronary vasculopathy developed requiring coronary artery angioplasty. In year 15 postoperatively she experienced congestive heart failure and she became symptomatic requiring diuretics and digoxin treatment.

Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation temporary support for early graft failure after cardiac transplantation.

Objective: Early graft failure (EGF) is a major risk for death after heart transplantation. We studied the impact of an extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) temporary support on the operative mortality and the mean-term survival after EGF.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2006, 394 patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation at our institution.

Long-term results of ascending aorta-abdominal aorta extra-anatomic bypass for recoarctation in adults with 27-year follow-up.

Objective: The surgical treatment of recurrent coarctation in adults supposes a redo left thoracotomy with adhesions and high risk of bleeding and injury of adjacent nerves. The rate of paraplegia in these cases may reach 2.6%.

Congenital bilateral coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistulas associated with left main trunk stenosis.

A rare case of a 57-year-old patient who presented with an acute coronary syndrome with incidental discovery of bilateral coronary arteriovenous fistulas originating from both coronary arteries to the pulmonary artery trunk and coronary artery atherosclerosis.

Cardiac surgery in nonagenarians: hospital mortality and long-term follow-up.

Nonagenarians represent a growing part of the population. However, it is assumed that they present a poorer functional class to cope with the stress inferred by surgical interventions. The aim of this study was to review our experience with nonagenarians concerning postoperative morbidities, mortality, and long-term survival status.