Anomalous coronary artery in a transplanted heart: a technical modification.

We report the case of a 47-year-old man who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation for valvular cardiomyopathy. At the time of cardiac catheterization we identified an anomalous origin of the donor left main coronary artery from the right coronary sinus of Valsalva. To decrease the risk of left main coronary artery compression during re-implantation of the transplanted heart, we performed a careful geometric arrangement of the aortopulmonary artery angle.

A simplified technique for closing thoracostomy incisions.

A technique for closure of chest tube incisions is presented. This procedure is simple to perform with an excellent cosmetic result and a reliable prevention of air entry.

Type B lactic acidosis: a rare complication of antiretroviral therapy after cardiac surgery.

This report describes a 47-year-old woman with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis, treated with combination antiretroviral drug therapy, who developed an acute, severe type B lactic acidosis 24 hours after homograft root replacement for endocarditis. She fully recovered after HIV medication was discontinued, along with administration of riboflavin and supportive measures including hemodialysis. The timing of this complication and previous reports suggest that open heart surgery may be a risk factor for nonischemic (type B) lactic acidosis in patients taking nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors.