Endovascular treatment of traumatic thoracic aortic aneurysms: report of five cases and review of the literature.

Endovascular stent-grafting of the aorta, as an alternative to open surgical techniques, is gaining in popularity everyday, especially in high-risk patients. Acute or chronic traumatic lesions of the descending aorta, especially after motor vehicle accidents, constitute such a group with a high-risk of morbidity and mortality. Here, we report the successful endovascular repair of acute and chronic traumatic thoracic aortic aneurysms after motor vehicle accidents in five patients.

Mycotic ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm at aortic cannulation site.

Mycotic aneurysm of the aorta is a rare but highly fatal complication of coronary bypass surgery. A 49-year-old man developed mycotic pseudoaneurysm in the ascending aorta after coronary bypass in another hospital. Computed tomography showed the pseudoaneurysm originated from the previous aortic cannulation site.

Endovascular treatment of left carotid artery to left subclavian vein AV fistula due to stab injury: case report.

Penetrating injuries to the neck have high morbidity and mortality rates because of the multiple vital structures present within this anatomic region. Endovascular treatment of an AV fistula of left common carotid artery and left subclavian vein subsequent to stab injury of the left supraclavicular region is presented in this case report.

Nitric oxide, endothelin-1, and superoxide production in arterial bypass grafts.

In this study, basal and thrombin-stimulated release of nitric oxide and endothelin-1 in the internal mammary artery and the radial artery were measured, together with superoxide radicals generated after anoxia and reoxygenation. Arterial segments were obtained from patients undergoing coronary bypass operations. Quantification of nitric oxide was performed by measuring the stable oxidation products of nitric oxide.

Atorvastatin has cardiac safety at intensive cholesterol-reducing protocols for long term, yet its cancer-treatment doses with chemotherapy may cause cardiomyopathy even under coenzyme-Q10 protection.

Statins provide strong clinical benefits via reducing stroke deaths, and they are also considered for tumor reduction and chemo-sensitization. High dose atorvastatin in adults (80 mg daily, approx. 1 mg/kg) is proven to afford greater protection against cardiac deaths than does a standard lipid-lowering dose in coronary syndrome.

Recurrent tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta--a case report.

Tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the aorta is a rare disease that is uniformly fatal if not treated properly. The authors present a case of a recurrent tuberculous false aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta that was treated surgically with excision and primary repair of the lesion. To their knowledge, this is the first reported case of recurrent disease after a successful surgical treatment.

Endovascular treatment of an aortobronchial fistula.

A 67-year-old man operated on 8 years previously for type B aortic dissection presented with two episodes of massive hemoptysis. An aortobronchial fistula was suspected with spiral computed tomography angiography, and showed a small pseudoaneurysm corresponding to the distal anastomotic site. The patient underwent endovascular stent-graft implantation and is asymptomatic 8 months after the procedure.

Ventral cardiac denervation reduces the incidence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objectives: Because the autonomic nervous system is an important determinant in the appearance of atrial fibrillation, we have assessed the role of ventral cardiac denervation for its prevention.

Methods: Patients undergoing low-risk coronary artery surgery were enrolled. No routine antiarrhythmic drugs were administered before or after the operation.

Real-time patency control with thermal coronary angiography in 1401 coronary artery bypass grafting patients.

Objective: Intraoperative coronary angiography has always been favoured by cardiac surgeons. Thermal coronary angiography (TCA) is a useful method for intraoperative control of graft patency. It detects heat differences between tissues, provides easy-to-interpret angiographic images and even measures the flow of the grafts quantitatively.

Influence of cardiovascular risk factors on the outcome of coronary artery bypass surgery.

Purpose: To assess the impact of gender, age, and other cardiovascular risk factors on the outcomes of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: A total of 5067 consecutive patients undergoing isolated CABG between 1995 and 2000 were divided into the age groups: 25-49 years, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and 70-84 years. Data on patient age, gender, smoking, serum cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, diabetes, family history, morbid obesity, and renal failure were retrospectively analyzed.

A fatal complication due to radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation: atrio-esophageal fistula.

Treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation with intraoperative radiofrequency ablation is gaining more acceptance in patients with rheumatic valve disease. This article reports a case of fatal atrio-esophageal fistula after radiofrequency ablation in a patient with rheumatic mitral and aortic valve disease with chronic atrial fibrillation.

[Endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms].

Objective: Endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms is getting popular in our country due to its less invasive nature and shortened hospital stay. The initial experience with endovascular stent-graft implantation procedures to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms and their results were evaluated retrospectively in this study.

Methods: Eight patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms were treated with endovascular stent grafts.

Repair of recurrent patent ductus arteriosus in an adult with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Recurrence of ductal patency is a rarely encountered complication in surgical repair of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). An adult patient with ductal recurrency underwent closure of ductus by using cardiopulmonary bypass via transpulmonary approach. She had significant improvement of symptoms and no residual shunt or pseudoneurysm seven months after surgery.

Clinical experience with coronary sinus catheterization in minimally invasive aortic valve surgery under transesophageal echocardiography guidance.

We aimed to show conventional coronary sinus (CS) catheter could be used with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance through the limited surgical field in aortic valve surgery with 'J' sternotomy. This method was performed in 14 patients and completed successfully in 12. We believe that in minimally invasive aortic valve surgery, the insertion of the conventional retrograde cardioplegia catheter to the CS with routine way may not be possible but application of TEE guidance is cost-effective and easily applicable method without significant complications.

[Coronary bypass reoperations: evaluation of 104 cases].

Background: Repetitive procedures usually take place in the natural course of coronary heart disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors, which affect coronary bypass reoperations, and to compare them with the postoperative results of the coronary first operations and the reoperations.

Methods: Between January 1995 and January 2000, coronary reoperations were performed in 104 cases (Coronary reoperations group) by the same surgical team.