Aggressive use of intra-aortic balloon pump and emergency coronary bypass surgery. Enhanced survival in acute evolving MI.

This report describes our experience with prophylactic and therapeutic use of IABPs prior to and following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in 39 patients experiencing acute evolving myocardial infarctions (AEMI). All patients showed objective evidence of coronary thrombosis (contrast angiography) followed by later evidence of streptokinase (SK)-induced restoration of antegrade blood flow in the infarct-related coronary artery (as determined by repeat angiography). In these 39 high-risk patients, 38 survived and were discharged.

Diagnosis of pneumonitis in immunocompromised patients by open lung biopsy.

The records of 59 immunocompromised patients with fever and pulmonary infiltrates who underwent open lung biopsy, were reviewed. A specific diagnosis was made by lung biopsy in 49 (83%) patients, and in 32 instances (54%) the diagnosis was a treatable infection. Only two (3.

Abbott's artery.

The term Abbott's artery appears to have been first used by Schuster and Gross [1] in describing an anomalous vessel not infrequently encountered during operation for coarctation of the aorta. Numerous sites of origin of this vessel have been listed but often do not correlate with the original description by Abbott. the term serves its purpose well if it alerts the operating surgeon to the possibility of anomalous vessels in this congenital disorder.

Pulmonary valvulotomy alone for pulmonary stenosis: results in children with and without muscular infundibular hypertrophy.

Pulmonary valvulotomy for valvular pulmonic stenosis has been performed in 78 children at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Although 27 patients had muscular hypertrophy of the infundibulum, a muscle resection was employed in only one child. Examinations 2 to 18 years after operation have not demonstrated electrocardiographic (ECG) or clinical evidence of persistent right ventricular hypertension, indicating resolution of the muscular outflow tract narrowing.