Outcome and survival analysis of surgical repair of post-infarction ventricular septal rupture.

Background: To review the experience of surgical repair of post-infarction ventricular septal rupture (VSR) and analyze the associated outcomes and prognostic factors.

Methods: Following approval from the Singhealth Centralised Institutional Review Board (reference: 2011/881/C), a retrospective review was performed on 38 consecutive patients who had undergone surgical repair of post-infarction VSR between 1999 and 2011. Continuous variables were expressed as either mean ± standard deviation or median with 25th and 75th percentiles.

Outcome and survival analysis of intestinal ischaemia following cardiac surgery.

Objectives: Intestinal ischaemia is an uncommon (<1%) but serious complication of cardiac surgery with a mortality rate exceeding 50%. Diagnosis of this potentially lethal condition can be difficult and requires a high index of suspicion. The purpose of this study was to analyse the outcomes and prognostic factors in patients who develop intestinal ischaemia following cardiac surgery.

Iliofemoral anatomy among Asians: implications for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background/objectives: This study aims to examine iliofemoral anatomy and predictors of vessel size and tortuosity in Asian patients as transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) may be limited by the smaller Asian physique.

Methods: Characteristics and vessel dimensions of 549 patients undergoing ultrasonography were reviewed. The minimal luminal diameter (MLD) along the iliofemoral vasculature of each side was identified and the larger of the two sides was used to determine suitability for transfemoral TAVI.

Infected coronary artery pseudoaneurysm after repeated percutaneous coronary intervention.

Coronary stent infection is exceedingly rare, with only 23 reported cases. We present a patient with an everolimus-coated stent infection that led to an infected pseudoaneurysm in the left anterior descending artery. Medical therapy failed and the patient underwent emergent surgical intervention; however, he died of multiorgan failure after the operation.

Right inframammary mini-thoracotomy approach to the mitral valve in women with breast implants.

Objective: : Minimally invasive cardiac surgery in patients with breast implants is challenging. Obtaining access to cardiac structures without injuring the prosthesis and at the same time maintaining cosmesis is of particular concern in these patients. Mitral valve surgery can be performed using a right mini-inframammary thoracotomy in female patients with breast implants.

Successful double lung transplantation in 2 patients with severe scoliosis.

Recipient scoliosis has been considered a contraindication to lung transplant. We report two cases of patients with severe scoliosis that underwent successful bilateral lung transplant and highlight patient selection, complications and outcomes.

Recurrent aortic aneurysms following thoracic aortic stent-graft repair in a patient with Cogan syndrome.

Purpose: To report the need for multiple surgical interventions to treat recurrent aortic aneurysms in a patient with Cogan syndrome.

Case Report: A 17-year-old Chinese man with clinical Marfanoid features had a left common carotid artery pseudoaneurysm electively repaired with an autologous saphenous vein graft. Four months later, he presented with acute chest pain.