Ochronosis of the aortic valve.

Ochronosis is the bluish-black discolouration of connective tissue, including heart valves, joints, kidney and the skin. It is due to the deposition of homogentisic acid (HGA) commonly found in alkaptonuria. Ochronosis in the aortic valve is a rare occurrence and there is limited data available on the most appropriate choice of valve prosthesis in these patients.

Metastatic small bowel neuroendocrine tumour and carcinoid heart disease with aortic valve involvement-a rare occurrence.

Carcinoid disease of the heart commonly affects the tricuspid and pulmonary valves causing thickening and stenosis. However in very rare circumstances, the disease can also involve the mitral and aortic valves. We present an unusual case of left sided carcinoid heart disease (CHD) and triple valve replacement without the presence of proven intra-cardiac shunts or bronchial carcinoid lesions.

An unusually large paraesophageal hernia mimicking a Bochdalek hernia.

Hiatal hernias are due to defects in the esophageal hiatus in the diaphragm and can be classified into sliding or paraesophageal hernias. A 31-year-old male raised a suspicion of a Bochdalek hernia but at surgery had a large paraesophageal hernia. Bochdalek hernia, a congenital diaphragmatic hernia presents in adulthood asymptomatically or with vague abdominal symptoms.

Early results of the Sorin Perceval S sutureless valve: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MAVR) has demonstrated a benefit with respect to increased patient satisfaction due to minimised pain and earlier recovery. Sutureless valves may benefit MAVR and conventional aortic valve replacement (AVR) by reducing operative times and blood transfusion requirements. The Perceval valve (Sorin, Salluggia, Italy) is a self-expanding prosthesis made from bovine pericardium mounted in a nitinol stent, designed to simplify the implantation of an aortic valve.

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy in the delayed surgical repair of a tracheal injury.

Acute tracheal injury secondary to intubation can present with varying degrees of severity. Onset of symptoms occur hours or even days after the initial injury. A 34-year-old woman required surgery for a large tracheal tear after emergency intubation.

A systematic review of transapical aortic valve implantation.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) through a transapical approach (TAAVI) for severe aortic stenosis becomes the procedure of choice in cases where patients have peripheral artery disease and unfeasible access due to excessive atherosclerotic disease of the iliofemoral vessels and aorta. The present systematic review aimed to assess the safety, success rate, clinical outcomes, hemodynamic outcomes, and survival benefits of TAAVI.

Methods: Electronic searches were performed in 6 databases from January 2000 to February 2012.