Left ventricle endomyocardial fibrosis: a case report.

Background: Endomyocardial fibrosis is a grim disease. It is the most common restrictive cardiomyopathy worldwide, but the exact etiology and pathogenesis both remain unknown. Endomyocardial fibrosis is recurrently associated with chronic eosinophilia and probable dietary, environmental, and infectious factors, which contribute not only to the onset of the disease (an inflammatory process) but also to its progression and maintenance (endomyocardial damage and scar formation).

Congenital Supravalvar Mitral Ring - A Case Report.

Congenital mitral valve stenosis is a rare and severe disease, usually associated with other heart defects. The appropriate intervention depends on the site and mechanism of valvular obstruction and the aim is to avoid or delay valve replacement since it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early single-stage complete repair is associated with better prognosis.

Fontan operation: a technique in evolution.

Objectives: Recent experimental flow studies based on angiography and magnetic resonance have shown that total cavopulmonary anastomosis (TCPA) is a valid concept for surgical treatment of many congenital heart defects, but there is not agreement of the best surgical arrangement. Our purpose is to analyze the immediate results with three different techniques of TCPA.

Methods: We sought to analyze retrospectively all TCPA realized from January 2005 to July 2008; there were 40 patients, all with previous Glenn anastomosis, with mean age of 6.

[Intraoperative volume replacement: crystalloids versus colloids in surgical myocardial revascularization without cardiopulmonary bypass].

Background And Objectives: The use of crystalloids or colloids for volume replacement in large size surgeries is controversial. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of the intraoperative administration of crystalloids (normal saline - NS) with those of colloids (modified fluid gelatin) for surgical myocardial revascularization (SMR) without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Methods: Forty patients undergoing SMR without CPB were randomly divided in two similar groups.