Unusual 30-year durability of Hancock II porcine bioprosthesis in tricuspid position.

Introduction: We describe an unusual durability of a Hancock II porcine bioprosthesis in tricuspid position. Sustainability of bioprostheses is known to be limited especially in young patients.

Presentation Of The Case: A 52-year old Caucasian woman with a history of multiple valve interventions.

Gonococcal ascending aortic aneurysm with penetrating ulcer and bovine arch.

We describe a patient with ascending aorta aneurysm and bovine aortic arch who initially presented with fever. A 65-year-old man with a 2-month history of intermittent fever was referred to our hospital and diagnosed as having a gonococcal ascending aorta aneurysm with penetrating ulcers. He was successfully treated by resection of the ascending aorta and ulcers, replacement of the aortic valve, and prolonged postoperative antibiotic therapy.

Readily available porcine aortic valve matrices for use in tissue valve engineering. Is cryopreservation an option?

The clinical use of acellular biological valves as scaffolds in tissue valve engineering would require them to be readily available. This study examines the feasibility of cryopreserving porcine aortic valve matrices for use in tissue valve engineering. Matrices prepared using an enzymatic-detergent decellularization protocol were examined before and after cryopreservation.

Phosphorylcholine coating offers natural platelet preservation during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Return of blood activated by tissue factor is the main culprit for triggering the coagulation cascade. When this activated blood is diverted from the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit, it becomes possible to evaluate the effect of surface treatment on platelet and complement activation. Twenty adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were randomly assigned either to a control group (n=10) or to a group in which the CPB circuit was completely coated with phosphorylcholine (n=10).