Off-pump coronary bypass surgery for left main coronary artery stenosis 10 years after heart transplantation: case report.

A patient with asymptomatic left main coronary artery stenosis 10 years after heart transplantation was treated successfully with off-pump coronary bypass surgery using both mammary arteries. New advances in bypass surgery may decrease the risk of revascularization in cardiac transplant recipients.

Prospective comparison between total sternotomy and ministernotomy for aortic valve replacement.

Ministernotomy (MS) is an alternative for total sternotomy (TS) in aortic valve replacement. We compared these two approaches for results and adverse effects in a prospective study. From January to December 2000, 100 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement were included in two groups of 50 according to the surgical approach that used MS or TS; one senior surgeon performed all cases in each group.

Prospective randomized comparison between redon catheters and chest tubes in drainage after cardiac surgery.

Aim: To compare in a prospective randomized study chest tube (CT) and redon drains (RD) for effectiveness, cost, pain and complications after heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods: Forty patients undergoing heart surgery were analyzed prospectively. Twenty patients had small RD with strong (-700 mmHg) vacuum and 20 others standard CT.

Limits of arterial myocardial revascularization.

A prospective study of myocardial blood perfusion after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) was conducted in two groups of patients. In group 1, a two-year assessment by exercise thallium myocardial scintigraphy without medical treatment was performed in 122 patients who consecutively underwent CABG with exclusive use of both internal mammary arteries (IMA) and gastroepiploic artery (GEA). In group 2, myocardial function and perfusion were determined by radionuclide investigations performed before and one year after CABG in 100 patients with preoperative LV dysfunction (defined as LV ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 0.

Lung transplantation by continuous perfusion in an experimental auto-transplant animal model.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the preservation of the lung using the cold flushing technique in association with continuous perfusion of the organ during static hypothermic storage.

Methods: In the first phase, the hearts and lungs of 5 New Zealand rabbits were removed three hours after establishing brain death. The left lungs were each conserved in 200 ml of low-potassium UW solution at 10 degrees C for 3 hours of cold ischemia (control group I).