Valvuloplasty Without Prosthetic Ring or Band in Patients with Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation: Long-Term Results and Predictive Factors for Outcomes.

Introduction: Mitral valvuloplasty including ring/band support is widely performed despite potential drawbacks of rings. Unsupported valvuloplasty is performed in only a few centers. This study aimed to report long-term outcomes of patients undergoing unsupported valvuloplasty for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) and to identify predictive factors for outcomes.

Clopidogrel use After Myocardial Revascularization: Prevalence, Predictors, and One-Year Survival Rate.

Introduction: Antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) has been used. Little is known about the predictors and efficacy of clopidogrel in this scenario.

Objective: Identify predictors of clopidogrel following CABG.

Advanced age and incidence of atrial fibrillation in the postoperative period of aortic valve replacement.

Objective: This study aims to describe the correlation between age and occurrence of atrial fibrillation after aortic stenosis surgery in the elderly as well as evaluate the influence of atrial fibrillation on the incidence of strokes, hospital length of stay, and hospital mortality.

Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study of > 70 year-old patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement.

Results: 348 patients were included in the study (mean age 76.

High doses of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 safely, but transiently, improve myocardial perfusion in no-option ischemic disease.

Unlabelled: Gene therapy can induce angiogenesis in ischemic tissues. The aim of this study was to assess safety, feasibility, and results, both clinical and on myocardial perfusion, of gene therapy in refractory angina. This was a phase I/II, prospective, temporal-controlled series, clinical trial.

Results of simplified single-patch repair for complete atrioventricular septal defect.

Background: Since Wilcox's description of the simplified single-patch technique for atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) repair in 1997, several studies have compared that technique with the two-patch technique.

Objective: To report the mid- and long-term results of the simplified single-patch technique for complete AVSD repair.

Methods: Retrospective study of 16 consecutive cases between January 2001 and December 2011.

Does diabetes mellitus increase immediate surgical risk in octogenarian patients submitted to coronary artery bypass graft surgery?

Introduction: Diabetes is a well known risk factor for early and late adverse outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG); however, few studies have investigated the impact of this risk factor in the group of older patients, especially octogenarians.

Objectives: To compare in-hospital mortality and morbidity of diabetic and nondiabetic patients aged > 80 years submitted to CABG.

Methods: A total of 140 consecutive cases were studied, of whom 37 (26.

Risk factors for hospital mortality in valve replacement with porcine bioprosthesis at an universitary institution.

Objective: Study designed to identify characteristics of patients related to increased hospital mortality after valve replacement, assumed as risk factors.

Methods: Retrospective study including 808 patients submitted to the implant of St. Jude Biocor porcine bioprosthesis between 1994 and 2009 at Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul.

Results of aortic valve surgery in patients over 75 years old, at 4.5 years of follow-up.

Background: The increased longevity elevated the frequency of elderly requiring surgery, among them the correction of aortic stenosis.

Objectives: To evaluate medium-term mortality, need for reoperation for valve replacement and valve complications [systemic thromboembolism (STE) and prosthetic endocarditis (PE)] in patients over 75 years old who had undergone surgery for aortic stenosis.

Methods: Retrospective study of 230 patients from 2002 to 2007.

Gene therapy for ischemic heart disease: review of clinical trials.

Severe ischemic heart disease with refractory angina, occurs in increasing incidence. Alternative forms of treatment, in an attempt to reduce myocardial ischemia and relief of symptoms has been studied. In this context, gene therapy is an option, for the possibility of inducing angiogenesis, establish collateral circulation and reperfuse ischemic myocardium.

Hidden renal dysfunction causes increased in-hospital mortality risk after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Introduction And Objectives: Preoperative chronic renal dysfunction is an independent predictor of mortality in cardiac surgery. As normal range serum creatinine is not representative of normal renal function, we compared mortality rates, total hospital stay and post-surgical hospital stay for patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass surgery with serum creatinine < 1.5mg/dL as to their estimated creatinine clearance, normal or impaired.

VEGF gene therapy for angiogenesis in refractory angina: phase I/II clinical trial.

Objective: Safety, feasibility and early myocardial angiogenic effects evaluation of transthoracic intramyocardial phVEGF165 administration for refractory angina in no option patients.

Methods: Cohort study, in which 13 patients with refractory angina under optimized clinical treatment where included, after cineangiograms had been evaluated and found unfeasible by surgeon and interventional cardiologist. Intramyocardial injections of 5 mL solution containing plasmidial VEGF165 where done over the ischemic area of myocardium identified by previous SPECT/Sestamibi scan.

Global contractility increment in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy after free wall-only intramyocardial injection of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells: an insight over stem cells clinical mechanism of action.

Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) effects have been investigated in small series of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDC). Left ventricular myocardial contractility improvements occur, but doubt remains about their mechanism of action. We compared contractility changes in areas treated (free wall) and nontreated (septal wall) with BMMC, in selected patients who have showed significant ventricular improvement after free wall-only intramyocardial stem cells injection.

Risk factors for hospital mortality in valve replacement with mechanical prosthesis.

Objective: Identification of risk factors for cardiac surgery can improve surgical results. Our aim is to identify factors related to increased hospital mortality for patients who underwent mechanical cardiac prosthesis implant.

Methods: Prospective study with retrospective data acquirement study including 335 consecutive patients who underwent at least one implant of St.

Effects of therapeutic angiogenesis with plasmid VEGF165 on ventricular function in a canine model of chronic myocardial infarction.

Objective: Therapeutic angiogenesis is currently under investigation in ischemic heart disease. We examined the effect on left ventricular function induced by therapeutic angiogenesis by intramyocardial injection of plasmid VEGF(165), in a canine model of chronic myocardial infarction.

Methods: Left thoracotomy was performed in 10 mongrel dogs, and myocardial infarction induced by ligation of the major diagonal coronary artery.

Chronotropic response to exercise after pulmonary veins isolation or Cox-maze operation.

Objective: To evaluate the chronotropic response to exercise during immediate and late postoperative period after atrial fibrillation and mitral valve surgical treatment by different techniques.

Methods: Prospective controlled clinical study of 42 patients presenting chronic AF associated mitral valve disease, who underwent surgery by the techniques of pulmonary veins isolation (n=16), Modified Cox-maze procedure, without cryoablation (n=13), both with isolated mitral valve repair (n=13). The preoperative clinical characteristics, surgical indications, kind and aetiology of valve lesion were similar between groups.

Applicability of Ambler's risk score to patients who have undergone valve replacement with bovine pericardial bioprosthesis.

Objectives: This study aims to verify the applicability of Ambler's risk score to patients who have undergone implantation of bovine pericardial bioprosthesis at the Instituto de Cardiologia do RGS/FCU. This study also aims to quantify the risk factors.

Methods: Retrospective study with 703 patients who had undergone implantation of bovine pericardial bioprosthesis between 1991 and 2005 at the Instituto de Cardiologia do RS.

Unsupported valvuloplasty for degenerative mitral regurgitation: long-term results.

Background: The advantages of valve repair for treatment of degenerative mitral regurgitation are well established. The procedure is associated with low mortality and morbidity rates, and low indices of reoperation, thromboembolic events and endocarditis have been reported. In most series, annuloplasty rings are implanted, but some institutions give preference to unsupported valvuloplasty.

Autologous transplantation of bone marrow mononuclear stem cells by mini-thoracotomy in dilated cardiomyopathy: technique and early results.

Context And Objectives: There are few studies concerning bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) transplantation in cases of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. This study describes a novel technique of BMMC transplantation and the results up to one year after the procedure.

Design And Setting: This was a case series to evaluate the safety and viability of the procedure, at Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul.

Hospital risk factors for bovine pericardial bioprosthesis valve implantation.

Background: Identification of preoperative heart valve surgery risk factors aim to improve surgical outcomes with the possibility to offset conditions related to increased morbidity and mortality.

Objective: Intent of this study is to identify hospital risk factors in patients undergoing bovine pericardial bioprosthesis implantation.

Methods: Retrospective study including 703 consecutive patients who underwent implantation of at least one St.

Aortic valve replacement with anterior and posterior enlargement of small aortic annulus is comparable to surgery with normal annulus.

Objective: To compare results of aortic valve replacement in patients with normal annulus and in those undergoing anterior and posterior enlargement of a small annulus to implant a larger prosthesis.

Methods: The study included 22 patients with enlargement of a small aortic annulus and 23 with a normal aortic annulus, with similar demographic characteristics and selected from a large surgical population. For normal annulus, simple valve replacement was performed.

[Coarctation of the aorta in infants under one year of age. An analysis of 20 years of experience].

Objective: A review of experience with techniques of correction used, in the last 20 years, in children younger than one year old.

Methods: In the period from 1978 to 1998, 148 patients (pt) with coarctation of the aorta (CoAo), under one year of age, with or without associated intracardiac defects, were submitted to surgery. Median age 50 days, 92 female pt (62.

Randomized study of surgery for patients with permanent atrial fibrillation as a result of mitral valve disease.

Background: The Cox Maze procedure has been used to treat atrial fibrillation in patients with mitral valve disease. Recently, ectopic foci, originating in the pulmonary veins, were demonstrated in patients with atrial fibrillation, and the indication was that their arrhythmia could have a focal origin. In the light of this new evidence, a simplified surgical technique to isolate the pulmonary veins was developed to eliminate permanent atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery.