Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 90 patients with COPD from 2002 to 2012 were enrolled into our study, comprising 22 who underwent conventional thoracotomies and 68 VATS. Pulmonary function testings, arterial blood gases analysis, and quality of life between these two groups were compared.

Left ventricular hemangioma.

A young Saudi woman presented with symptoms of palpitation, near syncope, anxiety, and fatigue. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a left ventricular mass. Under cardiopulmonary bypass, brief cardioplegic arrest, and the aid of a thoracoscope, the mass was resected.

Impressive echocardiographic images of a rare pathology: Aneurysm of the mitral valve - Report of two cases and review of the literature.

Aneurysm of the mitral valve (AMV) is rarely reported. The etiology of this unusual pathology is commonly attributed to aortic valve endocarditis (AVE) with aortic regurgitation (AR) or connective tissue disease. We present two recent cases of AMV with good correlation between pre-operative trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE), intra-operative real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3D-Echo) and surgical findings.

Decrease in inflammatory response does not prevent placental dysfunction after fetal cardiac bypass in goats.

Objective: One of the most significant responses to fetal cardiac bypass is severe placental dysfunction characterized by increased vascular resistance. We tested the hypothesis that fetal cardiac bypass triggers the activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-KB), a major regulator of inflammatory response, and that pharmacologic inhibition of NF-KB activation by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate alleviates fetal cardiac bypass-induced placental dysfunction.

Methods: Fifteen pregnant goats at 120 to 140 days' gestation were equally divided into the control group with a sham procedure of fetal sternotomy and cannulation (CG), the fetal bypass group (FB), and the fetal bypass group with 300 mg pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate before sternotomy (FP).

Blood hibernation: a novel strategy to inhibit systemic inflammation and coagulation induced by cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Inflammation and coagulation are two intimately cross-linked defense mechanisms of most, if not all organisms to injuries. During cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), these two processes are activated and interact with each other through several common pathways, which may result in subsequent organ dysfunction. In the present study, we hypothesized that the addition of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), and aprotinin to the systemic circulation, hereby referred to as blood hibernation, would attenuate the inflammation and coagulation induced by CPB.

Perventricular device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects in 61 young children: early and midterm follow-up results.

Objectives: Perventricular device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect as a novel technique has recently been described in several small series with initial experience. Further studies with larger cohorts and longer-term follow-up are needed to confirm the validity of this new approach. This report describes our recent experience with perventricular device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects on beating hearts in 61 young children with over 1 year of follow-up.

Palliative arterial switch for transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect, and pulmonary vascular obstructive disease: midterm outcomes.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the early and midterm outcomes of palliative arterial switch operation in which a ventricular septal defect was not closed or repaired with a fenestrated patch in patients with transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect, and severe pulmonary vascular obstructive disease.

Methods: Between March 2000 and September 2009, the palliative arterial switch operation was performed in 21 patients with a mean age of 3.7 years (range, 0.

Which is better to preserve pulmonary function: short-term or prolonged leukocyte depletion during cardiopulmonary bypass?

Objectives: Neutrophils are crucial in the development of acute lung injuries during cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the efficacy of leukocyte depletion on pulmonary protection remains controversial, possibly owing to different filtration strategies used in the literature. In this study, we investigated whether short-term leukocyte depletion strategy is more efficacious than prolonged leukocyte depletion in preserving pulmonary function.

Perventricular device closure of muscular ventricular septal defects on beating hearts: initial experience in eight children.

Objective: The conventional surgical repair and transcatheter closure of muscular ventricular septal defects are known to have undesirable limitations. This communication describes the short-term results of perventricular device closure of muscular ventricular septal defects with the heart beating in 8 children with 15 muscular ventricular septal defects, with or without other congenital malformations.

Methods: A subxiphoid minimally invasive incision was used in 3 children with isolated muscular ventricular septal defects whereas standard full median sternotomies were used in the other 5 children who required subsequent correction of coexisting malformations.

How to choose an occluder for two nearby muscular ventricular septal defects?

Multiple muscular ventricular septal defects treated with a single device have been reported before, but the way of choosing a suitable occluder is not well described. Implantation of an oversized device might lead to potential side effects. We described our experience with a single device to close two nearby muscular ventricular septal defects perventricularly, and specifically the decision-making process used to choose the suitable occluder.

Perventricular device closure of ventricular septal defects: six months results in 30 young children.

Background: Both surgical repair and transcatheter closure of isolated ventricular septal defects are known to have limitations in children. This report describes the short-term results of perventricular device closure of nonmuscular ventricular septal defects without cardiopulmonary bypass in young children.

Methods: Thirty patients who had nonmuscular ventricular septal defects underwent perventricular closure by minimally invasive technique without cardiopulmonary bypass.