Transcatheter mitral valve repair for a patient with double inferior vena cava: case report.

Background: A transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is disseminating gradually as a treatment for primary and secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) in patients with high surgical risk. In performing TEER, securing a safe access route is crucial. We report a case with a challenging access route due to the presence of a double inferior vena cava (IVC) and the patient's small body habitus.

Staged endoscopic mitral valve repair for active infective endocarditis with a mitral annular abscess.

The presence of an annular abscess complicates the operation for infective endocarditis. We report a case of a totally endoscopic repair of a mitral annular abscess using a staged strategy. A 28-year-old woman underwent endoscopic mitral valve repair for active infective endocarditis with Staphylococcus aureus.

Endoscopic Aortic Valve Replacement: Initial Outcomes of Isolated and Concomitant Surgery.

Background: The applicability of totally endoscopic surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in multivalve operations is unknown. This study describes an approach and perioperative outcomes of totally endoscopic isolated and concomitant AVR using various valve types.

Methods: A total of 216 patients (114 male; mean age, 71.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after endoscopic mitral valve repair for active endocarditis.

A left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication that can occur after infective endocarditis, possibly leading to serious complications such as cardiac tamponade, rupture and recurrent infective endocarditis. We report a case of a totally-endoscopic repair of a pseudoaneurysm after endoscopic mitral valve repair. A 48-year-old woman underwent endoscopic mitral valve repair for active infective endocarditis.

Midterm results after seamless patch mitral reconstruction.

Objectives: Some pathologies, including infective endocarditis or sclerotic changes of the mitral leaflet, make the conventional mitral valve repair challenging. Our previously described technique for reconstruction with a seamless pericardial patch makes the repair feasible in some of such difficult pathologies. However, the extent of mitral leaflet segments that could be safely repaired using this technique remains unknown.

Endoscopic mitral valve repair utilizing cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator for active endocarditis.

Mitral valve repair for endocarditis in an acute setting is still challenging due to difficulties in debriding friable tissue and in leaving enough non-infected tissue for reconstruction. Endoscopic approaches for complex mitral valve procedures via a minimally invasive approach have been reported from high-volume programs. However, the role of endoscopic mitral valve surgery for acute infective endocarditis has not been clearly defined.

Totally 3D Endoscopic Repair of Double-Chambered Right Ventricle.

Double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) is a rare malformation that may develop after ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure. We describe a case of a 34-year-old women who underwent VSD closure in her infancy with a small Y-collar incision. She developed dyspnea on exertion and was recommended for surgery.

A pH-Adjustable Tissue Clearing Solution That Preserves Lipid Ultrastructures: Suitable Tissue Clearing Method for DDS Evaluation.

Visualizing biological events and states to resolve biological questions is challenging. Tissue clearing permits three-dimensional multicolor imaging. Here, we describe a pH-adjustable tissue clearing solution, Seebest (SEE Biological Events and States in Tissues), which preserves lipid ultrastructures at an electron microscopy level.

Use of a cutting stapler to excise a left atrial appendage in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

Purpose: A cutting stapler is a well-established instrument in many surgical fields. However, its efficacy and safety have not been proven yet in resecting a left atrial appendage (LAA) in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS).

Methods: A cutting stapler was used to resect the LAA in 98 consecutive patients who underwent MICS.

[Totally Endoscopic Aortic Valve Replacement Using the Three-dimensional Endoscope].

Totally endoscopic aortic valve replacement (TE-AVR) is still challenging, and few series report exist even today. In 2015, we started to use three-dimensional (3D) endoscope and we also introduced TE-AVR. Patient is placed in the partial left lateral position.

Interaction of Lipoplex with Albumin Enhances Gene Expression in Hepatitis Mice.

Understanding the in vivo fate of lipoplex, which is composed of cationic liposomes and DNA, is an important issue toward gene therapy. In disease conditions, the fate of lipoplex might change compared with the normal condition. Here, we examined the contribution of interaction with serum components to in vivo transfection using lipoplex in hepatitis mice.

Left-Sided Complete Revascularization With Bilateral Internal Thoracic Arteries in Patients With Diabetes.

Background: Reports are few on the long-term patency of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafts in patients with diabetes. We evaluated the relationship between the long-term patency of BITAs and the clinical outcomes in diabetes.

Methods: We retrospectively identified 569 patients (321 with diabetes, 248 without diabetes) who underwent isolated BITA grafting for left-sided complete revascularization at our institution from 2000 to 2015.

Interfacial Properties of Binary Systems Composed of DPPC and Perfluorinated Double Long-Chain Salts with Divalent Counterions of Separate Electric Charge.

The interfacial behavior of binary monolayers of 1,1'-(1,ω-alkanediyl)-bispyridinium perfluorotetradecanecarboxylate (CnBP(FC14), n = 2, 6, or 10) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was studied using surface pressure (π)-area (A) and surface potential (ΔV)-A isotherm measurements and morphological observations. In a previous study, we showed that the spacer moieties of C2BP(FC14) and C6BP(FC14) are completely dissociated after spreading on 0.15 M NaCl, whereas the C10BP(FC14) spacer moieties do not dissociate in the monolayer state.

Microscopic Characterization of Individual Submicron Bubbles during the Layer-by-Layer Deposition: Towards Creating Smart Agents.

We investigated the individual properties of various polyion-coated bubbles with a mean diameter ranging from 300 to 500 nm. Dark field microscopy allows one to track the individual particles of the submicron bubbles (SBs) encapsulated by the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes (PEs). Our focus is on the two-step charge reversals of PE-SB complexes: the first is a reversal from negatively charged bare SBs with no PEs added to positive SBs encapsulated by polycations (monolayer deposition), and the second is overcharging into negatively charged PE-SB complexes due to the subsequent addition of polyanions (double-layer deposition).