The long-term success of cardiovascular surgery in Takayasu arteritis: 48 years of experience in Mexico, beyond forefront techniques.

Background: Takayasu arteritis (TA) affects medium and large caliber arteries causing stenosis, occlusion, or aneurysms. It has great predilection for the aortic arch, subclavian and extracranial arteries. The global prevalence is of 1% to 2% per million inhabitants, which varies by geographical region.

[The cardiovascular surgeon and the Syntax score].

The Syntax score has been established as a tool to determine the complexity of coronary artery disease and as a guide for decision-making among coronary artery bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention. The purpose of this review is to systematically examine what the Syntax score is, and how the surgeon should integrate the information in the selection and treatment of patients. We reviewed the results of the SYNTAX Trial, the clinical practice guidelines, as well as the benefits and limitations of the score.

[Inhaled iloprost, a selective pulmonary vasodilator. Clinical evidence from its use in perioperative pulmonary hypertension cardiovascular surgery].

Inhaled iloprost is one of the most recent drugs from prostanoids group's in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. His place in pulmonary hypertension seen in the perioperative cardiovascular surgery has not been defined. In this review we analyze pulmonary hypertension group's susceptibles of cardiac surgery and its importance, besides the current clinical evidence from drug use in this context.

Analysis of oxidative stress enzymes and structural and functional proteins on human aortic tissue from different aortopathies.

The role of oxidative stress in different aortopathies is evaluated. Thirty-two tissue samples from 18 men and 14 women were divided into: 4 control (C) subjects, 11 patients with systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), 4 with variants of Marfan's syndrome (MV), 9 with Marfan's syndrome (M), 2 with Turner's syndrome, and 2 with Takayasu's arteritis (TA). Aorta fragments were homogenized.

Homocysteine is related to aortic mineralization in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Unlabelled: Homocysteine is implicated as an early atherosclerotic promoter, which enhances the smooth muscle cell proliferation and produces free radicals that induce cellular damage. These factors must have a role in the progression of atherosclerosis that subsequently leads to vascular mineralization.

Aim: Identify a correlation between the plasma concentration of total homocysteine and the amount of minerals that accumulate in the aorta of patients with atherosclerosis.

[Short-stay programme in cardiac surgery. Analysis of short-term outcomes of 533 cases in five years].

Background: In 1999 so as to decrease the list of cardiac surgery the "fast track" program was started for patients with very mortality low risk. In 2004, this program was extended to moderate risk patients.

Objectives: A prospective, descriptive study to evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of "fast track" program patients for elective cardiac surgery.

Left main coronary artery stenosis treatment with two paclitaxel-eluting stents in a patient with cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Cardiac transplantation is a well defined therapy for end stage heart failure. After the first year of transplantation, allograft coronary artery disease (ACAD) is the second main cause of death. The ACAD is defined as a diffuse process affecting the entire length of epicardial vessels.

[Cardiogenic shock continues to be the most serious complication of the acute myocardial infarction].

The actual therapeutic guidelines, look to conceive reperfusion of the infarcted myocardial areas in less time with pharmacological treatment, interventionist procedures or surgery for revascularization. CABG should be consider as a therapeutic modality that can be use for the treatment of cardiogenic shock, in well selected patients, as in those who primary angioplasty could not be achieved as treatment for the acute myocardial infarction. We revised the patients characteristics, the useful modalities and benefits that CABG can offer in this pathology.

[Evaluation of predisposing factors for mediastinal bleeding in myocardial revascularization surgery. Role of acetylsalicylic acid, other platelet adhesion inhibitors, and anticoagulants].

Objective: To determine the main factors for perioperative mediastinal bleeding during coronary artery by-pass grafting and to establish the role of acetylsalicylic acid, other inhibitors of platelet adhesion, and anticoagulants in its occurrence.

Methods: A multivariate analysis was performed to the data obtained from 251 patients subjected to coronary artery by-pass grafting in the year 2002.

Results: There were no significant differences for the occurrence of perioperative bleeding induced by the preoperative administration of acetylsalicylic acid.