Mitral valve replacement in "complex" mitral insufficiency: an unusual case of an isolated hammock mitral valve.

The hammock mitral valve is a rare congenital abnormality resulting in mitral regurgitation or stenosis, with incidences ranging from 0% to 12% in pediatric surgical series. It is difficult to correct this condition by reconstructive techniques. We describe here an alone hammock valve without any cardiac malformation in a five-year-old patient who underwent mitral valve replacement.

Protective effect of ambroxol on pulmonary function after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: To evaluate whether ambroxol administered orally during the perioperative period has a protective effect against postoperative pulmonary dysfunction in on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

Methods: Fifty younger patients without known pulmonary disease were randomly assigned into 2 groups. In ambroxol group (n = 25), patients were given ambroxol for a week before and after the elective coronary artery bypass grafting.