Coronary Arteriovenous Fistulas in Adult Patients: Surgical Management and Outcomes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the demographic, clinical and anatomic characteristics of coronary arteriovenous fistulas in adult patients who underwent open cardiac surgery and to review surgical management and outcomes.

Methods: Twenty-one adult patients (12 female, 9 male; mean age: 56.1±7.

Biventricular transient systolic dysfunction after mitral valve replacement: Pericardial decompression syndrome.

Background: Pericardial decompression syndrome is defined as paradoxical hemodynamic instability, left ventricular or bi ventricular systolic dysfunction and pulmonary edema after pericardial fluid drainage. Pericardial Decompression Syndrome is an unexpected clinical scenario with an incidence less than 5% in all surgically or percutaneously managed pericardial tamponade patients. The aim of this manuscript was to describe a case with cardiac tamponade in whom acute biventricular heart failure and pulmonary edema developed after surgical creation of a pericardial window, and to discuss this case in light of the literature.

Management of Traumatic Aortic and Splenic Rupture in a Patient With Ascending Aortic Aneurysm.

Traumatic aortic rupture is rupture of all or part of the aortic wall, mostly resulting from blunt trauma to the chest. The most common site of rupture is the aortic isthmus. Traumatic rupture of the ascending aorta is rare.

Heyde's syndrome.

Gastrointestinal bleeding due to colonic angiodysplasia can be associated with calcified aortic stenosis. This association is referred to as Heyde's syndrome. Aortic valve replacement can prevent recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding in these cases.

Aortic root abscess complicated by fistulization in a young patient with bicuspid aortic valve.

Aortic root abscess is a relatively common complication of aortic valve endocarditis. However, aortic root abscess and formation of a fistula from the aortic root to the right ventricular outflow tract in the setting of a native bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a rare event. We present consecutive echocardiographic images of unruptured periaortic abscess and fistulization of it to the right ventricle in 24 hours, in a patient with BAV and fever of unexplained origin.

Does the level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 predict myocardial injury before cardiac markers increase?

Background: The measurement of cardiac markers is still the gold standard for diagnosing myocardial infarction (MI), but there is always a transition period between the time of infarction and when a marker can be measured in the blood. Therefore, clinicians are shifting their focus to the identification of potential new analytes capable of predicting MIs before the standard cardiac markers increase. In this study, we tested whether measurement of the concentration of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) in plasma can be used for this purpose.

Native valve endocarditis due to Pseudomonas mendocina in a patient with mental retardation and a review of literature.

Pseudomonas mendocina, a Gram-negative non-fermentative rod, occurs in water and soil but is rarely recovered as a human pathogen. We report a native valve endocarditis due to Pseudomonas mendocina in a patient with mental retardation.

Comparative effects of tolazoline and nitroprusside on human isolated radial artery.

Background: The radial artery is increasingly being used in coronary revascularization as an alternative conduit to a saphenous vein graft. Its perfect endothelial capacity provides a high patency rate comparable with the internal mammary artery (IMA). However, its spastic characteristics cause difficulties during its intraoperative preparation and may lead to early postoperative graft failure.

Treatment of Brucella endocarditis: our surgical experience with 6 patients.

Background: Endocarditis is a rare but life-threatening complication of brucellosis. Its mortality rate has recently been reduced with the use of combined medical and surgical treatment.

Methods: Between March 2002 and April 2004, 6 patients with Brucella endocarditis underwent surgery at the Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular Center in Istanbul, Turkey.