The Medium-Term Effects of Treatment for Mild Aortic Recoarctation.

Objective: To assess medium-term effects of treatment for mild to moderate recoarctation in an adult population.

Design: We identified all patients who had coarctation repair between 1965 and 1985 in our institution. They were all (n = 156) invited to a thorough outpatient examination, which was accepted by 133.

Closure of a patent foramen ovale in patients with platypnoea-orthodeoxia: a rare and overlooked cause of dyspnoea and hypoxaemia.

Objective: Platypnoea-orthodeoxia is a rare cause of dyspnoea and hypoxaemia induced by a change from supine to upright position resulting in veno-arterial shunting, usually through a patent foramen ovale. We aimed to describe our experience with closure of a patent foramen ovale in patients with platypnoea-orthodeoxia, and to increase awareness of this diagnosis.

Design: Eight patients (mean age 63 ± 12 years) were identified from hospital records between 2000 and 2013.

Menstrual bleeding after cardiac surgery.

Objectives: We investigated whether open-heart surgery with the use of extracorporeal circulation has an impact on menstrual bleeding.

Methods: The menstrual bleeding pattern was registered in fertile women undergoing open-heart surgery in 2010-12. Haematocrit and 24-h postoperative bleeding were compared with those of men undergoing cardiac surgery.

Late morbidity after repair of aortic coarctation.

Background: Repaired aortic coarctation(CoA) is associated with high long-term cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Persisting hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction are possibly associated with residual or recurrent aortic arch obstruction (ReCoA) and abnormal activation of vasoactive hormones. Furthermore, knowledge regarding these patients' functional health status late after repair is missing.

Functional health status late after surgical correction of aortic coarctation.

Objectives: To investigate functional health status among adults previously operated for aortic coarctation (CoA) compared with healthy subjects; to assess the influence of medication and exercise capacity on patients' functional health.

Design: Questionnaire-based investigation among 119 patients who underwent surgical repair of CoA during 1965-1985 and 36 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects using the SF-36 health survey. Original scores were transformed into norm-based scores, and summary scale scores were calculated.

Blood flow measured by magnetic resonance imaging at rest and exercise after surgical bypass of aortic arch obstruction.

Introduction: Blood flow distribution after ascending-to-descending aortic bypass in complex aortic arch obstruction is poorly described.

Objective: To study blood flow by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at rest and during exercise in patients with aortic arch obstruction and a bypass tube and in healthy controls.

Material And Methods: Seven patients (median 18 years (range: 14-54 years) and weight 79 kg (range 51-91 kg)) were studied 25 months (range 6-68 months) following surgical insertion of 14- or 16-mm bypass tube from the ascending to the distal descending thoracic aorta.