Pulmonary Vein Aneurysm Secondary to Mitral Regurgitation: Rare and Confusing Lesion

A 54-year-old woman was referred to our institution suffering from severe dyspnea and asthenia due to progressive heart failure. Multidetector computed tomography angiography revealed biatrial enlargement with an image of pulmonary vein aneurysm. She underwent valvuloplasty for mitral and tricuspid valves, ligation of left atrial appendage, and left atrial reduction plasty concomitant with minimaze procedure using radiofrequency ablation but no intervention for aneurysm

Off-Pump Double Coronary Bypass in a Case of Familial Hypercholesterolemia With Coarctation of the Aorta

Familial hypercholesterolemia is an uncommon disease that may be associated with atherosclerosis affecting coronary arteries and the ascending aorta. Coarctation of the aorta is rarely involved in this disease. The ideal surgical approach for management of coexisting coronary artery disease and coarctation of the aorta in a child with familial hypercholesterolemia is unclear. We report the case of a 14-year-old girl with familial hypercholesterolemia who underwent double coronary artery bypass grafting due to proximal lesions of both the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery

Off-Pump Double Coronary Bypass in a Case of Familial Hypercholesterolemia With Coarctation of the Aorta

Familial hypercholesterolemia is an uncommon disease that may be associated with atherosclerosis affecting coronary arteries and the ascending aorta. Coarctation of the aorta is rarely involved in this disease. The ideal surgical approach for management of coexisting coronary artery disease and coarctation of the aorta in a child with familial hypercholesterolemia is unclear. We report the case of a 14-year-old girl with familial hypercholesterolemia who underwent double coronary artery bypass grafting due to proximal lesions of both the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery

Use of an Intrapericardial Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Device in a 4-Year-Old Child Weighing 12 Kilograms

Ventricular assist devices are implanted in patients with intractable heart failure as a bridge to cardiac transplantation to support the circulatory system mechanically. We present a report of a continuous flow ventricular assist device successfully placed as a bridge to transplantation in the intrapericardium of a petite-sized child with a BSA of 0.56 m(2). Not only is the use of an intrapericardial, continuous-flow, centrifugal pump feasible for destination therapy, but also for low-weight pediatric patients with end-stage heart failure as a bridge to transplantation when there is chronic shortage of donor organs for heart transplantation. Consequently, the HeartWare system has been implanted in smaller patients with acceptable results, and this patient may be the youngest ever reported

Robot-Assisted Mitral Valve Repair With Posterior Leaflet Extension for Rheumatic Disease

Mitral valve repair has been one of the widely used applications of robotic surgery. Patients with rheumatic mitral disease usually present at an early age with thickening, retraction, or fusion of the leaflets and subvalvular apparatus. Robotic mitral repair can be feasible among this group of patients, rather than replacement. Herein, we describe a young woman who presented with rheumatic mitral valve insufficiency. A complex mitral repair with posterior leaflet extension with an autologous pericardial patch was successfully conducted using robot assistance

Ventricular Embolization of Edwards SAPIEN Prosthesis Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an alternative therapy in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and high surgical risk. Despite continuous improvements in operators' expertise and device technology, complications associated with TAVI are common. We present a case in which an Edwards SAPIEN prosthetic valve dislocated to the left ventricular outflow tract with hemodynamic collapse 4 hours following implantation and embolized into the left ventricle (LV) during resuscitation

Surgical Repair for Isolated Aortic Interruption in a Young Adult

Interrupted aortic arch (IAA), a rare congenital malformation of the aortic arch, is defined as a loss of luminal continuity between the ascending and descending portions of the aorta. It is rarely diagnosed as an isolated anomaly in adulthood. Surgical repair is feasible through a sternotomy or thoracotomy incision. In this report, we describe the surgical repair of an isolated IAA in a 29-year-old patient by performing an ascending-to-descending aortic bypass via a sternotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass

Life Saver: Aortic Wrapping

Reoperative aortic root reconstruction remains a formidable surgical challenge. Thereof, the wrapping of Dacron graft using remnants of native aorta may be reasonable to avoid complications such as bleeding and infection. Our case that had a modified Bentall procedure at our institute was reoperated because of discontinuity between left ventricular outflow and valved aortic conduit. During reoperation, proximal portion of the valved conduit was partially separated from its attachment in the left ventricular outflow tract. The residual native aorta that was wrapped around the Dacron graft was like in a shape of sac. This technique may play a major role in preventing rupture of the ascending aorta in case of separation of valved conduit from left ventricular outflow

Oxytocin Protects Rat Skeletal Muscle Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Background: Oxytocin (OXY) is a well-known nonapeptide that functions in reproduction. It is also known as an antioxidant in several organs. However, little is about its role in the protection of tissue against ischemiareperfusion injury in skeletal muscle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective and therapeutic antioxidant effect of oxytocin in skeletal muscle during ischemiareperfusion (IR) injury