TRATAMIENTO QUIRÚRGICO URGENTE EN PACIENTE CON MIXOMA AURICULAR IZQUIERDO PEDICULADO / Emergency surgery in a patient with a pedunculated left atrial myxoma

The intracavitary cardiac tumors have a special place in cardiac surgery due to their peculiar characteristics. Some of them are considered surgical emergencies. The resection must not be delayed because 8 to 10 percent of the affected patients can die, while waiting for surgery, as a result of an intracardiac obstruction of the blood flow. In everyday practice it is not common that patients with cardiac tumors undergo surgery just a few hours after the confirmation of the diagnosis by means of echocardiographic studies. The case of a patient, who had a diagnosis of a large pedunculated left atrial myxoma, with incursion into the left ventricle during diastole, and underwent an emergency surgery due to the threat of fragmentation and embolization resulting from the morphologic characteristics of the tumor, is presented in this article

MIXOMA BIAURICULAR: PRESENTACIÓN DEL PRIMER CASO OPERADO EN EL CARDIOCENTRO ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA / Biatrial myxoma: presentation of the first case operated on at the Ernesto Che Guevara Cardiology Hospital

Left atrial myxoma is the most common primary cardiac tumor in clinical practice. However, the myxomas that grow at both sides of the interatrial septum are rare. The case of a 65-year-old white patient is presented here. The transthoracic echocardiogram showed a large mass in the right atrium which was compatible with an atrial myxoma; therefore, a surgical treatment was decided. A right atriotomy with resection of the tumor was carried out. The interatrial septum was opened and its pedicle was resected with an oncologic security margin. The presence of the tumor mass, also on the left surface of the septum, was confirmed. The septal defect was closed with a patch of autologous pericardium. The myxoma was polylobulated with arborescent aspect, and measured about 10 x 8 cm, weighing 89 grams. The patient evolved satisfactorily and was discharged 11 days after the surgical intervention