Necrotizing Infection of the Aortic Arch: Reconstruction Utilizing Unusual Extra-anatomic Bypass Grafts to Reroute Cerebral Blood Flow.

Destructive infections of the aortic arch and great vessels are challenging to manage. We describe a novel technique for debranching the right cerebral and upper extremity arteries via composite extra-anatomic bypasses from the femoral artery, with subsequent homograft in-line reconstruction of the arch, in a patient with Staphylococcus sepsis and necrosis of the arch and great vessels

Robotic Cardiac Surgery.

Robotic minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass is the most common robotic coronary procedure performed worldwide. It can be used to treat isolated left anterior descending (LAD) stenosis or can be coupled with percutaneous coronary intervention to diseased non-LAD targets in patients with multivessel disease. Virtually all types of mitral valve repair can be performed using the robot; valve replacement can also be undertaken. The robot can be used to repair atrial septal defects and resect cardiac myxoma. Increased cost of the robotic procedure may be offset by fewer perioperative complications, shorter hospital stay, and faster postoperative recovery

Left Axillary Artery Cannulation Facilitates Reoperative Total Aortic Arch Replacement

Total aortic arch replacement remains a technically formidable procedure, particularly in patients with previous proximal aortic dissection repair. Our case discussion highlights a useful strategy for extracorporeal support and circulation management to facilitate total arch reconstruction in the reoperative setting, based on cannulation of the left axillary artery. Our preference is to use a left axillary artery approach to initiate cardiopulmonary bypass and to ultimately revascularize the left arm via an extra-anatomic graft. Our technique, as described, affords the option to initiate cardiopulmonary bypass before sternal re-entry, it reduces the risk of embolic complications and possible stroke, and it directly facilitates simple extra-anatomic debranching of the left subclavian artery, resulting in easier arch and great vessel reconstruction within the chest

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) after initially successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA): a review of 17 years experience

OBJECTIVE: Patients who undergo successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) may subsequently require operative myocardial revascularization. This review examines whether prior successful PTCA alters outcomes following subsequent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The costs of interventional cardiology procedures and definitive surgery were also examined. METHODS: From January 1981 through December 1997, 361 patients underwent CABG following initially successful PTCA (interval group). This group was compared with 11,909 patients who underwent CABG as the primary intervention for coronary artery disease (control group). RESULTS: The average time interval to CABG following initial PTCA was 13.7 months. The post-CABG myocardial infarction rate was 4% for patients in the interval group and 3% for patients in the control group. The 30-day mortality was similar for both patient groups (2%). For the interval group, the average cost of total interventional management was 24,220 dollars per patient. This included average costs of 13,873 dollars for CABG and 10,347 dollars for all preoperative interventional cardiology procedures. CONCLUSION: There is little doubt that PTCA procedures may provide successful myocardial revascularization. However, these procedures often need to be repeated over time and may serve only to delay coronary surgery, at substantial financial and personal cost.8 page(s