J Cardiothorac Surg
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J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2010
Case ReportsBioprosthetic mitral valve thrombosis less than one year after replacement and an ablative MAZE procedure: a case report.
Occurrence of bioprosthetic valve thrombosis less than a year after replacement is very uncommon. Here, we describe a case of a 57 year old male, who presented 10 months after receiving a bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement with a two week history of dyspnea on exertion, worsening orthopnea and decreased exercise tolerance. ⋯ MR was resolved postoperatively. This brief report further reviews promoting factors, established guidelines and management strategies of bioprosthetic valve thrombosis.
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J Cardiothorac Surg · Mar 2010
Case ReportsIntrathoracic fire during preparation of the left internal thoracic artery for coronary artery bypass grafting.
A surgical fire is a serious complication not previously described in the literature with regard to the thoracic cavity. We report a case in which an intrathoracic fire developed following an air leak combined with high pressure oxygen ventilation in a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ⋯ He was treated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery, including left internal thoracic artery harvesting. Additionally to this rare presentation of an intrathoracic fire, a brief review of surgical fires is included to this paper.