J Heart Valve Dis
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Comparative Study
The preferred approach for mitral valve surgery after CABG: right thoracotomy, hypothermia and avoidance of LIMA-LAD graft.
An alternative to avoid redo sternotomy in patients with patent left internal mammary artery-left anterior descending coronary artery (LIMA-LAD) grafts undergoing mitral valve surgery is right thoracotomy with moderate-deep hypothermia (approximately 20 degrees C) and fibrillatory arrest without aortic cross-clamping. Few reports exist which directly compare re-sternotomy and right thoracotomy. ⋯ Right thoracotomy with moderate-deep hypothermia and fibrillatory arrest is the preferred approach for reoperative mitral valve surgery after coronary artery bypass grafting in the presence of patent LIMA-LAD grafts. These data suggest that this approach is associated with decreased incidence of LIMA-LAD graft injury, as well as reduced transfusion requirements.
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Most previous studies on surgery for endocarditis included cases of both prosthetic and native valve endocarditis (NVE), which clearly differ in their course and prognosis. ⋯ Preoperative conditions of patients with NVE significantly affect early and long-term outcomes. Prognosis is worsened by delayed diagnosis and operation during the active septic process.
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Prosthetic mitral valve replacement (MVR) is associated with paravalvular leak in up to 12.5% of patients. The influence of the morphology and location of paravalvular leaks on clinical symptoms and degree of leak-related hemolysis is unknown. ⋯ Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography is mandatory to detect possible small leaks and technical errors. Strict monitoring of all MVR patients is necessary for prolonged periods, as the appearance of paravalvular leaks is not necessarily correlated with clinical symptoms. Small paravalvular leaks, in particular, may go unnoticed. As the location and size of the leaks were significantly surgeon-dependent, self-monitoring should be mandatory for all surgeons.
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Prosthetic valve thrombosis occurring during pregnancy is a life-threatening complication. Surgical treatment requires clot removal or valve replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass, and carries a high mortality. We report successful thrombolytic therapy with streptokinase for prosthetic valve thrombosis in a pregnant, 28-year-old woman. ⋯ Jude Medical prosthesis) two years previously for restenosis after closed mitral valvotomy, was successfully thrombolyzed during the first trimester (6-8 weeks) for prosthetic valve thrombosis, and without any complication. The patient delivered a normal healthy child at nine months' gestation. Although thrombolysis in pregnancy has been reported previously, this is the first case in which it was performed during the first trimester for prosthetic valve thrombosis.
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Systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve resulting in left ventricular outflow obstruction is a well-recognized complication of repair of the degenerative myxomatous mitral valve. A precise mechanism is unknown. A current approach consists of sliding annuloplasty of the posterior leaflet. It was postulated that excess tissue of the anterior mitral leaflet (AML) was as equally (or more) important as the excess posterior mitral leaflet (PML) tissue in the development of SAM subsequent to valve repair. ⋯ A disparity between dimension of the annulus following mitral valve repair and combined heights of the two leaflets explains post-repair SAM. The AML height is a more important factor in the development of SAM. Thus, surgical techniques to reduce AML heights should be considered in patients with disproportionately large anterior leaflets in order to prevent SAM. Selection of size of the annuloplasty ring should take into consideration the height of the AML.