Volume 8 - Número 3

Myocardial revascularization surgery without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass was performed by Trapp and Ankeney in the 1970's. However it fell to Buffolo in Brazil and Benetti in Argentina to introduce its systematic use, standardization and recommendation as a valid and safe alternative modality of treatment. With the aim of evaluating the technique's reproducibility, morbidity and mortality, its technical difficulties and the possibilities of incorporating it into routine practice, the authors present the results obtained in 182 patients submitted to myocardial revascularization with saphenous and/or thoracic internal bypass without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. One hundred and eighty-two patients were operated on using this technique: 128 (70.3%) males and 54 (29.7%) females, whose ages ranged from 40 to 79 years (mean = 58.8 years), with lesions of coronary arteries: interventricular anterior (IA); right coronary (RD); diagonal artery (DI) and marginal artery (MG). Two hundred and seventy-seven arteries were revasculahsed: 159/277 IA's (57.4%), 62/277 CD's (22.4%), 44/277 DI's (15.9%) and 12/277 MG's (4.3%). The left thoracic internal artery was used on 60/277 (21.7%) occasions and the saphenous vein on 217/277 (78.3%). The duration of the ischemia ranged from 5 to 33 minutes with a mean of 14 minutes. The following conditions were noted in the study as complications: coronary spasm in 6/182 cases (3.3%), acute myocardial infarct in 3/182 (0.6%), bleeding in 2/182 (1.1%), pulmonary embolism in 1/182 (0.6%) and mediastinitis in 1/182 (0.6%). Five/182 patients (2.7%) died in the immediate postoperative period from causes unrelated to the technique employed. The authors conclude that the technique may be safely carried out by most surgeons in selected cases with good results. The technique reduces the costs of surgery and in some subgroups, such as the elderly and those suffering from systemic disease, it may be the best alternative. Keywords: myocardial revascularization, surgery without extracorporeal circulation

The authors proposition is to make an experimental study of two methods of cerebral protection to be used during aortic arch aneurysm resection. The methods to be evaluated were profound systemic hypothermia (under 20oC) with great vessels occlusion and profound systemic hypothermia with selective right carotid artery perfusion. Two groups of 15 dogs each were submitted either to profound systemic hypothermia with great vessels occlusion (GROUP I) or to profound systemic hypothermia with selective right carotid artery perfusion (GROUP II). Serial jugular vein samples for pH and PaC02 were analyzed to evaluate ischemic cerebral metabolic derangements. Hystopathological studies were also made at 45, 90 and 135 minutes, through animal sacrifice in each experiment. The results have shown good cerebral protection with both methods in the 45 minutes ischemic interval. At 90 minutes GROUP II method has conferred better cerebral protection than GROUP I. At 135 minutes of cerebral ischemia neither methods could afford cerebral protection against ischemia. Keywords: cerebral protection in aneurysms resection; aortic arch aneurysms resection, cerebral protection

Deep hypothermia is a usefull tool to improve technical results in cardiovascular surgery and is nowadays the major strategy used to reduce ischemic injury. Hypothermia reduces metabolism and preserves cellular stores of high-energy phosphates. The regulation of tissue pH during hypothermia is important for cellular homeostasis. Furthermore, hypothermia has important effects on pH by altering the dissociation constant of water and various metabolics intermediates and the question of optimal blood gas management during deliberate hypothermia has been subject of much controversy. Two approaches have been advocated for pH management during hypothermia, the first termed pH strategy, where blood pH is maintained constant at 7,40 at all temperatures with PaCO2 adjustment, and in the second type of regulation, termed a-stat strategy, the blood pH is increased according to decrease in temperature and the total CO2 , content of the blood remain constant. In this present review the relationship between blood pH and intracelular pH and the ionic alterations induced by hipothermia are discussed. Keywords: hipothermia, induced, in heart surgery

Keywords: vascular endothelium, cardiac surgery; nitric oxide, endothelium-derived relaxing factor; EDRF

A new technique - interpapillary subendocardial cryoablation (CSIP) - was used in nine patients suffering from recurrent ventricular tachycardia associated with Chagas disease (TVRCh). Location of the TVRCh was determined preoperatively through electrophysiological imaging (EEF). In eight patients it was located on the lateral wall of the left ventricle (VE) in the interpapillary region (IP), and in one patient on the diaphragmatic surface of the VE with IP extension. The surgery consisted in a direct approach to the IP region, which was removed following ventriculotomy with CSIP. Intraoperative EEF was not used. TVRCh could not be relieved in eight of the nine patients on EEF. In one patient it was relieved in one attempt only, the patient being asymptomatic 21 months following surgery, with no TVRCh crises. Seven patients are asymptomatic, without anti-arrhythmic medication and in functional class I. One patient with diffuse myocardiopathy is in functional class 11, exclusively on cardiotonic medication. The results obtained permit credence to be given to the surgical techniques proposed. Keywords: tachycardia recurrent ventricular; cryoablation

Six patients with atrial fibrillation were submitted to maze operation (Cox) without crioablation. Four patients had also mitral stenosis, one had mitral insufficiency and one mitral insufficiency plus mitral stenosis. The mean left atrium diameter was 6.0 cm (5-7.3) in the preoperative ecodopplercardiogram. The ethiology was rheumatic in all but one patient. Conservative mitral valve surgery was performed in five patients and mitral valve replacement in one. Thrombosis of the left atrium was present in four patients. The mean cross-clamping time was 91 minutes (80-108). In the operating room, sinus rhythm was observed in two patients and junctional rhythm in four. In the first postoperative day all patients were in junctional rhthminfour. In the firstpostoperative day all patients were in junctional rhythm. The Holter (24 hours) in the eighteeth postoperative day showed sinus rhythm in five and atrial ectopic rhythm in one. The hemodynamic data and the ecodoppler showed synchronic left atrial contraction in all but one patient and a mean left atrium diameter of 4.8 cm (3.7-5.2). The patients discharged from hospital (8-27 days) are in excellent conditions. Keywords: atrial fibrillation, surgery; Cox operation

We revewed 305 cases with left ventricular aneurysms undertaken to surgery from January 84 to December 91 analising early results since the late follow-up that ranged from 8 months to 8.5 years, and included all patients discharged alive from hospital. There were 88.5% male, with age ranging from 33 to 78 years (46% of patients between 51 to 60 years). The most frequent clinical finding was chest pain (73.3%), followed byheartfailure (45.9%), arrhythmias (24.9%). Fifty four percent of the patients were in functional class 1,5.2% in II, 12.7% in III and 28.7% in class IV. Left ventricular angiogram showed aneurysms and diskinesis in all cases, and coronary angiography showed single vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) in 20.9%, 2 vessel CAD in 45.9%, 3 vessel CAD in 25.9% and 4 or more vessels CAD in 7.2%. Patients were divided in groups according to left ventricular wall motion of the non aneurysmatic areas. There was 34.7% in the good group (mean wall motion = 0.58), 54.7% in the regular group (mean wall motion = 0.35) and 10.4% in the bad group (mean wall motion = 0.22). The used surgical technique included the observation of the beating heart under bypass auxiliary. This aided the differentation of fibrostic and contracting areas. This also allowed better preservation of the physiology of the myocardium during the procedure. In selected cases after opening the aneurysm and removing thrombus, coronaries were revascularized with intermitent aortic clampping (32oC) with cavity reconstrution at the end of the procedure. Isolated aneurismectomy was performed in 23.2%, associated myocardial revascularization in 77.3% other procedures in 1.3%. Overall in hospital mortality was 6.2%, 2% in the good group, 2.9% in the regular and 34.3% in the bad group. Two hundred and eight six patients (93.8%) men discharged, 44.3% asymptomatic (good 60%, regular 40%, bad 57.1%). There were 7.6% late deaths, 4.8% in the good group, 7.4% in the regular and 23.8% in the bad group. By the analysis of the actuarial curves (up to 8.5 years) the authors conclude that the life expectancy of patients with left ventricule aneurysms undertaken to surgery with or without associated procedures changes according to wall motion in the residual areas, being 85.5% in patients with mean motion of 0.58, 87.7% with mean wall motion 0.35 and 59.3 to patients with mean wall motion of 0.22%. Keywords: aneurysms, ventricular, surgery

This is a retrospective study where 47 patients submitted to the conventional revascularization of the myocardium were analysed at InCór in a period covering January/78 to January/93; 47 patients were analysed. Thirty-tive (74.46%) were male and 12 (25.33%) female. The mean age was 81.85 (80-80) years. The operatory indication was due to unstable angina in 29 (61.70%), stable angina in 17 (36.17%) and dissection of the atheromatous plaque during angioplasty in 1 (2.12%). The operation was carried out eletively in 33 (70.21 %), in caracter of urgency in 10 (21.27%) and in emergency in 4 (8.51 %). All of them were operated on through median thoracotomy with extracorporeal circulation and moderate hypotermia. The saphenous vein was used as a graft in 41 (87.23%) patients and the internal thoracic artery in 6 (12.76%). Hospital mortality was 8.5% and the mean follow-up time was 17,6 months. From among the early and late deaths only one of each group was related to cardiopathy. Analysis of the cases revealed that in the period of 1991, 1992 and January/1993, hospital mortality fell down to zero. Surgical conventional revascularization of the myocardium represents a good alternative for the octogenarian patient, not only due to the present operative low risk, but as well as the reduction or elimination of the symptoms during the late follow-up. Keywords: myocardial revascularizations, octogenarians

Truly Cordis Ectopy is a rare congenital heart disease, which is caracterized by the presence of the heart out of the thoracic box, having as the main feature the absence of tissues which cover it. In the great majorly of patients with Truly Cordis Ectopy there is an association of complex intra-cardiac defects. In the present work, the authors show their experience with 2 cases who had undergone to surgery, at the Unidade de Tratamento Cardiotorácico - UNITÓRAX - in Real Hospital Português do Recife, and discuss the surgical management as well was a literature revision. Keywords: ectopia cordis, surgery

The authors relate a successful surgical treatment of myocardial revascularization complicated by a thoracic intern artery graft kinking. Keywords: thoracic intern artery graft kinking; myocardial revascularization, surgery