Volume 9 - Número 4

This abstract, in three different parts, has presented a briefing on cardiac surgery focusing valve surgiries and valve substitutes successfully used in the 60's at first the mechanical prosthesis, followed by the heterologs afterwards the glutaraldehyde introduction in order to preserve biological tissues. The basic indications to operating on valve lesions consist in symptom relief in preservation of complications and in mortality. Also in the first part, there is description of the surgical indication publication aspects pointing out stenosis and insufficiency of mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonary valves, active inffectious endocarditis and pre-operative procedure in addition to the characterization of different mechanical and biological cardiac valve bioprostheses that exist in the market and their most frequent complications. The surgical treatment in valvopathies, operative techniques to replace mitral, aortic tricuspid and pulmonary valves, anesthetic and post-operative procedure as well as reoperations were covered in the second part of the publication. The abstract was concluded considering particular situations such as surgical treatment in endocarditis in mitral, tricuspid and aortic valves whose tendency is greater than it is in mitral and the most common cause of acute aortic failure as well. The endocarditis development has a different physiopathology when compared to prostheses and native valves, with greater morbi-mortality than that observed in native valves. There are a few endocarditis increasing risk factors in native valves, black race, mechanical prostheses, male sex and long extracorporeal circulation time. The clinical-surgical interaction seems to influence decisively in order to obtain better results in this pathology. Finally our experience has been reported with biological prostheses in mitral and aortic positions in 11 and 10 years of follow-up, respectively. The survival index in mitral replacements was similar amongst youngsters and adults 74% mitral and 67% aortic. Late fatal bioprosthesis related complications in mitral position were rupture, endocarditis, paravalvular leakage, thromboembolism and especially calcification at a rate of 1.0 event % patient-year 95% of the patients free from those complications. In the aortic position, thrombombolism and especially endocarditis were ruled out, amounting to 1.6 events % patient-year (aortic), focusing endocarditis and calcification in mitral and endocarditis and vascular brain stroke in aortic, 55.2% (mitral) and 85.7% (aortic) of the patients free from those complications. Due to the high calcification occurrence, especially among youngsters who underwent bioprosthesis replacement in general, there was a study covering different ages, with bovine pericardium prostheses in mitral position. The results justified the use of this prosthesis even in young patients, as apposed to authors who recommended the use of this graft in patients up to 30 years. It was concluded that bovine pericardium prostheses, when strictly prepared, shows not only a good hemodynamic performance, bur also a late satisfactory evoluation. It is important to consider that a permanent gathering of the literature is fundamental for the community to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of every prosthesis type available. Keywords: heart valves, surgery; valvopathies, history; valvopathies, surgical indications; valvopathies, clinical approach; heart valves prostheses

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) whith 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 PaCO2 were analyzed to evaluate ischemic cerebral metabolic derangements. Hystopathological studies were also performed 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 method could afford cerebral protection against ischemia. Keywords: cerebral protection; aortic arch aneurysms, surgery

The authors propose a technical variation that aimes to optimize the aorta diamenter at the site of the anastomosis, obviating the chance of developing fibrosis retraction and intraortic gradients at the long term follow-up. Following the removal of the coartation site, 3 trapezoidal flaps are shaped at each aorta end. These flaps when approached will fit perfectly. These flaps are shaped by 3 identical coinning at each aortic end, and the anastomosis will approached the projection of one end to the recess of the other. The result is a zig-zag sinusoid like suture. Until now 5 patients underwent this technique with age 2 months, 4 months, 10 and 36 years. Three were male. There were no surgical complication. The first case (2 months with associated congenital cardiopathy) had recoarctation in the 9th month of folow up, and required reintervention. This was problably due to technical difficulties or inadequate indication. The proposed technique yelds a large lumen, maybe even larger than the reference diameter at the anastomosis site. Such diameter depends on the flaps depht in each aortic end. Keywords: aortic coarctation, surgery

In the period between July 1980 and June 1989,172 consecutive patients were submitted to combined coronary and valvular surgery. There were patients with predominantly valvular indications and others with predominant coronary indications. In 95 cases, myocardial revascularization and surgical treatment of the aortic valve (RAo) were simultaneously performed. Seventy five patients were submitted to myocardial revascularization and surgical treatment of the mitral valve (RMi). The more frequent valvular lesions were aortic stenosis (44 cases) and mitral insufficiency (40 cases). The mean number of anastomoses per patient was 1,87 for RMi cases and 1,56 for RAo patients. Overall hospital mortality was 9,8%; RAo mortality was 7,3% and RMi mortality was 12%. Mortality of patients with ischemic mitral insufficiency operated on electively (20%) or in an emergency basis (37,5%) was not statistically significant (x2=04423). There was not a relationship between mortality and the number of anastomoses per patient. A tendency for better results regarding mortality was observed in RMi patients in which the valve was preserved (x2=1,6382). The survival actuarial curves in 19 semesters demonstrates a valve of 82,6% for RMi patients, 90,4% for RAo patients and 86,3% for the whole series. After evolution of 5172 months/patients, 75% were in functional class I (NYHA). Keywords: heart valves, surgery; myocardial revascularization, surgery

The clinical management and the technique used for removal of intracardiac transfixing foreign body (needles) is described by the autors. It consists of manually involving the heart and expression of its inferior wall against the anterior in order to direct the path of the object through the myocardium. Special emphasis is given to the visualization of the site where the object tends to externalize, aiming to prevent the eventual injuries of the coronary arterial system. Keywords: foreign bodies, intracardiac, surgery for removal

Keywords: intruments, auxiliar, for cardiovascular surgery