Volume 4 - Número 1

A new corrective surgery for truncus arteriosus (TA) without the use of extracardiac conduit was employed in 7 patients with truncus (TA) type I in 6 cases and type II in 1 case, aged from two to nine months. The common TA was septated with a patch into aortic and pulmonary segments and the ventricular septal defect was closed through ventriculotomy; a direct anastomosis between the pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle was performed, the anterior wall of this, being contructed with a patch with a monocusp valve. There was one imediate postoperative death. In the surviving six patients the RV/LV postoperative peak systolic was less than 0.51 in five and 0.60 in one with residual VSD; all are in functional class I, in postoperative period between one and fourteen months. Based in these results we propose this technique for patients with type I or II, in the first year of life. Keywords: truncus arteriosus, surgery

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in low-birth-weight premature infants has been associated with congestive heart failure, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, intracranial hemorrhage, and death. Surgical ligation of the PDA in these infants has improved lung compliance, decreased the duration of assisted ventilation, and increased nutritional utilization. After the introduction of indomethacin for the pharmacological interruption of the PDA in the last decade, several studies have been reported which attempted to establish advantages of the pharmacological treatment over the surgical ligature. The purpose of our study is to compare the results obtained in 48 consecutive patients (Group 1) who underwent surgical ligature of the PDA in the last 8 years, with 28 patients (Group 2), who underwent indomethacin therapy. The mean gestational age of Group 1 was 29.13 ± 2.33 weeks (range, 24-34 weeks), and 28.39 ± 2.30 weeks (range, 25-32 weeks) in Group 2. The mean birth weight was 954.17 ± 220.86 g (range, 540-1750 g) in Group 1, and 923.21 ± 191.74 g (range 550-1400 g) in Group 2. Thirty three (60.75%) pts. from Group 1 weighed 1,000 g or less, and 21 pts. from Group 2 (75.0%) weighed less than 1,000 g. Nine pts. (32.1%) from Group 2 received indomethacin previously and were transferred to Group 1, due to failure to close the PDA or due to drug intolerance. Ligation of the PDA was performed in the neonatology intensive care unit, in 31 pts. (64.5%). Usually a small postero-lateral thoracotomy, with preservation of the latissimus dorsi and anterior serratus muscles, with thorax access through the 3rd or 4th intercostal spaces. The ductus is isolated by an extrapleural path, and ligated with two or three a medium hemoclips. In our early experience pleural drainage was employed routinely in all patients. Later, it was used only when the pleura was inadvertently opened, and more recently pleural drainage was used only in patients who had preexisting pneumothorax or excessive bleeding. The overall mortality in Group 1 was 18.75% (9 pts.) and in Group 2 was 25.0% (7 pts.). Four patients from Group 2 who were transferred to Group 1, died. Causes of death in Group 1, included sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis and focal perforations, and pneumothorax. Patients who weighed more than 1,000 g had a better survival and a shorter period of assisted ventilation than patients weighing less than 1,000 g. Despite the problems of comparison between the two groups, and limited conclusions that can be drawn from a retrospective and non randomized study, we believe that surgical ligature for PDA was associated with significant less morbidity and mortality, than patients treated with indomethacin. Keywords: patent ductus arteriosus, surgery

Cardiomyoplasty is a new approach to the treatment of cardiac insufficiency and its objetive is a control of congestive failure state by the increase of ventricular pumping performance due to improved contractility of the failing heart. At the Heart Institute, from May to December of 1988, latissimus dorsi cardiomyoplasty was performed in 5 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The patients were in NYHA. class III or IV despite maximal medical therapy. Etiology was idiopathic in four and due to Chagas' disease in one patient. The mean cardiothoracic ratio was 58 ± 2% and the resting left ventricular ejection fraction (Thecnetium) ranged from 19 to 29%. The operation was performed without extracorporeal circulation and the left latissimus dorsi muscle was wrapped around the right and left ventricles. There were no operative deaths. On the other hand, the loss of muscle flap contraction occurred in one patient due to latissimus dorsi ischemia and this patient died two months later in congestive heart failure. In follow-up ranging from 4 to 9 months, 4 patients that completed the muscle conditioning protocol were in NYHA class I or II with lesser amounts of drugs. Maximal oxygen consumption in treadmill test increased from 13.4 ± 0.8 to 20.6 ± 2.3 ml/min/kg and resting ejection fraction from 23.7 ± 4.2 to 34 ± 7.3%. Hemodynamic evaluation showed that pulmonary wedge pressure decreased from 23.5 ± to 13.2 ± 5.4 mmHg and that stroke work index increased from 15.8 ± 4.2 to 26 ± 7.4 g.M/M2. Finally, pulmonary functional test showed that vital capacity decreased 15 ± 4% and a reduction of left lung ventilation was observed after cardiomyoplasty. From these findings, we conclude that cardiomyoplasty may improve ventricular function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, leading to reversion of congestive failure. Surgical morbidity appears to be restricted to muscle flap damage and pulmonary function changes due to muscle flap presence in the left hemithorax. Keywords: cardiomyoplasty; cardiomyopathies, surgery

The authors present the results obtained in the first 30 day P.O. of 204 patients who underwent reoperations for coronary atherosclerosis. The interval between first and second operation varied from 1 month to 16.5 years. There was also two small groups of patients of third intervention and with associated cardiac lesions. The basic strategy consisted on anticoagulation, the aplication of the mammary arteries (one or two) whenever possible, and revascularization as complete as possible. Most patients showed uneventfull evolution and a quarter of them presented some kind of non-fatal complication with good response to specific therapeutic measures. The overall mortality was about 9%. Patients with atherosclerotic lesions in native coronary circulation presented the greater morbidity, but in those with atherosclerotic lesions both in the grafts and coronary native circulation, the mortality was higher. Contrary to expectation, the younger group showed higher mortality, and the older group presented higher morbidity. The aplication of the IMA's on the reintervention does not add morbidity or mortality, but the concomitant correction of the associated cardiac pathologies represented a higher risk in the procedure. Recent myocardial infarction influenced also morbidity. The third intervention, failure transluminal angioplastic coronary dilatation and the presence of previous IMA does not exert deleterious impact on the morbidity or mortality. Keywords: myocardial revascularization, reoperation

From January/1983 to March/1988, 1512 patients were submitted to valve replacement in the Instituto do Coração, Of these, 28 (1.8%) presented endocarditis in a valvular prosthesis. Seventeen patients were males, their ages varying from 18 to 67 years, with an average and standard deviation of 36.7 ± 12.9. The evolution of the functional class (F. C.) revealed 11 patients in (F. C.) IV, 12 in F. C. III and 5 in F. C. II (NYHA). Eight (28.5%) patients were operated on under emergency conditions. One patient had a mechanical valve and 27 had biological valves. The blood cultures were positive in 14 (50%) patients, the agent most commonly found being Streptococcus viridans (5 cases). Preoperative echocardiogram in 27 patients showed good correlation with the surgical findings in 26 (96.2%). At surgery, 17 patients presented vegetations in the prosthesis and 11 had an abscess in the valvular ring. Bioprosthesis were used as valvular replacement in 27 patients (96,4%). Immediate mortality was 28,5% (8 patients), one death occurring later. An analysis of the association between death, time from onset of the endocarditis, surgical conditions and result of the cultures was carried out by the Chi-Squared (?2) test. We conclude that the clinical preoperative conditions influence decisively the surgical results. Surgery under emergency conditions has the poorest results because of the patient's more critical condition: the more premature cases of endocarditis are also the more severe. Manipulation of infectious foci in patients with a valvular prosthesis should be careful and preceded by antibiotic administration. The longterm evolution of the surviving patients demonstrated significant functional class improvement. Keywords: endocarditis, surgery; heart valves prosthesis, surgery

Since August 1987, at the Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia (IDPC) percutaneous mitral and aortic valvuloplasty was performed in 27 patients. In 26 for mitral and in 1 for aortic valve disease. In 26 patients mitral valvuloplasties success was accomplished in 14 patients. From those we had some complications in 4. The success was not total in 3 patients. One patient with mitral insufficiency refused surgery; the second one underwent surgery, and the third one is assymptomatic but without increase in valve area or drop in the gradient and will be reviewed. The last 9 patients underwent surgery. Six underwent commissurotomy and papilotomy and 3, valve replacement. The surgical indications were: cardiac tamponade in one, papilary muscle rupture in another one, low cardie output in 1 and puncture of the aorta in 4 cases. The catheter did not reach the left atrium in the last 2 cases and the hypothesis of cardiac tamponade was suspected, but not confirmed. The patient who underwent aortic valvuloplasty had the gradient dropped, but died one month later, in heart failure. Percutaneous valvuloplasty is an alternative treatment for patients with mitral or aortic valve stenosis without calcification or alterations of the subvalvar apparatus, mainly in those cases in which the surgery is of high risk like the elderly, in patient with renal and chronic lung diseases. Keywords: percutaneous valvuloplasty, surgery; heart valves, surgery

The authors describe the experience with surgical treatment of 42 patients with ventricular septal rupture (VSR) in post acute myocardial infarction (AMI). They showed increased mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock (66.6%) with respect to others (9.5%). Sudden descompensations in patients hemodinamically stable were indications to early surgeries, if possible when the diagnosis of ventricular septum rupture (VSR) was made. The compromise of multiple coronary arteries and advanced age were considered as aggravating factors in the prognosis of surgery. The same prognosis did not occur regarding pulmonary/systemic flow and shunt E-D. The technique of exposure in both ventricular cavity and reinforcement in the both sides of the ruptured septum with biological tissue offered good results in the correction of posterior VSR. Keywords: ventricular disruption, surgery; ventricular septal defect, surgery; myocardial infarct, surgery

Between 1979 and 1988 four fatal cases of left ventricular disruption after mitral valve replacement were registered among 332 patients submitted to mitral valve replacement, with two different types of porcine prosthesis in isolated or combined operations. All patients were elderly women (mean age 58) with predominant mitral insufficiency. Complications occurred after isolated MVR in 3 patients and in 1 patient after MVR combined with coronary artery by-pass. Damage appeared to have been caused by rhythmical pulling exerted by sorrounding myocardium against a hypocinetic ventricular wall locally ischemic by compression of a viciously positioned prosthesis. The mis-evaluation of the mitral annulus was induced by the usage of innadequate sizers used in profoundly relaxed heart under cardioplegia. The profile of the prosthesis probably influenced the type of lesion. Modifications in the sizer's head and the usage of flexible and malleable sizer-holders, that could permit a more accurate position of sizer's head in the mitral annulus are suggested. Possible etiological co-factors are: elderly patients, particularly women, with myocardial lesions secondary to overzealous resection of papillary posterior muscle or of the mitral cusp, and the loss of the internal buttress of the myocardium after resection of subvalvar apparatus (untethered ventricle). Preserving chordae tendinae of the annulus of mural leaflet could help the prevention of these complications. Keywords: ventricular disruption, surgery; heart valves, surgery

The clinical results of an aortic heterograft model (Biocor) was evaluated in a series of 150 patients, operated upon from 1982 to 1988 and followed-up for until 7 years post-operatively. Sixty-two were female and 88 male. Age ranged from 15 to 81 (m = 51.6) years. There were 9 in functional class II, 120 in III and 21 in IV. In the isolated mitral position there were 46 implants, aortic isolated 50, multiple 30 and 24 associated with myocardial revascularization (5 mitral and 19 aortic). Hospital mortality was 12% (18 cases). Twenty seven patients were lost for late follow-up. Late mortality was 2.6% (4 cases), caused by rena! failure, meningoencefalitis, congestive heart failure and pulmonary embolism. There were 5 (3.3%), due to infectious endocarditis, paravalvular leaks, primary tissue failure (2 cases at ages 15 and 25). Three others patients presented clinical signs of mild regurgitation and were not reoperated. The actuarial survival curves showed a probability of survival and probability of no surgical events, respectively, for the whole group: 82.9 ± 3.7 years and 70.1 ± 6.7 years, for the aortic group: 88.0 ± 5.6% and 60.4 ± 17.4%, for the mitral group: 87.3 ± 5.6% and 70.9 ± 11.1%. At the last clinical evaluation, there were 82 patients in functional class I, 17 in II and 2 in III. Bioprosthesis attributed failures occurred in 21.4% of the patients operated upon, younger than 30 years, 1.1% between 31 and 60 years, and 2% in the older than 61 years. Male sex was related to 4.5% of failures and female, 1.6%. There was no difference between the mitral, aortic, or multiple groups. The bioprosthesis evaluated, for a follow-up of 7 years, presented good results. Causes of failure were usually related to age, infection or leaking, at a low incidence in the study period. Longer observation, however, is still advisable for definitive conclusions. Keywords: heart valves, biologic; heart valves prostheses, surgery

The authors report a case of massive pulmonary thromboembolism in a 63 year old patient with a severe impairment of hemodynamic condition. The clinical diagnostic was confirmed by 2D echo and the patient underwent successful pulmonary embolectomy, 52 hours after admission and was discharged on the 34rd postoperative day. Keywords: pulmonary thromboembolism, surgery

Acquired aneurysm of the ascending aorta is a rare condition in the pediatric age group. The authors present two cases of 6 and 12 year old boys with saccular aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic stenosis, which underwent successful surgical correction. Keywords: aneurysms of the ascending aorta, surgery, children