Redo mitral valve operation via right minithoracotomy--"no touch" technique

Five patients who had had previous cardiac operations underwent minimally invasive beating heart mitral valve operations via a right minithoracotomy between November 2006 and February 2009. The mean age was 64 ± 10 years and 4 were female. Under general anesthesia with single-lumen ventilation, cardiopulmonary bypass was established using the right femoral artery and vein. Through right minithoracotomy, the left atrium was opened without dissection of pericardial adhesion. The aorta was not cannulated or clamped, using a so-called "No Touch" technique. Four patients had mitral valve replacement and one had mitral ring annuloplasty with the heart beating. Mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 118 ± 38 minutes. There was no early mortality or confirmed stroke. One patient who underwent mitral ring annuloplasty for ischemic mitral regurgitation died 3 months after surgery due to renal failure. At follow-up, New York Heart Association functional class had improved in 3 patients. In conclusion, in our initial series, minimally invasive beating heart redo mitral valve surgery through right minithoracotomy was safely performed with no early mortality.     

Unexpected porcelain aorta after sternotomy for aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery: aortic balloon valvuloplasty as a bail-out procedure

We describe the case of a man requiring aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting in whom a porcelain aorta was detected at surgery. Two coronary artery bypass grafts were done on a heart beating under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Weaning from CPB was impossible owing to the untouched aortic stenosis. A balloon aortic valvuloplasty was performed and CPB successfully weaned. Transapical aortic valve implantation was successfully performed 3 weeks later.     

Robotically assisted multivessel minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting with the use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries.

This case report presents the robotically assisted multivessel minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) technique using the bilateral internal thoracic arteries. A 54-year-old man with multivessel coronary artery disease was considered eligible for a robotically assisted myocardial revascularization. The bilateral internal thoracic arteries were harvested completely in a totally skeletonized fashion through three 1-2-cm-long incisions on the left thoracic wall. A small left anterior thoracotomy was then performed. The left internal thoracic artery was anastomosed to the left anterior descending coronary artery, and the composite radial artery graft from the right internal thoracic artery was sequentially anastomosed to the first diagonal branch, the obtuse marginal branch, and the distal right coronary artery on the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass. The harvesting time of the grafts was 66 min, and the total operative time was 5 h 58 min. Postoperative angiography revealed that all grafts were widely patent. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 10 days after the operation. Robotically assisted MIDCAB using the bilateral thoracic arteries is a safe and effective means of myocardial revascularization for patients with multivesssel disease.     

Coronary surgery in patients with porcelain aorta.

Four patients with unstable angina due to left main or three-vessel disease scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting were found intra-operatively to have porcelain ascending aorta, defined as massive calcification of the ascending aorta from the aortic valve to the transverse arch, precluding ascending aorta cannulation or clamping. A no-touch operative technique was applied using the two internal mammary arteries in three cases, with complementary Y-grafting when necessary. Three cases underwent off-pump myocardial revascularization. The fourth case was revascularized with pump-assisted beating heart and proximal saphenous graft anastomosis with an automatic connector. There was no mortality or neurologic morbidity and all patients were discharged home before post-operative day 8.     

Routine intraoperative angiography improves the early patency of coronary grafts performed on the beating heart

OBJECTIVES: The techniques of performing coronary revascularization without cardiopulmonary bypass are rapidly evolving. However, concern remains regarding the accuracy of coronary artery anastomoses performed on the beating heart. This report reviews the use of intraoperative angiography in the critical appraisal of "off-pump" coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. PATIENTS: Intraoperative angiography was performed in 24 consecutive patients undergoing CABG surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass. In all, 24 left internal mammary artery (LIMA) grafts and 18 saphenous vein bypass grafts were assessed for patency, anastomosis quality, distal and proximal runoff, and correct placement. RESULTS: All of the saphenous vein-to-coronary artery anastomoses were widely patent, although two patients (8%) required revision of their LIMA grafts on the basis of angiographic findings. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative angiography permits the surgeon to immediately appraise the CABG and to revise, if necessary, any graft abnormality, thus potentially eliminating the need for early repeated surgery. The practice of routine intraoperative angiography is likely to improve the outcome of CABG surgery on the beating heart.     

Coronary-pulmonary arteriovenous fistula used as proximal anastomotic site for saphenous vein grafts in patient with porcelain aorta

Coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with porcelain aorta and calcified great vessels is associated with a high risk of systemic embolism. Various techniques have been suggested to minimize that risk. We describe the case of a patient with left main coronary disease and a severely calcified ascending aorta, who could not undergo cardiopulmonary bypass. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st reported use of a congenital coronary-pulmonary arteriovenous fistula as a proximal anastomotic site for saphenous vein grafts, to achieve optimal revascularization in a patient with porcelain aorta.     

右胸小切口不阻断升主动脉和腔静脉心脏跳动下二尖瓣置换术

目的探讨右胸小切口不阻断升主动脉和腔静脉在心脏跳动下二尖瓣置换术的可行性。方法2009年4月至2010年3月,11例患者经右胸前外侧小切口（6-10cm）,经股动脉插管,上、下腔静脉插管建立体外循环。不阻断升主动脉和腔静脉,在心脏跳动下,经房间沟-左房切口行二尖瓣置换术。置换瓣膜均为机械二尖瓣。结果术后患者全部治愈。体外循环转机时间（52．80±11．36）min,呼吸机辅助时间（8．20±2．84）h,术后输（2．20±1．04）u浓缩红细胞。术后无神经系统并发症,复查心脏彩色多普勒超声均提示机械二尖瓣启闭良好,无机械瓣周漏。结论右胸小切口不阻断升主动脉和腔静脉,在心脏跳动下二尖瓣置换手术可行。该方法具有保持胸廓完整性、创伤小、恢复快的优势。     

Anaesthetic considerations for noncoronary surgery on a perfused beating heart under cardiopulmonary bypass

Myocardial revascularisation on a beating heart with or without cardiopulmonary bypass has significantly reduced the incidence of cardioplegic myocardial injury. With this advantage in view, noncoronary open heart surgery was performed on a beating heart under cardiopulmonary bypass. We discuss the anaesthetic management of such cases. Thirty-three patients aged 14-56 years underwent open heart surgery on a perfused beating heart. Eleven of them underwent open mitral valvotomy, eighteen underwent mitral valve replacement, repair of atrial septal defect was performed in 3 patients and one had removal of left atrial myxoma. Cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted with aortic and bicaval cannulation. At normothermia, aorta was cross-clamped and continuous coronary perfusion was maintained through an aortic root needle at a rate of 4-6 mL/Kg/minute facilitating a beating heart. Trans-oesophageal echocardiography was routinely deployed. Anaesthetic considerations were focused towards the maintenance of the beating state of the heart, that included, strict control of electrolyte balance, maintenance of adequate perfusion pressure and ST segment monitoring. All the patients could be weaned off cardiopulmonary bypass without defibrillation or significant inotropic support. There was no operative mortality. Open heart surgery on a beating heart for non-coronary cardiac conditions appears to be a good and reproducible option to protect the myocardium from deleterious effects of cardioplegic arrest.     

Repair of anomalous pulmonary artery with interposition graft: midterm results

Anomalous pulmonary artery arising from the aorta is a rare congenital anomaly. The midterm results of repair of this malformation by Gore-Tex graft interposition were examined in 5 patients: 3 with anomalous right pulmonary artery and 2 with anomalous left pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta. Echocardiography was adequate in 4 cases for diagnosis, planning the operation, and follow-up. Angiography was needed for diagnosis in one case where the echocardiographic findings were unclear. The mean follow-up period was 4 years. One patient with tracheoesophageal fistula and cardiac malformation died 2 months after the operation due to multi-organ failure. Three patients needed re-operation because of graft narrowing, and one was without problems 5.2 years postoperatively. In anomalous pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta, repair should be performed as early as possible to prevent pulmonary hypertensive changes. When the anomalous pulmonary artery cannot be anastomosed directly to the main pulmonary artery, an interposition graft can be placed safely without cardiopulmonary bypass. With appropriate follow-up, this can be a satisfactory solution, although it carries the risk of re-operation due to graft narrowing.     

Transapical aortic valve implantation and 'off-pump' arterial coronary bypass in a patient with a porcelain aorta

A simple hybrid procedure, namely transapical aortic valve implantation combined with 'off-pump' coronary artery bypass using an internal thoracic artery, was performed in a patient with porcelain aorta, aortic valve stenosis and coronary artery disease. This approach does not require cardiopulmonary bypass, and avoids aortic or peripheral arterial cannulation and clamping of the aorta. This hybrid approach can be regarded as a 'new technique' being applied to an 'old idea'.     

Angioplasty-bypass surgery combination therapy: case study of an elderly patient with unstable angina and colon cancer.

An 83-year-old man was admitted with refractory unstable angina and severe anemia. Colonofiberscopy revealed hemorrhagic colon cancer in the transverse colon. Coronary angiography showed total occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA), diffuse, calcified 90% stenosis of the middle portion of the left anterior descending artery (LAD); and fair collaterals from the LAD to the RCA. Coronary revascularization was considered prior to colectomy, but because of the patient's advanced age and hemorrhagic cancer, conventional coronary aorta bypass grafting (CABG) using extracorporeal circulation, as well as coronary stenting requiring antiplatelet therapy, were regarded as inadvisable. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for the LAD carried the risk of suboptimal coronary stenting. Thus, the patient was first treated with PTCA for the occluded RCA, followed 7 days later by a left internal thoracic artery graft to the LAD on the beating heart without extracorporeal circulation. The patient was stable thereafter. This approach to coronary revascularization may be suitable for patients for whom anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy are contraindicated, or when complete revascularization would be difficult with CABG or PTCA alone.     

Takayasu's arteritis with ostial and left main coronary artery stenosis

Takayasu's arteritis with coronary artery involvement is rare, and there is little published information on the subject. Coronary angiographic and histopathologic studies have revealed coronary artery lesions in 9% to 11% of cases. Coronary artery involvement consists mostly of stenosis or occlusion of the coronary ostia. We report the case of a 19-year-old woman who presented with crescendo angina. Upon investigation, we found that our patient had ostial and left main coronary arterial stenosis with left-dominant circulation; therefore, we decided that an arterial Y graft, performed on a beating heart, would provide better perfusion to the compromised myocardium than would a single graft to the left anterior descending artery. In addition, use of the Y graft obviated the need to perform a proximal anastomosis on an inflamed, edematous ascending aorta, and it conferred long-term graft patency of the internal mammary arteries. Timely coronary artery bypass grafting relieved our patient's angina, and in early follow-up she has shown good effort tolerance.     

Effects of aortic balloon pumping during cardiopulmonary bypass on myocardial perfusion, metabolism, and contractility.

This study was undertaken to determine if the production of pulsatile flow by the intra-aortic balloon pump during cardiopulmonary bypass has any beneficial effect on coronary flow, regional myocardial flow, myocardial metabolism, and left ventricular function. Thirty-six conditioned dogs were subjected to one hour of total normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. They were divided into the following five groups: (1) controls, beating heart and femoral inflow; (2) balloon, beating heart, and femoral inflow; (3) balloon, beating heart, and aortic inflow; (4) control, fibrillating heart and femoral inflow; and (5) balloon, fibrillating heart, and femoral inflow. Total coronary flow, left ventricular flow, coronary sinus flow, and the endocardial-to-epicardial flow ratio increased in group 3. This increase in flow may have been in part due to increased resistance to flow in the descending aorta by the balloon. No differences in flow were noted in the other groups, all of which were perfused via the femoral artery. No significant differences in myocardial metabolism or left ventricular contractility could be demonstrated between balloon-treated and control groups in these normal hearts.     

Coronary surgery of the beating heart. First year of experience in a series of 317 non-selected coronary patients

From May 1999 to May 2000, 317 unselected patients, representing 92.7% of all coronary artery surgery procedures, underwent open heart surgery of the beating heart by median sternotomy with the aid of a cardiac stabilising device. The main preoperative characteristics were: mean age = 66.1 years; men = 78.9%; left main stem disease = 31.8%; mean left ventricular ejection fraction = 54.1%; mean Parsonnet index = 16.9. These 317 patients were compared with a group of 303 patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery the year before by the same surgical team with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardiac standstill. Seven hundred and eighty-six distal anastomoses were carried out in the beating heart group (2.48 grafts per patient) compared with 2.91 in the CPB group: p < 0.001). There were 10.1% single bypass, 37.5% double bypass, 47.3% triple bypass and 5% quadruple bypass procedures. A cardiopulmonary bypass was required in 13 patients (4.1%). The mortality at 30 days was 3.1% versus 4.6% in the CPB group (p = NS). The need for blood transfusion was reduced by nearly 40% in the beating heart group (23.7% versus 39.9%, p < 0.001). The incidence of cerebrovascular complications was reduced from 3% in the CPB group to 0.6% in the beating heart group (p = 0.06). The peak postoperative troponine I levels were much lower in the beating heart group (2.5 versus 6.4 ng/ml, p < 0.001). The authors conclude that surgery on the beating heart is feasible in most patients. Compared with conventional surgery under CPB, there seems to be less requirement for blood transfusion and a tendency to reduce the cerebral risk. Nevertheless, a large prospective randomised trial is required to validate the potential advantages and limitations of this technique with respect to conventional surgery and to determine the optimal indications of surgery on the beating heart.     

右腋下小切口心脏不停跳修补房间隔缺损的临床经验

目的 总结经右腋下直切口行体外循环直视、心脏不停跳下房间隔缺损修补手术的临床经验,探讨其适应证及技术要点。 方法 2011年1月至2016年12月我们共完成92例经右腋下直切口的体外循环心脏直视手术,其中男52例、女40例,患者年龄12个月至28岁,平均(5.2±3.3)岁,体重8.5～52.0(17.9±8.6)kg。其中2例合并部分型肺静脉异位引流,6例存在中度以上肺高压,同期行三尖瓣成形39例。所有手术均在全身麻醉、体外循环心脏不停跳下进行。患者取左侧卧位,切口位于腋中线与腋前线之间,皮肤切口长度约5～8cm,约经第3或第4肋间进胸,切开并悬吊心包,行升主动脉及上、下腔静脉插管建立体外循环,经右心房切口修补房间隔缺损及三尖瓣成形。结果 全组手术均顺利完成,无手术死亡;术中无恶性心律失常和气栓发生,术后无脑部并发症,2例术后出现少量气胸、皮下气肿,1例出现肺不张,1例随访有1～2mm残余分流。结论 右腋下小切口心脏不停跳下心内修补房间隔缺损手术具有安全、可靠,美容效果好、创伤轻、手术时间短以及术后恢复快等优点,患者及家属满意率高,值得临床推广。     

Obstructed coarctation in a right aortic arch in an adult female

Coarctation of a right aortic arch is rare congenital anomaly. We report a rare case of a 24-year-old female with coarctation of the right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery between the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries. The coarctation progressed into complete obstruction as the interruption of the aorta in adulthood. To prevent cerebral complications and progression to heart failure, surgical procedure was selected. Extraanatomical bypass grafting between the ascending and descending aorta was successfully performed using cardiopulmonary bypass. Some patients diagnosed with interruption of the aortic arch in adulthood might be displaying progression of undiagnosed coarctation, as our in case. Three-dimensional computed tomography was useful to detect the obstructive lesion and to determine the surgical approach and methods.     

Revascularization and mitral valve replacement in a patient with porcelain aorta

In cases of severe atherosclerosis of the ascending aorta, alterations in the standard surgical technique are mandatory. We report mitral valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting in a patient with a severely atherosclerotic aorta. Cardiopulmonary bypass was conducted via an arterial cannula in the femoral artery and two single venous cannulas. Coronary artery bypass grafting was performed using bilateral internal thoracic arteries with beating heart in normothermia. The mitral valve was replaced with a mechanical prosthesis during hypothermic fibrillatory arrest.     

Clinical use of a computer-enhanced surgical robotic system for endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart

The aim of the study was to perform endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart using a surgical robotic system. In the study, the surgical system ZEUS was used in combination with 3D visualization for endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting in 25 patients. In a total of 10 cases, the coronary artery anastomosis was done on the beating heart using endoscopic stabilizers without cardiopulmonary bypass. In all cases, total OR time ranged from 4.0 to 8.0 hours (median 5.5 h); the times for endoscopic coronary artery anastomoses ranged from 14 to 50 minutes (median 25 minutes) with no difference between arrested-heart or beating-heart procedures. All patients had an uneventful angiographic control result. An endoscopic coronary artery anastomosis is possible on the arrested as well as on the beating heart.     

Awake off- pump coronary artery bypass surgery in 25 patients

Objectives To test the feasibility of the use of high thoracic epidural anesthesia as a sole anesthetic in patients undergoing off pump coronary artery bypass surgery, avoiding general anesthesia. Methods Between October 2002 to April 2003, twenty five cases underwent beating heart coronary artery revascularization without endotracheal general anesthesia, using high thoracic epidural anesthesia and analgesia. All the patients underwent epidural catheterization on the evening before the surgery. Resuits The patients in all received 71 grafts (single n= 11, double n = 5, triple n = 6, quadruple n =3). Six patients underwent repeat coronary artery bypass. Except one was converted to general anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass, the other patients underwent off- pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery, 2 patients underwent grafting via left thoracotomy (MIDCAB) and the rest through mid sternotomy. There was no mortality. Mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 16 . 2 ( 4.2 hours and hospital was 3.0(1.2 days. Conclusions Our experience confirms the feasibility of performing muhiple coronary artery bypasses in conscious patients without endotracheal general anesthesia.     

Coronary bypass surgery on the beating heart and surgery of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Immediately sequential surgical treatments

The authors report sequential association during the same general anaesthetic of coronary bypass surgery on the beating heart and surgery of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Two aorto-coronary bypass grafts were carried out without cardiopulmonary bypass using the two pediculated internal mammary arteries (without manipulation of the ascending aorta), followed, after closure of the chest and monitoring in the operating theatre for one hour, by reinstallation of the patient for treatment of an infra-renal abdominal aortic aneurysm by classical prosthetic implantation. The postoperative course was uncomplicated. Sequential management of coronary revascularisation without cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic aneurysmal lesions during the same anaesthetic provides an alternative to classical two-stage surgery in selected patients.