Successful Use of Surgically Placed Impella 5.0 and Central Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Circuit in a Patient with Postcardiotomy Shock

The Impella 5.0, a percutaneously inserted left ventricular assist device, has been used to support patients who have severe heart failure or who are undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention. We report our surgical placement of the Impella 5.0, through a graft sewn to the aorta, to unload the left ventricle of a 59-year-old man who was undergoing venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for postcardiotomy shock. The patient underwent successful placement of a long-term left ventricular assist device before his discharge from the hospital. The versatility of the Impella 5.0 is exemplified in this patient who was successfully bridged to long-term support.     

Case Report: A Rare Case of a Giant Right Coronary Artery Aneurysm

We report the case of a 34-year-old female patient with a giant thrombus-filled aneurysm of the right coronary artery presenting as a spherical cardiac mass on echocardiography. The cardiac mass was found to be an 8-cm right coronary artery aneurysm on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, which also revealed a 3.5-cm proximal left coronary aneurysm and a very small aneurysm at the origin of the obtuse marginal coronary artery. Due to the extent and size of the right coronary aneurysm, a decision for surgical intervention was made. Resection of the right coronary artery aneurysm with vein graft replacement and a bypass to the left anterior descending followed by subsequent exclusion of the aneurysm was successfully performed.     

Cardiac Papillary Fibroelastoma: Single-Institution Experience with 14 Surgical Patients

In general, treatment for symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiac papillary fibroelastoma is surgical resection—particularly of left-sided lesions, because of the risk of systemic embolization. However, few institutions have enough experience with these tumors to validate this approach. We present our institutional experience with papillary fibroelastoma and discuss our current approach.We searched our institution''s cardiac tumor database, identified all patients diagnosed with cardiac papillary fibroelastoma from 1992 through 2014, and recorded the clinical and pathologic characteristics of each case. We found 14 patients (mean age, 60.5 ± 12.3 yr) who had 18 lesions. Eleven patients (79%) were symptomatic; however, we could not always definitively associate their symptoms with a cardiac tumor. Most lesions were solitary and ≤1.5 cm in diameter; half involved the left side of the heart. All 18 lesions were surgically excised. There were no operative or 30-day deaths, and no patient needed valve replacement postoperatively. There was one late death; at one year, another 3 patients were lost to follow-up, and the others were alive without tumor recurrence.Because of the embolic risk inherent to intracardiac masses and our relatively good postoperative outcomes, we recommend the surgical resection of all left-sided papillary fibroelastomas in surgical candidates, and we discuss with patients the advisability of resecting right-sided lesions.     

Intra-articular injection of expanded autologous bone marrow mesenchymal cells in moderate and severe knee osteoarthritis is safe: a phase I/II study

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major health problem especially in the aging population. There is a need for safe treatment that restores the cartilage and reduces the symptoms. The use of stem cells is emerging as a possible option for the moderate and severe cases. This study aimed at testing the safety of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) expanded in vitro when given intra-articularly to patients with stage II and III KOA. As a secondary end point, the study tested the ability of these cells to relieve symptoms and restore the knee cartilage in these patients as judged by normalized knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

Thirteen patients with a mean age of 50 years suffering from KOA stages II and III were given two doses of BM-MSCs 1 month apart totaling 61?×?10⁶?±?0.6?×?10⁶ by intra-articular injection in a phase I prospective clinical trial. Each patient was followed for a minimum of 24 months for any adverse events and for clinical outcome using normalized KOOS. Cartilage thickness was assessed by quantitative MRI T2 at 12 months of follow-up.

Results

No severe adverse events were reported up to 24 months follow-up. Normalized KOOS improved significantly. Mean knee cartilage thickness measured by MRI improved significantly.

Conclusion

BM-MSCs given intra-articularly are safe in knee osteoarthrosis. Despite the limited number of patients in this study, the procedure described significantly improved the KOOS and knee cartilage thickness, indicating that they may enhance the functional outcome as well as the structural component.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02118519

     

Right Atrial Tumor Resection and Reconstruction with Use of an Acellular Porcine Bladder Membrane

Malignant cardiac tumors typically have a grave prognosis; their resection with negative margins is optimal. We present the case of a 21-year-old woman in whom we surgically resected a primary cardiac sarcoma and reconstructed the right atrium with use of a porcine urinary bladder membrane—the MatriStem^® Surgical Matrix PSMX. The patient recovered uneventfully. Six months postoperatively, the right atrial wall had retained its integrity. In addition to our patient''s case, we discuss the benefits of using the MatriStem membrane in cardiac reconstruction.     

Total Artificial Heart Implantation after Excision of Right Ventricular Angiosarcoma

Primary cardiac sarcomas, although rare, are aggressive and lethal, requiring thorough surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy for the best possible outcome. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman who underwent total artificial heart implantation for right-sided heart failure caused by right ventricular angiosarcoma. For the first several weeks in intensive care, the patient recovered uneventfully. However, a postoperative liver biopsy indicated hepatocellular injury consistent with preoperative chemotherapy. She developed continuing liver failure, from which she died despite good cardiac function.     

Case Report: Necrosis of the Anterolateral Papillary Muscle–An Unusual Mechanical Complication of Myocardial Infarction

We report the case of a 66-year-old woman with no significant past medical history who presented to the Emergency Department at Houston Methodist Hospital with 24 hours of chest pain. An electrocardiogram was done, an electrocardiogram confirmed a posterolateral ST elevation myocardial infarction. An immediate and successful percutaneous coronary intervention of a totally occluded ramus intermedius was performed. Six hours later she developed pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock, severe acidosis, and anuria. Echocardiography showed severe mitral regurgitation due to a ruptured anterolateral papillary muscle, and emergency surgery revealed necrosis of this muscle. A bioprosthetic mitral valve was placed, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was needed for 3 days. This is a rare mechanical complication of myocardial infarction, which usually affects the posteromedial papillary muscle. The patient subsequently made a good recovery. One month later, just prior to discharge home, the patient developed pneumonia and sepsis, and she expired from multiorgan failure.