Domingo Marcolino Braile

Revascularização do miocárdio com cirurgia minimamente invasiva (MIDCAB): resultados em 46 pacientes

Objective: To present the experience with myocardial revascularization by Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Graft via left anterior minithoracotomy without extracorporeal circulation (MIDCAB). Material and Methods: 46 patients were submitted to MIDCAB from February 1997 to January 1998. Everyone has obstructive disease in the proximal portion of the interventricular descending artery (IDA). The technique consisted of a small transverse incision, of about 8.0 cm, traverse, in the left infra-mammary area, allowing good visibility and easy access for dissection of the thoracic internal artery (TIA) and anastomosis with IDA. The evaluation of the results was made by clinical, laboratory and angiographic control. Results: The mean duration of operation was 2 hours with about 18 hours of permanence in ICU and 5 days of maximum hospital stay. There were no intra-operative deaths. There was a case of sudden death after discharge (15o post-operative day). The patients followed did not refer anginal pain. Four cases of TIA occlusion and 2 AIA stenoses were documented, probably secondary to vessel banding during the procedure. There was no correlation between troponin-I blood levels and occlusion of the graft. It was verified that the levels of troponin-I in patients submitted to MIDCAB were significantly lower than in the conventional procedure. There was no significant clinical complication. Conclusions: MIDCAB has proved to be a useful procedure with low morbidity and mortality, with the possibility of shorter hospital stay and consequent lower cost. The low Troponin-I blood levels indicate reduced myocardial injury during the procedure.

Gait Speed improves EuroSCORE II prediction

Traditionally cardiac surgery risk scores have worse performance in elderly patients. Frailty evaluation may improve EuroSCORE II accuracy in predicting morbimortality

Ressecção de mixoma ventricular esquerdo após acidente vascular cerebral embólico

Cardiac myxoma is the most common primary tumor of the heart. The tumor is located mainly in the left atrium but can arise from any heart chamber. Clinical symptoms are variable but dyspnea and embolism are the most frequent. We report a case of a young man that had embolic ischemic stroke caused by a large left ventricular myxoma. The patient underwent surgery three weeks after the stroke. The tumor was carefully resected without fragmentation. Surgical treatment was effective. We emphasize the rarity of this location together with a review of the current literature.

Uso da pressão expiratória final de dióxido de carbono como avaliação do débito cardíaco

Capnography has been recommended as an anesthetic technique and the end-tidal carbon dioxide tension (PETCO2) is available in the operating room. PETCO2 is governed by metabolism, ventilation and circulation. When the first two parameters are controlled, PETCO2 reflects the lung flow, therefore the cardiac output. Studies have shown that PETCO2 lower than 20 mmHg is invariably associated with a cardiac output less than 2 L/min, even if other hemodynamic parameters are appropriate. Further increases in the preload, reduction of the afterload, establishment of an appropriate atrioventricular synchrony or increasing inotropy is necessary to increase PETCO2 above 25 mmHg. A considerable body of literature describes the use of PETCO2 to assess the adequacy of cardiopulmonary resuscitation after cardiac arrest. Besides, attempts have been made to use PETCO2 as an alternative to the thermodilution technique for determining cardiac output. Little has been reported of its use in cardiac surgery. From June 1996 to June 1997 we have studied 200 patients, submitted to CPB suggesting that PETCO2 around 27 mmHg would indicate a cardiac output good enough to wean the patients on the cardiopulmonary circulation so long as other hemodynamic and metabolic parameters were adequate. None of the patients required CPB giving us the impression that end-tidal carbon dioxide tension generally indicates an appropriate cardiac output.