Miguel Barbero-Marcial

Congenital atresia of the ostium of the left coronary artery. Diagnostic difficulty and successful surgical revascularization in two patients

We report two cases of congenital atresia of the ostium of the left coronary artery. Case 1: a six-month-old infant presenting with serious cardiac insufficiency. A noninvasive diagnosis of dilated myocardiopathy was established and the clinical picture was pharmacologically compensated. When the patient was nine months of age, a hemodynamic study was performed that revealed congenital atresia of the ostium of the left coronary artery; the infant immediately underwent a successful anastomosis of the internal mammary artery with the left coronary artery. Case 2: an eleven-year-old asymptomatic boy with a history of heart murmur from the age of six months on, was referred for surgery with a diagnosis of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from pulmonary trunk. A definitive diagnosis of atresia of the left coronary ostium was only established during surgery. Successful surgical revascularization with the left internal mammary artery, and left ventricular aneurysmectomy were performed.

First use of hypertonic saline dextran in children: a study in safety and effectiveness for atrial septal defect surgery.

Hypertonic saline dextran (7.5% NaCl + 6% Dextran-70) has been used in adults in several studies and shown beneficial effects in hypovolemic shock, trauma, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac surgery. There have never been studies of this solution in children. This work studies its effect in children undergoing surgery for the correction of atrial septal defects. Twenty-five children underwent correction of atrial septal defect using cardiopulmonary bypass with bloodless priming. Children were divided in five groups and each received an incremental hypertonic saline dextran dose of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mL/kg, 5 min before the beginning of cardiopulmonary bypass. Collected data were fluid balance, amount of bleeding, blood/derivative transfusion occurrence, plasma sodium, and hematocrit. Patients were divided into low-dose (0–1 mL/kg) and high-dose (2–4 mL/kg) groups. Analysis of variance was used to determine differences in blood loss between groups. The fluid balance and blood/derivative requirements were compared through Students t test and Fishers exact test (2-tail), respectively. All patients were discharged from hospital with corrected atrial septal defect. No hypertonic saline dextran-related complications occurred. There were no differences in the amount of bleeding. The high-dose group exhibited a significant decrease in fluid balance and in blood/derivative requirements in comparison with the low-dose group. In this study, the use of hypertonic saline dextran in the pediatric population submitted to cardiopulmonary bypass is safe and does not raise the amount of bleeding. Its effective doses produce negative fluid balance and reduce blood/derivative requirements.

Tratamento Cirúrgico da Embolização de Coil para Artéria Pulmonar Após Tentativa de Fechamento Percutâneo do Canal Arterial

bulha no foco pulmonar era hiperfonetica.Auscultava-se sopro continuo de grande intensidade no bordo esternalesquerdo alto, acompanhado de fremito de igual intensidade. A auscul-ta pulmonar era normal e nao havia visceromegalias.O eletrocardiograma demonstrou ritmo sinusal com frequenciacardiaca de 120 bpm, sinais de sobrecarga ventricular esquerda ealteracoes difusas da repolarizacao ventricular. A radiografia simplesde torax mostrava aumento discreto da area cardiaca, com abau-lamento do arco medio e acentuacao da vascularidade pulmonar,principalmente na regiao hilar.O ecocardiograma bidimensional com Doppler confirmou asuspeita clinica de persistencia do canal arterial com hiperfluxopulmonar, mensurando-o em 4,5mm de diâmetro e o caracteri-zando como de moderada repercussao hemodinâmica.Optou-se pelo fechamento do canal arterial atraves do trata-mento percutâneo. Em face da grande dimensao do canal arterial,foram utilizadas tres molas de Gianturco

Heart transplantation in neonates and children. Intermediate-term results

OBJECTIVEnTo assess intermediate-term outcome in children who have undergone orthotopic heart transplantation.nnnMETHODSnWe carried out a longitudinal and prospective study between October 92 and June 99 comprising 20 patients with ages ranging from 12 days to 7 years (mean of 2.8 years). We employed a double immunosuppression protocol with cyclosporine and azathioprine and induction therapy with polyclonal antithymocyte serum. Survival and complications resulting from the immunosuppression protocol were analyzed.nnnRESULTSnThe double immunosuppression protocol and the induction therapy with polyclonal antithymocyte serum resulted in an actuarial survival curve of 90% and 78.2% at 1 and 6 years, respectively, with a mean follow-up period of 3.6 years. One patient died due to acute rejection 40 days after transplantation; another patient died 2 years after transplantation due to lymphoproliferative disorder; a third patient died because of primary failure of the graft; and a fourth patient died due to bronchopneumonia. The major complications were as follows: acute rejection, infection, nephrotoxicity, and systemic hypertension. The means of rejection and infection episodes per patient were 2.9 and 3.4, respectively. After one year of transplantation, a slight reduction in the creatinine clearance and systemic hypertension were observed in 7 (38.9%) patients.nnnCONCLUSIONnHeart transplantation made life possible for those patients with complex congenital heart diseases and cardiomyopathies in refractory congestive heart failure constituting a therapeutical option for this group of patients in the terminal phase.

Outcomes of aortic coarctation surgical treatment in adults

OBJECTIVEnThe aim of this study is to describe our experience in aortic coarctation surgery in adult patients by assessing the immediate and mid-term outcomes.nnnMETHODSnFrom January 1987 to March 2000, 50 consecutive adult patients underwent surgery for correction of aortic coarctation, through left lateral thoracotomy. Of these, forty two (84%) patients presented high blood pressure, with mean systolic arterial pressure of 170.56 mmHg (125-220 mmHg). The mean of pressure gradient in the coarctation area was 51.4 mmHg (18-123 mmHg). Other associated surgical cardiovascular diseases were not treated in the same operative act, except in two cases of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Three different techniques were used: aortic coarctation resection with end-to-end anastomosis was performed in 20 (40%) patients, coarctation enlargement with bovine pericardial patch was performed in 22 (44%) patients and synthetic tube interposition was performed in eight (16%) patients.nnnRESULTSnOperative morbidity was low; there was one case of bleeding who required reoperation. The most common immediate postoperative event was high blood pressure (98%), but it was easily controlled by intravenous drugs. There was no hospital death. Mean residual pressure gradient was 18.7 (8-33 mmHg). Patients were discharged in 9.5 days (5-30). Postoperative follow-up mean was 46.8 months (1-145 months) in 45 (91.8%) patients. Forty one (91.1%) of these followed-up patients had normal blood pressure, whereas 75.6% of them without drugs intake. 93.3% of these followed-up patients were asymptomatic. Four of them required further surgical operation, one needed a pacemaker implant, other two patients needed a cardiac valve replacement and one had endocarditis. There was one related death due to sepsis secondary to endocarditis.nnnCONCLUSIONnSurgical treatment of aortic coarctation, even in adult patients, is an efficient therapeutic choice, regardless of the applied surgical technique, with low morbidity and mortality. It reduces efficiently the arterial pressure levels in both immediate and mid-term follow-up.

Drenagem anômala total das veias pulmonares: terapêutica cirúrgica dos tipos anatômicos infracardíaco e misto

OBJECTIVE: To study the in-hospital evolution of patients with the infradiaphragmatic and mixed types of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVD), who underwent surgical therapy. METHODS: Of the 65 patients diagnosed with isolated TAPVD and operated on from December 1993 to March 2002, 7 (10.8%) patients with the mixed and infradiaphragmatic forms were retrospectively selected. Their ages ranged from 5 days to 19 months (mean of 7 months), 5 (71.4%) were males, and their clinical diagnosis was established with 2-dimensional echocardiography. Four (57.1%) patients had the mixed form, which was intrinsic obstructive in 1 patient, with mild stenosis of the left inferior vein. The remaining 3 (42.9%) patients had the obstructive infradiaphragmatic form, extrinsic at the level of the diaphragm. All surgeries were performed through median sternotomy with hypothermic extracorporeal circulation, and total circulatory arrest was required in 2 patients. RESULTS: In-hospital death occurred in 1 patient with infradiaphragmatic TAPVD with connection of the inferior vertical vein with the portal vein. The cause of death was related to multisystem organ failure. In 4 (57.1%) patients, the postoperative period was characterized by the presence of low cardiac output and pulmonary hypertension. CONCLUSION: The result of the surgical correction of this anomaly is associated with acceptable morbidity and mortality, depending on early referral and surgery, without progression of the pulmonary vascular hypertension findings.OBJECTIVEnTo study the in-hospital evolution of patients with the infradiaphragmatic and mixed types of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVD), who underwent surgical therapy.nnnMETHODSnOf the 65 patients diagnosed with isolated TAPVD and operated on from December 1993 to March 2002, 7 (10.8%) patients with the mixed and infradiaphragmatic forms were retrospectively selected. Their ages ranged from 5 days to 19 months (mean of 7 months), 5 (71.4%) were males, and their clinical diagnosis was established with 2-dimensional echocardiography. Four (57.1%) patients had the mixed form, which was intrinsic obstructive in 1 patient, with mild stenosis of the left inferior vein. The remaining 3 (42.9%) patients had the obstructive infradiaphragmatic form, extrinsic at the level of the diaphragm. All surgeries were performed through median sternotomy with hypothermic extracorporeal circulation, and total circulatory arrest was required in 2 patients.nnnRESULTSnIn-hospital death occurred in 1 patient with infradiaphragmatic TAPVD with connection of the inferior vertical vein with the portal vein. The cause of death was related to multisystem organ failure. In 4 (57.1%) patients, the postoperative period was characterized by the presence of low cardiac output and pulmonary hypertension.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe result of the surgical correction of this anomaly is associated with acceptable morbidity and mortality, depending on early referral and surgery, without progression of the pulmonary vascular hypertension findings.

Extubação precoce em cirurgia cardíaca infantil: procedimentos e resultados em seis anos de experiência

Of 441 pediatric patients recovering from surgical repair of congenital heart disease, 372 (84%) were extubated in the operating room immediately after the procedure, using a clinical criteria, cutaneous pO2 saturation and pCO2 in exchanged air. Postoperative complications were not correlated with the procedure, and less pulmonary complications were observed. We concluded that most of pediatric patients, including many of those with complex lesions and preoperative pulmonary hipertension, can safely be extubated early cardiac surgery with minimization of pulmonary complications secondary to mechanical ventilation as well as reduced length of ICU and hospitalary stay, minimizing children and parents stress and hospitalary cost.

Tratamento cirúrgico concomitante de coarctação de aorta e lesões intracardíacas por esternotomia mediana

The association of intracardiac lesions with coarctation of the aorta (CoAo) is a situation that could be repaired in only one surgery by anterior midline approach, despite of sugestion of increased risk if compared with two stage repair. Our experience with this approach is a group of 22 children, with ages ranging from 12d to 18y (48.9m), being 12 male, from Jun 88 to Dec 92. All children had CoAo associated whith different intracardiac lesions like VSD in 12 (isolated in 6; with mitral and subaortic stenosis in 3; with subaortic stenosis in 2 and 1 with mitral regurgitation); aortic and subaortic stenosis in 5, mitral stenosis in 2. All children were operated on by anterior midline approach using cardiopulmonary bypass and profound hypothermia to repair first the CoAo and after the intracardiac lesion. In 17 children the CoAo zone was excised with end to end anastomosis; in 4 the left subclavian flap was used and in 1 a Dacron graft was used. No deaths were observed and the main immediate complications were low cardiac output syndrome in 3 and pneumonia in 2 children. In a follow up period from 1 to 50m (17.7%), 16 children are well and assymptomatic and 4 have incaracteristic chest pain. In the same period, the CoAo repair was evaluated by ECHO with no residual stenosis. In conclusion, the concomitant repair showed good results with low morbidity and no mortality in children with different ages and diagnosis.

Novas técnicas cirúrgicas para o tratamento da atresia pulmonar com comunicação interventricular e anomalias de artérias pulmonares incluindo o assim chamado truncus tipo IV

Fourty-two patients with pulmonary atresia and interventricular septal defect were submited to a partial or total correction, between January 1975 and October 1986, with a range of 2 months to 18 years of age. Three groups were identified: Group A: 34 patients with all bronco-pulmonary segments connected to pulmonary arteries (PA); Group B: 6 patients with some of the bronco-pulmonary segments connected to PAs; Group C: 2 patients with all bronco-pulmonary segments connected to systemic pulmonary collaterals. One to three stages were utilized to perform the proper correction. In Group A 17 were treated in one stage, with 3 deaths; 9 were submitted to a first stage where the pulmonary arteries were reconstructed with an additional Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt, with 1 death. In two of them a second stage for total correction was performed, with no death. In the remaining 8 patients the collateral circulation was ligated and a BT shunt performed, with 1 hospital death. In Group B the first stage joining the intra or extra-pulmonary collaterals was obtained in 6 cases, without death. In two of them a total correction was performed, with 1 death. In group C a three stage operation was done in 1 patient. In the first stage an intermediate arterial segment was constructed between the lobar arteries and the BT shunt. In the second stage the contra-lateral collaterals were joined. The third stage was the establishment of the continuity between the right ventricle and the reconstructed pulmonary circulation with a good result. In the other patient of this group, until now, only the first stage was done. Serial hemodynamic studies were carried out in 32 patients. These proposed techniques demonstrate the possibility of total correction with appropriate righ-to-left ventricular pressure relation.