Roberto Catani

Vasoplegic syndrome after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery

OBJECTIVEnThe vasoplegic syndrome (VS) has been implicated in life-threatening complications after open heart surgery, where the whole-body inflammatory reaction is attributed to the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) has been recently achieving growing enthusiasm mainly due avoiding the side effects of CPB. However herein the occurrence of VS in OPCAB is reported.nnnMETHODSnThe vasoplegic syndrome usual findings occurring in the early postoperative period include severe hypotension, tachycardia, normal or elevated cardiac output and low systemic vascular resistance. Four patients underwent to OPCAB presented all the signs of VS intraoperatively or within the first 6 postoperative h.nnnRESULTSnThe patients needed aggressive vasoactive drug support for hemodynamic stabilization and all of them developed complications. These patients also had tendency to require administration of blood and blood derivatives due to diffuse and oozing type bleeding. Mean intensive care unit stay of surviving patients was 70 h and mean period of postoperative hospitalization was 9 days. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha blood levels in one patient were elevated postoperatively though no signs of infection were observed. One patient died.nnnCONCLUSIONSnAlthough vasoplegic syndrome can complicate OPCAB surgery, the rationale for avoiding CPB remains valid considering the benefits provided by OPCAB.

Artéria radial versus veia safena para revascularização do miocárdio: metanálise (não houve diferença estatisticamente significante)

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of radial artery graft with saphenous vein graft to myocardial revascularization, in association with the internal thoracic artery. METHODS: We made a systematic review of literature, using a strategy to search articles applied to MEDLINE and LILACS databases. Two independent researchers have carried through the election of identified articles, evaluating carefully the methodology of articles considered excellent for the subject. Only the randomized controlled trials, with adjusted randomization system have been enclosed. All the situations where the researchers didnt agree there was a consensus meeting. It hasnt been stipulated restriction for postoperative period to graft angiographic evaluation, the vessel treated and enclosed patients characteristics. The results have been expressed as Risk Relative (RR), with 95% of Confidence Interval (CI), to comparison the effectiveness between the radial artery and the saphenous vein. RESULTS: Based in these criteria three studies have been enclosed. We couldnt find statistic difference between grafts patency studied (RR 0.53 [95% IC 0.13 - 2.18]). CONCLUSION: Despite of the studies have good methodological quality, we have not observed a result significant statistically benefiting one of the grafts. The statistical power of the meta-analysis is low, therefore, its necessary more randomized controlled trials, with adjusted sample size to detect possible differences between the considered treatments.

Relação anatômica entre a porção posterior do ânulo mitral e as artérias coronárias: implicações no tratamento cirúrgico

OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to analyze the anatomical relationship among the mitral annulus, the circumflex artery and the posterior left ventricular artery, correlating the distance among the structures mentioned to the pattern of coronary network dominance. METHOD: Eighty-five human hearts, previously preserved in 10% formaldehyde solution, were studied. The coronary network dominance pattern was initially evaluated. Next, atriotomy and left ventriculotomy in the posterior wall of the heart were performed, starting from the lung veins toward the heart apex through the mitral annulus. The atrial wall was removed at the level of the annulus, all around the posterior annulus. Onto the annulus, five points were demarcated: 1 - anterior commissure, 2 - between the anterior commissure and the half-point of the posterior annulus, 3 -half- point of the posterior annulus, 4 - between the half-point of the posterior annulus and the posterior commissure, 5 - posterior commissure. In these points the distance was measured among the structures with an electronic calliper. RESULTS: Right dominance was observed in 81.17% of the cases, balanced dominance in 16.47% and left dominance in 2.35%. Right dominance hearts showed that the area of lower distance between the annulus and the coronary arteries was the anterior commissure, where the circumflex artery was distant to the annulus 3.996 ± 1.865mm while the area of greater distance was the posterior comissure, measuring 7.783 ± 2.615mm. CONCLUSION: This study provided better understanding of the anatomical relationship between the mitral valve and the adjacent coronary arteries, therefore helping cardiac surgeons to prevent operative complications.

Operação de Bentall e De Bono para correção das doenças da raiz aórtica: análise de resultados a longo prazo

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective study was perfomed in a series of consecutive patients who underwent a Bentall and De Bono procedure. Methods: Data were removed of medical records and follow-up data were obtained from clinical records and direct contact with patients. A total of 39 patients were studied between January 1996 and December 2005. RESULTS: The median age was 47 years (range 14-70). There were 33 males and six females. Eleven (25.5%) patients presented Marfan syndrome and one (2.5%) Turner syndrome. Nineteen (48.5%) patients had hypertension, eight (20.5%) had history of smoking, six (15.5%) had history of alcoholism, eight (20.5%) had dyslipidemia, two (5.0%) had diabetes and one (2.56%) had myocardial infarct previously. Twenty-eight (72%) patients were in II-III NYHA class in the moment of the surgery. Annulo-aortic ectasy was present in 14 (35.9%) patients and aortic aneuryms in 16 (41%). The median time in intensive care unit was 8.79 days with range 2-23 days. Four (10.0%) patients underwent an emergency opertation and 35 (90%) elective. The overall hospital mortality was 5% (2/39). The event-free survival is 94.87% at 1 year and 84.61% at in 5 and 10. The median time of follow-up was 46.5 months (range 14-120 months). CONCLUSION: The Bentall and De Bono technique obtained excellent results in the short-term and long-term, which support the continued use of the compositive graft technique as the preferred method of treatament for patients with aortic root disease. Our findings confirm the current literature data.

Miocardiopatia terminal com insuficiência mitral secundária: tratamento com implante de prótese e remodelamento interno do ventrículo esquerdo

OBJECTIVE: To present a new surgical approach that consists of the implantation of a mitral prosthesis smaller than the annulus with traction of the papillary muscles to reduce the sphericalness of the left ventricle. METHODS: Between December 1995 and September 2005, 116 heart disease patients were operated, all of whom were at end-stage despite of full medication. The patients were analysed according to clinical criteria, echocardiographic findings and morphology of the left ventricle. RESULTS: Hospital mortality was 16.3% (19/116) and mid-term follow-up (38 ± 16 months) showed evidence of improvement in the clinical status and some echocardiographic parameters, in particular reduction of the sphericalness of the left ventricle. CONCLUSION: This technique, despite of the high mortality rate, offers a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of patients in refractory heart failure with cardiomyopathy associated to moderate or severe secondary mitral regurgitation.

Estudo comparativo da ultrafiltração convencional e associação de ultrafiltração convencional e modificada na correção de cardiopatias congênitas com alto risco cirúrgico

Surgical correction of complex cardiac malformations that require extended extracorporeal circulation (ECC) increase morbidity/mortality due to water retention and systemic inflammatory reaction. The purpose of this study is to compare the immediate postoperative evolution of patients submitted to conventional ultrafiltration (CUF) during ECC and modified ultrafiltration (MUF) after ECC. Forty-one patients submitted to surgical correction of congenital cardiac disease were divided into 2 groups: G1 - 21 patients with ages from 15 days to 36 months (median 11 months) and weighing from 3.6 kg (M: 7.27 ± 3.07), operated on between 1996 and 1997 were submitted to CUF; G2 - 20 patients with ages ranging from 9 days to 36 months (median 5.5) and weighing from 2.2 to 12 kg (M: 5.7±2.5) operated on between 1997 and 1998 were submitted to CUF + MUF. Among the most frequent surgeries were: ventriculoseptoplasty, 15 (36.58) cases; Jatenes surgery, 10 (24.38) cases; correction of septal A-V defect, 7 (17.08) cases, etc. Statistical analysis regarding age, weight and surgical complexity showed similarity between the groups. There were 6 (28.58) deaths in G1 and 4 (20.08) in G2, p= 0.71. The mean ultrafiltered volume in G1 (CUF) was 143.3 ml and 227.0 ml in G2 (CUF+MUF) p<0.001, showing a statistically significant difference. However, the mean time of mechanical ventilation (G1: 94.8 h and G2: 95.6 h, p= 0.97), mean time of inotropic drug use (G1: 145.2 h and G2: 137.6 h, p=0.85), mean time stay in Intensive Care Unit (G1: 169.6 h and G2: 157.8 h, p= 0.79) and mean time of hospital stay (G1: 14.8 d and G2: 14.6 d, p= 0.95) did not show significant differences between the groups. The CUF technique used for more than 8 years on our Service showed similar results when compared with the CUF + MUF association. MUF was efficient regarding removal of body water after ECC without intercurrent episodes due to the method. Possibly a randomized study on a greater number of patients would allow to detect differences between the two methods.

Revascularização miocárdica e restauração ventricular por meio da pacopexia

OBJECTIVE: To analyze left ventricle performance after myocardial revascularization associated to ventricular geometrics restoration by pacopexy in schemic myocardiopathy patients with significant ventricular dysfunction in whom ventricular restoration was obtained through special technique. METHODS: Myocardial revascularization associated to ventricular geometrics restoration through special technique, with no use of prosthesis or other synthetic materials. RESULTS: Patientsx92 functional class was shown to have improved 93.10% after surgical procedure. Pre- and post-surgical comparison showed significant increase in left ventricle ejection fraction as well as decrease in left ventricle systolic diameter. No significant change was observed in left ventricle diastolic diameter or systolic volume. Post-surgical follow-up time length ranged from 1 month to 3 years and 4 months. CONCLUSION: Ventricular dysfunction restoration technique through pacopexy showed to be effective for the management of severe ventricular dysfunction from schemic causes. Major impact was observed in the functional class of patients under study.

Coronary artery and myocardial inflammatory reaction induced by intracoronary stent

Background: Intra-coronary stents have been extensively employed in percutaneous coronary revascularization. However, despite breakthroughs and developments associated to this new technology, novel complications and findings have emerged compelling the cardiac surgeon to cope with this new scenario. The presence of an intra-coronary foreign body (stent) might induce an inflammatory reaction carrying functional and structural repercussions of the coronary artery and surrounding cardiac muscle. Method: Patients, who had previously undergone stent implantation (6 to 18 months) and were submitted to coronary artery bypass surgery, had biopsies taken from the grafted coronary artery distal to the stent and from the adjacent muscle. The collected samples were processed and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and histologically studied. Results: The histology of the coronary artery distal to the stent revealed chronic inflammatory processes and an intimal acute inflammatory infiltrate, with polymorphonuclear leukocytes even at long term follow-up, 12 months after stent implantation, disclosing an ongoing inflammatory process. The myocardium adjacent to the stent implantation site exhibited a significant chronic inflammatory infiltrate and fibrosis compatible with myocarditis. Conclusion: The presence of an intra-coronary stent induces an acute and chronic inflammatory reaction, even over the long term, with involvement of the distal coronary artery and surrounding myocardium. Further studies are necessary to assess the inflammatory process extension and its consequences.

Tratamento da persistência de canal arterial em recém-nascidos prematuros: análise clínica e cirúrgica

BACKGROUND: The surgical treatment of patency ductus arteriosus is indicated when the clinical intervention fails. However, this treatment may have some complications. OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinical and surgical aspects involved on the treatment of patency ductus arteriosus in premature newborn. METHODS: Twenty two premature newborns, submitted to surgical treatment for patency ductus arteriosus from January, 2000 to June, 2006, were evaluated. There were 77,3% female patients, the mean birth weight was 952,5g and the mean gestational age was 27 weeks. The use of vasoactive drugs, indometacin, echocardiograph parameters and complications, in the pre and postoperative periods were evaluated. RESULTS: In this casuistic 59,1% patients needed intratracheal intubation at birth, 77,3% needed surfactants, 59,1% used vasoactive drugs preoperative. The mean doses of indometacin were 3,43, with dose range 0,1 to 0,25 mg/Kg/day. The mean caliber of arterial duct patent was 1,96 mm. The surgical procedure was carried out through extrapleural approach in 59.1% of the patients, the mean time of postoperative intubation was 30,9 days, and 50% of the patients used vasoactive drugs postoperative. There were 18,1% postoperative complications (postoperative non-fatal complications). CONCLUSION: More than the half of the patients needed intratracheal intubation at birth, surfactant use and vasoactive drugs in the preoperative period. There was greater prevalence of the extrapleural approach during the surgery. In the postoperative period, there was less demand of vasoactive use and there was not deaths related to the surgical procedure.

Transplante cardíaco e neoplasias: experiência na Escola Paulista de Medicina da Universidade Federal de São Paulo

OBJECTIVEnTo study the occurrence and types of neoplasms developed by patients who underwent an orthotopic cardiac transplantation under the Program of Cardiac Transplantation of Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo.nnnMETHODSnThis is an observational study of 106 patients who underwent orthotopic cardiac transplantation from November 1986 to September 2002 and survived at least thirty days following the procedure. The triple immunosuppressive regimen given included cyclosporin A, azathioprine and a corticosteroid agent. Only two patients received OKT3 in addition to the regimen established. Mean follow-up was 61.4 months (ranging from two months to 192 months).nnnRESULTSnTwenty-three patients (21.3%) developed neoplasms--56.5% of these were skin neoplasm, 30.1%, solid tumors, and 13.4% of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). Mean interval between transplantation and diagnosis of neoplasm was: 54.9 months for skin neoplasm; 24.8 months for solid tumors and 70.3 months for PTLD.nnnCONCLUSIONnMalignant neoplasms are relatively common in the population studied. Skin cancer was the most common type compared to the other types of neoplasms. Solid tumors were more frequently diagnosed than the lymphoproliferative diseases in the population examined.