Ugur Kaya

Left atrial thrombus following bilobectomy: a case report

IntroductionLeft atrial free floating ball thrombus is a relatively rare event, especially without mitral valve disease.Case presentationA 61-year-old Turkish man was admitted to our hospital with a thrombus mass in his left atrium. Five months earlier, he had undergone right bilobectomy and superior bronchoplasty due to squamous cell carcinoma in the lung. The patient had no evidence of cardiac disease except atrial fibrillation and there were no defined embolizations. The thrombus mass was surgically removed. The patient was discharged from hospital on the sixth postoperative day.ConclusionSurgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is a safe method for treatment. The patient should be medicated with warfarin, especially in the presence of atrial fibrillation.

The impact of coronary artery bypass grafting surgical technique on stroke in young and elderly patients.

BACKGROUND Today, the elderly represent a large and rapidly growing segment of society and are being referred in increasing numbers for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Stroke is a major complication of CABG surgery. The risk of stroke after CABG can be managed successfully, especially in high-risk patients, by choosing an adequate and appropriate surgical technique. METHODS We evaluated 890 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery by the same team between June 2006 and July 2008. The patients were divided by age into 2 groups. Group I consisted of 480 patients <65 years of age, and group II comprised 410 patients >65 years of age. Each group was then divided into 4 subgroups according to the surgical technique used: double-clamp technique (DCT), single-clamp technique (SCT), off-pump, and on-pump cross-clamp off. Preoperative risk factors for stroke and all clinical data were collected for the patients. RESULTS In group I, 192 (40%) of the patients were female, and 288 (60%) were male. In group II, 170 (41.5%) were female, and 240 (58.5%) were male. Five patients in each group experienced stroke, with an incidence of 1.04% in group I (4 men and 1 woman) and 1.21% in group II (3 men and 2 women). The stroke rates of the 2 age groups were not significantly different (P= .802). Three of the 480 patients in group I died, with only 1 (33.3%) of the deaths related to stroke. In group II, however, 2 (50%) of the 4 deaths were related to stroke. The incidences of stroke-associated mortality in the 2 age groups were not significantly different (P=1.0). CONCLUSION Although off-pump and on-pump cross-clamp off techniques were performed for some of the patients, DCT and SCT were used for the majority of the patients. We detected no statistically significant difference between these 2 groups of patients in the impact of applying DCT and SCT on the stroke rate. We conclude that this result was due to the different surgical techniques performed on a minority of the patients (82 patients).

Predictive Value of Mean Platelet Volume in Saphenous Vein Graft Disease

Objective To determine whether mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet count could be used as determinants of mortality following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and patency of saphenous vein grafts (SVG). Methods The records of 128 patients who underwent emergency or elective coronary angiography after CABG surgery, and who died at an early stage were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into three groups as early death, no SVG disease (SVGD), and SVGD group. MPV, PDW, and platelet count were evaluated at different times. Results MPV was significantly higher in the stenotic group than in the nonstenotic group (9.7±1.8 fl and 8.2±0.9 fl, P<0.05). The postoperative MPV ratio was found to be higher in the stenotic group when compared to the preoperative period (9.6±1.8 fl and 7.8±0.9 fl, P<0.05). MPV values were also found to be higher in patients who died during the early stage than in surviving patients (9.4±1.9 fl and 8.0±1.0 fl, P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference regarding platelet count and PDW ratios between the early deaths group and surviving patients. An MPV value higher than 10.6 predicted SVGD with 85% sensitivity and 45% specificity; and an MPV higher than 7.9 predicted early death with 80% sensitivity and 68% specificity were observed. Conclusion MPV may be a useful indicator for the prediction of SVGD and mortality following CABG surgery.

Application of Circular Patch Plasty (Dor Procedure) or Linear Repair Techniques in the Treatment of Left Ventricular Aneurysms

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate early clinical outcomes and echocardiographic measurements of the left ventricle in patients who underwent left ventricular aneurysm repair using two different techniques associated to myocardial revascularization. Methods Eighty-nine patients (74 males, 15 females; mean age 58±8.4 years; range: 41 to 80 years) underwent post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm repair and myocardial revascularization performed between 1996 and 2016. Ventricular reconstruction was performed using endoventricular circular patch plasty (Dor procedure) (n=48; group A) or linear repair technique (n=41; group B). Results Multi-vessel disease in 55 (61.7%) and isolated left anterior descending (LAD) disease in 34 (38.2%) patients were identified. Five (5.6%) patients underwent aneurysmectomy alone, while the remaining 84 (94.3%) patients had aneurysmectomy with bypass. The mean number of grafts per patient was 2.1±1.2 with the Dor procedure and 2.9±1.3 with the linear repair technique. In-hospital mortality occurred in 4.1% and 7.3% in group A and group B, respectively (P>0.05). Conclusion The results of our study demonstrate that post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm repair can be performed with both techniques with acceptable surgical risk and with satisfactory hemodynamic improvement.

Surgical Management of Aortic Coarctation from Infant to Adult

Objective In the present study, we aimed to retrospectively investigate the early and late results of different surgical treatment techniques applied in different age groups with coarctation of the aorta (CoA). Materials and Methods Between January 2007 and February 2017, 26 patients (12 males, 14 females; mean age: 12.2±12.4 years; range: 29 days-34 years) who underwent surgery with the diagnosis of CoA were evaluated. Overall, 11 of these patients (42.3%) were in the infantile period, whereas 15 patients (57.7%) aged between 6 and 34 years. Resection and end-to-end anastomosis were performed in 13 patients (50%). Bypass grafting was performed in six patients (23.1%), and patch plasty was performed in seven patients (26.9%). Results A patient (3.8%) who was operated on during the infantile period died early, whereas another patient (3.8%) died 2 years after the surgery. Recoarctation was detected in two patients. A patient underwent balloon dilatation, whereas another patient underwent balloon dilatation and stenting. In patients who underwent re-section and end-to-end anastomosis based on postoperative echocardiography results during follow-up, a lower statistically significant gradient was observed compared with the preoperative period. Despite the decrease in the left ventricular systolic diameter (LVSD) and the increase in the ejection fraction (EF) the decrease in LVSD and increase in EF were not statistically significant. In patients who underwent patch plasty or graft interposition, the low values of the gradient and left ventricular diastolic diameter in the postoperative follow-up were statistically significant. However, the decrease in LVSD and increase in EF were not statistically significant. Conclusions Our clinical experience suggests that repairing with resection and end-to-end anastomosis is a more appropriate treatment option during the infancy, whereas patch plasty or bypass grafting may be preferred in advanced ages.

Endovascular Stent Graft Repair of Localized Acute Aortic Intramural Hematoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) is a variant of acute aortic syndrome, which can be life-threatening. Ascending aorta IMHs, particularly accompanied by penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU), can cause dissection, rupture, and cardiac tamponade. Therefore, early surgical treatment is recommended for IMHs of the ascending aorta. Herein, we present the case of a 60-year-old male patient who was on warfarin sodium treatment and in whom an IMH localized to the arcus aorta was detected incidentally via computed tomography, with the suspicion of pulmonary embolism, and an endovascular stent graft was inserted into the arcus aorta. This case highlights the importance of following ulcerated aortic plaques and suggests that IMH can be successfully treated with endovascular stent grafting.

Utility of Omentoplasty in Mediastinitis Treatment following Sternotomy

BACKGROUND Mediastinal infection is one of the most serious complications that occurs following open-heart surgery by sternotomy. In the present study, omentoplasty was initially and aggressively used to treat the infection and prevent the recurrence caused by bones in cases of mediastinitis following open-heart surgery at our clinic. METHODS Among the 3656 patients who underwent surgery at our department of cardiovascular surgery between January 1996 and December 2012, omentoplasty as a treatment for mediastinitis was applied to 19 (0.51%) patients (of which 13 were males) following sternotomy. The cases were revised on the 15th day following the first surgery and/or when there was a suspicion of mediastinal infection. The necrotic skin, subcutaneous tissue, and bone tissue were resected, and all the affected sternal tissues were removed until healthy hemorrhagic areas were reached. RESULTS The average age of the patients was between 49 and 81 years (mean: 65.7 ± 10.5 years). The mean age of the men was 66.08 ± 12.7 years (age range: 49-81 years) and that of the women was 63.2 ± 6.8 years (age range: 55-71 years). The male to female ratio was 2:1, and in both the male and female groups, the approximate age ranged from 55 and 70 years. In the intraoperative cultures received from wound cases, the most common agent of infection was methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci. Purulent leaks from eight patients stopped in approximately 4 days. Purulent leaks from the other 11 patients continued until the 6th day, and thus, medical dressing also continued, after which the leaks stopped on the 15th day. The approximate postoperative hospital stay was 32 days (range: 13-63 days). CONCLUSION Omentoplasty in heart surgery can be considered an effective method when used to control infection and treat secondary poststernotomy mediastinitis.