Wasir Hs

Fish oil supplements for prevention of restenosis after coronary angioplasty

We have evaluated the effect of fish oil supplementation in the prevention of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty by a randomised trial conducted in 107 patients. The treatment group (n = 58, 96 significant coronary narrowings) received 10 capsules of fish oil (1.8 g eicosapentaenoic acid, 1.2 g docosahexaenoic acid) besides aspirin and calcium blockers, beginning 4.3 (SD 2.9) days before coronary angioplasty. The conventional medical treatment group (n = 49, 81 significant coronary narrowings) received only aspirin and calcium blockers. Enrollment required the presence of angina pectoris and successful dilatation of all significant coronary narrowings. All patients were followed-up for at least 6 months. Restenosis was identified by symptoms and exercise testing and confirmed by angiography. The incidence of angiographic restenosis was 32% in the fish oil group and 27% in the conventional treatment group. Biochemical investigations showed a greater decrease in serum triglyceride levels in fish oil group as compared to the conventional treatment group. There was no significant difference in the cholesterol levels over the treatment period. Administration of fish oil in a dose of 3 g per day did not reduce the incidence of early restenosis after coronary angioplasty.

Comparison of continuous thoracic epidural and paravertebral block for postoperative analgesia after robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass surgery

Minimally invasive surgery with robotic assistance should elicit minimal pain. Regional analgesic techniques have shown excellent analgesia after thoracotomy. Thus the aim of this study was to compare thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) technique with paravertebral block (PVB) technique in these patients with regard to quality of analgesia, complications, and haemodynamic and respiratory parameters. This was a prospective randomised study involving 36 patients undergoing elective robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). TEA or PVB were administered in these patients. The results revealed no significant differences with regard to demographics, haemodynamics, and arterial blood gases. Pulmonary functions were better maintained in PVB group postoperatively; however, this was statistically insignificant. The quality of analgesia was also comparable in both the groups. We conclude that PVB is a safe and effective technique for postoperative analgesia after robotic-assisted CABG and is comparable to TEA with regard to quality of analgesia.

Silent myocardial ischemia in diabetics with normal autonomic function

Twenty male diabetic patients (age range, 40-60 years) with normal autonomic function were studied to determine the prevalence of silent myocardial ischemia on exercise as well as ambulatory electrocardiography. The presence and extent of silent myocardial ischemia was also correlated with the severity of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease as determined by coronary angiography. A cohort of 20 matched non-diabetic patients were also included in the study. Silent myocardial ischemia was detected in 50% of the diabetic patients on exercise electrocardiography and in 35% on ambulatory electrocardiography compared with 10% and 5% in non-diabetics by the two methods, respectively (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). On exercise testing in diabetic patients, silent myocardial ischemia was detected in 64% of the patients with three-vessel disease, 50% of the patients with two-vessel disease and 20% of the patients with one-vessel disease whereas in non-diabetic patients silent myocardial ischemia was detected in only 18% of the patients with three-vessel disease (P < 0.05) and in none of the patients with two- or one-vessel disease. On ambulatory electrocardiography, only patients (both diabetic and non-diabetic) with three-vessel disease manifested silent myocardial ischemia. Total ischemic burden was similar in both the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. We conclude that silent myocardial ischemia occurs in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease more frequently even in the absence of autonomic dysfunction and the prevalence of silent myocardial ischemia is higher in patients with severe degree of coronary artery disease.

Pretreatment of human myocardium with adenosine

OBJECTIVES While the role of adenosine pretreatment in animals has been well established, the role in humans has been controversial. We performed this prospective, randomized study to find out the usefulness of adenosine pretreatment in humans. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery for severe triple vessel disease and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction<35%) formed the study population. The adenosine group (n=10) received adenosine infusion (200 microg/kg) before aortic cross-clamp. The control group (n=10) received only normal saline injection. Cardiac function indices were assessed post-operatively. RESULTS In the adenosine group there was a significant increase in cardiac output in the post-operative period from 3.46+/-1.06 to 4.46+/-0.92 l/min (P<<0.05). The cardiac index increased significantly in the adenosine group from 1.97+/-0.43 to 2.54+/-0.5 l/min per m2 (P<<0.05) and even when compared with the control group this increase was significant (adenosine group vs. control group, P=0.03). Systemic vascular resistance fell from 1898.8+/-558.4 to 1134.9+/-530.7 dyne/s per cm(-5) (P<<0.05) in the adenosine group. The pulmonary artery wedge pressure fell significantly in the adenosine group from 11.1+/-5.0 to 7.2+/-2.6 mmHg (P<<0.05). Patients in the adenosine group maintained a lesser increase in resting heart rate post-operatively (96.1+/-13.4 to 114.1+/-18.7 beats/min) (P=0.7), as compared to the control group where the increase in the heart rate was significant (77.1+/-8.3 to 109.7+/-14.9 beats/min) (P<<0.05). In the adenosine group only one patient (10%) had a raised creatine phosphokinase (MB) level at 12 h post-operatively as compared to three patients (30%) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Adenosine pretreatment appears to protect against reperfusion injury in human hearts and thus results in improved post-operative haemodynamics.

Myopotential inhibition of unipolar demand pacemakers : utility of provocative manoeuvres in assessment and management

Fifty patients with permanent unipolar pacemakers (48 multiprogrammable, 2 non programmable) with protective insulating sheath placed against the muscular side of the pacemaker pocket were studied to determine the occurrence of inhibition of pacing by sensing of the myopotentials. All the patients were subjected to a combination of different provocative manoeuvres at their nominal R wave sensitivity settings. Myopotential inhibition was exhibited in 35 (70%) patients. Only 3 patients however had reported symptoms suggesting loss of pacing. The most useful provocative manoeuvre was shoulder flexion with adduction against resistance (94.3% positivity). Appropriate sensitivity adjustments resulted in amelioration of the problem in 86% of the patients while still retaining R wave sensing. Myopotential interference continues to be a frequently observed problem even in the present generation of unipolar pacemakers. Provocative tests and appropriate reprogramming should be done in all such patients as a routine.

Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Robotically enhanced surgery is a fast-developing technique that allows totally endoscopic cardiac surgery on both the beating and arrested heart. Between December 2002 and May 2005, 13 patients underwent totally endoscopic coronary bypass using the da Vinci system; 11 operations were on a beating heart and 2 on arrested hearts. The mean time for internal mammary artery mobilization was 42 min. The time for left internal mammary artery-to-left anterior descending artery anastomosis was 20–36 min for totally endoscopic cases. In one patient, the right internal mammary artery was anastomosed to the diagonal artery. No patient required conversion to a median sternotomy. Mean intensive care unit stay was 1.2 days and mean hospital stay was 4.5 days. There was no hospital mortality. All 13 patients had coronary angiography at 3-month intervals, which showed 100% patency in 12 patients while one had 50% anastomotic narrowing for which coronary angioplasty was performed. Using robotic technology, completely endoscopic anastomosis is possible in patients with single-vessel disease. Use of robotics is now extended to achieve complete myocardial revascularization by harvesting both internal mammary arteries in addition to making a small thoracotomy for direct anastomosis.

Profile of coronary arterial disease in diabetic patients undergoing coronary arterial bypass grafting

Diabetics are believed to have more extensive and diffuse lesions of the coronary arteries in presence of coronary arterial disease. We studied prospectively 52 diabetics with coronary arterial disease who underwent coronary arterial bypass grafting and evaluated their pre-operative symptomatology, angiographic appearance of coronary arteries, coronary arterial dimensions as assessed at surgery, and the post-operative complications. These were compared to 52 age and sex matched non-diabetic controls undergoing surgery during the same period. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of pre-operative symptomatology or frequency of myocardial infarction in the two groups. Left ventricular angiographic findings were also comparable, as was the observation on the extent and severity of coronary arterial disease as assessed by angiography and at surgery. Hence, we recommend coronary arterial bypass grafting to diabetics with the same criteria as are applied to non-diabetics, confident that there will be no added morbidity and mortality.

Adenosine for Cardioplegic Induction: A Comparison With St Thomas Solution

OBJECTIVE To determine if quicker cardiac standstill obtained by adding adenosine to potassium crystalloid cardioplegia translated into better myocardial preservation and cardiac function in the early postoperative period compared with the same cardioplegia without adenosine. DESIGN A prospective study. SETTING Cardiac center of a teaching institute. PARTICIPANTS Sixty consecutive patients with left main vessel or triple-vessel disease undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery under moderate hypothermia. INTERVENTIONS The study comprised two groups of patients. Group N (n = 15) was the control group, given St Thomas cardioplegic solution after aortic cross-clamping, without adenosine; whereas group A (n = 45) received 250 microg/kg of adenosine into the aortic root after aortic cross-clamping, followed by the same St Thomas cardioplegia as in group N. The two groups were otherwise similar in all aspects of perfusion management. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Time taken to achieve cardiac standstill after aortic cross-clamping was significantly greater, 18.7+/-3.1 seconds, in the control group compared with the adenosine group, 3.4+/-0.9 seconds (p<0.001). The quicker arrest of the adenosine group led to better postoperative function, in the form of higher cardiac index (p<0.01), lower filling pressures (pulmonary artery wedge pressure) (p<0.05), and lower mean pulmonary artery pressure (p<0.05) at 6 hours. In the adenosine group, only 3 of 45 (6.6%) patients had elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) (MB) values greater than 50 U/L over preoperative CPK values compared with 3 of 15 (20%) in the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Injection of 250 microg/kg of adenosine into the aortic root before administration of cold crystalloid St Thomas cardioplegia solution after cross-clamping, in patients with severe coronary artery disease, produces significantly faster cardiac standstill, better myocardial preservation, and better cardiac function in the early postoperative period.

Extrathoracic Heart (Ectopia Cordis)

Two cases of ectopia cordis are described. One patient underwent an initial procedure to cover the heart using homologous pericardium and a homograft pulmonary artery patch but did not survive. The other baby died before any surgical intervention could be performed.

Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy in 390 cases using the Inoue balloon catheter

Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy using the Inoue technique was performed in 390 cases of rheumatic mitral stenosis. There were 220 (56%) females and 170 (44%) males. The age range was 9-47 years [mean +/- S.D., 26 +/- 14) and all were symptomatic (New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II in 23 (6%); class III in 280 (72%); and class IV in 87 (22%) patients]. Mitral valve area increased from 0.6 +/- 0.4 to 2 +/- 0.7 cm2, mean transmitral gradients decreased from 26 +/- 8 to 5 +/- 3 mmHg and cardiac index improved from 2.2 +/- 0.8 to 3.0 +/- 0.7 l/min/m2 (P < 0.001). There were no procedure related deaths. An increase in mitral regurgitation by one grade was observed in 40 (10%) cases, with 8 (2%) cases developing severe mitral regurgitation. Oximetry evidence of left to right atrial shunt (Qp/Qs > or = 1.5:1) was observed in 11 (3%) patients. Four (1.0%) patients developed cardiac tamponade, none had thromboembolism. Follow-up of 290 cases at 26 +/- 5 weeks showed persistent improvement in clinical (NYHA class I in 98%) and echocardiographic mitral valve area. Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy is safe, easy to perform and provides excellent clinical and hemodynamic benefit in the majority of cases.