CABG With Internal Thoracic Artery in Children With Congenital Heart Defects: A Good Option When It Is the Only One

OBJECTIVE

Coronary complications may present during or after repair of congenital heart defects. We report coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) by internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts to either coronary artery in children with congenital anomalies.

METHODS

Four cases who underwent CABG with ITA grafts from March 2016 to March 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

At the time of operation, patient's ages and weight were 7 and 20 months old and 14 and 15 years old and 6.5, 10, 40, and 45 kg, respectively. Diagnosis were anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery with leftward lateral ostial origin (n = 1), neopulmonary annulus hypoplasia post arterial switch with contiguous right coronary artery (RCA) arising from the left facing sinus (n = 1), RCA stenosis after the Ross procedure (n = 1), and right coronary ostial obstruction after aortic valve replacement in truncus arteriosus (n = 1). Procedures included left ITA to left coronary ostium (n = 1), right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) enlargement with pulmonary valve replacement with left ITA to RCA (n = 1), RVOT enlargement with pulmonary valve replacement with right ITA to RCA (n = 1), and aortic valve re-replacement, pulmonary valve replacement, and right ITA to RCA (n = 1). At last follow-up, all four patients were asymptomatic, with normal ventricular function, and all grafts were patent.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of CABG in children is valuable alternative when dealing with complex coronary anatomy not suitable for classic repairs. In children, graft patency is required to be longer than 50 years; therefore, use of arterial grafts seems mandatory.

Septal myectomy and mitral plication through a transaortic approach

Currently, the gold standard treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in its obstructive variant is a wide septal myectomy through a transaortic approach. In some cases, where mitral regurgitation is added to septal hypertrophy due to systolic anterior movement of the anterior leaflet, concomitant procedures are proposed for the resolution of both. In this tutorial, we present a case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with associated systolic anterior movement that was resolved with septal resection and plication of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve via a transaortic approach.

Aortic valve replacement in a patient with Osler-Rendu-Weber disease

Osler-Rendu-Weber (hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia) disease is an uncommon disease characterized by the presence of abnormal telangiectasias and arteriovenous malformations that cause recurrent episodes of bleeding. We present a patient with Osler-Rendu-Weber disease, with a history of multiple major bleeding events and severe aortic valve stenosis, who underwent aortic valve replacement. Unexpectedly, the postoperative course was uneventful, and there was no untoward bleeding in the early or in the late postoperative follow-up.

Total arterial off-pump coronary revascularization using bilateral internal thoracic arteries in triple-vessel disease: surgical technique and clinical outcomes

BACKGROUND

This was a single-institutional study about total arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCABG) using bilateral internal thoracic arteries in triple-vessel disease.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 569 multivessel CABG patients (10% female) who underwent total arterial (bilateral internal thoracic arteries) OPCABG between January 2002 and December 2006. Mean age was 63.9 +/- 8.9 years. All patients included underwent OPCABG as an elective procedure. Postoperative angiograms were evaluated during a postoperative follow-up period. Early and midterm outcomes, including overall patient survival, freedom from readmission and reintervention, freedom from the combined endpoint of cardiac events and quality of life, were evaluated. Multivariate analysis was used to find determinants of late death. Overall survival and freedom from combined endpoints were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

The average number of distal anastomoses per patient was 3.18 +/- 0.4. The average operation time was 209.7 +/- 41.7 minutes. Thirty-day mortality was 0.88% (5 of 569). Overall patency rate for all grafts studies was 94.3% (632 of 670). Mean follow-up time was 810 days (range, 8 days to 61 months). Cumulative patient survival at 4 years was 93.3% +/- 1.9%. Significant predictors of late mortality were age (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.12), previous stroke (hazard ratio, 6.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.8 to 23.5), and moderate to severe left ventricle ejection fraction (hazard ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 8.8). Freedom from hospital readmission and reintervention at 4 years was 91.7% +/- 3.5%. Freedom from combined endpoint (death, hospital readmission, and reintervention) at 4 years was 86.9% +/- 3.6%. There was a marked improvement in patients' quality of life at follow-up (Duke Activity Status Index score > 45 in more than 70% patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Total arterial (bilateral internal thoracic arteries) OPCABG is feasible with a safe outcome in terms of hospital mortality. At follow-up the incidence of death, hospital readmission and reintervention and patients' quality of life are acceptable with favorable graft patency rates.

Is early anticoagulation necessary after biological aortic valve replacement?

Early antithrombotic therapy after biological aortic valve replacement (AVR) is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of thromboembolic events (TE) without anticoagulation treatment during the first 3 months after surgery. Out of 143 consecutive patients who underwent biological AVR from January 1998 to December 2004, 127 patients who did not receive anticoagulation were included (89%). Events during the first 3 months after surgery included: 2 strokes (1.5%), 2 major bleedings (1.5%) and 9 deaths (7%) (none of them due to TE). In conclusion, the management of patients without antithrombotic treatment after biological AVR seems to be safe due to a low rate of TE.

Ostial stenosis after Bentall technique using glue: percutaneous stenting may be ineffective

BACKGROUND

Hemorrahage after coronary re-implantation during a Bentall surgery is a rare complication. In case of friable tissue, the use of a felt disc usually solves the problem. The use of resorcinol-formol-glue should be avoided to prevent tissue damage. Extrinsic compression of the coronary arteries has been reported with the use of this surgical glue.

CASE

We report a rare case of extrinsic compression of both coronary arteries after a Bentall procedure. A 50-year-old man with severe aortic valve stenosis, without coronary disease and an ascending aortic aneurysm, underwent a modified Bentall procedure with insertion of a valved tube and coronary re-implantation using surgical glue. Seven weeks later he suffered severe acute coronary ischemia and both coronary ostium were compressed by a dense and hard fibrose material. Three months after stenting, the patient required coronary surgery because of severe myocardial ischemia. Transesophageal and intracoronary ultrasounds were useful for the diagnosis of this rare complication.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of glue should be avoided for coronary reimplantation during Bentall surgery. In cases of external ostial compression by glue reaction, stenting may be ineffective and surgical coronary revascularization may be needed.

[Vasodilators in isolated human radial arteries]

This paper was designed to evaluate the effectivity of several vasodilators, applied topically, to attenuate the hyperreactivity of radial arteries (RA) implanted as aorto-coronary bypass. Remnant segments of the RA were obtained from 20 operations, and each of the segments was divided into 4 rings. The rings were incubated for 30 minutes in control conditions (n = 20) or in presence of 30 microM of Diltiazem (DILT, n = 6), 30 microM of mibefradil (MIBE, n = 4) or a mixture of 30 microM of verapamil + 30 microM of nitroglycerin (VP-NTG, n = 6). A subsequent exposure to KCl 80 mM (in absence of vasodilators) evoked a sustained contraction in control rings, which was attenuated by 35 +/- 9% by DILT, 48 +/- 13% by VP-NTG and by 69 +/- 20% by MIBE (p < 0.05). Preincubation with vasodilators also attenuated the rate and intensity of rhythmic contractions of the RA. In rings that were cold-stored during 24 hs and then restimulated with KCl 80 mM the depressing effect was still evident: DILT 53 +/- 6%, VP-NTG 46 +/- 14% and MIBE 61 +/- 9% (p < 0.05). The effect of MIBE was more intense and persistent than that of DILT or VP-NTG, even at concentrations eliciting a similar initial depression of contraction. It is concluded that the exposure to vasodilators during a period equivalent to the duration of the surgical preparation of the RA produces an attenuation of the arterial reactivity that might provide an additional protection against RA spasm during the immediate postoperative period.

Endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting: initial experience and learning curve

BACKGROUND

Saphenous vein remains an elective conduit for up to 85% of coronary bypass operations. It is obtained through one or numerous skin incisions, with a reported morbidity varying from 5% to 25%. The endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) technique was developed to minimize this morbidity and to improve clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to review the feasibility of this method, its learning curve, and changing results in a group without previous experience in this procedure.

METHODS

Between July 1998 and October 1999, 179 patients for coronary artery bypass grafting underwent EVH (Vasoview Guidant, USA "double access" and Uniport), by two operators. Results were reported based on time of harvesting, length of conduits, technical details, and clinical outcomes, and divided into six groups of 30 consecutive patients each.

RESULTS

Patient demographics were as follows: 86.03% were male, aged 64.3+/-9.12 years (range, 43 to 92 years), with diabetes mellitus in 28.49%, obesity in 18.43%, and vascular disease in 11.17%. The EVH method was limited to the thigh in 77.65% of cases and extended to the leg in 22.35%. Patients received an average of 2.45+/-0.58 incisions and obtained conduits had a mean length of 34.96+/-9.65 cm (range, 15 to 70 cm). The number of venous bypasses per patient was 1.30+/-0.59. Mean time of EVH was 47.24+/-19.84 minutes (range, 15 to 120), with a length-time index of 0.85+/-0.36. Primary success was achieved in 95.54%, with crossover to open technique in 4.46%. General morbidity was 8.9%, with hematoma in 1.11%, skin necrosis in 1.11%, infection in 6.7%, and readmission in 1.11%.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic vein harvesting is a feasible and reproducible method, with a typical learning curve, acceptable morbidity, and unquestionable benefits for coronary artery bypass graft patients.