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ABSTRACT: A rare case requiring replacement of an intact Smeloff-Cutter ball prosthesis in the mitral position 40 years after implantation is presented. The Smeloff-Cutter ball valve prosthesis was designed to have two open cages. It has two potential advantages: a relatively large, effective orifice area and its self-washing effect that prevents thrombus formation. There have been only a few reports of survivors with ball valve prostheses in place for more than three decades especially in the mitral position. This is a valuable report describing the long-term durability of a Smeloff-Cutter ball valve prosthesis in the mitral position.
General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 12/2011; 59(12):809-11.
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ABSTRACT: The development of a tissue-engineered vascular graft with the ability to grow and remodel holds promise for advancing cardiac surgery. In 2001, we began a human trial evaluating these grafts in patients with single ventricle physiology. We report the late clinical and radiologic surveillance of a patient cohort that underwent implantation of tissue-engineered vascular grafts as extracardiac cavopulmonary conduits.
Autologous bone marrow was obtained and the mononuclear cell component was collected. Mononuclear cells were seeded onto a biodegradable scaffold composed of polyglycolic acid and epsilon-caprolactone/L-lactide and implanted as extracardiac cavopulmonary conduits in patients with single ventricle physiology. Patients were followed up by postoperative clinic visits and by telephone. Additionally, ultrasonography, angiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging were used for postoperative graft surveillance.
Twenty-five grafts were implanted (median patient age, 5.5 years). There was no graft-related mortality (mean follow-up, 5.8 years). There was no evidence of aneurysm formation, graft rupture, graft infection, or ectopic calcification. One patient had a partial mural thrombosis that was successfully treated with warfarin. Four patients had graft stenosis and underwent successful percutaneous angioplasty.
Tissue-engineered vascular grafts can be used as conduits in patients with single ventricle physiology. Graft stenosis is the primary mode of graft failure. Further follow-up and investigation for the mechanism of stenosis are warranted.
The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 02/2010; 139(2):431-6, 436.e1-2. · 3.41 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study was undertaken to compare long-term results of various types of surgical repairs for either congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries or double outlet right ventricle with discordant atrioventricular connections, and to analyze the risk factors that affect early and late mortality and reintervention.
Between January 1972 and September 2005, a total of 189 patients (median age 8.3 years, range 2 months to 47 years old) with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries or double outlet right ventricle with discordant atrioventricular connections underwent definitive repairs. The definitive repairs comprised a conventional repair (atrial septal defect, or ventricular septal defect closure with or without pulmonary stenosis release, or isolated tricuspid valve surgery) in 36 patients (group I), conventional Rastelli in 31 patients (group II), double-switch operation (atrial switch plus arterial switch) in 15 patients (group III), atrial switch plus intraventricular rerouting (with or without extracardiac conduits) in 69 patients (group IV), and a Fontan-type repair in 38 patients (group V). The mean follow-up period was 10.1 years. Hospitalization and late mortality and reoperation were indicated as events. Risk factors for these events were analyzed by logistic regression for hospital death and a Cox proportional hazards model for late events.
The Kaplan-Meier survival including hospital and late mortality was 62.4% at 32 years in group I, 78.5% at 27 years in group II, 74.5% at 15 years in group III, 80% at 16 years in group IV, and 79.3% at 22 years in group V. The reoperation-free ratio was 64.2% in group I, 76.6% in group II, 84.4% in group III, 89.6% in group IV, and 91.3% in group V. Risk analyses showed that the risk for hospital death was preoperative in patients with more than moderate tricuspid regurgitation and a cardiopulmonary bypass time of more than 240 minutes. A risk for late mortality was the presence of tricuspid regurgitation. Risks for reoperation were preoperative cardiomegaly, preoperative tricuspid regurgitation of more than grade II, ventricular septal defect enlargement, and body weight less than 10 kg. Risks for pacemaker implantation, as indicated by multivariate analysis, were ventricular septal defect enlargement during operation and age less than 3 years.
There were no statistical differences between long-term survival rates of patients who underwent conventional surgical repair versus those of patients who underwent anatomic surgical repair. Results of conventional repair were satisfactory except in patients with significant tricuspid regurgitation. Results of anatomic repair were also satisfactory even for patients with significant tricuspid regurgitation, and therefore, anatomic repair should be the procedure of choice for those patients.
The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 06/2007; 133(5):1318-28, 1328.e1-4. · 3.41 Impact Factor