A Järvinen’s research while affiliated with Helsinki University Central Hospital and other places

During the 12-year period from 1970 to 1981 662 patients have had an elective coronary bypass operation at our institution with a hospital mortality of 1,9%. Selected randomized subsets of the series have been subjected to detailed postoperative studies to elucidate the effects on morbidity, employment, and mortality, in particular. Other studied variables include graft patency, progression of coronary atherosclerosis, and left ventricular function. Exercise tolerance is markedly improved especially in patients with complete revascularization (+98%, p < 0.001) in contrast to unchanged data in medically managed patients. This improvement persists for at least 2 years and has an impact on employment. Sixty per cent of the surgical patients were at work 2 years after operation in contrast to 26% of the similar medically managed patients (p < 0.05). Annual mortality during a follow-up of 5 years has been 0.9% in surgical patients compared with 4% in randomized medical patients (p < 0.05). Unsettled topics include the surgical management of patients with unstable angina pectoris and patients with modest or no symptoms but a multivessel coronary artery disease. Further problems are the possible surgical management of high risk patients at discharge after myocardial infarction and the final position of non-surgical coronary artery manipulations.

Time-domain late field and intra-QRS fragmentation parameters in magnetocardiography (MCG) identify patients prone to VT after myocardial infarction. This study investigated if they are related to slow ventricular conduction and affected by arrhythmia surgery. Twenty-two patients with old myocardial infarction undergoing map-guided subendocardial resection to treat sustained VT were included. Bipolar electrograms were recorded during operation using an epicardial jacket and endocardial balloon electrode array. The time from the QRS onset to the end of local ventricular excitation in each electrogram was measured during sinus rhythm. Multi-channel MCG was recorded before and after operation and filtered QRS duration (QRSd), root mean square amplitude of the magnetic field strength during the last 40 ms of the QRS complex (RMS40), duration of the low amplitude signal < 300 fT (LAS300), fragmentation index M (M), and fragmentation score S (S) were determined. All patients had one or two VT foci localized and resected. MCG parameters correlated with time to the latest end of ventricular excitation; r = 0.45 for QRSd (P = 0.035), r = 0.64 for M (P = 0.001), and r = 0.73 for S (P < 0.001). The correlations were even better in patients with anterior infarction (e.g., r = 0.87 for QRSd, P < 0.001; r = 0.91 for M, P < 0.001). The operation reduced the abnormalities in MCG parameters and 20 of the 21 patients tested postoperatively became noninducible. MCG parameters indicating postinfarction arrhythmia propensity are related to delayed ventricular conduction. Abolition of the arrhythmia substrate reverses the abnormality of these parameters.

Fistulous communication between the aorta and the pulmonary parenchyma developed in a 38-year-old woman 19 years after repair of a congenital aortic coarctation with Dacron patch aortoplasty. The fistula, inducing intermittent hemoptysis, arose from the suture line between the prosthetic fabric and the aorta. There was no infectious background or aneurysm at the primary repair site. The aortic segment including the prosthetic patch was resected and replaced with a Dacron tubular vascular prosthesis.

Due to an increase in age of the patient population in cardiac surgery, cerebral complications are increasing in frequency, also as a cause of death. In order to reveal cerebral pathology associated with a fatal outcome after cardiac surgery, we re-evaluated the cast angiographs and medico-legal autopsy documents of 144 adult cardiac surgery subjects over a 7-year period. Special attention was paid to the ability of post-mortem cast angiography to aid in diagnosing cerebral pathology. The autopsy detected new ischemic cerebral lesions in 29 (20%) cases, of which 22 (15.3%) were recent infarcts, and 7 were cases of anoxic brain damage. Of the recent cerebral infarcts, 12 were associated with cerebral artery thrombosis, 4 showed multiple lesions, and the remaining 6 were small single infarcts. In addition, one subject had an intracerebral hemorrhage and 72 (50%) cerebral edema. By cast angiography, the leakage of contrast medium in the case of intracerebral hemorrhage and stenoses of intracranial and cervical arteries could be well demonstrated and also revealed 17 (77%) of the 22 recent cerebral infarcts. It was found to be suitable for detecting recent brain infarcts associated with main cerebral artery thrombosis, with a sensitivity of 92% (11 out of 12 cases), but was less sensitive in showing small recent infarcts with a sensitivity of 60% (6 out of 10 cases) and inferior for the older ones where none of the 6 cases were detected. Filling defects caused by cerebral edema were difficult to differentiate from technical errors and were encountered in 7 (4.8%) cases. A significant predictor for the 29 recent ischemic brain lesions was perioperative hypotension. The immediate cause of death was most often of cardiac (83%) and cerebral (14%) origin. In 14 cases, cerebral damage was considered to be an additional cause of death. The use of cerebral post-mortem cast angiography should be recommended, especially for its excellent ability to visualize intravascular pathology such as arterial stenoses and thromboses, with a 92% sensitivity in showing new main cerebral artery thromboses, before likely distortion of the vascular anatomy by dissection.

This study of reperfusion injury after coronary artery bypass grafting focuses on its contribution to fatal outcome, on its connection with myocardial infarction (MI) and on risk factors. A consecutive series of 190 patients (mean age 61.7+/-8.9 years) dying within 30 days following coronary artery bypass grafting was autopsied with concomitant postmortem angiography during 1980 to 1993. Reperfusion injury was revealed in 49 (25.8%) patients, with concomitant MI in almost all (46 of 49) (p < 0.01). Reperfusion injury occurred in association with preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) III classification (p < 0.05), coronary endarterectomy (p < 0.01), long aortic clamping time (p < 0.01), and short postoperative survival (p < 0.05). Reperfusion injury was observed in one fourth of the deaths in association with MI. It occurred more often in patients with preoperative NYHA III symptoms and in those in whom endarterectomy was carried out and the anoxic time of the myocardium was longer. The shorter postoperative survival time indicates the lethal nature of this complication.

Unlabelled: Most patients undergoing minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass surgery can be awakened and tracheally extubated in the operating room. We have compared two techniques of total IV anesthesia in this patient population: 30 patients (aged 44 to 74 yr; 24 male) premedicated with temazepam were randomly assigned to receive either remifentanil-propofol or alfentanil-propofol. Anesthesia was induced with remifentanil 2 microg/kg or with alfentanil 40 microg/kg, with propofol, and maintained with remifentanil at 0.25 or 0.5 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) or alfentanil at 0.5 or 1 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1). The stable maintenance infusion rate of propofol was adjusted for age. Times to awakening and tracheal extubation were recorded. Postoperatively, IV morphine provided by patient-controlled analgesia was used for 48 h. Times to awakening and tracheal extubation (mean +/- SD) were shorter (P < 0. 01) in patients receiving remifentanil, and interpatient variations in times to awakening and tracheal extubation smaller (awakening 25 +/- 7 vs 74 +/- 32 min, and extubation 27 +/- 7 vs 77 +/- 32 min). Analysis of variance revealed that postoperative consumption of morphine was dependent on both the intraoperative opioid and the time elapsed after surgery (P < 0.05): patient-controlled analgesia morphine use during the first 3 h after awakening was more in patients receiving remifentanil (P < 0.01). Implications: Recovery of patients undergoing Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery is significantly shorter and more predictable after total IV anesthesia with remifentanil-propofol than with alfentanil-propofol, which may be important if the goal is that patients will be awakened and tracheally extubated in the operating room.

Use of the minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) technique has been associated with excellent primary results, and sparing of resources has been assumed. There is, however, a limited amount of information available concerning the results of mid-term follow-up. The purpose of this study was to present 1-year follow-up results of our first 130 consecutive MIDCAB patients. MIDCAB operations, defined as no sternotomy, no cardiopulmonary bypass, and no aortic manipulation were started in our clinic in February 1996. One hundred thirty patients requiring invasive treatment of coronary artery disease who were not suitable for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty were included in this series. The main outcome measures were mortality, the need for subsequent invasive treatment, and 1-year NYHA classification. There was one hospital death, but during the first-year follow-up, four additional deaths occurred and three patients were reoperated on with conventional techniques. Five percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasties (PTCAs) had to be performed, two because of anastomosic stenosis. Additionally, cardiac- or operation-related symptoms caused a total of 27 hospital visits among 23 patients during the first-year follow-up. Angiographic left internal thoracic artery (LITA)-left anterior descending artery (LAD) patency was 97.4% (37/38) (confidence interval [CI] ranged from 86.2% to 99.9%) at 3 months. After 1 year, 86.9% (113/130) of the patients were without symptoms. A clear improvement of the follow-up results was observed to be associated with increased experience during the study period. MIDCAB operations, after some experience, can be performed with relatively good outcome. However, special attention should be directed to determination of correct anastomosic site and to avoiding anastomosic stenosis. We also recommend extended mobilization of the ITA and use of specific stabilizers.

Ventricular arrhythmias occur frequently shortly after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and their occurrence coincides with the postoperative decline in serum magnesium (Mg) levels. To examine if this decline causes ventricular arrhythmias and if their appearance could be reduced by intravenous Mg administration, 140 consecutive CABG patients were randomized to receive 70 mmol of Mg sulphate (N = 69) or placebo (N = 71) over two days. Serum Mg concentration fell to 0.77 mmol/l in the control group but rose to 1.09 mmol/l in the Mg group (p < 0.001). On 48 h Holter, the number of ventricular premature complexes (VPC) on the third postoperative day was reduced in the Mg group (4 +/- 5 vs 12 +/- 21 VPCs/h; p < 0.05) and the incidence of complex ventricular arrhythmias (Lown grade 2-5) was significantly diminished (19% vs 41% of the patients; p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, high risk ventricular arrhythmias (repetitive polymorphic ventricular complexes, couplets, R-on-T complexes or operative tachycardia) were independently predicted by high number of bypassed vessels (p = 0.01), poor NYHA functional class (p = 0.06), preoperative diuretic use (p = 0.07), and low postoperative Mg levels (p = 0.08). In conclusion, correction of the postoperative decline in serum Mg concentration decreases the occurrence of early VPCs and complex ventricular arrhythmias. Patients with extensive underlying coronary artery disease and prior diuretic therapy appear to benefit greatest from Mg treatment.http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/00547/bibs/8n3p165.html

Prosthetic graft infection as a result of Listeria monocytogenes is an extremely rare event that recently occurred in a 77-year-old man who underwent endoluminal stent grafting for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. The infected aortic endoluminal prosthesis was removed by means of en bloc resection of the aneurysm and contained endograft with in situ aortoiliac reconstruction. At the 10-month follow-up examination, the patient was well and had no signs of infection. (J Vasc Surg 1999;29:554-6.)

To assess the behavior of internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts versus venous grafts in repeated angiograms up to 20 years. Use of ITA grafts to bypass left anterior descending artery stenosis has been shown to be associated with improved survival in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Sixty-one consecutive patients who received one or two ITA grafts and who underwent surgery from Oct. 5, 1971, to Dec. 18, 1973, in Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, were included in this prospective follow-up series. Fifty-six of the patients (92%) also received at least one venous graft. The number of distal anastomoses was 157, of which 47.7% (75) were performed with ITA grafts. The median age of the patients was 47.7 years (range 30.0 to 63.1), and 85% (52) were men. After 20 years of follow-up, 18/20 (90%) of the survivors underwent angiography; the patency rate was 88.9% for ITA grafts and 47.8% for venous grafts. Cumulative graft patency at 20 years, using all the information obtained from repeated angiographic examinations and autopsies, was also calculated to eliminate selection bias. The cumulative 20-year patency rate was 81% for ITA-left anterior descending artery anastomoses, 53.8% for venous graft-right coronary artery anastomoses, and 48.5% for venous graft-left circumflex artery anastomoses. In paired comparisons between anastomoses, the patency time of the ITA-left anterior descending artery anastomoses was on average 2.8 years longer than the venous graft-left circumflex artery patency time and 2.6 years longer than the venous graft-right coronary artery. Internal thoracic artery grafts, especially in left anterior descending artery anastomoses, should be considered as a primary solution in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in patients with >10 years of life expectancy; if venous grafting is preferred, further evidence is needed.