We reported a 65-year-old female who was admitted to our institute with "recurrent subxiphoid pain accompanied by dyspnea for more than 10 days". Electrocardiogram examination suggested acute extensive anterior ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography suggested ventricular septal rupture. The patient was planned for the repair of ventricular septal rupture with cardiopulmonary bypass. The formation of left ventricular aneurysm was diagnosed by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The surgeon decided to abdopt the modified incision of left ventricular approach guided by TEE, which greatly improved the prognosis of the patient. The surgery duration was 197 min, aortic cross-clamping time was 56 min, cardiopulmonary bypass time was 69 min, and the patient was safely admitted to ICU after the surgery. Extubation was performed on the first day postoperatively, and the intra-aortic balloon pump support was retreated on the second day postoperatively. Postoperative echocardiography showed that no obvious residual shunt was observed after ventricular septal repairment and ventricular aneurysm resection. The patient was discharged on the 12th day after the surgery. Additionally, the mental condition was good and daily activities were not limited within 6 months postoperatively.
We reported a 59-year-old male with exertional angina pectoris, and the coronary angiography showed multiple vessel lesions. The initial strategy was coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The measurement of quantitative flow ration (QFR) before operation indicated that the posterior descending branch (PD) did not need to be treated. The left circumflex branch (LCX) was small, and the QFR of the left anterior descending branch (LAD) and the first diagonal branch (D1) was<0.8. Therefore, the LAD and D1 were re-vascularized. The operation strategy was changed to on-pump CABG through a small incision, and the final strategy was LIMA-D1-LAD (sequential), fractional flow reserve (FFR) of distal LAD and D1 after CABG were>0.8 by computed tomography FFR. SYNTAX scores after CABG were 20 and the functional SYNTAX scores after CABG were 3, indicating a good prognosis.
Thymoma complicated with polymyositis and myasthenia gravis is a rare case, which can be clearly diagnosed and given symptomatic treatment according to its own diagnostic criteria, imaging and laboratory examinations. This paper reports the clinical data of a thymoma patient with polymyositis and myasthenia gravis admitted to the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, and discusses the possible pathogenesis and treatment methods.
A 71-year-old male presented with esophageal cancer and severe aortic valve regurgitation. Treatment strategies for such patients are controversial. Considering the risks of cardiopulmonary bypass and potential esophageal cancer metastasis, we successfully performed transcatheter aortic valve implantation and minimally invasive three-incision thoracolaparoscopy combined with radical resection of esophageal cancer (McKeown) simultaneously in the elderly patient who did not require neoadjuvant treatment. This dual minimally invasive procedure took 6 hours and the patient recovered smoothly without any surgical complications.
From December 2022 to January 2023, 4 lung transplant recipients (3 males and 1 female, aged 52-60 years, all received transplantation less than 1 year) were hospitalized in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University due to COVID-19 after surgery. The clinical manifestations were mostly characterized by elevated body temperature accompanied by shortness of breath, and indicators such as heart rate, oxygen saturation, and oxygenation index could reflect the severity of the condition. The therapy was timely adjusted to immunosuppressive drugs, upgraded oxygen therapy, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal therapy, prone ventilation, general treatment, and anticoagulant therapy, depending on the situation. Finally, 3 patients were cured and discharged from hospital, and 1 died.
A 56-year male patient was implanted with a third generation magnetic levitation HeartCon left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for refractory heart failure through a left antero-lateral thoracotomy. Inflow cannula of the HeartCon blood pump was inserted via the left apex and outflow tract with the artificial blood vessel was sutured to the descending aorta. The operation process was smooth, the LVAD worked stably, and results of left ventricular assist was good. Implantation of HeartCon LVAD through the left antero-lateral thoracotomy is an alternative technique with less surgical complications, less trauma and satisfactory results.
The patient, male, 1 year, was admitted to our hospital with cardiac murmur. Cardiac ultrasonography showed "complete atrioventricular septal defect (C-AVSD), secondary orifice atrial septal defect (ASD), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), left superior vena cava, and pulmonary hypertension". The patient got follow-up at the age of 3, 6, 9 months and 1 year, with no feeding difficulties, no obvious underdevelopment and no history of repeated respiratory infections. Cardiac ultrasonography showed that the ventricular septal defect (VSD) healed spontaneously at 9 months of age. At 1 year of age, he was admitted to the hospital with "partial atrioventricular septal defect (P-AVSD)" and accepted surgery. Intraoperative exploration showed that the primary orifice ASD was 12 mm, the atrioventricular valve was divided into two groups, and the left atrioventricular valve had three leaflets: anterior, posterior, and lateral one. A cleft was between the anterior and posterior leaflets. The annulus was not enlarged with diameter of 13 mm. The right atrioventricular valve developed well, with fibrous hyperplasia and adhesion under the septal valve. No VSD was seen. The cleft was sutured intermittently. Autologous pericardial patch was used to repair the primary orifice ASD, and the coronary sinus was separated into the right atrium. Self-healing of VSD patients with C-AVSD is very rare, suggesting that patients with C-AVSD with normal range of development, and without obvious clinical symptoms and secondary damage, should be followed up and accept elective surgery in clinical practice.
A case of a 4-month-old child with an aortopulmonary fenestration weighing 6.6 kg who underwent successful transthoracic minimally invasive occlusion in our hospital was reported in this article. The child was transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the general ward 1 day after surgery and discharged 5 days later. Compared with conventional ligation or repair of extracorporeal circulation for the aortopulmonary fenestration, the transthoracic minimally invasive occlusion is characterized by less trauma and faster recovery. However, it requires strict surgical indications and is not suitable for all patients with aortopulmonary fenestration.
We reported a 54-year-old female patient with severe tricuspid regurgitation, who received mechanic valve in the mitral position 15 years ago. The patient’s Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was 8.27%, and was intolerant to open heart surgery, so she was recommended for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement via right vena jugularis interna. The procedures were guided by echocardiography and X ray fluoroscopy on November 13, 2021, the prosthesis was implanted successfully, and the patient was recoved without any adverse events. After 1 month follow-up, her general condition was apparently improved.
Giant extralobar pulmonary sequestration in newborns is still relatively rare in pulmonary diseases, and there are few relevant studies published. A neonate with the giant extralobar pulmonary sequestration accompanied by severe pleural effusion was reported here. After 12 days of birth, the diseased lung tissue was surgically extracted. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged from the hospital. The case shows the advantage of early surgical treatment to extralobar pulmonary sequestration with severe pleural effusion in neonatal period.