The authors carried out a retrospective study of short and long-term mortality after aortic valve replacement and assessed the quality of life by the IRIS scale in patients over 75 years of age operated for severe aortic stenosis at the University Hospital of Brest between June 1990 and March 1995. The hospital files of 110 consecutive patients (71 women, 39 men; average age 78 +/- 2 years, range 75-85 years) were studied. The pre- per- and postoperative data was studied. Each survivor was contacted by telephone during the year 2000 and a health and IRIS quality of life questionnaire was sent to them. Precise information about patients who had died was obtained from the family and/or medical practitioner. In the preoperative period, 30.9% of patients had left ventricular failure. The average aortic valve surface area was 0.53 +/- 0.12 cm2. Of the patients who underwent coronary angiography (60%), one third had significant coronary lesions. Coronary artery bypass surgery was associated with aortic valve replacement in 10% of cases. Biological prostheses were used in 108 patients. The operative mortality was 8.2%. One year, 5 year and 10 year survival rates were 89.9%, 75.5% and 33.3% respectively. Of the survivors, 16.7% were in institutional care and 83.3% lived at home. A total of 77.8% were readmitted to hospital, about half of them for cardiac problems. Cardiac treatment was prescribed for 97% of patients. The quality of life questionnaire was completed by 35 patients: the quality of life was better than average in nearly 83% of these patients. Aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis in patients over 75 years of age improves life expectancy which is almost the same as that of the normal population of the same age, and improves the quality of life by restoring functional autonomy, enabling the majority of them to live in their own houses most of the time.
92 significant stenoses of the left main stem artery (LCA) underwent revascularisation procedures by aorto-coronary venous bypass grafting. Three groups of patients were identified. Group I comprised 11 stenoses of the LCA associated with lesions of at least three other coronary vessels and a subtotal stenosis of the LCA. These patients underwent systematic prophylactic intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation (IACP) when they were taken off cardiopulmonary bypass. Group II comprised 47 patients with stenosis of the LCA and at least three coronary vessels. IACP was required in 6 cases in whom difficulty was experienced at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass, or after haemodynamic decompensation. Group II comprised 33 stenoses of the LCA which were isolated or associated with lesions of 1 or 2 vessels. The operative risk increased with the severity of the coronary lesions associated with LCA stenosis. 6 p. 100 deaths occurred in Group III, compared to 21 p. 100 in Group II (p = 0.06). the use of IACP before the onset of possible haemodynamic decompensation improved the operative prognosis of stenosis of the LCA associated with lesions of at least three coronary vessels. Mortality in Group I was 0 p. 100, compared to 21 p. 100 in Group II (p = 0.09). Prophylactic IABP also seemed to decrease the number of perioperative infarctions: Group I, 16 p. 100, Group II, 36 p. 100, but p > 0.01. analysis of global mortality (12 cases) showed that 50 p. 100 patients (6 cases) had ejection fractions of less than 0.50. In agreement with other authors, we found that systematic IABP improved the operative prognosis in stenosis of the LCA. However, we do not advocate its use in every case. A selection of high risk patients seems a reasonable objective. The severity of the coronary lesions associated with LCA stenosis is statistically a good criteria of selection. The incidence of left ventricular hypokinesis with an ejection fraction less than 0.50 in the deceased patients, is a factor in favouring the use of prophylactic IACP in left ventricular dysfunction.
Reoperation for secondary deterioration after mitral commissurotomy is associated with a higher immediate postoperative mortality than other open heart operations. We analysed the factors responsible for this increased mortality. A total of 232 patients reported for clinical deterioration after closed heart mitral commissurotomy were reviewed. Mitral valve prostheses were implanted in 202 cases; open heart commissurotomy was possible in 30 cases. Associated procedures included 14 tricuspid valve replacements, 53 tricuspid annuloplasties and 30 aortic valve replacements. The global mortality was 12 p. cent (30 deaths). The causes of death were myocardial failure (19 cases), cerebrovascular accidents (4 cases), prosthetic valve thrombosis (4 cases), infection (2 cases), section of the mitral annulus (1 case). The clinical hemodynamic and anatomical criteria influencing the operative prognosis were analysed: 1. Operative mortality was related to the clinical stage (zero mortality at Stage II, 10,3 p. cent at Stage III, 38 p. cent at Stage IV, p less than 0,001); 2. There was a significant correlation with cardiothoracic ratio: 23 p. cent mortality when greater than 0,60; 9,8 p. cent mortality when less than 0,60 (p less than 0,02); 3. There was a significant correlation with cardiac index: 19 p. cent mortality when less than 21; only 9 p. cent mortality when greater than 21 (p less than 0,04); 4. There was a significant correlation with systolic pulmonary arterial pressure: mortality of 11 p. cent when less than 60 mmHg; mortality of 22 p. cent when greater than 60 mmHg (p less than 0,06). 5. The presence of tricuspid regurgitation increased the operative risk (mortality rose from 12 to 22 p. cent, p less than 0,05) when the surgeon detected moderate or severe tricuspid regurgitation. These results show that the clinical, radiological and hemodynamic aggravation of these patients has a bad influence on operative mortality. This aggravation is not related to the delay between the initial commissurotomy and reoperation but to the delay between the recurrence of symptoms after the first operation and reoperation. Operative mortality was 12 p. cent when this delay was less than 10 years but 23 p. cent when the delay was over 10 years (p less than 0,02). Our findings suggest that these patients should be reoperated earlier if the prognosis of this type of surgery is to be improved.
The aim of this study was to precise the circumstances of the failure of coronary artery bypass graft by internal thoracic artery (ITA).It was a retrospective study which compared angiographic results between several techniques of ITA graft; 512 coronary artery bypass graft have been realized on 302 patients: 115 single left ITA grafts, 78 sequential left ITA grafts, 48 bilateral pedicled ITA grafts, 61 bilateral ITA Y grafts. The mean interval between operation and reangiography was 17.3 months (s = 4.1 months). Graft failures were occluded and non functioning ITA grafts (threadlike ITA).There were 11 occluded grafts (2%) and 19 non functionning grafts (4%). There was no difference of failure rate between the 4 techniques of ITA grafts (p > 0.05). The failure rate for right ITA grafts 13% was higher than for the left ITA grafts 4% (p < 0.001). The failure rate for obtuse marginal branch grafts 13% was higher than for left anterior descending artery grafts 3% (p < 0.001).The extended use of ITA doesn't increase the risk of graft failure rate. The patency of obtuse marginal branch ITA graft is less than the patency of left anterior descending artery or diagonal branch ITA grafts.
