Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has not yet been established in Japan. We therefore report the characteristics of a screened population and discuss the implications of screening using ultrasound in Japan.The subjects in our screening group were composed of 4428 participants who were 60 years of age or older. Aneurysm was detected in 16 cases, 15 males and 1 female, the detection rate being 0.4% in total and 0.9% in the males. We compare the characteristics of screened patients (n = 16) with non-screened patients operated on for abdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 166).There were no significant differences in the mean age or in the female ratio between the screened and non-screened groups (71 vs 70 y/o, 6% vs 13%, respectively). Solitary iliac aneurysms were significantly (p < 0.05) more frequent in the screened than in the non-screened group (19% vs 3%). The size of aneurysm in the screened group was significantly (p < 0.05) smaller compared with the non-screened group. Sixty-three per cent of the screened group and only 8% of the non-screened group had an aneurysm less than 40 mm in size. Aneurysm was palpable in only 31% of those of the screened group. There were no significant differences between the groups in the frequency of arteriosclerotic risk factors such as hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease and smoking habits. Surgical treatment was selected in 7 out of 16 screened patients. The remaining 9 patients with small-sized abdominal aortic aneurysms have been carefully followed up.Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm using ultrasound is advisable especially for male participants and for the detection of iliac aneurysms. This screening procedure is useful for early detection because the screened aneurysm is generally small-sized and impalpable.
The availability of nasal mask bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) support in managing respiratory failure following cardiovascular surgery was studied.BiPAP support was used for eight patients requiring postoperative prolonged respiratory support of 72 hours or longer. Their mean age was 65 years of age and the mean periods of postoperative endotracheal intubation was 12+/-5 days. BiPAP support was removed within 48 hours in six out of eight patients. Reintubation of an endotracheal tube was not necessary in all eight patients after the BiPAP treatment.The respiratory rates during the BiPAP management remained unchanged. The values of the respiratory index significantly (p<0.01) improved after BiPAP management (1.5+/-0.2 --> 0.9+/-0.2). A-aDO2 and Qs/Qt decreased (p<0.1) after the BiPAP management. There were no significant differences in central venous pressure and circulatory states during BiPAP support.In conclusions, BiPAP support is a noninvasive management technique for postoperative respiratory failure and may also prevent prolonged endotracheal intubation.
The prognostic factors following aortic root reconstruction were studied in 19 patients including 13 with annuloaortic ectasia (AAE) and 6 without AAE (non-AAE). The preoperative diagnosis of six non-AAE patients was a dissecting aneurysm in five of the patients and supravalvular aortic stenosis associated with stenosis of the right coronary ostia in one patients. In the AAE group, the Bentall's method was initially selected in 11 patients and the Cabrol's method in the remaining 2 patients. In the non-AAE group, ascending aortic replacement was performed in 4 patients, patch plasty of the ascending aorta in 1 patient, and entry closure in the other patient. In this group, aorto-coronary bypass grafting using a saphenous vein graft was performed in 4 patients, ostioplasty of the right coronary artery (RCA) in 1, and the Bentall's method in 1. During the postoperative acute phase, one AAE patient died of acute myocardial infarction 3 days after surgery; the remaining 18 patients survived. In the follow-up study, 3 patients died of cardiac events which included two cardiac failures and one arrhythmia. The preoperative left ventricular diameter in the end-diastolic phase (LVDd) of 2 AAE patients who died of cardiac failure was 80 mm or larger and the left ventricular function remained unchanged after surgery. One non-AAE patient who underwent RCA ostioplasty suddenly died of arrhythmia. Postanastomotic leakage around the left coronary ostia associated with the patent Cabrol's trick occurred in 1 AAE patient and mitral valve regurgitation occurred in the other non-AAE patient. Reoperation using Cabrol's procedure and mitral valve replacement were performed for these 2 patients, respectively. Preoperative low cardiac function and large LVDd may influence the late results in AAE patients, therefore, earlier operations should be recommended.
The appropriate operative procedures for treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) are still controversial. The authors reviewed their own operative results focusing on preoperative risk factors, intraoperative findings and operative procedures.The authors reviewed the cases of 40 adult patients who had undergone surgery since 1999. The mean age of patients was 58 years ranging from 31 to 78 including 30 males and 10 females. Thirty-three patients had native valve endocarditis (NVE) and the remaining seven patients had prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE). Diseased lesions were located in the mitral valve (MV) in 21 patients, aortic valve in 15 and mitral plus aortic valves in four. Twenty-eight patients (70%) were operated on during the active phase of IE. Streptococcus, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species were predominant in the bacterial examination.Active vegetation was observed in 26 (65%) patients. Perforation of valve leaflets was observed in 11 (28%) cases. Changes of native MV leaflet were mild in 8 (40%) out of 20, which seemed to be reparable, while, changes of the native aortic valve leaflet were moderate to severe in 13 (87%) out of 15 patients. Valvular annuls were involved in the infection in 17 (43%) patients. Of the 33 NVE patients, prosthetic valve replacement was performed in 29 patients including 19 mitral and 15 aortic valves. MV plasty was performed in 4 patients. In seven PVE patients, prosthetic MV replacement was performed twice. In the aortic group, three patients underwent aortic root translocation, The Ross procedure and standard root replacement were performed respectively. Four patients died after surgery including one NVE case and three PVE cases. Three PVE patients who underwent aortic root translocation or the Ross procedure survived. The hospital mortality of NVE and PVE surgery was 3% and 43% (P<0.01), respectively. By univariant analysis, there were no significant correlations between operative results and preoperative factors such as bacteria, infective phase, cardiac failure, renal failure, sepsis or brain morbidity. The only significant factor on hospital mortality was PVE. Three patients died of non-cardiac diseases during the follow-up period.Operative results of NVE were good after complete resection of infective sites including valve annulus. Both valve replacement and plasty were available for NVE patients. In PVE, new strategies are indispensable and aortic root translocation or the Ross procedure should be a treatment of choice.
Three patients with chronic Stanford type A dissecting aneurysm were successfully operated upon using continuous retrograde cerebral perfusion (CRCP) during profound hypothermic circulatory arrest. Following profound hypothermic (14-15°C) circulatory arrest for 30-40 minutes, CRCP was started with a flow rate of 120-550ml/min to maintain a superior vena caval pressure of 15-20 mmHg. The circulatory arrest time was 56-101 minutes. The longer retrograde cerebral perfusion time induced prolonged wakefullness, but no serious neurological complications were encountered. In conclusion, CRCP is useful for cerebral protection during profound hypothermic circulatory arrest.
