• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 1979

For years, physicians and anatomists have been interested in the heart that has one functioning ventricle. Various terms have been suggested for this entity including single ventricle, common ventricle, double-inlet left ventricle, cor biatriatum triloculare, and primitive ventricle. In this report, the term "single ventricle" is utilized as suggested by Van Praagh, and is defined as that congenital cardiac anomaly in which a common or separate atrioventricular valves open into a ventricular chamber from which both great arterial trunks emerge. An outlet chamber, or infundibulum, may or may not be present and give rise to the origin of either of the great arteries. This definition excludes the entity of mitral and tricuspid atresia. An 11 year old cyanotic boy was admitted chief complaints of exertional dyspnea and frequent upper respiratory infection since 2 weeks after birth. He was diagnosed as inoperable cyanotic congenital heart disease, and remained without any corrective treatment up to his age of 11 year when he suffered from aggravation of symptoms and signs of congestive heart failure for 2 months before this admission. On 22nd of May 1979, he was admitted for total corrective operation under the impression of tricuspid atresia suggested by a pediatrician. Physical check revealed deep cyanosis with finger and toe clubbing, and grade V systolic ejection murmur with single second heart sound was audible at the left 3rd intercostal space. Development was moderate in height [135 cm] and weight[28Kg]. Routine lab findings were normal except increased hemoglobin [21.1gm%], hematocrit [64 %], and left axis deviation with left ventricular hypertrophy on EKG. Cardiac catheterization and angiography revealed 1-transposition of aorta, pulmonic valvular stenosis, double inlet of a single ventricle with d-loop, and normal atriovisceral relationship [Type III C solitus according to the classification of Van Praagh]. At operation, longitudinal incision at the outflow tract of right ventricle in between the right coronary artery and its branch [LAD from RCA] revealed high far anterior aortic valve which had fibrous continuity with mitral annulus, and pulmonic valve was stenotic up to 4 mm in diameter positioned posterolaterally to the aorta. Ventricular septum was totally defective, and one markedly hypertrophied moderator band originated from crista supraventricularis was connected down to the imaginary septum of the ventricular cavity as a pseudoseptum of the ventricle. Size of the defect was 3X3 cm2 in total. Patch closure of the defect with a Teflon felt of 3.5 x 4 cm2 was done with interrupted multiple sutures after cut off of the moderator band, which was resutured to the artificial septum after reconstruction of the ventricular septum. Pulmonic valvotomy was done from 4 mm to 11 mm in diameter thru another pulmonary arteriotomy incision, and right ventriculotomy wound was closed reconstructing the right ventricular outflow tract with pericardial autograft of 3 x 4 cm2. Atrial septal defect of 2 cm in diameter was closed with 3-0 Erdeck suture, and atrial wall was sutured also when rectal temperature reached from 24`C to 35.5`C. Complete A-V block was managed with temporary external pacemaker with a pacing rate of 110/min. thru myocardial wire, and arterial blood pressure of 80/50 mmHg was maintained with Isuprel or Dopamine dripping under the CVP of 25-cm saline. Consciousness was recovered one hour after the operation when his blood pressure reached 100 /70 mmHg, but vital signs were not stable, and bleeding from the pericardial drainage and complete anuria were persisted until his heart could not capture the pacemaker impulse, and patient died of low output syndrome 320 min after the operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2004

Background: Infective endocarditis shows higher operative morbidity and mortality rates than other cardiac diseases. The vast majority of studies on infective endocarditis have been made on aortic endocarditis, with little attention having been paid to infective endocarditis on the mitral valve. This study attempts to investigate the clinical aspects and operative results of infective endocarditis on the mitral valve. Meterial and Method: The subjects of this study consist of 23 patients who underwent operations for infective endocariditis on the mitral valve from June 1995 to May 2003. Among them, 2 patients suffered from prosthetic valvular endocarditis and the other 21 from native valvular endocarditis. The subjects were evenly distributed age-wise with an average age of 44.8$\pm$15.7 (11∼66) years. Emergency operations were performed on seventeen patients (73.9%) due to large vegetation or instable hemodynamic status. In preoperative examinations, twelve patients exhibited congestive heart failure, four patients renal failure, two patients spleen and renal infarction, and two patients temporary neurological defects, while one patient had a brain abscess. Based on the NYHA functional classification, seven patients were determined to be at Grade II, 9 patients at Grade III, and 6 patients at Grade IV. Vegetations were detected in 20 patients while mitral regurgitation was dominant in 19 patients with 4 patients showing up as mitral stenosis dominant on the preoperative echocardiogram. Blood cultures for causative organisms were performed on all patients, and positive results were obtained from ten patients, with five cases of Streptococcus viridance, two cases of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and one case each of Corynebacteriurn, Haemophillis, and Gernella. Operations were decided according to the AA/AHA guidelines (1988). The mean follow-up period was 27.6 $\pm$23.3 (1 ∼ 97) months. Result: Mitral valve replacements were performed on 43 patients, with mechanical valves being used on 9 patients and tissue valves on the other 4. Several kinds of mitral valve repair or mitral valvuloplasty were carried out on the remaining 10 patients. Associated procedures included six aortic valve replacements, two tricuspid annuloplasty, one modified Maze operation, and one direct closure of a ventricular septal defect. Postoperative complications included two cases of bleeding and one case each of mediastinitis, low cardiac output syndrome, and pneumonia. There were no cases of early deaths, or death within 30 days following the operation. No patient died in the hospital or experienced valve related complications. One patient, however, underwent mitral valvuloplasty 3 months after the operation. Another patient died from intra-cranial hemorrhage in the 31st month after the operation. Therefore, the valve-related death rate was 4.3%, and the valve-related complication rate 8.6% on mid-term follow-up. 1, 3-, and 5-year valve- related event free rates were 90.8%, 79.5%, and 79.5%, respectively, while 1, follow-up. 1, 3-, and 5-year valve- related event free rates were 90.8%, 79.5%, and 79.5%, respectively, while 1, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 100%, 88.8%, and 88.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a complete removal of infected tissues is essential in the operative treatment of infectious endocarditis of the mitral valve. It is also suggested that when infected tissues are completely removed, neither type of material nor method of operation has a significant effect on the operation result. The postoperative results also suggest the need for a close follow-up observation of the patients suspected of having brain damage, which is caused by preoperative blood contamination or emboli from vegetation, for a possible cerebral vascular injury such as mycotic aneurysm.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.812-819
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• 2003

Background: Left ventricular dysfunction is one of the important prognostic factors of early mortality and long-term survival after valve operation. We studied the intermediate term results of mitral valve reconstruction in patients with moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction. Material and Method: Forty four patients who underwent mitral valve reconstruction with a left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) of <45% or less (20∼45%) from April 1995 through July 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. Ages ranged from 10 to 67 years (46∼14 years) and 32 patients were in NYHA class III-IV. The mitral valve diseases were regurgitation (MR) in 28 patients, stenosis(MS) in 10, and mixed lesion in 5. The etiologies of mitral valve disease were rheumatic in 20 patients, degenerative in 14, ischemic in 5, annular dilatation in 2, congenital in 2, and endocarditis in 1. Operatively, all patients had annuloplasty and/or various valvuloplasty techniques, and a total of 52 procedures were concomitantly performed. Total cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic crossclamp time were 160$\pm$57 minutes and 112$\pm$45 minutes respectively. Result: Two operative deaths occurred as a result of left ventricular failure (4.5%). After the mean follow-up of 39 months (range, 10∼83 months), there was no late death. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed no or grade I of MR in 29 patients (72.5%) and no or mild MS in 35 patients (87.5%). The actuarial survival at 5 years was 100%. Four patients required mitral valve replacement due to progressive mitral valvular disease. The actuarial freedom from valve-related reoperation at 5 years was 84$\pm$9%. Conclusion: This study suggests that mitral valve reconstruction in patients with moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction offers good early and intermediate survival and acceptable freedom from valve-related reoperation, and it is the strategy for effective management for these patients.