• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.710-717
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• 2008

Background: Atrial fibrillation is associated with several complications such as cerebro-vascular accidents and peripheral arterial embolism. Most of the patients who have this arrhythmia chronically feel their heart beating and so they are frightened; therefore, the quality of a patient's life is decreased. The purpose of this article is to determine the long term results of a modified Maze procedure and the factors that influence the success of the procedure. Material and Method: This study enrolled 88 patients who underwent the modified Maze with using cryoablation between June, 2001 and February, 2007. The 88 consecutive patients were divided into two groups ac cording to how the pulmonary veins were isolated, that is, with or without cryoablation. There were 58 patients who were isolated by cutting and sewing in the right pulmonary veins and by cyroablation in the left pulmonary veins in group 1 (group 1, n=58), and 30 patients who underwent isolation by cryoablation in the right & left pulmonary veins were placed in group 2 (group 2, n=30). The ECG was checked at discharge to determine the sinus conversion rate and we followed up the patients to determine whether or not the patients maintained sinus rhythm. We also checked the ECG at the last visit to determine the patients' heart rhythm. Result: The mean follow up time was $44.3{\pm}19.2$ months. At discharge, 72.4% of the patients in group 1 were in proper sinus rhythm and 66.7% of the patients in group 2 were in proper sinus rhythm. At the last follow up, 81% of the patients in group 1 were in normal sinus rhythm and 60% of the patients in group 2 were in normal sinus rhythm. When we analyzed the data via the Kaplan-Meier method, 86.5% of the patients were free from atrial fibrillation (% free from AF) at 1 year, 80% of the patients were free from atrial fibrillation at 5 year in group 1 and 70% of the patients were free from atrial fibrillation at 1 year and 51 % of the patients in group 2 were free from atrial fibrillation at 5 year. Conclusion: The modified Maze technique using cryoablation was a simple and effective procedure. But the success rate of the Maze technique using cryoblation is lower than that of the standard Maze III. The method using cryoablation shorten the operation time, but we must conduct more studies to get a better result of the modified Maze technique with using cryoablation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2000

Background: We analyzed the result of the "Off-Pump" Coronary Artery Bypass grafting (OPCAB) performed to minimize inflammatory responses to cardiopulmonary bypass and myocardial ischemia during the aortic cross-clamp period. Material and Method : The preoperative diagnosis operative procedure mortality complication and postoperative course of the 50 patients who underwent OPCAB between January 1998 and September 1998 were analyzed. There were 34 males and 16 females with mean age of 60$\pm$9 years. Preoperative clinical diagnoses were unstable angina in 31(62%) stable angina in 16(32%) and clinical diagnoses were unstable angina in 31(62%) stable angina in 16(32%) and postinfarction angina in 3(6%) patients. Preoperative angiographic diagnoses were three-vessel disease in 25(50%) two-vessel disease in 5(10%) one-vessel disease in 7(14%) and left main disease in 13(26%) patients. There were elective operation in 37 cases and urgent operation in 13 cases. Result: The mean number of grafts was 3.2$\pm$1.2 per patient. Grafts used were unilateral internal thoracic artery in 43 greater saphenous vein in 37 radial artery in 7 bilateral internal thoracic arteries in 4 and right gastroepiploic artery in 2 cases Forty sequential anastomoses were performed in 18 cases. Vessels accessed were left anterior descending artery in 48 diagonal branch in 41 obtuse marginal branch in 30 right coronary artery in 24 posterior descending artery in 9 ramus intermedius in 5 and posterolateral branch in 5 anastomoses. Predischarge coronary angiography performed in 44 patients demonstrated the patency rate of 89.5%(128/143) Operative mortality was 2%(1/150) Postoperative complications were arrhythmia in 5 graft occlusion that needed reoperation in 4. perioperative myocardial infarction in 2 femoral artery thromboembolism developed after the application of IABP in 1 postoperative transient delirium in 1 peripheral compression neuropathy in 1 case. Sixteen patients(32%) were extubated at the operating room and the other patients were extubated at the mean 13$\pm$20 hours after the operation. Mean duration of stay in intensive care unit was 49$\pm$46 hours. Thirteen patients(26%) required blood transfusions perioperatively and the amount of perioperative blood transfusion was mean 0.70$\pm$1.36 pack/patient. Conclusion: OPCAB is suggested to be the ideal technique with less postoperative complication less hospitalization time and less cost.less cost.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.345-350
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• 2001

배경: 항부정맥 술식으로서의 메이스 술식은 우수한 동율동 전환율을 보고 있으나, 술식의 복잡성과 상대적으로 긴 수술 시간 등으로 모든 환자들에게 적용할 수는 없기에, 일부 환자군에서 보다 간단한 항부정맥술인 폐정맥 분리술을 시행 받은 환자들을 대상으로 동율동 전환율 등의 수술 성적과 위험 인자 등에 대해 알아보고자한다. 대상 및 방법: 1995년 10월부터 1999년 2월까지, 폐정맥 분리술을 시행받은 96명의 환자들을 대상으로 후향적 연구를 시행하였다. 남자가 37명(38.5%), 여자가 59명(61.5%) 이었고, 평균 연령은 46.9$\pm$11.6세 이었다. 승모판 협착 환자가 50명(52.1%), 폐쇄 부전이 24명(25%), 협착과 폐쇄부전이 같이 있었던 경우가 22명(22.9%)이었다. 판막 술식과 폐정맥 분리술을 시행하고 좌심방이 제거술을 시행하였다. 모든 환자들은 술 후 6개월 내지 1년 이내에 외래에서 심전도와 심초음파를 시행받았다. 평균 추적 관찰 기간은 25.9$\pm$11.5개월 이었다. 술 후 최근 추적일까지 동율동으로 전환된 군과 안된 군으로 나누어 분석을 하였다. 결과: 조기 성적으로는 사망이 3명(3.1%), 술 후 6개월 이내의 추적관찰 유실이 2명(2.1%) 이었다. 조기 합병증으로 재수술이 필요 했던 출혈이 4례, 심폐바이패스 이탈 실패오 심실보조장치 등의 삽입이필요했던 경우가 1례, 뇌혈관질환 1례, 심근경색이 1례 등이 있었다. 만기 합병증으로는 동기능 부전 증후군으로 영구 심박동기를 삽입한 경우가 1례, 일시적인 뇌경색 1례 있었고 다른 판막과 연관된 합병증은 없었다. 동율동 전환 환자 수는 75명(82%)이었다. 동율동으로의 전환이 어려운 위험인자로 50세로 이상의 연령(p=0.03), 65mm 이상의 좌심방 크기(p=0.03), 동반 우심 술식 시행(p=0.02)등이 있었다 결론: 승모판 질환을 동반한 심방 세동 환자에서 폐정맥 분리술을 시행하여 만족할 만한 동율동 전환율을 얻을 수 있었다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.665-671
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• 2007

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features and outcome in newborns undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods : Eighty two neonates underwent heart surgery for congenital heart defect at Kyungpook National University Hospital between March 2000 and February 2006. Patient characteristics (sex, age, diagnosis), pre-operative conditions, operation type, postoperative complications and mortality were reviewed retrospectively. Results : In 82 patients, 41 (50%) were male. The mean age and weight at operation were 12 days and 3.2 kg, respectively. The common cardiac anomalies were complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA), Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, and single ventricle variants. Fifty seven operations were performed with cardiopulmonary bypass and corrective surgery was done on 54 patients. Arterial switch operation and modified Blalock-Taussig shunt were most frequently performed as corrective and palliative operations, respectively. The early hospital mortality rate was 7%; the late mortality was 3.9%. Complications were acute renal insufficiency, delayed sternal closure, wound infection, arrhythmia, and brain hemorrhage. Conclusion : During the last 6 years, the outcomes of cardiac surgery for congenital heart defects in neonates improved by progress in perioperative, anaesthetic, surgical, and postoperative care.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.2 s.271
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• pp.136-139
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• 2007

Bilateral popliteal artery entrapment syndrome is a rare vascular disease, which leads to ischemic claudication as a result of disturbance to the blood flow from the abnormal relationship of the popliteal artery to the gastrocnemius muscle, a fibrous band or the popliteus muscle in the young male population. A 58-years-old male patient, complaining of ischemic claudication, coldness and 3rd toe gangrene of left leg of 1 month's duration was admitted to our institution. His left ankle-brachial index was decreased; therefore, a femoral artery angiography was peformed, which revealed a total occlusion below the distal superficial femoral artery of the left leg. An EKG revealed atrial fibrillation, suggestive of a thromboembolism of the popliteal artery due to atrial fibrillation; therefore, Urokinase thrombolysis was attempted. After the Urokinase thrombolysis, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome was diagnosed, with MRI then performed for an anatomical diagnosis. The popliteal artery entrapment was type 1, where the popliteal artery was displaced medial to the Gastrocnemius head. After complete removal of the popliteal artery aneurysm, interposition was performed with a contra lateral greater saphenous vein graft. A mild right popliteal artery aneurysm still remained, but surgery was not performed. Currently, the patent is surviving, without complications. Herein, the good results obtained for the surgical treatment of a severely affected leg, and the conservative treatment of a mildly affected leg, are reported.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.911-920
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• 2003

In this study, we analyzed the long-term surgical outcome of partial atrioventricular septal defects during the past 17 years at Seoul National University Hospital. Material and Method: A retrospective analysis on mortality, survival, and reoperation and their risk factors was done in 93 patients who underwent surgical correction of partial atrioventricular septal defects between April 1986 and December 2002. 32 patients were male and 61 were female with a median age of 68 months (3∼818 months) and a mean follow-up period of 108 months (1∼200 months). Result: There were 4 operative deaths (4.3%) and one mortality during the follow-up period. 3, 5, 10, and 15 year actuarial survival rates were 95.7%, 94.3%, 94,3%, and 94.3%, respectively. After the surgical correction, left atrioventricular valve Incompetence was improved in 61patients (67.7%), remained same as the preoperative status in 14 patients (15.1%), and was aggravated in 12 patients (12.9%). Reoperation was performed in 8 patients (9.0%) after a mean interval of 38.6 months (3∼136 months). Freedom from reoperation rates at 3, 5, 10, and 15 years after surgical correction were 94.0%, 91.4%, 91.4%, and 88,2%, respectively Reasons for reoperation were 7 left atrioventricular valve incompetence, 2 left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, a residual atrial septal defect, a left atrioventricular valve stenosis, and a right ventricular failure. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction was the only statistically significant factor. In ten patients, significant arrhythmia was developed and three of them were supraventricular arrhythmia. Complete atrioventricular block occurred in 7 patients and permanent pacemakers were implanted in six of them. Conclusion: Surgical corrections of partial atrioventricular septal defects were performed with low operative mortality. Since left atrioventricular valve incompetence was the most common cause of reoperation and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction was the only risk factor for reoperation, a precise estimation of the left atrioventricular valve morphology and the structure of left ventricular outflow tract are needed. Although left ventricular outflow tract obstruction rarely developed, reoperation was frequently required and resection of subaortic tissue could be peformed but the possibility of recurrence was high, so modified Konno operation could be performed with satisfactory results. Complete atrioventricular block developed frequently in early periods, but was overcome with a precise anatomical understanding of conduction system and experience.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.195-197
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• 2003

Sick sinus syndrome(SSS) constitutes a spectrum of cardiac arrhythmia, including sinus bradycardia, sinus pause-arrest, sinoatrial block, slow escape rhythm, bradyarrhythmia and tachyarrhythmia. SSS is relatively uncommon in children but its exact incidence is unknown because diagnostic criteria are not uniform and most children with SSS, in general are asymptomatic. SSS may be primary(organic sinus node disease) or secondary(cardiac surgery comprises much of SSS in children and adolescents), but it can hardly be caused by familial relations as well. We reports an occurrence of familial sick sinus syndrome. Mother was diagnosed as SSS, which was presented by symptoms of dizziness and treated by permanent pacemaker(DDD). Also, two daughters revealed SSS with non-compacted cardiomyopathy on neonatal screening and fetal echocardiography respectively. We concluded that familial SSS may occur, so familial screening should be suggested.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.7 s.252
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• pp.476-482
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• 2005

Recently, coronary artery obstructive disease and coronary artery bypass graft surgery have increased, and the operative result has been improved. We reviewed 154 cases of coronary artery bypass graft surgery from Jan. 1985 to Jun. 2004. Material and Method: We reviewed 148 patients, 154 cases of coronary artery bypass surgery from Jan. 1985 to Jun. 2004. This investigation is designed to illustrate the preoperative diagnosis, severity of disease, operative method, the kind of used bypass graft used, number of distal anasomosis, associated surgery, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. Result: There were 84 males, 64 females and the average age was $58.9\pm8.3$ years old. Preoperative clinical diagnosis were unstable angina in 97 cases $(63.0\%)$, stable angina in 31 cases $(20.1\%)$, acute myocardial infarction in 12 cases $(7.8\%)$ and postinfartion angina in 14 cases $(9.1\%)$. Preoperative angiographic diagnosis were three-vessel disease in 68 $(44.2\%)$, two-vessel disease in 39 $(25.3\%)$, one-vessel disease in 35$(22.7\%)$, and left main disease in 12$(7.8\%)$ cases. There were 78 cases of on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery and 76 cases of off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The total distal anastomoses number was 319, mean number of anastomoses was $2.06\pm0.96$. There were 10 concomitant procedures. Postoperative intra-aortic balloon pump was used in 21$(13.6\%)$ cases, but only 4 cases were used at off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Total early mortality was $7.8\%$. The mortality was decreased as $4.5\%$ from Jan. 2001 to Jun. 2004. Post operative complication was perioperative yocardial infarction in 9cases$(5.8\%)$, low cardiac output syndrome in 17 cases$(11\%)$, and arrhythmia in 30 cases$(19.5\%)$ cases. Conclusion: Since 1985, The result of coronary artery bypass graft surgery has been improved because of more refined technique, use of off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, use of internal thoracic artery and radial artery as bypass graft. We should study the long-term follow up more for better operative results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.265-270
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• 1976

Implantation of a permanent pacemaker is a widely accepted procedure for the patient with complete heart block.As a result of these device, the prognosis for patients with Adams-Stokes syndrome caused by complete A-V block and other cardiac arrhythmia have become much more optimistic. Permanent pacemaker implantation by means of a transvenous approach has made the operative risk much less and the procedure simpler. However, a number of complications have been reported in the literature regarding transvenous endocardial pacemaker implantation during the last a decade. The patient presented in this paper is a 26-year old girl who was implanted with a permanent pacemaker at 14 years of age because of a congenital A-V block. Following first exchange of pulse generator, the electrode (lead) was fractured, so that by the pulse generator, a change to the transvenous technique of implantation was made, After this, there were episodes of recurrent wound infection on three occasions, even though the site of pulse generator implantation was exchanged to the contralateral side of chest wall, massive doses of antibiotics were administered and sensitivity tests for coagulase positive staphylococcal infection were performed. Though there was no definite evidence of blood stream infection by blood culture, we decided not to use the transvenous technique and not to implant the pulse generator in the chest wall because the venous system and the entire anterior chest wall appeared to be diseased or contaminated by virulent pyogenic organisms. Finally this intractable systemic and local wound infection was successfully controlled by myocardial lead implantation via a subxiphoid approach and implantation of the pulse generator far down in the abdominal wall. The causes and routes of recurrent wound infection and possible blood born infection in this particular patient are still obscure. We strongly believe that myocardial pacemaker implantation is much safer than transvenous endocardial pacemaker implantation & myocardial pacemaker implantation is a definite method for controlling such an intractable wound infection. following transvenous pacemaker implantation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.75-79
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• 1993

Myocardial protection against ischemic and reperfusion injuries is still in troublesome eventhough couples of the way of myocardial protection have been applied since 1970's. One of the possibility in myocardial protection is adding Fructose-l,6-diphosphate(FDP) in cardioplegic solution. It is assumed that FDP can promote ATP production under anaerobic condition as well as inhibiting the supressing effect of lactate on phosphofructokinase. We compared the myocardial protecting effects of FDP in crystalloid cardioplegic solution (St. Thomas formula, 10$^{\circ}C$, pH = 7.4) and reperfusate using isolated rat hearts in modified Langendorf apparatus by the parameters of preischemic and post reperfusing heart rate, time to first beat, occurance of arrhythmia, time to stabilization, and the rate of left ventricular pressure developing. Group A (n = 10), containing no FDP in cardioplegic and reperfusing solutions was control. Group B (n = 5), containing FDP in cardioplegic solution, showed statistically significant superiority of postischemic left ventricular pressure development than the control group. Group C (n = 5), containing FDP in reperfusate, showed statistically significant myocardial depressing effect than the controls. Other parameters were unremarkable. The cause is uncertain, but it is assumed that the negative feedback inhibition of FDP in energy metabolism or unknown blocking effect of FDP on certain transmembrane ionic currents is present. In conclusion, 1) FDP in cardioplegic solution has beneficial effect on postischemic left ventricular preservation. 2) FDP is strong acid when is hydrolyzed, so precise acid titration is neccessary. 3) FDP in reperfusate has negative left ventricular preservation, otherwise the mechanism is still uncertain.