• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.719-724
• /
• 2009

Background: As the patients who undergo heart transplantation have achieved better survival in recent years, growing number of recipients are at a risk for experiencing surgical complications in addition to rejection and infection. In this paper, we report on our experience with the surgical complications that occurred in heart transplant recipients. Material and Method: From April 1994 to September 2003, 37 heart transplantations were performed at our center by a single surgeon. The indications for transplantation were dilated cardiomyopathy, ischemic cardiomyopathy, valvular cardiomyopathy and familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Result: Twenty postoperative complications required surgeries in 15 patients (41%). The types of operations required were; redo-sternotomy for bleeding (5), pericardiostomy for effusion (4), implantation of a permanent pacemaker (1), right lower lobe lobectomy for aspergilloma (1), removal of urinary stone (1), cholecystectomy for gall bladder stone (1), drainage of a perianal abscess (1), paranasal sinus drainage (1), total hip replacement (1), partial gingivectomy due to gingival hypertrophy (1), urethrostomy (1), herniated intervertebral disc operation (1) and total hysterectomy for myoma uteri (1). The locations of the complications were mediastinal in 10 (27%) cases and extramediastihalin 10 (27%) cases. Conclusion: The relatively high incidence of extrathoracic complications associated with heart transplantation emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the improve long-term survival when managing those complex patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.315-318
• /
• 2024

The HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) was widely used for mechanical circulatory support in patients with end-stage heart failure. However, there have been reports of a critical issue with HVAD pumps failing to restart, or experiencing delays in restarting, after being stopped. This case report describes 2 instances of HVAD failure-to-restart during heart transplantation surgery and routine outpatient care. Despite multiple attempts to restart the pump using various controllers and extensions, the HVAD failed to restart, triggering a hazard alarm for pump stoppage. In one case, the patient survived after receiving a heart transplantation, while in the other, the patient died immediately following the controller exchange. These cases highlight the rare but life-threatening complication of HVAD failure-to-restart, underscoring the importance of awareness among clinicians, patients, and caregivers, and adherence to the manufacturer's guidelines and recommendations for HVAD management.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.207-211
• /
• 2000

Backgroud: Conventional cardiac transplantation with each atrial anastomosis designed by Shumway and associates has been used widely in cardiac transplantation because of its simplicity and efficiency. There have been many reports about the postoperative atrioventricular value regurgitation resulting from the alteration in atrial geometry after cardiac transplantation by Shumway's technique. New surgical technique of direct anastomosis of superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, right pulmonary vein and left pulmonary vein was introduced to overcome the those problems. We performed this study to test the feasibility of this new surgical technique prior to application to clinical practice. Material and Method: Conventional cardiac transplantation was performed on 12 mongrel dogs(Group I) and cardiac transplantation with new surgical mthod of direct anastomosis of SVC, IVC, left and right pulmonary veins was performed on 11 mongrel dogs(Group II). After weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, we compared the postoperative rhythm, hemodynamic data, and echocardiographic findings between two groups. Result : The cardiopulmonary bypass time and graft ischemic time were 119.0$\pm$4.4 minutes, 162.0$\pm$4.5 minutes respectively in group I, and 140.0$\pm$7.1 minutes, 180.5$\pm$5.4 minutes respectively in group II. The cardiopulmonary time and graft ischemic time in group II were longer than those of group I (p<0.05). There were 3 cases of failure to weaning from cardipulmonary bypass onein group I and two in group II, and this difference was not significant statistically. Sinus rhythm was regained postoperatively in 58% (group I) and 82%(group II), without statistical significant between 2 groups. Postoperative echolcardiography showed 2 cases of tricuspid value regurgitation and 1 case of mitral regurgitation in group I, and no regurgitation of atrioventricular value in group II. Conclusion: Although these was no statistically significant difference between 2 groups, there was tendency of less arrhythmia and less atrioventricular valvular regurgitation in group II. We suggested that the new surgical technique could be a useful strategy in heart transplantation, especially in the case of size mismatching between donor and recipient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.317-325
• /
• 2017

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become an important treatment modality in pediatric patients with cardiopulmonary failure, but few studies have been conducted in Korea. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of pediatric patients younger than 18 years who were placed on ECMO between January 2004 and December 2014 at Samsung Medical Center. Results: We identified 116 children on ECMO support. The overall rate of successful weaning was 51.7%, and the survival to discharge rate was 37.1%. There were 39, 61, and 16 patients on ECMO for respiratory, cardiac, and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, respectively. The weaning rate in each group was 48.7%, 55.7%, and 43.8%, respectively. The survival rate was 43.6%, 36.1%, and 25.0%, respectively. Sixteen patients on ECMO had functional single ventricle physiology; in this group, the weaning rate was 43.8% and the survival rate was 31.3%. Ten patients were on ECMO as a bridge to transplantation (8 for heart and 2 for lung). In patients with heart transplantation, the rate of survival to transplantation was 50.0%, and the overall rate of survival to discharge was 37.5%. Conclusion: An increasing trend in pediatric ECMO utilization was observed. The outcomes were favorable considering the early experiences that were included in this study and the limited supply of specialized equipment for pediatric patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.167-171
• /
• 2018

Background: Heart transplantation (HTx) can be a life-saving procedure for patients in whom single ventricle palliation or one-and-a-half ($1\text\tiny{1/2}$) ventricle repair has failed. However, the presence of a previous bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (BCS) necessitates extensive pulmonary artery angioplasty, which may lead to worse outcomes. We sought to assess the post-HTx outcomes in patients with a previous BCS, and to assess the technical feasibility of leaving the BCS in place during HTx. Methods: From 1992 to 2017, 11 HTx were performed in patients failing from Fontan (n=7), BCS (n=3), or $1\text\tiny{1/2}$ ventricle (n=1) physiology at Asan Medical Center. The median age at HTx was 12.0 years (range, 3-24 years). Three patients (27.3%) underwent HTx without taking down the previous BCS. Results: No early mortality was observed. One patient died of acute rejection 3.5 years after HTx. The overall survival rate was 91% at 2 years. In the 3 patients without BCS take-down, the median anastomosis time was 65 minutes (range, 54-68 minutes), which was shorter than in the patients with BCS take-down (93 minutes; range, 62-128 minutes), while the postoperative central venous pressure (CVP) was comparable to the preoperative CVP. Conclusion: Transplantation can be successfully performed in patients with end-stage congenital heart disease after single ventricle palliation or $1\text\tiny{1/2}$ ventricle repair. Leaving the BCS in place during HTx may simplify the operative procedure without causing significant adverse outcomes.

• Acute and Critical Care
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.206-215
• /
• 2018

Since the first successful lung transplantation in 1983, there have been many advances in the field. Nevertheless, the latest data from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation revealed that the risk of death from transplantation is 9%. Various aspects of postoperative management, including mechanical ventilation, could affect intensive care unit stay, hospital stay, and immediate postoperative morbidity and mortality. Complications such as reperfusion injury, graft rejection, infection, and dehiscence of anastomosis increase fatal adverse side effects immediately after surgery. In this article, we review the possible immediate complications after lung transplantation and summarize current knowledge on prevention and treatment.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.255-264
• /
• 2022

Globally, thousands of patients undergo lung transplantation owing to end-stage lung disease each year. As lung transplantation evolves, recommendations and indications are constantly being updated. In 2021, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation published a new consensus document for selecting candidates for lung transplantation. However, it is still difficult to determine appropriate candidates for lung transplantation among patients with complex medical conditions and various diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze each patient's overall situation and medical condition from various perspectives, and ongoing efforts to optimize the analysis will be necessary. The purpose of this study is to review the extant literature and discuss recent updates.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.379-383
• /
• 2003

Background: An accurate diagnosis of the severity of the rejection after a heart transplantation relies on endomyo-cardial biopsy, but because of its invasiveness and the need for repeated examination makes it is an inappropriate monitoring method. Therefore, we have tried to find a monitoring method that is continuous and less invasive. Material and Method: Heterotopic heart transplantation using Ono-Lindsey Method was done in 20 rats, and then $^{99m}$ Tc-Pyrophosphate (PYP) scan was done after a month, Uptake ratio of transplanted heart to vertebrae (H/V) was obtained to be compared with the biopsy result. Result: Rejection was defined when the H/V uptake ratio was higher than 0.09, and we compared the uptake ratio with the results of biopsy. The result was true positives was 3, true negatives 12, false negatives 2, andfalse positives 3. Therefore sensitivity was 60% and specificity was 80%, diagnostic value was 75%. Conclusion: $^{99m}$Tc-Pyrophosphate (PYP) scan was a useful method for the evaluation of the heart transplantation rejection and it will be helpful for monitoring rejection as an non-invasive and simple method.hod.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.209-217
• /
• 2024

In addition to cellular damage, ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury induces substantial damage to the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. In this study, we sought to determine whether impaired mitochondrial function owing to IR could be restored by transplanting mitochondria into the heart under ex vivo IR states. Additionally, we aimed to provide preliminary results to inform therapeutic options for ischemic heart disease (IHD). Healthy mitochondria isolated from autologous gluteus maximus muscle were transplanted into the hearts of Sprague-Dawley rats damaged by IR using the Langendorff system, and the heart rate and oxygen consumption capacity of the mitochondria were measured to confirm whether heart function was restored. In addition, relative expression levels were measured to identify the genes related to IR injury. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption capacity was found to be lower in the IR group than in the group that underwent mitochondrial transplantation after IR injury (p < 0.05), and the control group showed a tendency toward increased oxygen consumption capacity compared with the IR group. Among the genes related to fatty acid metabolism, Cpt1b (p < 0.05) and Fads1 (p < 0.01) showed significant expression in the following order: IR group, IR + transplantation group, and control group. These results suggest that mitochondrial transplantation protects the heart from IR damage and may be feasible as a therapeutic option for IHD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.39 no.11 s.268
• /
• pp.854-857
• /
• 2006

The patient was an eight-year-old female. She was diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy. She was supported with bi-ventricular assist because of heart failure for 15 days. After 7 days, she was suffered from prerenal type ARF and support with continuous veno-veno hemodyalisis(CVVHD). And then heart transplantation was performed, heart donor's blood type was A. Immune suppressants were used after due consideration for renal toxicity. ARF was resolved on post operative $14^{th}$ day. She was discharged on post operative $52^{nd}$ day without any specific post operative complication. She has been followed up without any immune rejection reaction upto 14 months.