Biomedical subjects

A F Grant

Publications and source records attributed to A F Grant.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1987

Total intracardiac repair for tetralogy of Fallot in adults.

The anatomic and clinical features of 47 patients who were 18 years of age or older at the time of total intracardiac repair for tetralogy of Fallot are reviewed. Twenty (43%) patients had had previous palliative surgery. Of 14 pulmonary-systemic shunts, 9 (64%) remained patent. The location of the ventricular septal defect was infracristal in 90% of patients. The predominant right ventricular outflow tract obstruction was at the infundibulum in 30%; another 64% of patients had combined valvular and infundibular obstruction. Total intracardiac repair was achieved; hospital mortality was 8.5%. Morbidity was minor, and hemorrhage was a significant problem in only 2 patients. Thirty-five patients have been followed from 11 months to 15 years after surgery. There were 4 late deaths; the actuarial 10-year survival rate was 82%.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed1986

Cardioplegic solution: a contamination crisis.

Eleven patients were given varying doses of cardioplegic solution contaminated with Enterobacter cloacae. Five patients died. Early bleeding, necessitating reoperation, occurred in eight patients and a total of 126 units of blood and 203 units of platelets were given (range 2 to 19 and 15 to 47 units, respectively). Mycotic aneurysms developed in four patients, rupturing between the ninth and eleventh postoperative day. Only one of these patients survived. Other complications included adult respiratory distress syndrome (three patients), renal failure (four patients), sternal infections (six patients), and organic brain syndrome (five patients). Although some factors of gram-negative septicemia were identified in retrospect, others were masked by the clinical setting in which it occurred. We recommend that each dose of cardioplegic solution be prepared on an individual basis and used immediately. We also recommend that "sternal blood" be cultured on all patients. The subtle features of "gram-negative septicemia" necessitate urgent investigation and treatment. The combination of low white cell count, high cardiac output, and low peripheral vascular resistance should be assumed to indicate septicemia until proved otherwise. A full coagulation screen including platelet function and fibrin degradation products should be performed in any and all patients with these findings. Mycotic aneurysms mandate urgent reoperation with interposition of a saphenous vein segment of these patients are to survive.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1981

A review of 74 patients with oesophageal achalasia: the results of Heller's cardiomyotomy, with and without Nissen fundoplication.

A survey is presented of 74 patients with achalasia of the the oesophagus treated surgically at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia. This survey spans a 27-year period. Thirty-nine patients underwent Heller's operation, 23 (58.9%) had excellent results six months after operation, and 17 (43.5%) still had excellent results more than two years after operation. This group had a high recurrence of symptoms due to oesophageal reflux (30.8%) and the development of strictures (20.5%) at the lower end of the oesophagus. Thirty-five patients underwent Heller's operation together with Nissen fundoplication. Thirty-two patients (91.4%) in this group had excellent results six months after operation, and 30 of these patients (85.7%) still had excellent results more than two years after operation. These results suggest that symptoms of oesophageal reflux and subsequent oesophageal stricture following Heller's operation for achalasia can be considerably reduced, if not prevented, by Nissen fundoplication--a reflux-preventing procedure.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Blunt traumatic rupture of the heart. Successful repair of simultaneous rupture of the right atrium and left ventricle.

A case is reported of a 48-year-old man who sustained simultaneous rupture of the right atrium and left ventricle following blunt trauma in a motor vehicle accident. Rupture of one or more cardiac chambers in blunt cardiac trauma is not uncommon. However, survival to reach the hospital is rare. The clinical features of cardiac rupture are those of pericardial tamponade or hemorrhage, depending on whether or not the pericardium is intact. Successful management of cardiac rupture in the few reported survivors has depended on a high index of suspicion when signs of tamponade occur after blunt injury. Prompt exploration is essential, as few patients survive longer than 60 minutes after injury. Ready availability of cardiopulmonary bypass is emphasized. Atrial rupture can be managed without bypass, but left ventricular rupture, as in this case, would seem impossible to repair without it.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1980