Does arch clamping increase stroke rates?
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Nobuyoshi Kawaharada.
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OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) is not always effective in a case of hemopericardium. Acute occlusion of catheter and cardiac perforation can happen more often. To perform subxiphoid pericardiotomy within a minute for emergency cases, we have done this procedure in a blind method after finger dissection by subxiphoid approach. We report the usefulness of blind subxiphoid pericardiotomy (BSP) based on the results of a prospective control study. METHODS: We designed a study to determine a favorable management for cardiac tamponade resulting from hemopericardium. In an emergency case of cardiac tamponade because of hemopericardium, board certified surgeons should perform BSP and other emergency physicians should perform PCD, with or without local anesthesia. PCD (n = 67) and BSP (n = 16) were performed for patients with cardio-pulmonary arrest (CPA) or near CPA because of cardiac tamponade secondary to trauma (n = 7), acute aortic dissection (n = 65), and cardiac rupture following acute myocardial infarction (n = 11) in our emergency medical center from January 2000 to December 2004. RESULTS: BSP was effective in all cases but PCD was ineffective in five cases because of clotting in pericardium (p = 0.260). No complication was observed in the BSP group but five critical complications and three infeasible drainage complications were observed in the PCD group (p = 0.146). Ten patients (BSP, 4; PCD, 6; p = 0.077) survived after emergency surgery (n = 8) or conservative treatment (n = 2). CONCLUSION: BSP was safe and could be performed quickly in an emergency situation. Percutaneous catheter drainage for hemopericardium could not avoid critical complications because of clotting in pericardium.
Acute distal aortic dissection rarely causes spinal cord ischemia presenting with paraplegia or paraparesis. Spinal cord involvement has poor outcomes, and there is no established effective treatment for this disorder. In this report we describe the acute conservative treatment of two cases of paraplegia/paraparesis due to acute type B aortic dissection. Early reversal of lower-limb dysmobility was achieved.
BACKGROUND: Although endovascular stent-grafting (SG) has become acceptable for blunt aortic injury (BAI), open surgical repair (OR) does provide reliable, good long-term results. A current surgical strategy for BAI, taking account of associated brain injury, is presented and preferable initial management for BAI is proposed. METHODS AND RESULTS: The surgical strategy for BAI was established in 2001: SG is performed for patients with obvious brain injuries, but OR is performed for patients without brain injury, and conservative treatment should be used initially for patients with critical non-aortic injuries. Between 2001 and 2004 20 patients with BAI were admitted to hospital: 16 blunt aortic ruptures and 4 blunt aortic dissections. Of them 15 patients underwent surgery (SG, 9; OR, 6) and 5 patients were treated conservatively. One patient died from associated lung injury after SG, all patients treated conservatively died because of associated brain injuries or another rupture of BAI, and 2 elderly patients treated by OR died within 1 year from postoperative respiratory failure. CONCLUSION: This brain-injury conscious surgical strategy for BAI provided acceptable early results. OR should be chosen for young patients without brain injury, but endovascular SG seems to be a better initial treatment for elderly patients or patients with other comorbidities.
PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate the detection of the artery of Adamkiewicz at magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and the effect such detection has on outcome after surgical graft placement in a series of patients with thoracoabdominal aortic disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study had ethics committee approval, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Fifty patients (38 men, 12 women; age range, 47-83 years; mean age, 67.2 years) who were scheduled to undergo thoracoabdominal aortic surgery for treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 42) or thoracoabdominal aortic dissection (n = 8) were enrolled in the study. MR angiography was performed with a 1.5-T system by using dynamic three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state with a bolus of contrast material and saline injection (4 mL/sec). Differences in the cross-clamping time, bypass time, total surgery time, and spinal complication rate between patients in whom the artery of Adamkiewicz was identified (group A) and those in whom the artery was not identified (group B) were evaluated with chi(2) or Mann-Whitney U testing. RESULTS: In 42 of the 50 patients (84% [group A]), at least one artery of Adamkiewicz was seen to arise from an intercostal artery. Two arteries of Adamkiewicz were identified in four of the patients (8%). The artery of Adamkiewicz could not be detected with MR angiography in eight patients (group B). The ranges of cross-clamping, bypass, and total surgery times, respectively, were 30-199 minutes (mean, 78.4 minutes +/- 39.1 [standard deviation]), 30-298 minutes (mean, 96.9 minutes +/- 60.0), and 135-665 minutes (mean, 354.9 minutes +/- 133.9) in group A and 53-124 minutes (mean, 72.8 minutes +/- 29.8), 10-124 minutes (mean, 66.0 minutes +/- 41.0), and 220-405 minutes (mean, 315.6 minutes +/- 68.8) in group B. Spinal complications occurred in two patients in group B but in none of the patients in group A (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The artery of Adamkiewicz was detected in a large percentage of patients in whom there were no spinal complications, unlike the spinal complications that occurred in the patients in whom the artery was not detected.
There are few published reports on endovascular stent grafting for thoracic aneurysms in Jehovah's Witnesses. Between 2001 and 2003, we performed endovascular stent grafting for a thoracic aneurysm in three patients of the Jehovah's Witness faith. Two patients had a thoracic aortic aneurysm and one had a chronic type-B dissection. The stent graft was constructed from a self-expanding Z-stent and thin-walled woven polyester fabric. None of the patients required perioperative blood transfusion, there was no postoperative endoleak, and all recovered uneventfully and were discharged from hospital. Thus, stent-graft repair of thoracic aneurysms in Jehovah's Witnesses is feasible and can be achieved without the need for blood transfusion.
Acute distal aortic dissection sometimes causes one or more visceral vessels to be stenosed by the thrombosed false lumen. Although stenosis of the only celiac artery (CA) usually does not cause ischemic symptoms because of the extensive collateral pathways of the mesenteric circulation, we experienced a rare case of CA compression syndrome which was caused by acute type B aortic dissection. The principal symptom was severe epigastric pain that was refractory to medicinal treatment. The angiogram showed absence of the anatomically well-developed collateral pathways between the CA and the superior mesenteric artery. We treated the patient with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the CA. This report indicates that attention should be given to the possibility of CA compression syndrome in the case of acute distal aortic dissection and that endovascular management can be successfully applied to control symptoms caused by the syndrome, which is otherwise extremely difficult to repair directly by surgery.
BACKGROUND: We investigated the influence of dialysis on late aortic events in end-stage renal failure patients who had undergone replacement of the thoracic aorta. METHODS: Between 1990 and 2003, 28 dialysis patients underwent thoracic aortic aneurysm repair. The cause was non-dissection in 17 patients and dissection in 11 patients. Six patients needed emergency operations. After the initial operation, 10 patients in the dialysis group had a patent false channel distal to the operative area, and 7 patients in the dialysis group had untreated separate aneurysms. These lesions were defined as residual aneurysms. We performed a retrospective case-control analysis of survival and late aortic events (enlargement of the remaining thoracic aorta, sudden death and reoperation) in dialysis patients versus carefully matched non-dialysis patients. Matching criteria included age, sex, cause, operative procedures, operative date, and operative status (elective or emergency). RESULTS: Survival rates at 1 and 5 years for dialysis patients versus non-dialysis patients were 63 +/- 9% vs. 85 +/- 7% and 41 +/- 11% versus 64 +/- 13%, respectively (p = 0.02). Four of nine late deaths in the dialysis group were due to rupture of residual aneurysm. Freedom from late aortic events for dialysis patients versus non-dialysis patients was 91+/- 6% versus 92 +/- 5% and 25 +/- 14% versus 68 +/- 12% at 1 and 5 years, respectively (p = 0.0073). CONCLUSIONS: There is a high incidence of late aortic events in dialysis patients undergoing thoracic aortic aneurysm repair. This finding indicates the need for close follow-up examination of dialysis patients who have undergone surgical treatment of thoracic aortic disease.
BACKGROUND: We have performed descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs with partial cardiopulmonary bypass, including heparin-coated circuits. The aim of this study was to evaluate (i) the impact of partial cardiopulmonary bypass on distal organ function and surgical outcomes; and (ii) the effectiveness of using heparin-coated circuits for preventing bleeding complications. METHODS: From July 1980 to June 2004, 309 patients underwent descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs using partial cardiopulmonary bypass. Their mean age was 61 years (range 19-81 years). One hundred of the 309 patients underwent repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm with heparin-coated circuits. Blood data for renal and hepatic function were collected on the day before the operation and postoperative days. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality was 15%. Distal organ dysfunction included spinal cord dysfunction in 2 patients (0.7%) and renal failure necessitating hemodialysis in 15 patients (5%, 15/297: excluded 12 dialysis patients). Multivariate analyses showed that preoperative hemodialysis and emergency operation were risk factors for operative mortality and that emergency operation was a risk factor for requiring hemodialysis. Renal and hepatic function normalized by 2 weeks after surgery. There were no significant differences between the heparin-coated group and nonheparin-coated group in amounts of packed red cells, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets transfused during the procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that partial cardiopulmonary bypass is a safe and effective method for distal perfusion. Using this technique, descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair can be performed with acceptable mortality and morbidity. However, the superiority of heparin-coated circuits over nonheparin-coated ones was not proved.
OBJECTIVE: The risk of stroke caused by dislodgment of loose atheromatous plaque or mural emboli is increased by cross-clamping of the aorta. Some patients undergo descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair with proximal aortic cross-clamping between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of proximal aortic cross-clamping in arteriosclerotic aneurysm or dissecting aneurysm repair. METHODS: Between May 1984 and May 2003, 81 patients underwent elective surgery for distal arch or descending aortic aneurysm repair with proximal aortic cross-clamping between the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. To evaluate the influence of the proximal aortic cross-clamping, patients were divided into two groups: patients who had undergone arteriosclerotic aneurysm repair (group I, n=25) and patients who had undergone dissecting aneurysm repair (group II, n=56). RESULTS: Eight (9.9%) of the 81 patients had a stroke. Six strokes occurred in operations for arteriosclerotic aneurysm repair group I and two strokes occurred in operations for dissecting aneurysm repair group II (24 vs 3.6%; p=0.009). In-hospital mortality rates were 12% in group I and 8.9% in group II (p=0.70). Major postoperative complications included renal failure requiring hemodialysis (in 4.2% of the patients in group I and in 8.3% of the patients in group II, p=0.99) and pulmonary complication (in 20% of the patients in group I and in 16% of the patients in group II, p=0.67). CONCLUSION: Cross-clamping between head vessels should be avoided if at all possible when operating on patients who have arteriosclerotic descending thoracic aneurysms.
PURPOSE: We studied the benefits of reduced systemic heparinization in a heparin-coated cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system for graft replacement of the descending thoracic (TA) or thoracoabdominal aorta (TAA). METHODS: Fifty-five patients were assigned to two groups: one group in which closed CPB circuits with reduced heparinization by elimination of the hard shell reservoir were used (group A, n = 36) and one group in which open circuits with full heparinization were used (group B, n = 19). RESULTS: The transfusion requirement tended to be greater as the duration of CPB increased, even in group A. The incidences of renal dysfunction in two groups were not significantly different. Only the incidence of pulmonary dysfunction was significantly higher in group B. A reduction of systemic heparinization had no benefit for perioperative bleeding. In the TAA operation, the total amount of hemorrhaging in group A was greater than that in group B, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: No beneficial effects of the use of heparin-coated CPB circuits on the amount of perioperative bleeding and postoperative organ damage, including renal dysfunction, were found in this study. However, our findings suggest that it may be better to avoid the use of closed CPB circuits in operations with a prolonged duration of CPB, such as a TAA operation.
PURPOSE: Acute type-A aortic dissection with a clotted false lumen is often managed conservatively; however, we found that surgery has a better outcome. METHODS: Enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed a clotted false lumen in the ascending aorta in 38 (33.3%) of 114 patients with acute type-A aortic dissection. After the exclusion of 8 patients whose condition was too critical for comparison, 13 patients who were hemodynamically stable and did not have pericardial effusion, organ ischemia, or a dilated ascending aorta greater than 50 mm in diameter, were managed conservatively (group C) and 17 were managed surgically (group S). We compared the early and late results of both groups. RESULTS: The early mortality rates were 23.1% in group C and 0% in group S ( P = 0.037). The early deaths in group C were caused by redissection in the acute phase. The actuarial survival rates and dissection-related event-free rates 5 years after onset in groups C and S were 64.1% and 80.8% ( P = 0.131) and 46.2% and 92.9% ( P = 0.002), respectively. CONCLUSION: The early mortality rate and dissection-related event-free rate were better after surgery than after conservative treatment. The indications for conservative management should be limited because redissection is usually fatal.
PURPOSE: We evaluated the surgical results of minilaparotomy abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in comparison with those of standard open repair and retroperitoneal approach repair. METHODS: Between February 2000 and January 2003, 30 patients with AAA underwent minimal incision laparotomy repair (MINI) through an abdominal incision 7-12 cm long. Their clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcome were then compared with those of patients who had undergone repair of AAA by a standard open technique (OPEN) or retroperitoneal approach technique (RETRO). RESULTS: There were significant differences between the MINI, OPEN, and RETRO groups in the time until the patient was able to resume eating (2.4 +/- 1.0 vs 4.4 +/- 2.4* vs 2.8 +/- 1.9 postoperative days [PODs], respectively; *P < 0.05), the time until ambulation outside the room (2.1 +/- 0.7 vs 3.5 +/- 1.3* vs 2.5 +/- 1.9 PODs, respectively; *P < 0.05), and the operation times (188 +/- 43* vs 256 +/- 77 vs 238 +/- 59 min, respectively; *P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Minilaparotomy repair is a feasible technique, which combines the benefits of a small incision with those of conventional open repair. With the exception of patients with an iliac artery aneurysm extending to the external or internal iliac artery, MINI repair should be considered for the elective treatment of patients with aortic disease.
BACKGROUND: The outcome of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair through redo-left thoracotomy after operations for descending thoracic aortic aneurysms was investigated. METHODS: Between May 1982 and March 2003, 100 patients underwent thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair in elective surgery without profound hypothermic circulatory arrest. Thirty of these patients had previously undergone operations for descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. To evaluate the influence of previous descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs on the results of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm replacements, patients were divided into two groups: (1) patients who had previously undergone descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair (group I; n = 30), and (2) patients who had not previously undergone descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair (group II; n = 70). RESULTS: The distal aortic perfusion time and operation time were both longer in group I than in group II, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in total selective visceral and renal perfusion time or aortic clamp time. In-hospital mortality rates were 13% in group I and 19% in group II (p = 0.52). Major postoperative complications included paraplegia (10% of patients in group I and 4.3% of patients in group II; p = 0.36), renal failure requiring hemodialysis (20% of patients in group I and 11% of patients in group II; p = 0.35), respiratory failure (30% of patients in group I and 19% of patients in group II; p = 0.22). CONCLUSIONS: Previously descending thoracic aortic aneurysm and redo-left thoracotomy do not adversely affect the outcome of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the artery of Adamkiewicz (ARM) can be detected by magnetic resonance angiography and to determine the usefulness of preoperative magnetic resonance angiography evaluation of the ARM. METHODS: Between April 2000 and December 2003, 120 patients underwent magnetic resonance angiography for detection of the ARM. The morphology of the anterior spinal artery at the ARM junction, as revealed by magnetic resonance angiography, in 99 patients in whom ARM was preoperatively detected was classified into the following three types: noncontinuation of the anterior spinal artery above the ARM junction (type A), continuation of the anterior spinal artery above and below the ARM junction (type B), and noncontinuation of the anterior spinal artery below the ARM junction (type C). RESULTS: The ARMs were detected in 99 (83%) of 120 patients, and from a total of 110 ARMs 105 (95%) originated from intercostal arteries branching from the left side and 94 (86%) originated between Th9 and Th11. Two ARMs were found in 11 (11%) of 99 patients in whom ARMs were detected. In 107 patients, who underwent magnetic resonance angiography to reveal the morphology of the anterior spinal artery at the ARM junction, the patterns of the anterior spinal artery were type A in 59 patients (55%), type B in 21 patients (20%), type C in 3 patients (3%) and not classified in 24 patients (22%). No spinal cord injury occurred in patients in whom the ARM had been preoperatively detected. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative detection of the ARM is possible by magnetic resonance angiography and is very useful for reducing the incidence of ischemic injury of the spinal cord.
BACKGROUND: The mortality of patients with descending thoracic aortic rupture who are treated by conventional surgery is high. Our current strategy for the management of descending thoracic aortic rupture is to treat seriously ill patients with endovascular stent-grafting using handmade grafts, and to treat other patients with traditional open repair. The aim of this study was to assess the early results of our strategy. METHODS: Twenty-nine consecutive patients with descending thoracic aortic rupture were referred to Sapporo Medical University Hospital from June 2001 to January 2004. Eighteen of these 29 patients were selected for endovascular stent-grafting because of polytrauma (n = 7), comorbidities (n = 6), advanced age (n = 2), past history of left thoracotomy (n = 2), and patient's preference (n = 1). The remaining 11 patients underwent traditional graft replacement of the diseased aorta. Their outcomes and follow-up data were collected and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality rate was 14% (4/29). The mortality rate for surgical patients and stent-grafting patients was 9% (1/11) and 17% (3/18), respectively. The survival rate of patients at 2 years was 63% +/- 10%. In the follow-up period, 2 of the 18 patients who underwent endovascular stent-grafting required open repair, and 1 patient underwent a redo endovascular stent-grafting procedure because of stent failure. One of these 3 patients died of an intraoperative retrograde type A aortic dissection. CONCLUSIONS: The early results of endovascular stent-grafting for the treatment of high-risk patients with descending thoracic aortic rupture are promising. Early results of open repair can also be improved by the selection of stabilized patients. However, the requirement of reintervention indicates that detailed follow-up examinations in patients who have undergone endovascular stent-grafting with handmade stent-grafts should be performed.
BACKGROUND: In spite of recent improvements in treatment for acute aortic dissection, mesenteric ischemia secondary to aortic dissection is still challenging. We propose a simple screening method to detect mesenteric ischemia secondary to acute aortic dissection. METHODS: From 1991 to 2002, 245 patients with acute aortic dissection were admitted to our hospital. Nine (3.7%) of those were complicated with mesenteric ischemia. The clinical records of those 9 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The ratios of the diameter of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) to that of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) were calculated in patients with mesenteric ischemia (group M) and in patients without mesenteric ischemia (group C). Blood test data, including results of arterial blood gas analysis, in the 2 groups were also compared. RESULTS: The SMV/SMA ratios in groups M and C were 1.16 +/- 0.33 and 1.78 +/- 0.29, respectively (P=.003). A cutoff value of the SMV/SMA ratio was 1.5 (sensitivity, 88.9%; specificity, 88.9%) with an odds ratio of 64.0. Although there were differences between the 2 groups in glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine phosphate kinase, pH, and lactate values, the measurement of lactate was especially useful (P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the SMV/SMA ratio and lactate concentration is a useful screening method to detect mesenteric ischemia secondary to acute aortic dissection.
We report a case of late mediastinal false aneurysm originating from disruption of the suture line between synthetic vascular grafts for aortic root and total aortic arch replacements. This aneurysm developed without any infection in a patient with Marfan's syndrome. To our knowledge, this event has never been reported before. The only possible cause of this disruption was that the monofilament suture was broken by continuous friction between the pointed anastomotic line and the sternum since the operation. The treatment options for this unusual event after extended synthetic graft replacement are discussed.