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Biomedical subjects

R J Burnard

Publications and source records attributed to R J Burnard.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Dacron vs vein for femoropopliteal arterial bypass. Should the saphenous vein be spared?

The increasing need for the saphenous vein to bypass lesions of the coronary and other small arteries prompts a reconsideration of its routine use for femoropopliteal bypass. Evaluation after five years in 124 consecutive patients (135 procedures) demonstrated no significant difference in overall definitive patency between venous grafts (63%) and Dacron prostheses (65%). Dacron prostheses were avoided when below-knee anastomoses were required, but when the distal anastomoses were made above the knee, the five-year patency for veins and Dacron was equal (67%). Although the quality of the distal runoff influenced the long-term patency, effects were similar for veins and for Dacron. The data support the use of Dacron prostheses for femoropopliteal bypass proximal to the knee joint, allowing preservation of the saphenous vein for possible use elsewhere.

Adult↗

Atrioventricular sequential pacemakers: indications, complications, and long-term follow-up.

Our experience with 32 patients with atrioventricular (AV) sequential pacemakers and an average follow-up of 22 months is presented. The pertinent literature and physiology are reviewed. The indications, advantages, and complications of AV sequential pacemakers are analyzed. Half of the patients required bifocal pacing for control of arrhythmia alone, while half required control of arrhythmia associated with congestive heart failure due primarily to a noncompliant left ventricle. It is anticipated that the hemodynamic improvement occurring as a results of AV sequential pacing will increase the use of this mode of cardiac pacing in selected patients.

Adult↗

Survival and limb salvage in patients with infected arterial prostheses.

A series of 590 cases with a 2.5% rate of infection of arterial prostheses is presented. When one of the anastomoses was in the inguinal area, the incidence of prosthetic infection was higher. Two infections not involving the anastomotic site healed with conservative management. The three patients with aortoduodenal fistulas died. The long-term survival was 62%, and the amputation rate was 31%. During the last two years, a more aggressive surgical approach of total removal of the infected prosthesis and its replacement with an extraanatomic bypass has been instituted. With this approach, only one death and one amputation has occurred in six patients.

Aged↗

Failure of Dacron prostheses caused by structural defect.

Intrinsic prosthetic failure is quite uncommon since the advent of Dacron prostheses. Only 24 cases of arterial prosthetic failure have been described in the literature. Our experience consists of two additional failures of knitted Dacron prostheses. The first patient developed aortojejunal fistula due to a defect of the aortic prosthesis 6 years after resection and replacement of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The analysis of the graft revealed a defect in the form of a dropped stitch, which caused a weak spot where the prosthesis was able to be torn apart longitudinally. The second patient had femoropopliteal bypass and 6 years later developed degeneration with aneurysmal formation of the entire length of the prosthesis. Optical microscopy of this prosthesis exhibited mostly transverse failures which were coincident with valleys of the corrugated prosthesis. This was indicative of a defect that rendered the corrugation root too weak to withstand normal arterial pressures. This presentation emphasizes the seldom and serious complication of prosthetic failure due to defect of the prosthetic material. Details of scanning electron microscopy of the prosthesis, clinical presentation, angiography, and pathological findings with treatment also are discussed.

Aorta, Abdominal↗

Saddle embolism of the innominate artery.

A case of saddle embolism to the innominate artery in a patient with congestive myocardiopathy is presented. Embolectomy was successfully performed under local anesthesia using a combined carotid and axillary approach.

Adult↗