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Biomedical subjects

G J Reul

Publications and source records attributed to G J Reul.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Repair of ventricular septal defect after pulmonary artery banding.

Since 1964, 90 patients have undergone two-stage surgical repair of ventricular septal defect (VSD) with pulmonary artery banding (PAB) in early infancy and total repair at an average age of 4 years. Reconstruction of the pulmonary artery was accomplished with a pericardial patch, woven Dacron patch, or transverse angioplasty. The VSD was closed with a knitted Dacron patch in 75 patients and by primary suture technique in 13 patients. The VSD closed spontaneously in 2 patients. The mortality rate for patients who had repair and debanding was 9 per cent (8 patients), including 4 deaths due to severe pulmonary hypertensive disease, 3 from congestive heart failure, and one from atrioventricular block. Twenty patients underwent repeat cardiac catheterization several months to 7 years after total repair. This study revealed no shunt in 16 patients and a minimal shunt not requiring operation in the other 4 children. Slight residual stenosis of the pulmonary artery was found in 2 patients and a residual infundibular stenosis in another 2 patients. We believe two-stage surgical treatment of VSD in severely ill infants under one year of age is safe and reliable.

Blood Vessel Prosthesis↗

Surgical treatment of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with apicoaortic valved conduit.

From Aug. 13, 1975, through May, 1976, nine patients underwent creation of a left ventricular "vent" for relief of severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. A Dacron fabric graft containing a heterograft valve was used to establish a conduit from the left ventricle to the abdominal aorta. There were five male and four female patients in this group; their ages ranged from 4 to 72 years. All had valvular, subvalvular, or supravalvular aortic stenosis, and all but two had undergone previous surgical procedures for relief of the stenosis. All patients survived the operation and none are receiving anticoagulant therapy. All are asymptomatic at present and follow-up is approaching one year. Postoperative cardiac catheterization studies revealed gradients across the aortic valve to be reduced by approximately 90% and mean ventricular systolic pressures by 45%. Although this concept is not new, it has not been used widely and we believe its effectiveness warrants further application.

Adolescent↗

Dissecting aneurysm of the descending aorta. Improved surgical results in 91 patients.

Dissecting aneurysm of the descending thoraic aorta (type iii) is a specific disease process whose pathogenesis, pathologic description, surgical treatment, and prognosis is different from dissections of the ascending arota (types l and ll). From 1964 through 1974, 91 patients underwent surgical correction of type iii dissection. The operative mortality was 21% and late mortality, up to ten years follow-up, was 13%. During the past four years, operative mortality has dropped to 6.5%. Mortality was determined by extent of the aneurysm and underlying cardiac disease. Antihypertensive and negative ionotropic drugs have not been used as definitive treatment but as adjuncts in perioperative support. Based on our present mortality of 6.5%, with no late mortality, we urge early surgical treatment of acute and chronic dissecting aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta before extension, rupture, or massive enlargement of the aneurysm occurs.

Adult↗

Long-term survival following coronary artery bypass. Analysis of 4,522 consecutive patients.

A consecutive series of 4,522 patients who received aortocoronary bypass (ACB) from October 1969 through December 1974 has been analyzed with respect to cumulative (actuarial) survival, cause of late death, and late postoperative complications. Through December 1973, 2,676 patients received ACB alone. Cumulative survival was 85.9% for five years. Late cumulative mortality averaged 2.7% per year. Causes of death were myocardial in origin in only 60.4% of the patients. Late complications of nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred in 4.1% of the patients, and congestive heart failure occurred in 10.2%. However, preoperative congestive heart failure was present in 25% of these subjects. Mortality in 1974 was 3.4% in patients who underwent ACB only, and 4.2% for all patients who received ACB procedures (1,478 patients). Comparison to previous medical data makes it appear that this surgery increased the actuarial survival over long-term follow-up.

Adult↗

Coronary artery bypass in patients over 70 years of age: indications and results.

With recent advances in all phases of coronary care and the increasing success of coronary arterial surgery, operative treatment of coronary artery disease is more readily recommended, even for patients over 70 years of age. In a series of 3,730 patients who underwent aortocoronary bypass from November 1969 through June 1974, there were 95 patients who were 70 years of age or older. The primary indication for surgery was severe angina, which was present in 88 patients. The mean coronary arterial score was 9.51. Associated valvular lesions were treated surgically in 21 patients, and a left ventricular aneurysm was resected in 7. Improvements in surgical technique and postoperative care are responsible for the hospital mortality rate of only 4.8 percent in the 21 patients operated upon during the first 6 months of 1974 compared with the overall mortality rate of 22.1 percent in all 95 patients. Long-term follow-up among the 95 patients includes data from 33 patients: 9 patients whose condition improved, 21 who were asymptomatic and 1 "coronary death".

Age Factors↗

Successful partial excision of an intramural fibroma of the left ventricle.

A report of the only surviving adult to undergo partial excision of an intramural cardiac left ventricular fibroma is presented. Good results were obtained by relieving outflow tract obstruction through partial excision of the tumor from the septum and left ventricle. The need for conservative surgical treatment of patients with this rare, benign tumor is emphasized.

Adolescent↗

Total anomalous pulmonary venous return. Review of 125 patients treated surgically.

One hundred twenty-five patients undergoing surgical correction of total anomalous pulmonary venous return were studied. The overall mortality was 37% and was related to age at the time operation was required. Mortality was 57% during the first year of life, 29% in patients between 13 and 24 months, and 15% in those between 2 and 10 years; no deaths occurred in those over 10 years. Mortality was highest in patients with infracardiac lesions (62%), and lowest in those with cardiac defects (30%). The major cause of death was pulmonary edema, and survival was closely related to the degree of increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Surgical treatment should be delayed until at least 6 months of age, but the development of congestive heart failure may necessitate earlier operation.

Adolescent↗

Surgical treatment for anomalous origin of left coronary artery from pulmonary artery.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery carries a poor prognosis; most patients die early in life from myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. During a 12-year period at the Texas Heart Institute, 13 patients with this congenital malformation ranging in age from 1 to 24 years underwent operation. The anomalous coronary artery was sutured or ligated, or both, close to the pulmonary artery in 3 patients, 2 before 1965. Aortocoronary bypass was performed in the remaining 10 patients, using an autogenous saphenous vein graft in 9 and a Dacron tube in 1. More recently a distal end-to-side anastomosis has been employed and is not the preferred method. If necessary, a pump oxygenator may be used to complete the procedure. The only death was that of the first patient in the series who underwent ligation of the left coronary artery and mitral annuloplasty for severe mitral insufficiency; Of the 12 patients available for long-term follow-up study, all but 1 were asymptomatic. Follow-up angiographic studies showed the graft to be patent in 7 patients; the longest period of graft patency was 8 years. Definitive operative therapy is preferable to simple ligation because it eliminates the left-to-right shunt from the right coronary artery to the pulmonary artery and establishes a double coronary artery system.

Adolescent↗

Current concepts in the management of penetrating neck trauma.

Six hundred thirty-two cases of penetrating wounds of the neck were analyzed in this study in order to re-evaluate our current concepts in the management of these injuries. There were 35 deaths in this series, an overall mortality rate of 5.5%. However, in the last 10 years there were only 13 deaths among 407 patients, a 3.2% mortality rate. Early exploration was performed in 507 patients, and 125 patients were observed. Explorations revealed a total of 625 separate injuries. In 142 explorations, no injury was found. There was no mortality or significant morbidity in these patients with negative explorations. Patients who presented with obvious vascular or visceral injury were immediately explored. Those wounds without obvious injury were either explored or observed, depending on the index of clinical suspicion based on awareness of the innocuous presentation and difficulty in diagnosing esophageal injuries. The mortality rate is a function of multiple factors. Its decrease over the past 25 years is related to many improvements in our health care system. Our own decrease in mortality rate can be attributed in part to decreased transportation time resulting in less blood loss. A greater awareness of esophageal injuries was another factor. No conclusions are possible as to the feasibility of conservative management based upon the mortality rates alone; however, on examination of our experiences with penetrating wounds of the neck, it appears that a significant number of patients when carefully selected by trained personnel can be safely managed with observation.

Adolescent↗

Surgical palliation of tricuspid atresia.

In the 20-year period ending December 31, 1973 we operated on 105 patients for palliation of tricuspid atresia (TA) with reduced pulmonary blood flow. Pott's anastomosis (85), Blalock-Taussig anastomosis (19), intrapericardial aorta (Ao)-to-right pulmonary artery (RPA) (18), Glenn procedure (3) and miscellaneous shunts (2) have been used. Of patients undergoing operation more than 15 years ago, 45% (9/20) are still alive. The over-all operative mortality was 9%. It was highest in patients less than one month of age (7/23, 30%). There were no operative deaths in patients older than 12 months. The median age at first operation for the entire series was five months. Our results indicate the Pott's anastomosis and Ao-to-RPA anastomosis are superior to the Blalock-Taussig anastomosis (BT) for palliation of TA. Of patients surviving BT, 69% (11/16) required reoperation, compared to 22% (17/78) surviving Pott's anastomosis and 13% (2/16) surviving Ao-to-RPA shunts. All three patients undergoing Glenn procedures (superior vena cava-to-RPA anastomosis) required reoperation or died without significant benefit. Ballon atrial septosomy and Pott's anastomosis appear to be indicated for infants less than six months of age, and Ao-to-RPA shunt with simultaneous atrial septectomy (if indicated) for older children.

Adolescent↗

Complications of cloth-covered prosthetic valves: results with a new mitral prosthesis.

During a 12 year period 5,103 cardiac prosthetic valves in 4,193 patients have been evaluated for performance and incidence of complications. As a result of our experience, the advantages of fewer embolic phenomena, associated with epithelialization in completely cloth-covered valves and those with cloth-covered seating rings, are outweighed by the problems of cloth wear, hemolysis, and hemodynamic obstruction from tissue overgrowth. A valve has been designed which incorporates the desirable features of full-flow orifice, low-profile, self-washing principle, polished contact surfaces, durable materials, and a large eccentric sewing ring into a new mitral prosthesis. Clinical evaluation in 394 patients from Aug. 1, 1971, through Dec. 31, 1973, has demonstrated excellent hemodynamic function and a low incidence of thromboembolic phenomenon.

Heart Valve Prosthesis↗