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Biomedical subjects

V Bors

Publications and source records attributed to V Bors.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Prosthetic valve endocarditis with ring abscesses. Surgical management and long-term results.

From January 1978 to December 1988, 71 patients underwent surgical intervention at our institution for prosthetic valve endocarditis with ring abscesses. These procedures involved 59 aortic prostheses and 12 mitral prostheses. No causative agent could be identified in 19 patients (26.7%). The operation was performed during antibiotic therapy in 63 patients and after a planned course of antibiotic therapy in 8 patients. At the aortic level, abscesses were remedied by suturing in 3 cases, by pericardial patches in 34 cases, and by complex procedures in 22 cases (subcoronary valved conduit in 11 cases, supracoronary valved conduit with coronary bypass grafts in 10 cases, apicoaortic valved conduit in 1 case). At the mitral level, ring abscesses were cured in 10 cases by intraatrial implantation of the prosthesis. In one case, the prosthesis was anchored inside the left ventricle; and in one case the valve could be seated on the anulus. The overall operative mortality rate was 17%. Long-term survival was 54% +/- 8% at 6 years. Fifteen (26%) of the survivors needed a third valve replacement (four operative deaths); a complex reconstruction was performed in seven patients. Better detection of ring abscesses and earlier surgical intervention before annular destruction and hemodynamic failure can improve the operative mortality rate for prosthetic valve endocarditis. When it is necessary, complex reconstruction, in spite of a high mortality rate, seems to eradicate the infectious seat, and the outlook for the patient's condition appears good.

Abscess↗

[Results of myocardial revascularization in patients aged 70 years and over].

The purpose of this study was to bring up-to-date the immediate risks and long-term benefits of coronary surgery in elderly people. The results obtained in a series of 475 patients in their seventies suffering from coronary disease who underwent myocardial revascularization alone or combined with heart valve replacement at the La Pitié Hospital, Paris, between 1984 and 1989 were analyzed. Coronary disease was associated with heart valve disease in two-thirds of the cases. The mean number of bypasses was 2.3 per patient. Aortic valve replacement was performed in 119 cases and mitral valve replacement in 12 cases. The operative mortality rate was 10.8 percent in patients with stable angina who underwent elective surgery. The factors which increased the mortality rate were: age (19.6 percent over 75 versus 13 percent under 75, P = 0.05); sex (23.5 percent in women versus 13.2 percent in men, P = 0.01) and emergency (25.8 percent, P = 0.02). No significant difference in mortality was noted between patients who had and those who did not have aortic valve replacement (15.8 versus 10.8 percent, P = 0.14). Fifteen patients (3.1 percent) developed perioperative myocardial infarction. During the follow-up, period myocardial infarction occurred in 7 patients. Out of 29 late deaths, 8 were of cardiac origin (infarction in 5, terminal heart failure in 3). The survival rate at 4 years was 76 percent. Among the patients who could be followed up, 80 percent are now asymptomatic, 15 percent are in stage I or II and 5 percent in stage III or IV of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society classification. Thus, despite a non negligible operative risk the functional improvement and survival rates obtained justify an increase in the indications for myocardial revascularization in elderly patients.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Myocardial protection by blood cardioplegia and warm reperfusion in heart transplantation.

We describe the technique of blood cardioplegia delivery as we routinely use it in clinical heart transplantation. This technique needs a specific circuit. Perfusion of a first dose of blood cardioplegia is immediately started on the arrival of the graft in the operating room. Cardiac reperfusion of a half-dose of blood solution without potassium is performed each 20 minutes. Myocardial warm reperfusion is started at the end of the aortic suture. This technique of blood cardioplegia and warm reperfusion during heart transplantation provided an improvement in heart preservation when compared with standard crystalloid solution.

Blood↗

[Current role of reconstructive surgery in the treatment of acute mediastinitis after cardiac surgery].

Infected median sternotomy often requires wide debridement. A large thoracic defect usually results with subsequent exposition of heart, great vessels, aortocoronary bypass grafting, vascular prosthesis. Coverage with muscles transplantation was the standard procedure carried out in this series of 150 cases observed between 1983 and 1991. Details of technique are presented as well as a review of our reconstructive options. Rewarding results were observed even in the most challenging circumstances, suggesting that pursuing this aggressive approach was warranted.

Acute Disease↗

Heart transplantation: update.

Clinical application of heart transplantation goes beyond 25 years experience. The main indications for cardiac transplantation remain idiopathic cardiomyopathies and ischemic diseases. To obtain a suitable donor has become progressively more difficult due to the increase of transplants performed and the shortage of donors. Advances in the detection of early rejection, improved organ preservation procedures, and the introduction of new immunosuppressive therapy protocols have produced dramatic results in heart transplantation. Late graft atherosclerosis remains a serious threat despite retransplantation and, in some cases, mechanical cardiac support.

Adolescent↗

[Infectious complications of heart-lung transplantation].

This study describes the infectious complications in 68 heart-lung transplant patients. We focused interest on early post-transplant infections so called nosocomial pulmonary infections, their exacerbating cofactors their clinical expression, and elements of diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore we describe the principal infections seen during long-term followup, which are opportunist infections caused most often by immunosuppression: Cytomegalovirus infections have a high incidence with serious clinical consequences in heart-lung transplant patients. As well as pneumocystis carinii infections and fungal infections, such as aspergillosis.

Adolescent↗

Heart and heart-lung transplantation in the 1990s.

After 22 years of clinical application in our unit, heart transplantation is now an accepted therapeutic method. Its indications are well established, its surgical technique and post-operative control and treatment well defined, mostly due to better diagnosis of the rejection episodes with the aid of echocardiography and endomyocardial biopsy and the use of cyclosporin. The results are remarkable with a survival rate of 70% at 5 years, and a full rehabilitation into family, social and often professional life for almost all the survivors. Its use has dramatically changed the prognosis of patients with irreversible cardiac failure but underlines the lack of a sufficient number of donors' hearts. The heart-lung transplantation, making use of the progress of heart transplantation, has been used successfully since 1982 and for the first time in Europe by our group. Improvement in the selection of recipients, lung preservation, surgical technique and post-operative management have brought a new and real hope to patients not only irreversible cardiopulmonary lesions but also terminal pulmonary disease.

Heart Transplantation↗

Survival prediction in staged heart transplantation using Jarvik-7 artificial heart.

BACKGROUND: Because mechanical circulatory assist as a bridge to heart transplantation places a further strain on current donor shortage as well as on medical cost containment, safe and effective use of the device is essential. METHODS AND RESULTS: To predict survival before undertaking staged heart transplantation with the Jarvik-7 artificial heart, our 58 attempts were reviewed retrospectively. Scores of 1-4 were given for six preoperative factors based on results obtained by univariate and multivariate analyses between survivors and nonsurvivors of staged heart transplantation: transplant rejection (scored 4: S4) or postoperative heart failure (S3) as the indication, recipient height < 175 cm (S3), body surface area < 1.8 m2 (S3), hyperbilirubinemia > 24 microM/l (S2), weight < 60 kg (S2), and age > 40 years (S1). Of 14 survivors, 13 had a total score < 4 (sensitivity, 93%), with an average score of 1.6 in contrast to 5.5 for 44 nonsurvivors (p < 0.001). Among 26 patients scored < 4, 21 had heart transplantation, of whom 13 left the hospital. Of 32 patients scored > or = 4, only four could be discharged after transplantation (specificity, 70%). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple preoperative factors successfully predicted transplantability and survival in staged heart transplantation. The results underscore the importance of preoperative condition and patient selection to achieve successful and effective use of Jarvik-7 as a bridge to heart transplantation.

Actuarial Analysis↗

[Immediate and long-term results of coronary surgery under age 40].

The results of coronary artery surgery in young adults have not been extensively studied. We analysed the results of 221 patients under 40 years of age operated between 1979 and 1989 at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. The patients were 200 men and 21 women with an average age of 36.2 years. The most common cardiovascular risk factors were smoking (69.6%) and hyperlipidaemia (52%). One hundred and eighteen patients (53.4%) had previous myocardial infarction (MI). Triple vessel disease was present in 129 cases, double vessel disease in 59 cases and single vessel disease in 33 cases. Twenty three patients had significant left main coronary disease. The number of bypass grafts per patient averaged 2.3. The operative mortality was 2.07% (6 cases), death being due to myocardial infarction in 4 cases. Perioperative myocardial infarction was diagnosed in 12 cases (5.05%). One hundred and ninety nine patients were followed up for an average of 7.4 years. Seven of the 17 late fatalities were of cardiac origin. The actuarial 9 year survival rate was 84%. Five patients were reoperated after an average of 6.4 years. Eighty five per cent of patients were asymptomatic at the last follow-up examination. In conclusion, the symptoms of coronary artery disease in young adults can be effectively treated with a low operative risk by myocardial revascularisation surgery. Long-term follow-up remains essential to define the outcome in these patients. Systematic use of internal mammary artery bypass grafting should improve these results in the future.

Adult↗

[Bronchoesophageal cyst in adults. Apropos of a case].

The authors report the case of a 61-year old woman who was operated upon for a paraoesophageal cyst of the bronchogenic type. Having reviewed the French literature on the latest cases, they underline the scarcity of these congenital formations which present as mediastinal cystic tumours with benign expression and course. Computed tomography suggests the diagnosis and reveals the intraparietal site of the cyst. A return to the histogenesis of these cysts makes it possible to understand the nosological distinction with the true bronchogenic cysts and to evaluate the recent classifications.

Bronchogenic Cyst↗

Cardiac tumors: clinical experience and surgical results in 74 patients.

A series of 75 cardiac tumors in 74 patients were operated on at La Pitie Hospital between 1972 and 1989. There were 73 primary and 2 metastatic tumors. Among the benign neoplasms, 58 were myxomas; seven of the nine malignant tumors were primary heart tumors. The mean age of the patients was 48 years (range, 9 to 75 years); 46 patients were female and 28 male. Fifty-seven percent of the patients had congestive heart failure, 13% had chest pain, 17% had neurological symptoms, and only 1 patient was totally asymptomatic. The cardiac tumors were incidental findings in 3 patients. Complete resection was carried out in 66 benign lesions and only four of the malignant tumors. All patients survived operation, although 4 died in the early postoperative period. Long-term results were excellent in patients with benign lesions, and no recurrences were found. In patients with malignant tumors, surgical procedures were only palliative and aimed at prolonging life; hence, prognosis remained unchanged.

Adolescent↗

Preoperative risk analysis in patients receiving Jarvik-7 artificial heart as a bridge to transplantation.

To distinguish high-risk patients prior to implantation of a Jarvik-7 artificial heart as a bridge to transplantation, our 37 attempts were reviewed retrospectively. Arbitrary scores of 1 to 4 were given for nine preoperative factors on the basis of results obtained by uni- and multivariate analyses between successful cases and failed attempts; transplant rejection (scored 4: S4) or postoperative heart failure (S3) as the indication, recipient height less than 175 cm (S3), body surface area less than 1.8 m2 (S3), hyperbilirubinemia greater than 24 microM/l (S2), preoperative renal failure requiring dialysis (S2), weight less than 60 kg (S2), and age greater than 40 years (S1). All except one of the 16 patients with successful bridge had a total score of less than 4, with an average score of 1.3 in contrast to 6.6 in the 21 failed cases (p less than 0.001). Among the 17 patients who scored less than 4, 15 received transplants (specificity 90%), while only one qualified for transplantation among 20 patients who scored 4 or more (sensitivity 94%). The two unpredicted failures resulted from mediastinitis and pulmonary infarction, both attributable to postoperative management. Multiple preoperative factors in combination could have successfully predicted the outcome of mechanical support in our experience. These results underscore the importance of patient selection to achieve successful and effective use of the Jarvik-7 as a bridge to heart transplantation.

Adolescent↗

Prognostic indices of survival in patients supported with temporary devices (TAH, VAD).

In an attempt to identify current indications and patient selection criteria for the use of mechanical circulatory support, we reviewed our experience in 83 patients who received a total artificial heart (TAH; n = 43), ventricular assist device (VAD) (n = 13), centrifugal pump (n = 17) or extracorporeal membrane oxigenation (ECMO) (n = 8) as a bridge to transplantation (Group I, n = 50) or for recovery from heart failure (Group II, n = 33). Comparing patients successfully transplanted (n = 20) or weaned (n = 9) who survived initial hospitalization, and those who died on mechanical support, there were no differences in preoperative renal, hepatic or pulmonary functions. Postoperative urinary output and bilirubin levels were the earliest variables affecting survival, and urinary output 24 hours after implant was discriminative in patients who survived (p less than 0.01). Age (above or below 40 years) and modality of terminal heart failure (acute versus chronic) were the most important factors affecting survival in the bridge to transplant group: 82% of young patients with acute decompensation were transplanted and 63% are long-term survivors while all patients over 40 years with chronic heart failure died on mechanical support (MS). In postcardiotomy patients, duration of cardiopulmonary by-pass (CPB) was significantly different comparing survivors with those who died in either bridge or recovery groups and all patients who had a CPB greater than 4 hours died on MS or after transplantation or weaning. In conclusion, preoperative indices indicating reversibility of multiple organ dysfunction remain to be identified.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Value of the association of blood cardioplegia and energetic warm reperfusion in cardiac transplantation].

Blood cardioplegia at 8 degrees C results in cardiac standstill whilst maintaining minimal metabolic functions of the cardiac cell. Reinjection every 20 minutes allows cellular reoxygenation, the delivery of essential elements (Tham, CPD), and the elimination of products of myocardial degradation accumulated during ischemia. Before declamping the aorta, a reperfusion with warm blood (34 degrees C) containing glutamate and GTN enables restocking of the energy reserves (Krebs' cycle) and a lowering of coronary and systemic resistances. This technique used systematically if even more effective when the ischemic time is prolonged as is the case in cardiac transplantation. The 50 transplants performed since January 1989 with this form of myocardial protection were compared with 50 procedures performed in 1988 with crystalloid cardioplegia. There was no significant difference in the duration of ischemia or of cardiopulmonary bypass between the two groups. Patients benefitting from blood cardioplegia defibrillated spontaneously more frequently, required lower doses of Dopamine for shorter periods and were extubated earlier.

Adult↗