Tamponade occurring several years after open-heart surgery is rare ; the decision to surgically intervention for tamponade is a difficult one. We present our experience with a case of tamponade that occurred 4 years after open heart surgery. The patient was a 70-year-old man who underwent aortic valve replacement (Carbomedics^TM 27 mm), pulmonary vein isolation, right atrium maze operation, and ligation of the left atrial appendage. Four years after the surgery, he was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea on exertion and leg edema. Echocardiography and computed tomographic (CT) scan revealed a hematoma in the intrapericardial cavity, which was pressing on the posterior wall of the left ventricle, for which surgery was indicated. After the hematoma was removed, there was bleeding from the left atrial appendage. Hemostasis was performed with one mattress suture. A postoperative CT scan demonstrated that the left ventricle deformity had disappeared and the cardiac hemodynamics were normalized. During the follow-up period, no recurrent hematoma was observed. This evidence suggests that tamponade occurred because of re-bleeding from the left atrial appendage where the bleeding was stopped by the pressure of the hematoma.

Objective : To demonstrate the mortality rate and the choice of surgical procedures, especially the selection of the valve prosthesis, in each position of the valve in each age of the patients and the effects of the preoperative complications to the mortality and prosthetic valve selection, the data from JCVSD in 2013 and 2014 are analyzed. Methods : The proportion of each surgical procedure is compared in each age of the patients in the aortic, the mitral and the tricuspid position. Results : The proportion of the mechanical valve prostheses was 23.1, 40.5 and 11.4% in the aortic, mitral and tricuspid position respectively and it was higher in hemodialysis patients than in non-hemodialysis patients. The operative mortality rate was 4.3, 11.7, 15.8 and 5.6% in all cases, the hemodialysis patients, the patients with liver dysfunction and the patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter, respectively in AVR, and 4.0, 14.4, 11.2 and 4.1%, respectively in each group listed above after mitral surgery. Conclusion : These results clarify the status of cardiac valvular surgery in Japan.

Bacteremia from dental disease is the most important cause of infective endocarditis in patients with heart valve disease. However, the prevalence of dental disease in patients undergoing valve surgery has not been clarified. One hundred thirty-seven patients had a dental check-up before heart valve surgery, 82 patients (59.9%) had significant dental disease which could have caused bacteremia. All patients with the dental disease underwent extraction preoperatively. There was neither complication in extraction nor any influence on heart valve surgery. Postoperative hospital stay was not prolonged due to the extraction. During the mean follow-up period of 30 months, no infective endocarditis was seen. The prevalence of dental disease was high in patients undergoing heart valve surgery. Preoperative treatment of dental disease did not have a negative impact on the postoperative course and hospital stay in heart valve surgery.

It has been reported that diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes after conventional CABG using cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the effects of diabetes on postoperative outcomes after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) are unclear. The effects of diabetes on early and mid-term results were studied by comparing the outcomes between 82 patients (65±5 years) with diabetes and 112 patients (68±11 years) without diabetes. The diabetic group included a greater preoperative presence of renal insufficiency (22.0% vs 8.9%, p=0.011) and history of cerebral vascular accident (25.6% vs 11.6%, p=0.012). Strategies, including graft choice, were not changed by presence of diabetes. The use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries (70.7% diabetes vs 67.0% nondiabetes), and frequency of total arterial bypass were similar in the 2 groups. The number of distal anastomoses was higher in the diabetic group (3.0±0.9 vs 2.7±0.9, p=0.042). The operation time and frequency of blood transfusion were similar in both groups. There was no hospital death in either group. Although mechanical ventilation time and postoperative ICU stay did not differ, hospital stay was significantly longer in the diabetic group (16.2 vs 13.3 days, p=0.0085). Postoperative major complications including atrial fibrillation were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Minor wound infection occurred in 2 patients, 1 in each group. There was no mediastinitis in either group. During the mean follow-up period of 20.8 months (1-39), there were two sudden deaths in the diabetic group, but no other cardiac death in either group. Cardiac event-free rate did not differ between the 2 groups. Although hospital stay in diabetic patients was longer than that in nondiabetic patients, early and mid-term results of OPCAB were not significantly affected by diabetes mellitus.

Periannular abscess and mycotic aneurysm due to infective endocarditis are very difficult conditions to treat surgically. Beginning in 1983, we introduced a translocation technique on 9 such cases. In particular, 7 patients who underwent a new sutureless translocation technique all showed an uneventful course and were discharged. There was no hospital death, but four patients died in the late period (2 heart failure, 1 ventricular tachycardia and 1 thrombotic valve). The sutureless translocation method consists of insertion of a composite valve into the ascending aorta (a ring was detached from an intraluminal ringed graft and a prosthetic valve was sutured to it at that point) and coronary artery bypass grafting to the right and left coronary arteries. Our new technique was simple, required only a short aortic clamping time (mean 173.9min) and there was no significant bleeding. This new translocation technique provides a solution for the treatment of periannular abscess and mycotic aneurysm due to infective endocarditis.

A 47-year-old man underwent a double-valve replacement involving aortic valve replacement (AVR) and mitral valve replacement (MVR) and Re-Re-DVR 6 and 8 months, respectively, after an initial DVR because of suspected prosthetic valve endocarditis. Detachment of the prosthetic mitral valve occurred during the early postoperative period, for which the patient again underwent treatment 15 and 21 months after the initial surgery. The operative findings showed that the detachment was caused by a wide cleavage of the aortic-mitral continuity. There were bacteria detected on a blood culture, and his C-reactive protein (CRP) level did not reduce at any time. On the basis of these findings, we suspected nonrheumatic inflammatory disease and started steroid therapy. His CRP level became negative, and further prosthetic mitral valve detachment did not recur.

The new St. Jude Medical aortic valve graft prosthesis was evaluated for composite graft replacement of the aortic root in 32 patients at three institutions. This study was performed in conformity with the Japanese Drugs, Cosmetics and Medical Instruments Act. The grafts were preclotted with blood of serum albumin: coronary artery reconstruction was performed employing the classical Bentall procedure (4 cases), Cabrol's procedure (14 cases), the interposition graft technique (8 cases) or the button technique (6 cases); concomitantly the aortic arch was replaced in one patient, and the mitral valve was replaced in two patients. One early death (3%) occurred as the result of shock sustained prior to establishing cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative complications included perivalvular leakage (one case), perioperative myocardial infarction (two cases), hepatitis (one case). There were no late deaths and no complications related to the SJM valve graft prosthesis. The SJM valve graft prosthesis is a safe and reliable prosthesis for use as a composite graft replacement of the aortic root.

Background : Left atrial reverse remodeling occurs when the left atrial load is reduced after mitral valve repair for mitral valve regurgitation. However, several reports demonstrate mitral valve stenosis after mitral valve repair with a mitral ring, which leads to impaired left atrial reverse remodeling. Objective : To examine the effect of ring size and body size on left atrial reverse remodeling after mitral valve repair. Patients and Methods : Sixty patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography before and after mitral valve repair for mitral valve regurgitation in our hospital. The left atrial volume (LAV) was compared pre- and postoperatively. Ring-size/BSA (mm/m2) was defined as values to express the mismatch between ring-size and body size after mitral valve repair with a mitral ring. In addition, we examined which factors correlated with the left atrial volume reduction rate including ring-size/BSA. The mean ring size was 28 mm. The study interval was 17±6 months. Result : LAV changed from 82±37 ml to 47±20 ml postoperatively. The left atrial volume reduction rate was 39.8±18.6%. The peak pressure gradient measured from the transmitral flow (TMF p-PG) was 7.5±3.0 mmHg. Ring size showed a stronger correlation with body height than BSA. The ring-size/BSA was 17.7±2.1 mm/m2. Multivariate analysis shows that correlates of the LAV reduction rate were ring-size/BSA, pre LAV and age. Ring-size, TMF p-PG, ring annuloplasty only and postoperative TRPG did not show a strong correlation with the LAV reduction rate. Conclusion : A mismatch between body size and ring size is a negative factor for left atrial reverse remodeling after mitral valve repair with a mitral ring. The ring-size/BSA may be a useful factor to express grade of the mismatch.

Objectives : Data of valvular heart surgeries from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database in 2015 and 2016 were analyzed to demonstrate the associated mortality and morbidity rates and choice of surgical procedures. Methods : We used the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database to extract data of cardiac valve replacement procedures performed in 2015 and 2016. The cases were further evaluated depending upon the type of procedure, and prosthesis used at each site. The rate of bio-prosthesis usage was derived for each valve position and age groups. The rates of operative mortality and morbidity were calculated for each valve position and type of procedures. Results : In total, 26,054 aortic valve replacements were performed in 2015 and 2016, showing a slight increase in number since the last report(2013-2014). A total of 3,305 transcatheter aortic valve replacements, 5,652 mitral valve replacements, and 12,024 mitral valve repair procedures were performed. The rate of bio-prosthesis usage in aortic valve replacement was 96.5%, 92.7% and 63.5% for patients in their 80s, 70s and 60s, respectively, demonstrating an increase in usage since 2013-2014. Mechanical valves were preferred in patients on chronic hemodialysis. The mortality rates of aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement, mitral valve repair, and tricuspid valve replacement procedures were 4.1%, 7.1%, 2.2%, and 10.5%, respectively. Conclusion : We evaluated recent trends in valvular heart surgery in Japan with respect to the type of procedure and prosthesis preferred and the postoperative outcomes. We found that bio-prosthesis usage was the most common.

Objectives : We sought to present data relative to valvular heart surgeries from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database in 2017 and 2018 to show current status and trend in Japan. Methods : We extracted data relative to cardiac valve surgeries performed in 2017 and 2018 from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database. We obtained total number of aortic valve replacement procedures and showed trend for these 6 years from 2013 to 2018. The operative mortality rates were shown for representative valve procedures stratified by age group with the aim of showing a bench mark of Japan. Data regarding minimally invasive procedures and transcatheter aortic valve implantation which the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database can provide were also presented. Results : Despite dramatic increase of number of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in 2017 and 2018 compared to in 2015 and 2016, surgical aortic valve replacement also increased from 26,054 to 28,202. Regarding the operative mortality of first time valve procedures, it was 1.8% in isolated aortic valve replacement, 0.9% in isolated mitral valve repair, 8.2% in mitral valve replacement with biological prostheses, and 4.6% with mechanical prostheses. For first time valve procedures with concomitant coronary artery bypass, the operative mortality was 5.2% in aortic valve replacement, 4.9% in mitral valve repair. Regarding prosthetic valve selection, 72.6% of patients had biological prosthesis for aortic valve replacement procedures in their 60's, showing trend of increasing percentages of biological valve choice. Regarding minimally invasive procedure, 31.8% of first time isolated mitral valve plasty were performed via right thoracotomy. Though patients who underwent surgery via right thoracotomy had better clinical outcomes, it was also apparent that the patients who underwent surgery via right thoracotomy had lower operative risk profile. Aortic clamp time and cardiopulmonary bypass time were longer in the right thoracotomy patients. 6.3% of the patients who had isolated aortic valve replacement underwent surgery via right thoracotomy. The right thoracotomy aortic valve replacement patients had better clinical outcomes and had more percentage of lower risk profile. The overall mortality of transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement were 1.5% and 1.8%, respectively. Conclusion : We reported data related to heart valve surgery in 2017 and 2018 from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database.