The durability of the Starr-Edwards (SE) mitral caged-disk valve, model 6520, is not clearly known. We reported that SE mitral caged-disk valves implanted ＞20 years previously should be carefully followed up, and that SE caged-disk valves implanted ＞30 years previously should be electively replaced with modern prosthetic valves in our experience. We found the removed valve 39 years after implantation, which seemed minimal structural deterioration. The patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day without any complications.

Aggressive anticoagulation therapy is necessary when Toyobo-LVAS is used for long-term treatment of severe heart failure. However, it is necessary to regulate it carefully if there is a hemorrhagic complication due to thromboembolism, but repeated blood testing is painful. We compared simple measurement with the CoaguChek XS^® with the conventional blood testing method. The correlation coefficient was 0.916, and the regression line was Y=0.8027X+0.3399. In addition, drawing blood using the CoaguChek XS^® was very effective in the reported pain reduction in patients.

A 75-year-old man was admitted with symptoms of unstable angina pectoris. The patient was initially treated with ticlopidine and aspirin after first undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by means of a drug eluting stent (DES). Coronary angiography thereafter showed re-stenosis in left main trunk and two-vessel disease. As a result, emergency off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) was therefore performed. However, major bleeding (3, 245ml) occurred after OPCAB. Therefore, a re-thoracotomy operation had to be performed to stop the bleeding. Based on the above findings it is important for surgeons to keep in mind that pre-operative ticlopidine administration can increase the risk of re-operation for hemostasis, while also potentially increasing and the requirements for blood and blood product transfusion both during and after OPCAB surgery.

The patient was a 74-year-old woman who had undergone mitral valve replacement with a mechanical valve for rheumatic mitral valve stenosis at age 60. She was scheduled for aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis. However, she had significantly worsening anemia before the operation. Capsule endoscopy showed angiodysplasia with bleeding in her small intestine, which was considered the cause of the anemia. Because of progressive anemia, we tried embolization under angiography. However, there was no evidence of extravasation. Neither melena nor exacerbation of anemia was observed, and she underwent aortic valve replacement. She was discharged on postoperative day 22 without gastrointestinal bleeding. Heyde syndrome is aortic valve stenosis associated with gastrointestinal bleeding induced by von Willebrand disease and angiodysplasia in small intestine. Molecular multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor and the existence of angiodysplasia with hemorrhage of the digestive tract are important for definitive diagnosis. Capsule endoscopy, which is a general examination, is more useful for diagnosis than molecular multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor. Aortic valve replacement is the only therapeutic option for Heyde syndrome. It is important to decide the appropriate timing of AVR with cardiopulmonary bypass.

We report a case of type A acute aortic dissection in an elderly woman with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who underwent replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch and later required aortic root replacement for redissection of the aortic root one month after her initial surgery. She was an 86-year-old woman with severe mitral regurgitation, and surgery was contraindicated because of her age and ITP. In October 2014, the patient presented with back pain. Computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis of her condition as type A acute aortic dissection, and she was immediately transferred to our hospital. Because echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation, severe mitral regurgitation, and moderate tricuspid regurgitation, we performed replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch, mitral valve repair, and tricuspid annuloplasty. We used Bioglue to fuse the false lumen of the type A acute aortic dissection and used a Teflon felt sandwich for the proximal anastomosis technique. Respiratory support was discontinued 91 h after her first operation ; however, 30 days after surgery, she developed a to-and-fro murmur-a sign of the progression of heart failure. Echocardiography showed aggravation of aortic regurgitation, and computed tomography showed aortic root redissection ; therefore, 39 days after the initial surgery, we performed aortic root replacement. During the operation, we found the entry under the proximal anastomosis with an almost semicircle form at the right coronary cusp to the noncoronary cusp, and the dissection extended close to the right coronary artery ; thus, we performed bypass to the right coronary artery. Pathologic findings did not establish a causal association between the redissection and Bioglue, and we believed the fragility of the tissue and the selection of the surgical procedure to be the cause of redissection. The patient was transferred to another hospital when she was able to walk and eat, which was 121 days after her first operation. The patient required 50 units of platelet transfusion during her first and second operations, but her bleeding was easily controlled during surgery. She needed two procedures of pericardium drainage for pericardiac effusion and cardiac tamponade, which may relate to ITP. The diagnosis of redissection of the aortic root was made 30 days after the patient's first operation, on the basis of exacerbation of the to-and-fro murmur. Here, we emphasize the clinical importance of basic observations over time, such as auscultation, that are liable to be overlooked in the intensive care unit.

An 8 year-old boy had a cardiac murmur pointed out on day three after birth and was given a diagnosis of ventricular septal defect (VSD). He underwent VSD patch closure at two months after birth. He was also found the having Loeys-Dietz syndrome on the basis of mutation of TGFBR2 and physical examination at the age of 2 years. He had been followed up at pediatrics clinic of our hospital since then, and was hospitalized for a 46.5-mm extension of valsalva sinus diameter and moderate aortic insufficiency. The aortic valve was three-cusped and had no abnormality. We performed valve-sparing aortic root replacement. He was discharged on day 18 after the operation without any problems in the postoperative course. Use of an artificial heart valve for the surgery of the aortic root lesion in childhood will probably cause reoperation in the future and difficulty in Warfarin anticoagulation control. A careful decision is needed in the choice of an operation method. Valve-sparing aortic root replacement is a useful operation for patients without aortic valve abnormality.

Background : The Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy in 2011 reports that the number of hemodialysis patients has been increasing and that there is an increase in long-term hemodialysis patients and the aging of hemodialysis induction. Therefore, it can be expected that the number of valve surgeries in chronic hemodialysis patients will increase. However, there are many problems between chronic hemodialysis and valve surgery. Objectives : To describe the results of valve surgery in chronic hemodialysis patients at our institution and evaluate the selection of prosthetic valve and associated problems. Methods : Between January 2001 and June 2011, a total of 29 patients on chronic hemodialysis including 3 patients for re-operation, underwent valve replacements. The average age was 67.3±9.3 years and 17 (65%) were men. The average dialysis duration was 7.9±6.4 years. The etiologies of renal failure were 8 for chronic glomerulonephritis (31%), 8 for nephrosclerosis (31%) and 3 for diabetic nephropathy (12%). Results : There were 2 (7.7%) in-hospital deaths, which resulted from ischemia of intestine and multiple organ failure due to heart failure. Twelve (46%) patients died during the follow-up period and the 5-year survival rate after surgery was as poor as another authors have reported previously (30.6%). However, the 5-year survival rate after hemodialysis introduction was 87.1%, which was better than the report of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy in 2011 (60%). Average age was significantly higher in bioprosthetic valves than in mechanical valves (p=0.02). There was no significant difference in survival rate among mechanical and bioprosthetic valves (p=0.75). There was no significant difference in valve-related complication free rate among mechanical (27.5%) and bioprosthetic valves (23.4%) (p=0.9). Three patients with mechanical valves had cerebral hemorrhage, and 1 patient with bioprosthetic valve had structural valve deterioration. Conclusions : Surgical result of valvular disease in hemodialysis patients was as poor as another authors reported previously (5-year survival rate : 30.6%), but survival rate after hemodialysis introduction was not very poor (87.1%). There was no significant difference in survival rate among mechanical and bioprosthetic valves. Bioprosthetic valve has the risk of reoperation due to early structural valve deterioration, but there was no significant difference in valve-related complication free rates. Therefore, we should select prosthetic valve in consideration of individual cases.

Aortic dissection with rupture into the right atrium is an extremely rare and rapidly fatal condition. We report the case of a 59-year-old man with a history of double valve replacement 2 years earlier at another hospital. Although the previous postoperative course had been uneventful, the patient had experienced facial edema and general fatigue for 10 days before admission to our hospital because of heart failure. The diagnosis of chronic aortic dissection with rupture into the right atrium was confirmed by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. At operation, we observed an aortic dissection that originated from a tear in the original aortic incision line. The fistula extended from the false lumen to the right atrium. The aortic adventitia were partially defective. The aortic dissection had ruptured and a pseudo-aneurysm had formed. We performed ascending aortic replacement and closure of the aorta-right atrium fistula under hypothermic arrest on cardiopulmonary bypass. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 17th postoperative day.

A 36-year-old woman was admitted because of dyspnea on exertion and palpitations, during follow-up for ventricular septal defect since age 5. Physical examination revealed a grade IV/VI ejection systolic murmur at the second left intercostal space. Echocardiogram failed to recognize an unruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva protruding into the right ventricle which was seen on right ventriculogram (type I of Konno). Surgical treatment was successfully performed. Right ventriculography was much more effective rather than echocardiography in this case.

There are rare reports of families with multiple members with aortic dissection in the absence of Marfan syndrome. We encountered four cases of aortic dissection in two families. The aortic dissection occurred in the mother and child of the first family and in sisters of the second family. All cases had systemic hypertension preoperatively and presented Stanford type A aortic dissection. All of them were operated successfully. None of them showed the characteristics of connective tissue disease affecting the skeletal, ocular, and cardiovascular system. However, many members of the two families had systemic hypertension and histopathological examination of the aorta showed cystic medial necrosis in all of the four cases. The present study suggests that the familial aortic dissection may be caused by weakness of the aortic wall related to heredity and systemic hypertension.