We report a 77-year-old woman who underwent mitral valve repair using leaflet folding plasty for mitral regurgitation due to bilatelal commissural prolapse. A Carpentier prosthetic ring was applied to remodel the annulus and to reinforce repair. Postoperative echocardiography revealed no regurgitation and good mitral valve opening. Leaflet folding plasty is considered to be a simple and effective technique to accomplish mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation due to commissural prolapse.

A 62-year old man was referred to our hospital with endocarditis. Although the infection was improved by antibiotic therapy, he underwent surgery because of severe aortic and mitral valve regurgitation. Preoperative computed tomography revealed a pseudoaneurysm of 20 mm in diameter at the posterior wall of the ascending aorta. The non-coronary cusp was infected and there was a punched-out pseudoaneurysm at the ascending aorta adjacent to the sino-tubular junction. After resection of the aortic wall and the aortic valve, a modified Bentall operation with a composite graft and mitral valve plasty was performed. Postoperative whole body computed tomography revealed no other pseudoaneurysms. In case of endocarditis, we have to consider the possibility of aneurysm formation throughout the body.

The patient was a 68-year-old woman with chief complaints of severe lumbago, left lateral abdominal pain and high fever. Computer tomography (CT) at a local hospital showed a left psoas abscess and a low density area around the terminal aorta. Blood tests indicated a high inflammatory response and MSSA was detected in a blood culture. Control of the infection was first attempted with antibiotics, but CT showed a pseudoaneurysm at the terminal aorta, and therefore she was transferred to our hospital. We diagnosed infected abdominal aortic and left common iliac aneurysms complicated by an MSSA psoas abscess, and performed extra-anatomic reconstruction with axillo-bifemoral bypass, aneurysmectomy and omentopexy in the psoas abscess cavity. Because of massive intestinal edema and mesentery, we attempted temporary abdominal closure with the vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) technique, and finally succeeded in closing without abdominal infection in the 6th operation, 42 days after the first operation. Infected abdominal aortic aneurysm complicated by psoas abscess is extremely rare and life threatening. The VAC technique is very effective not only in avoiding abdominal compartment syndrome but also in avoiding abdominal infection.

Emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is still associated with high mortality and morbidity, and early outcome is poor compared with outcome in patients with stable angina. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical results of on-pump beating heart CABG vs. off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) for ACS patients. From a total of 432 CABG patients, we retrospectively analyzed 72 (16.7%) patients who underwent emergency CABG between 2004 and 2008. Emergency CABG cases were divided into 2 operative groups : an on-pump beating-heart CABG group (on, n=31) and an OPCAB group (off, n=41). A preoperative history of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), detection of troponin T, preoperative creatine phosphokinase (CPK) value, low ejection fraction, presence of mitral regurgitation (MR) (>II) and cardiomegaly were markedly higher in the on group. There were no statistically significant differences in intraoperative factors. In-hospital mortality was 3.2% (1 patient) in the on group and 7.3% (3 patients) in the off group. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between the 2 groups in incidence of all-cause morbidity (on=71.0% : off=41.5%, p=0.01), respiratory failure (on=58.1% : off=29.3%, p=0.01), ICU stay (on=6.5±4.6 days : off=4.1±3.2 days, p=0.01), and necessary inotropic support (on=51.6% : off=17.1%, p=0.02). Multivariate regression analysis of preoperative and intraoperative factors was performed to identify independent factors for in-hospital mortality and morbidity. On multivariate analysis of preoperative factors, only the pre-CPK value reached statistical significance as an independent factor for in-hospital mortality and morbidity.