Many patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm have coexisting coronary artery disease. There is no evidence regarding the safety or efficacy of surgery, or whether surgery should be done in 1 session or in more than 1 session. Single-stage surgery is generally more invasive. We performed single-stage surgery using minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass graft surgery (MIDCAB) for revascularization in 4 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and coronary artery disease. The average operation time was 399 min. The average number of bypassed grafts was 1.75 per patient. All patients were extubated within 24 h after surgery. The average discharge time was 29.3 postoperative days. No patients died during surgery or during hospitalization. Multidetector-row CT scan showed all bypassed grafts to be patent. MIDCAB surgery is safe and effective for revascularization in performing single-stage surgery in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and coronary artery disease.

A 63-year-old woman with annuloaortic ectasia and severe aortic regurgitation was referred to our hospital. Preoperative coronary angiography revealed 50% stenosis of the orifice of the left main trunk. She underwent aortic root replacement, but we were unable to insert a 12-gauge cannula into the orifice of the left coronary artery because of cardioplegia. Therefore, we decided to perform patch plasty of the left main trunk by a saphenous vein patch. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and postoperative computed tomography (CT) showed good expansion of the left main trunk without any evidence of aneurysm formation.

A 60-year-old man, who had undergone mitral valve repair with quadrangular resection of the posterior mitral leaflet and ring annuloplasty with a Cosgrove-Edwards ring, developed severe mechanical hemolytic anemia. Doppler echocardiography showed only mild residual mitral regurgitation, but turbulent jet was directed toward the annuloplasty ring. Because of unremitting hemolysis requiring multiple transfusions and the occurrence of renal dysfunction, he underwent replacement of the mitral valve with a St. Jude Medical valve. Inspection of the annuloplasty ring at operation showed no evidence of dehiscence, but the area of the annuloplasty ring adjacent to the posteromedial commissure showed no endothelization. After the reoperation, the hemolysis and general condition immediately improved. This experience made us realize the possibility that a high-velocity regurgitant jet toward the cloth-covered annuloplasty ring, even if it mild, can cause severe hemolysis.