BACKGROUND: We report our initial experiences of robot-assisted cardiac surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System. METHODS: Between February 2010 and March 2014, 50 consecutive patients underwent minimally invasive robot-assisted cardiac surgery. RESULTS: Robot-assisted cardiac surgery was employed in two cases of minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass, 17 cases of mitral valve repair, 10 cases of cardiac myxoma removal, 20 cases of atrial septal defect repair, and one isolated CryoMaze procedure. Average cardiopulmonary bypass time and average aorta cross-clamping time were 194.8+/-48.6 minutes and 126.1+/-22.6 minutes in mitral valve repair operations and 132.0+/-32.0 minutes and 76.1+/-23.1 minutes in myxoma removal operations, respectively. During atrial septal defect closure operations, the average cardiopulmonary bypass time was 128.3+/-43.1 minutes. The median length of stay was between five and seven days. The only complication was that one patient needed reoperation to address bleeding. There were no hospital mortalities. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted cardiac surgery is safe and effective for mitral valve repair, atrial septal defect closure, and cardiac myxoma removal surgery. Reducing operative time depends heavily on the experience of the entire robotic surgical team.
Aorta ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Hemorrhage ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Mitral Valve ; Myxoma ; Operative Time ; Reoperation ; Robotics ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive ; Thoracic Surgery*

We present a patient who developed recurrent angina after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) demonstrated deterioration in the myocardial perfusion, and coronary angiography revealed an overgrown side branch of the grafted left internal thoracic artery (ITA); otherwise, there were no significant changes compared with previous imaging studies obtained after the CABG. After percutaneous embolization of the grafted left ITA side branch, the angina was resolved and myocardial SPECT showed improved perfusion.
Arteries* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Humans ; Mammary Arteries* ; Myocardial Ischemia* ; Perfusion ; Tomography, Emission-Computed ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Transplants*

BACKGROUND: Early extubation after cardiovascular surgery has some clinical advantages, including reduced hospitalization costs. Herein, we review the results of ultra-fast-track (UFT) extubation, which refers to extubation performed on the operating table just after the operation, or within 1–2 hours after surgery, in patients with congenital cardiac disease. METHODS: We performed UFT extubation in patients (n=72) with a relatively simple congenital cardiac defect or who underwent a simple operation starting in September 2016. To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of our recently introduced UFT extubation strategy, we retrospectively reviewed 195 patients who underwent similar operations for similar diseases from September 2015 to September 2017, including the 1-year periods immediately before and after the introduction of the UFT extubation protocol. Propensity scores were used to assess the effects of UFT extubation on length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU), hospital LOS, and medical costs. RESULTS: After propensity-score matching using logistic regression analysis, 47 patients were matched in each group. The mean ICU LOS (16.3±28.6 [UFT] vs. 28.0±16.8 [non-UFT] hours, p=0.018) was significantly shorter in the UFT group. The total medical costs (182.6±3.5 [UFT] vs. 187.1±55.6 [non-UFT] ×100,000 Korean won [KRW], p=0.639) and hospital stay expenses (48.3±13.6 [UFT] vs. 54.8±29.0 [non-UFT] ×100,000 KRW, p=0.164) did not significantly differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: UFT extubation decreased the ICU LOS and mechanical ventilation time, but was not associated with postoperative hospital LOS or medical expenses in patients with simple congenital cardiac disease.
Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Heart Diseases ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Operating Tables ; Propensity Score ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Mitral regurgitation is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity in pediatric patients with Marfan syndrome. The purpose of this study was to contribute to determining the appropriate surgical strategy for these patients. METHODS: From January 1992 to May 2013, six patients with Marfan syndrome underwent surgery for mitral regurgitation in infancy or early childhood. RESULTS: The median age at the time of surgery was 47 months (range, 3 to 140 months) and the median follow-up period was 3.6 years (range, 1.3 to 15.5 years). Mitral valve repair was performed in two patients and four patients underwent mitral valve replacement with a mechanical prosthesis. There was one reoperation requiring valve replacement for aggravated mitral regurgitation two months after repair. The four patients who underwent mitral valve replacement did not experience any complications related to the prosthetic valve. One late death occurred due to progressive emphysema and tricuspid regurgitation. CONCLUSION: Although repair can be an option for some patients, it may not be durable in infantile-onset Marfan syndrome patients who require surgical management during infancy or childhood. Mitral valve replacement is a feasible treatment option for these patients.
Emphysema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Marfan Syndrome* ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency* ; Prostheses and Implants ; Reoperation ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency

Cellular schwannoma is an uncommon variant of schwannomas that can occur in a peripheral nerve. Although cellular schwannomas typically do not differ in prognosis from regular schwannomas, they are known to cause local recurrence when not completely resected. Here, we report the case of a patient with cellular schwannoma of the posterior mediastinum, which recurred after 13 years.
Humans ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Mediastinum ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neurilemmoma* ; Peripheral Nerves ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: We investigated current trends in lung cancer surgery and identified demographic and social factors related to changes in these trends. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We estimated the incidence of lung cancer surgery using a procedure code-based approach provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (http://opendata.hira.or.kr). The population data were obtained every year from 2010 to 2014 from the Korean Statistical Information Service (http://kosis.kr/). The annual percent change (APC) and statistical significance were calculated using the Joinpoint software. RESULTS: From January 2010 to December 2014, 25,687 patients underwent 25,921 lung cancer surgeries, which increased by 45.1% from 2010 to 2014. The crude incidence rate of lung cancer surgery in each year increased significantly (APC, 9.5; p < 0.05). The male-to-female ratio decreased from 2.1 to 1.6 (APC, −6.3; p < 0.05). The incidence increased in the age group of ≥ 70 years for both sexes (male: APC, 3.7; p < 0.05; female: APC, 5.96; p < 0.05). Furthermore, the proportion of female patients aged ≥ 65 years increased (APC, 7.2; p < 0.05), while that of male patients aged < 65 years decreased (APC, −3.9; p < 0.05). The proportions of segmentectomies (APC, 17.8; p < 0.05) and lobectomies (APC, 7.5; p < 0.05) increased, while the proportion of pneumonectomies decreased (APC, −6.3; p < 0.05). Finally, the proportion of patients undergoing surgery in Seoul increased (APC, 1.1; p < 0.05), while the proportion in other areas decreased (APC, −1.5; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: An increase in the use of lung cancer surgery in elderly patients and female patients, and a decrease in the proportion of patients requiring extensive pulmonary resection were identified. Furthermore, centralization of lung cancer surgery was noted.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Information Services ; Insurance, Health ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Male ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Pneumonectomy ; Republic of Korea ; Seoul ; Thoracic Surgery

Severe tricuspid regurgitation resulting from a flail leaflet is a rare cause of neonatal cyanosis. We report a neonate with profound cyanosis and severe tricuspid regurgitation caused by a rupture of the papillary muscle supporting the anterior leaflet, without other structural heart defects. Ductal patency could not be established. The repair of the tricuspid valve was performed after initial stabilization by using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Cyanosis ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Heart ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Papillary Muscles* ; Rupture ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency*

Shone complex is a rare congenital disorder that involves 4 obstructive lesions of the left heart, as follows: parachute mitral valve, supravalvular mitral ring, subaortic stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta. Incomplete forms with 2 or 3 of these lesions in adult patients have been rarely reported in the literature, meaning that insufficient general data exist concerning the surgical strategy and clinical follow-up. Herein, we report the case of a 31-year-old woman with a diagnosis of incomplete form of Shone complex with parachute mitral valve and coarctation of the aorta who underwent successful single-stage surgical repair.
Adult ; Aortic Coarctation ; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Mitral Valve

Shone complex is a rare congenital disorder that involves 4 obstructive lesions of the left heart, as follows: parachute mitral valve, supravalvular mitral ring, subaortic stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta. Incomplete forms with 2 or 3 of these lesions in adult patients have been rarely reported in the literature, meaning that insufficient general data exist concerning the surgical strategy and clinical follow-up. Herein, we report the case of a 31-year-old woman with a diagnosis of incomplete form of Shone complex with parachute mitral valve and coarctation of the aorta who underwent successful single-stage surgical repair.

Background and Objectives: We reviewed the long-term outcomes after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair with trans-annular incision; and evaluated the effectiveness of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) on outcomes. Methods: This was a retrospective review of clinical outcomes of 180 of 196 TOF patients who underwent total correction with trans-annular incision from 1991 to 1997 (PVR group: 81; non-PVR group: 99). Results: The median age of the patients was 14.0 months (interquartile range [IQR], 10.7–19.8 months) at TOF repair. Ten in-hospital deaths (5.1%) occurred. During the followup, 81 patients underwent PVR at the median age of 13.5 years (IQR, 11.2–17.1 years). The patients in PVR group showed better outcomes than non-PVR group in overall survival rate (100% in PVR vs. 88.7% in non-PVR, p=0.007), in all adverse events (arrhythmia, neurologic complications, 95.5% in PVR vs. 74.6% in non-PVR, p=0.024) at 20 years. Age at TOF repair younger than 1 year (hazard ratio [HR], 2.265; p=0.01) and previous shunt history (HR, 2.195; p=0.008) were predictive for requiring PVR. During follow-up, 10 late deaths (5 sudden deaths) occurred in the non-PVR group, mainly due to ventricular arrhythmia and right ventricular failure; there was 1 late death (not a sudden death) in the PVR group. Conclusions Long-term survival after repair of TOF with trans-annular incision were acceptable. However, arrhythmias were frequently observed during 20 years of follow-up. The patient age <1 year at the time of TOF repair and shunt implantation prior to TOF repair were predictive factors for requiring PVR.