A 4-year-old boy was born with cyanosis and was given a diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia. Echocardiography showed membranous atresia of the pulmonary trunk that was connected to the left side of the ascending aorta via an aortopulmonary window 3 mm in diameter. Four major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs) were detected by cardiac catheterization and computed tomography angiography prior to undergoing surgery at 4 years of age. We performed one-stage complete unifocalization and definitive repair via a median sternotomy. The MAPCA supplying the left lower lobe was anastomosed to the true left pulmonary artery and the pulmonary artery trunk was augmented with an autologous pericardium patch. We then reconstructed the right ventricular outflow tract using a transannular patch and simultaneously patch-closed the VSD. The right/left ventricle pressure ratio after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass was 0.8. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged 26 days later. Seven months after the procedure, the right/left ventricle pressure ratio was decreased to 0.56 on cardiac catheterization.

A baby girl delivered at 41 weeks of gestation with persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA) and interrupted aortic arch (IAA) type A was referred to our institute for surgical intervention. Bilateral pulmonary artery banding (BPAB) proceeded through a median sternotomy at the age of 11 days to control excessive pulmonary blood flow. Thereafter, she gained weight under continuous prostaglandin E1 (PGE 1) infusion. Definitive repair proceeded at the age of 2 months. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established through a redo-median sternotomy, with two arterial cannulae (brachiocephalic artery and descending aorta). The aortic arch was reconstructed with direct anastomosis. The orifice of the pulmonary artery was removed from the arterial trunk and the defect in the aortic wall was directly closed. A ventricular septal defect was closed under cardioplegic arrest via a right ventriculotomy. The continuity from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery was made using a hand-made, extended polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) conduit with a bicusp. The sternum was left open at the end of the procedure and the chest was closed on post-operative day (POD) 3. She was weaned from mechanical ventilation on POD 4 and the postoperative course was uneventful. She was discharged on POD 49.

We report a rare case of double outlet right ventricle (DORV) with sub-pulmonary type ventricular septal defect (VSD). The great arteries were almost side-by-side, and the ascending aorta was located slightly posterior to the right of the pulmonary artery. We performed complete repair at the age of 25 days. Intra-cardiac rerouting (VSD closure) was carried out through the tricuspid valve. Arterial switch procedure was performed without the Lecompte maneuver. His postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged 19 days after the operation without any complications.

We performed bilateral pulmonary artery banding (BPAB) through a median sternotomy on a four-day-old male infant with a double-outlet right ventricle (DORV) and interrupted aortic arch (IAA) who was delivered at 40 weeks of gestation. After urinary output improved, definitive repair was carried out 5 days later. Intra-ventricular rerouting was followed by arterial switch with the Lecompte maneuver. The aortic arch was reconstructed with direct anastomosis and the right ventricular outflow tract was augmented with a patch. The sternum was left open at the end of the procedure and the chest was closed on post-operative day (POD) 4. The patient was discharged from hospital on POD 78 after receiving treatment for pneumonia and chylothorax.

A 41-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis (NF) was admitted to our hospital for severe pain and right leg swelling of 5 days duration. Paralysis of the right leg due to compartment syndrome was also recognized. She had been diagnosed as von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis, previously. 3 D-computed tomography showed a ruptured anterior tibial artery aneurysm. There was a normal patent posterior tibial artery. Since her complaint of pain was severe, we performed an emergency operation. Under the pneumatic tourniquet technique, the aneurysm was resected, and both the proximal and distal sides of the anterior tibial artery were ligated. A massive hematoma was completely removed. Postoperatively, the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses remained palpable. The paralysis improved considerably and she was given an ambulatory discharge from our hospital 21 days after the operation. Histological examination revealed proliferating wavy spindle cells infiltrating between the adventitia and mesothelium of the aneurysmal wall and staining positively for S 100 immunoperoxidase.

CPK-MM, one of the CPK-isozyme, is divided into the three subbands (isoform) MMa, MMb, MMc. It has reported that in acute myocardial infarction serum MMa and MMa/MMc increased earlier than other myocardial intracellular enzyme, such as CPK-MB. In this study, we measured serum CPK, CPK isozyme, and CPK isoforms during and after open heart surgery and examined whether CPK isoforms would serve as a marker for myocardial damage during open heart surgery. CPK-MB peaked at 153.3±85.1IU six hours after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was taken off and subsequently decreased. On the other hand, MMa/MMc peaked at 5.6±2.2 immediately after CPB was taken off. Moreover, we found that there was a statistically significant positive correlation (Y=24.46X+16.68, r=0.63, p<0.05) between MMa/MMc immediately after CPB was taken off and CPK-MB six hours after CPB was taken off. The maximum value of CPK-MB correlates with the degree of myocardial damage. Therfore, it is reasonable to suggest that the maximum value of MMa/MMc immediately after CPB is taken off also correlates with the degree of myocardial damage. We concluded that serum CPK isoform, especially MMa/MMc served as a marker to estimates the degree of myocardial damage in open heart surgery at an early stage.

A 59-year-old man underwent an aorto-bifemoral bypass operation for aorto-iliac arteriosclerotic occlusive disease. The total aortic occlusion time was 38min. Soon after the operation, the patient was found to have motor and sensory loss between right L₂ and S₁, which did not improve. We considered that spinal cord damage was caused by occlusion of the lumbar artery as a result of side clamping of the atherosclerotic abdominal aorta. Therefore, side clamping of the atherosclerotic aorta should be avoided to prevent this serious complication.

Purpose: In this study, we performed a longitudinal examination of the occurrence of homeboundness among community-dwelling elderly individuals and changes in associated factors, including the sense of coherence (SOC).Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted targeting community-dwelling elderly individuals to evaluate homebound status, a basic checklist (CL), and SOC. Among these individuals, frail elderly people who maintained a non-homebound state were extracted and a follow-up survey was carried out one year later. Those who maintained the non-homebound state one year later were classified into the maintenance group and those who became socially withdrawn were classified into the transition group. Factors predicting the homebound state one year later were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, the changes in CL and SOC between the transition and maintenance groups were compared.Results: In the transition group, motor function, cognitive function, and sense of manageability on the initial survey were significantly lower than those in the maintenance group. Significant correlations were noted in the homebound transition group with lack of money management (OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.19-7.82) and a declined sense of manageability (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.69-0.99). Depression and the sense of manageability had also significantly deteriorated one year later compared with those in the maintenance group.Conclusion: This study suggests that individuals who transition to a state of homeboundness have a slightly lower SOC than those who maintain their non-homebound status.