Severe infections arising from nosocomically encountered gram-negative bacteria, such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing bacteria and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas are serious problems today. While carbapenems are looked upon as the preferred agents for treatment of infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing bacteria, carbapenemases have been recently reported. Surveillance data is needed to treat infectious diseases due to resistant organisms.

A 36-year-old man underwent partial left ventriculectomy (PLV) to treat end-stage dilated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve annuloplasty were performed to correct the mitral and tricuspid valve insufficiency. The patient suffered ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) soon after surgery, but antiarrhythmic-drug therapy was sufficiently effective to treat the VT/VF. On the third postoperative day, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) was implanted to prevent these arrhythmias. Two months later after his discharge from the hospital, recurrent VT/VF appeared and was supposedly associated with renal failure. Continuous hemodialysis was efficacious to ameliorate the systemic circulation, and ventricular arrhythmias disappeared. He survived due to 18 ICD shocks. In appropriately selected patients, ICDs have been recognized as one of the cost-effective therapeutic options. ICDs might be recommended for patients in the postoperative period of PLV who have potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias resistant to antiarrhythmic-drug therapy.

We have operated upon 17 cases of distal arch aneurysm, including 3 cases of rupture, during the past 6 years. Operative adjuncts during aortic cross clamping were left heart bypass with a centrifugal pump (LHB, 6 cases), retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP, 5 cases) and selective cerebral perfusion (SCP, 6 cases). LHB was applied to localized, the aneurysm apart from the left subclavian artery. It was safely performed during operation, but cerebral embolism happened in 2 cases with aortic cross clamping. RCP was performed in emergency cases of rupture or impending rupture. Recently 3 cases were operated by left thoracotomy under RCP. One case, an 85-year-old female, was perfused for 100min by RCP, became unconsciousness and died by multiple organ failure. Although this method was simple and easy to prepare, the efficacy of cerebral perfusion is unclear and a perfusion time of less than 90min is thought to be safe. SCP was performed in 6 cases of large aneurysm, including four cases of total arch replacement. There was one operative death, but minimum complications in the survivors. Distal arch aneurysm varies in shape, location and size. Operative adjunct must be selected based on the condition of the aneurysm.

A 59-year-old male suffered dyspnea and ischemia of the lower limbs due to myocardial infarction (occlusion of the right coronary artery and 99% stenosis with delay in the left anterior descending artery) and juxtarenal aortic occlusion, respectively. Juxtarenal aorto-femoral bypass operation using a Y-shaped prosthesis and coronary arterial bypass grafting using the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) were performed simultaneously. As the left internal thoracic artery was the route of collateral blood flow to the left lower limb, aorto-femoral bypass was initially made prior to aorto-coronary bypass operation. Because of complete obstruction of the abdominal aorta and juxtarenal lumbar arteries, neither hemodynamic changes nor bleeding occurred during the reconstruction of the abdominal aortic occlusion in spite of severe coronary disease. This procedure was useful for protection of limb ischemia and shortage of extracorporeal circulation time, in addition to producing a route for insertion of an intraaortic balloon pumping catheter.

The authors encountered 2 rare cases of adventitial cystic disease of the popliteal artery. Case 1 was a 51-year-old woman with dull pain in the lower limbs during walking. Case 2 was a 34-year-old man with numbness in the lower limbs on bending his knees. In both cases, angiography showed crescent stenosis, and computed tomography (CT) showed cyst-like lesions about the artery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated the lesions to have high density at T 2 imaging. With a diagnosis of adventitial cystic disease, cystectomy was conducted with satisfactory results. Adventitial cystic disease is rare and only 43 cases have so far been reported in this country. All of these were reviewed to clarify the characteristics of this disease. Its clinical symptoms often resemble those of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) as intermittent claudication, but it differs from ASO in that it is usually achieved cure by cystectomy alone and seldomly required bypass operation. In the case of intermittent claudication in young patients, adventitial cystic disease should be diferrentiated from ASO.

A 78-year-old man consulted our hospital with complaint of abdominal mass. Blood examination indicated a inflammatory reaction. An abdominal aortic aneurysm, 5.5cm in size, was found by CT scanning examination. Its wall quite thick (mantle sign), and enhanced by contrast medium. Y graft replacement was carried out. Microscopic hiatological examination of the aneurysmal wall indicated severe inflammation being assisted of chronic inflammatory cells, like lymphocytes and plasma cells at the adventitia. Ten cases of inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm reported in Japan so far are reviewed and features of this disease are discussed.

Twelve cases of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) were treated during 5 years. Nine showed severe hypotension (systolic pressure below 70mmHg) and three required cardiac massage prior to operation. At the beginning of this study, direct laparotomy was conducted on 4 cases but mortality was high mortality (75%). Left thoracotomy with antero-lateral incision through the 7th intercostal space was carried out to access the thoracic aorta for clamping before laparotomy, since the major mortality of this disease is due to abrupt bleeding following anesthesia and operation. Left thoracotomy before laparotomy was conducted on 8 cases, half of whom required aortic clamping during operation (clamping time 21min). Operative mortality following thoracotomy decreased (12.5%). The aneurysm size and the time of operation for the groups with or without thoracotomy were the same, though the degree of bleeding significantly differed (3, 925ml in the group with thoracotomy, 7, 193ml in the group without thoracotomy). Left thoracotomy befor laparotomy obtained good results in case of RAAA.

A 51-year-old man was admitted with symptoms of sudden back pain and abdominal pain. Echocardiography and aortagraphy demonstrated enlargement of the aortic annulus, aortic regurgitation and Stanford type B aortic dissection. Since an entry of the aortic dissection was located at the root of the left subclavian artery, a one-stage operation consisting of aortic root replacement and total arch replacement was scheduled. The aortic root replacement using Piehler's modification was first performed followed by total arch replacement combining with the closure of the entry in the distal aortic arch was followed under selective cerebral perfusion. All procedures were complished through median sternotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful and aortography showed good reconstruction of the coronary arteries and the cervical arteries and thrombo-exclusion of the false lumen in the descending aorta. This method was useful for in this case of annulo aortic ectasia with Stanford type B aortic dissection.

Atrial fibrillation is common in adults with atrial septal defect. A right atrial separation procedure was performed for the ablation of atrial fibrillation during the concomitant repair of atrial septal defect. The operation was performed under cardiopulmonary bypass. A Y-shape incision was made in the right atrium, followed by cryoablation of the tricuspid annulus and the atrial septum. After the operation, all three patients recovered and maintained a normal sinus rhythm during follow-up periods of 12, 4, and 1 months. This is a simple and effective procedure for the elimination of chronic atrial fibrillation associated with atrial septal defects in adults.

A 34-year-old woman was referred to us because of severe aortic regurgitation and annuloaortic ectasia. She also showed a high level of CRP and stenosis of cervical arteries and aortitis syndrome was diagnosed. A translocated Bentall's procedure was performed after administration of corticosteroid. An SJM valve prosthesis was translocated from 1cm above the distal end of the graft and this composite graft was anastomosed to the aortic annulus with buttress sutures reinforced with Dacron felt. Both coronary orifices were reconstructed with small sized Dacron grafts, interposed from the coronary orifices to the composite graft. There was not any complication postoperatively. This procedure is preferable in cases with aortitis syndrome, because it decreases risk of prosthetic detachment in the aortic valve position.