BACKGROUND: Left ventricular function and left ventricular hypertrophy often show weak correlation with the degree of blood pressure in hypertensive patients. So we assessed correlation of hemodynamic load to left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular performance, and whether left ventricular wall stress is the major factor on the regulation of left ventricular function. METHODS: Relationships between echocardiographic hemodynamic parameters and indices of left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular function were evaluated in 40 patients with essential hypertension who have not been previously treated. RESULTS: Left ventricular mass index correlated weakly with blood pressure, cardiac index, and stroke volume. End-diastolic left ventricular relative wall thickness, as an index that assess the severity of concentric hypertrophy showed significantly negative correlation with cardiac index (r=-0.49, p<0.001),stroke index(r=-0.46, p<0.001) and a positive correlation with total peripheral resistance (r=0.55, p<0.001). Furthermore, patient with cardiac indices tend to have higher end-diastolic wall thickness at any given level of blood pressure. Fractional shortening suggesting left ventricular systolic function was not related with blood pressure. stroke volume, cardiac index, left ventricular mass index, and peak systolic wall stress. In contrast there were significant negative correlations between fractional shortening with mean wall stress index (r=-0.42, p<0.005) and with end-systolic wall stress (r=-0.72, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that anatomic and hemodynamic changes may be pathophysiologically interdependent and left ventricular function was regulated by the level of left ventricular wall stresses reflecting afterload (blood pressure).
Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertrophy ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Stroke Volume ; Vascular Resistance ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND: Primary focal hyperhidrosis is characterized by overactivity of the sympathetic nervous function, and this has been effectively treated with endoscopic thoracic sympathetic denervation (ESD). The imbalance of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system that's created by ESD may affect the heart, lung and other thoracic organs. We analyzed the heart rate and ECG changes after performing ESD at our hospital, and this is the first such study that has been conducted on this. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Of the 263 patients who underwent ESD between October 1996 and October 2006, 130 had ECG before and after ESD, and they were classified into 3 groups according to the level of ESD: Group I (n=40) patients underwent ESD at the 2nd rib (T2ESD), Group II (n=80) at the 3rd rib (T3ESD) and Group III (n=10) at the 4th rib (T4ESD). RESULT: There was no mortality or major morbidity. Heart rate (HR) was significantly decreased from 71.6+/-10.6/min to 66.8+/-10.2/min after ESD (p<0.01); however, the PR (from 148.6+/-21.2 msec to 152.8+/-20.5 msec) and QTc (from 399.2+/-15.4 msec to 404.0+/-15.1 msec) intervals were significantly increased after ESD in the patients who suffered with primary hyperhidrosis (p<0.01). According to the level of ESD, there were significant changes in the HR and QTc interval in group I (T2ESD), the HR and PR interval in group II and the QTc interval in Group III. CONCLUSION: There were significant changes in the heart rate and ECG findings after ESD. The thoracic sympathetic denervation of T2, T3 and T4 affected the electrical activity of the heart at the resting state.
Electrocardiography ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis ; Lung ; Parasympathetic Nervous System ; Ribs ; Sympathectomy

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated at eight large medical centers in Korea were examined for methicillin resistance and resistance to eight other antibiotics; cefazolin, cefamandole, cefuroxime, cefoxitin, cefotaxime, moxalactam, penicillin G and vancomycin. Methicillin resistance was found in 296 of 1225 strains (24.2%) of S. aureus and 126 of 348 strains (36.2%) of S. epidermidis. Methicillinresistant strains were isolated from all sources with the frequency of isolation ranging from 11% to 60%. From pleural effusion, throat swab and blood, methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus were more frequently isolated with statistical significance (Chi-squared test, 95% confidence). Almost all of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and S. epidermidis (MRSE) strains were multiply resistant to one or more tested eight antibiotics. However only 7(2.4%) of 296 MRSA strains and 2(1.6%) of 126 MRSE strains were resistant to vancomycin. Vancomycin was the most effective antibiotic against staphylococcal isolates as well as MRSA and MRSE.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Cross Infection/microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Humans ; Korea ; Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology ; Staphylococcus aureus/*drug effects/isolation & purification ; Staphylococcus epidermidis/*drug effects/isolation & purification

Obstructive intracardiac lesions, like mitral stenosis or insufficiency (MR), by myxomas of the left atrium have been commonly reported, but the attenuation of MR by myxoma combined with coronary artery disease is very rare. We report a 70-year-old female patient whose left atrial myxoma had attenuated moderate MR to mild MR and required mitral valve surgery after removal of the myxoma. She also had coronary artery disease, severe pulmonary hypertension and moderate tricuspid regurgitation due to the mitral valve lesions obstructed by myxoma. The patient underwent removal of myxoma, mitral and tricuspid valve reconstructions, and coronary artery bypass grafting. She was discharged at the postoperative 14 day without any problems.
Aged ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency* ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Myxoma* ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve repair rather than replacement for mitral regurgitation (MR) offers a number of well-accepted benefits. However, the surgical results of repair for mitral valve endocarditis remain largely unknown. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Fourteen patients who underwent mitral valve repair for MR caused by mitral valve endocarditis from April 1995 through October 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 9 male patients and mean age was 32+/-10 years. Four patients had previous embolism and 2 had active infections. The grade of MR were III in 6 patients and IV in 8. Operatively, mitral annuloplasty was performed in 12 patients and various valvuloplasty techniques were applied in all patients. One patient had immediate valve replacement due to residual MR after weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass. RESULT: There was no early operative death. Early postoperative transthoracic echocardiography revealed no or grade I of MR and no or mild mitral stenosis in 13 patients. After the mean follow-up of 36 months, there was no late death, and no or grade I of MR in 11 patients (84.6%) and no or mild mitral stenosis in 12 patients (92.3%). Reoperation required in one patient (7.1%). The cumulative freedom from recurrent MR and valve-related reoperation at 5 years were 91+/-9% and 75+/-22%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation caused by endocarditis offers good early and intermediate survival and functional improvement without reinfection, and it is an attractive alternative to valve replacement in selective patients with bacterial endocariditis.
Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Echocardiography ; Embolism ; Endocarditis* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Freedom ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve Annuloplasty ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Mitral Valve* ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Weaning

At least 88 percents of ventricular aneurysms result from anterior infarction, while the remainder follow inferior infarction. Posterior infarction that produce a distinct left ventricular aneurysm is unusual. We report two operative cases of postinfarction posterobasal left ventricular aneurysms, one with a true aneurysm and the other with a false one.
Aneurysm* ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: We analysed the surgical outcomes of immediate reoperations after mitral valve repair. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Eighteen patients who underwent immediate reoperation for failed mitral valve repair from April 1995 through July 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 13 female patients. The mitral valve disease was regurgitation (MR) in 12 patients, stenosis (MS) in 3, and mixed lesion in 3. The etiologies of the valve disease were rheumatic in 9 patients, degenerative in 8, and endocarditis in 1. The causes of reoperation was residual MR in 13 patients, residual MS in 4, and rupture of left ventricle in 1. Fourteen patients had rerepair for residual mitral lesions (77.8%) and four underwent replacement. RESULT: There was no early death. After mean follow-up of 33 months, there was one late death. Echocardiography revealed no or grade I of MR (64.3%) in 9 patients and no or mild MS in 11 patients (78.6%). Reoperation was done in one patient. The cumulative survival and freedom from valve-related reoperation at 6 years were 94% and 90%, respectively. The cumulative freedom from recurrent MR and MS at 4 years were 56% and 44%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that immediate reoperation for failed mitral valve repair offers good early and intermediate survival, and mitral valve rerepair can be successfully performed in most of patients. However, because mitral rerepair have high failure rate, especially in rheumatic valve disease, adequate selections of valvuloplasty technique and indication are important to reduce the failure rate of mitral rerepair.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Freedom ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Mitral Valve* ; Reoperation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture

Left ventricular thrombosis is a frequent and potentially dangerous complication in acute myocardiac infarction, but its occurrence and adequate therapy has not been known in patients with Dor procedure for the ischemic cardiomyopathy. We report a patient, 45 year-old male, who had a new left ventricular thrombus developed after coronary arterial bypass graft, Dor procedure, and removal of the left ventricular thrombus for ischemic cardiomyopathy. Left ventricular thrombus was disappeared on the follow-up cardiac MRI following intravenous heparin injection and oral coumadin therapy. This case suggest that anticoagulation therapy may prevent patients with the severe left ventricular dysfunction and apical aneurysm and dyskinesia from developing the left ventricular thrombus, and that thrombi will resolve without clinical evidence of systemic embolism.
Aneurysm ; Cardiomyopathies ; Dyskinesias ; Embolism ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Aneurysm ; Heparin ; Humans ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thrombosis* ; Transplants ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; Warfarin

Annuloaortic ectasia, aortic regurgitation (AR), and ventricular septal defect (VSD) in patients with right ventricular hypoplasia is a very rare condition. We report a patient who underwent aortic root replacement with a composite graft for annuloaortic ectasia associated with VSD and AR in right ventricular hypoplasia. The patient was a 19 year-old male. Transthoraic echocardiogram and cardiac catheterization revealed a perimembranous VSD (2 cm in diameter), severe AR, annuloaortic ectasia, bipartite right ventricle with hypoplasia, and hypoplastic tricuspid valve. Operative findings showed that free margins of the right and noncoronary cusps were markedly elongated, thickened, and retracted, and commissure between the right coronary cusp and the noncoronary cusp was fused and calcified. VSD was closed with an autologous pericardial patch and composite graft aortic root replacement using direct coronary button reimplantation was performed, and the hypertrophic muscle of the right ventricular outflow tract was resected. The patient had transient weaning failure of cardiopulmonary bypass and was discharged at the postoperative 14 days without any problems.
Aortic Valve Insufficiency* ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Dilatation, Pathologic* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Replantation ; Transplants ; Tricuspid Valve ; Weaning ; Young Adult

In off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), multiple proximal anastomosis may increase the risk of cerebral embolism (air, debris) and aortic injury (dissection, pseudoaneurysm). Radial artery (RA) has no intraluminal valve such as saphenous vein. We applied Cabrol technique using aortic root replacement for proximal anastomosis in off-pump CABG. Cabrol technique using RA graft can reduce numbers of proximal anastomosis and reduce number of aortic manipulation in off-pump CABG. We report a Cabrol technique for proximal anastomosis in off-pump CABG with RA graft.
Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump* ; Intracranial Embolism ; Radial Artery* ; Saphenous Vein ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive ; Transplants*