A 76-year-old woman, with a history of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) patch closure 11 years earlier, presented with loss of appetite and dyspnea. She was treated for heart failure due to aortic regurgitation (AR), mitral regurgitation (MR), tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and atrial fibrillation (Af). Upon transfer to our department, she went into shock, leading to the introduction of V-A ECMO and IABP. Emergency surgeries, including aortic valve replacement (AVR), mitral valve replacement (MVR), tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TAP), and left atrial appendage closure, were performed. A second surgery for hemostasis was necessary, and V-A ECMO was removed on the second postoperative day. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed mitral bioprosthetic valve thrombosis. The patient was treated with heparin and warfarin, resulting in improved pressure gradients and removal of IABP by the seventh day. The sternum was closed on the seventeenth day, and she was transferred to the general ward on the thirty-ninth day. This case demonstrates the effective use of anticoagulant therapy for early valve thrombosis after mitral valve replacement under V-A ECMO.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by systemic connective tissue abnormalities. Among its subtypes, LDS type 3 is associated with SMAD3 gene mutations and often presents with vascular and skeletal abnormalities. Narrow chest is a relative contraindication for minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS), yet this approach can be advantageous in connective tissue disorders where repeated surgeries may be anticipated. A 63-year-old woman with a previously unreported SMAD3 variant was diagnosed with LDS type 3. She presented with severe mitral regurgitation due to A2-3 prolapse. Her skeletal features included a narrow chest (anteroposterior diameter: 5 cm), scoliosis, and pectus excavatum. Totally endoscopic 3D mitral valve plasty was performed via a right minithoracotomy using a 2-port, 1-window approach. Mitral repair was successfully completed using artificial chordae and ring annuloplasty. Adequate exposure was achieved despite the narrow chest by retracting the pericardium and displacing the aorta using gauze packing. The mitral valve was clearly visualized using the 3D endoscopic camera, allowing safe repair of the A2-3 prolapse with four artificial chordae and a 29-mm Tailor ring. The patient was extubated 3.5 hours postoperatively and had an uneventful recovery except for transient atrial fibrillation. She was discharged on postoperative day 13 in sinus rhythm. Totally endoscopic MICS-MVP is feasible and beneficial even in patients with challenging thoracic anatomy due to connective tissue disease. It enables chest wall preservation and minimizes surgical trauma, which is particularly advantageous for LDS patients with lifelong surgical risk.

Pharyngeal perforation is a rare but crucial complication of transesophageal echocardiography during cardiac surgery. We herein report the case of a 72-year-old man with infective endocarditis in the aortic valve, who had a poor performance status due to congestive heart failure and brain infarction. The echo probe of the transesophageal echocardiography was detected in the anterior mediastinum after median sternotomy. Pharyngeal repair after aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic valve, following omental wrapping was performed simultaneously. The operative course was relatively good, and the patient moved to the general ward 32 days after the surgery.

A 75-year old woman in whom a left ventricular tumor had been detected by echocardiography 2 years before referral to our hospital, presented with blurry vison for one month. Acute cerebral infarction was diagnosed. We suspected that the infarction was occurred by an embolus from the intraventricular tumor, and resected it through left atrial incision. The resected tumor was 10 mm in size and it resembled a sea anemone. The tumor was pathologically diagnosed as papillary fibroelastoma. The postoperative course was good, with no recurrence for the last 18 months.

The optimal strategy for shaggy aorta syndrome has not been established, however, several case reports are published with the increase of the aged population. We report two men with shaggy aorta syndrome. The one was 75 years old with acute limb ischemia at the left popliteal artery due to the macroembolism from infrarenal Shaggy Aorta. The other was 76 years old with kidney dialysis, who had suffered from blue toe syndrome due to microembolism from the mobile plaque adhering to the infrarenal aortic wall. We successfully performed graft replacement of the abdominal aorta in order to prevent the recurrence of atheromatous embolization from the Shaggy Aorta. They have been free from any embolic event for the last 1 year. The ultrasonogram was useful for preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative management.

Between January and December 2006, 3 patients with aortic abdominal aneurysm (AAA) receiving home oxygen therapy (HOT) and 20 patients without HOT were studied. The 3 patients with HOT were all men, the mean age was 72 years (range, 69-74), and they had been treated with HOT for 37.3 months (1-102) due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a mean %VC of 96.9% and FEV1.0% of 42.8%. Only the FEV1.0% value in the preoperative data was significantly lower than in patients without HOT. In the 3 patients with HOT, extubation was performed immediately after operation, and minitracheotomy tubes (Mini-trach^®) to control sputum were inserted in the operation room. The minitracheotomy tubes were removed 5 or 6 days after operation. Postoperatively, no one with HOT had any major complications, while in those without HOT one patient had ileus and another had prolonged intubation. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in operative time, blood loss, blood transfusion, or hospital stay. In conclusion, based on detached preoperative close estimation and careful postoperative supervision, patients receiving HOT can undergo AAA operations as safely as those not receiving HOT.

A 68-year-old woman with distal arch aortic aneurysm was admitted. Preoperative magnetic resonance angiography revealed occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery. Single photon emission computed tomography showed decreased cerebral blood flow at rest and decreased reactivity to acetazolamide in the right temporal lobe. At first, a superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery anastomosis was made by neurosurgeons. Improvement of both the cerebral blood flow and the reactivity to acetazolamide was confirmed by single photon emission computed tomography 18 days after the operation. Twenty-two days after the operation, a total arch replacement was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful without any neurological complication.

Left ventricular (LV) thrombus is an uncommon primary disease, but following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) it is a common complication associated with a risk of systemic embolism. Especially if the thrombus is ball-shaped, there is a higher risk of systemic embolism. We reviewed 4 cases of thrombectomy including 1 with the acute phase of AMI and another with Takotsubo disease. Between January 2000 and August 2005, 4 consecutive patients underwent thrombectomy for ball-like thrombus in the left ventricle (all men, mean age 53.5 years). We performed thrombectomy through left ventriculotomy. In 3 patients ventriculotomy was repaired with direct closure with double PTFE felt reinforcement, and in the other large acute AMI with the infarction exclusion technique (Komeda-David) because the LV wall was remarkably fragile. All thrombi were ball-like and fresh (mean size 15.8mm). Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was performed in 3 cases, the Maze procedure in 2, and mitral annuloplasty (MAP) in 1. All patients survived and have been doing well without any major complications. Surgical thrombectomy is safe and can improve prognosis without systemic embolism. In the acute phase of AMI, the infarction exclusion technique is excellent to prevent bleeding and postoperative remodeling of the left ventricular wall.

We reevaluated our heparin and protamine administration protocol during and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In 12 patients who underwent cardiac surgery using a heparin-coated circuit under mild hypothermia, heparin concentration was measured with the Hepcon^®/HMS. Before initiating CPB, 1.5mg/kg of heparin was given to maintain the activated clotting time (ACT) at more than 400sec. Patients were divided into two groups. In group I (n=6), heparin was neutralized with an empirical dose of protamine (1.5mg protamine/mg initial heparin). In group II (n=6), the protamine dose was determined by the residual heparin concentration, measured with the Hepcon^®. Patients in group II received a lower dosage of protamine than group I (1.7±0.0 vs. 3.6±0.4mg/kg, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the intraoperative bleeding, postoperative bleeding and activated clotting time between the groups. By determining the appropriate protamine dosage, this heparin analysis system may be useful in managing CPB.

We report two emergency mitral valve replacements performed successfully on 16-week and 29-week pregnant women for infective endocarditis in the active phase. The first patient was in severe acute heart failure on admission, and the fetus was already dead. Induced abortion was performed uneventfully 6 days after mitral valve replacement. The second patient presented with several episodes of systemic embolization. An echocardiography revealed giant movable vegetation on the mitral valve. The patient had emergency mitral valve replacement just after the Caesarian section. Both the patient and her baby weighting 1, 374g had an uneventful good courses with no complication. We concluded that in emergency operations in pregnancy, saving the mother's life should have priority over all else, but we should find the way to rescue the fetus life if at all possible. Therefore, depending on the situation, we should not hesitate about doing a simultaneous operation, Caesarian section and heart surgery, for that purpose.