Ventricular septal rupture （VSR） is a rare but still possibly catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction. We report two successful cases of Impella-assisted VSR. In case 1, a 78-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital with a diagnosis of posterior VSR. After Impella insertion, cardiac output increased from 2.13 to 2.57 and the pulmonary to systemic output ratio decreased from 2.92 to 1.78. Two days after insertion of Impella, she underwent surgery. In case 2, an 89-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital with a diagnosis of anterior VSR. After Impella insertion, cardiac output increased from 2.29 to 2.85, but the pulmonary to systemic output ratio changed little from 3.79 to 3.81. Three days after insertion of Impella, she underwent surgery. Neither patient experience hemodynamic deterioration preoperatively. Postoperative echocardiography showed no residual shunt in either case. Impella for VSR seemed effective in stabilizing hemodynamics preoperatively and postoperatively.

We report a case of surgery for an infectious left subclavian artery aneurysm in a patient with metal allergy. The patient was a 41-year-old man allergic to iron, silver, manganese, and chromium. He had received a Nitinol stent in the left subclavian artery at a previous hospital. One stent had fallen out during implantation, and was put away in the terminal aorta. Ten days after the left subclavian implantation, the patient developed left shoulder pain and fever, which continued for 2 weeks. Contrastenhanced CT scan revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the left subclavian artery and abdominal aortitis. The patient underwent left subclavian artery aneurysmectomy, aorto-left subclavian artery bypass using the great saphenous vein, and removal of the stents in the left subclavian artery and abdominal aorta. The surgery was performed through a median sternotomy with cardiopulmonary support. A contrast-enhanced CT scan taken on the 12th postoperative day revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta, and the patient underwent abdominal aortic artery replacement surgery on the 14th postoperative day. The patient was discharged from the hospital on the 27th day after the first surgery. The treatment of an aneurysm should be selected according to the patient’s background as well as anatomical factors.

A 72-year-old female received surgical aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis in our hospital. During surgery, black pigmentation was observed in the aortic valve, aorta intima and mitral valve anterior leaflet collocated with calcification. We suspected Alkaptonuria (AKU) as a possible diagnosis for those surgical findings, past medical history and physical findings. A urine test for organic acids showed homogentisic, confirming the diagnosis of AKU. AKU is very rare genetic metabolic abnormality that occurs in about 1 in 25,000 to 100,000 people. AKU involves deficiency in the gene coding for HGA-1,2-dioxygenase, which metabolizes homogentisic acid to maleylacetoacetic acid in the tyrosine metabolic pathway. HGA accumulates in the body, causing black pigmentation in places including the aorta intima and mitral valve.

Background/Aims: The Lyon Consensus defined parameters based on upper endoscopy and 24-hour combined multichannel intraluminal impedancepH (MII-pH), that conclusively establish the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the true role of upper endoscopy and MII-pH to evaluate patients with extraesophageal symptoms (EES) has not been well established. Hypopharyngeal MII (HMII), which directly measures laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) events, has been utilized to evaluate patients with EES suggestive of LPR. Methods: This was a retrospective study involving patients with EES for > 12 weeks despite proton pump inhibitor therapy, and had no endoscopic confirmatory evidence for GERD and negative MII-pH. All patients were subsequently referred for further evaluation of EES with “unknown” etiology and underwent laryngoscopy and HMII. Based on HMII, abnormal proximal exposure (APE) was defined as LPR ≥ 1/day and/or full column reflux (reflux 2 cm distal to the upper esophageal sphincter) > 4/day. Patients with APE were offered antireflux surgery (ARS) and the outcome of ARS was objectively assessed using Reflux Symptom Index. Results: Of 21 patients with EES which was thought to be GERD-unrelated based on endoscopy and MII-pH, 17 patients (81%) had APE. Eight patients with APE who had undergone ARS had significant symptomatic improvement in the Reflux Symptom Index score (19.6 ± 4.9 pre-ARS to 5.8 ± 1.4 post-ARS, P = 0.008). Conclusions A conventional diagnostic approach using endoscopy and MII-pH may not be sufficient to evaluate patients with EES suggestive of LPR. HMII is essential to evaluate patients with EES, and APE could be a reliable indicator for successful treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: This study estimated the effects of weekend and off-hour childbirth and the size of perinatal medical care center on the incidence of cerebral palsy. METHODS: The cases were all children with severe cerebral palsy born in Japan from 2009 to 2012 whose data were stored at the Japan Obstetric Compensation System for Cerebral Palsy database, a nationally representative database. The inclusion criteria were the following: neonates born between January 2009 and December 2012 who had a birth weight of at least 2000 g and gestational age of at least 33 weeks and who had severe disability resulting from cerebral palsy independent of congenital causes or factors during the neonatal period or thereafter. Study participants were restricted to singletons and controls without report of death, scheduled cesarean section, or ambulance transportation. The controls were newborns, randomly selected by year and type of delivery (normal spontaneous delivery without cesarean section and emergency cesarean section) using a 1:10 case to control ratio sampled from the nationwide Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology database. RESULTS: A total of 90 cerebral palsy cases and 900 controls having normal spontaneous delivery without cesarean section were selected, as were 92 cerebral palsy cases and 920 controls with emergent cesarean section. A significantly higher risk for cerebral palsy was found among cases that underwent emergent cesarean section on weekends (odds ratio [OR] 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-2.81) and during the night shift (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.30-4.02). No significant risk was found among normal spontaneous deliveries on weekends (OR 1.63, 95% CI 0.97-2.73) or during the quasi-night shift (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.70-2.27). Regional perinatal care centers showed significantly higher risk for cerebral palsy in both emergent cesarean section (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.47-3.77) and normal spontaneous delivery (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.76-4.84). CONCLUSION Labor on weekends, during the night shift, and at regional perinatal medical care centers was associated with significantly elevated risk for cerebral palsy in emergency cesarean section.
Case-Control Studies ; Cerebral Palsy ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Delivery, Obstetric ; statistics & numerical data ; Health Facilities ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Parturition ; Perinatal Care ; statistics & numerical data ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors

  【Purpose】The number of deaths in the bathtub in the home is increasing year by year, of which about 90% are people over 65 years old. The purpose of this study was to verify the hypothesis that the effect on the circulatory dynamics would be less if one took a half-body bath first and then a whole- body bath after a certain period of time, rather than suddenly taking a whole- body bath.  【Methods】The subjects were ten healthy community elderly men (70.3 ± 4.0 years old). The subjects were bathed at 39°C and 41°C, respectively, with two immersion methods of a 6-min whole body bath and a 3 min whole-body bath after a 3 min half-bath (6 min total). Measured items were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse (PR), oxygen saturation (SpO2), and forehead skin temperature. The subjective thermal sensation and comfort were also confirmed verbally. Measurements were carried out in the sitting posture before bathing, within 1 min after bathing, after 2 min, 3 min, and 5 min, just after the bath, and 5 min after sitting rest.   【Results】In both SBP (p = .010) and DBP (p = .019), the interaction between bathing conditions and measurement time was significant. SBP was greatly affected by temperature regardless of whether or not stepped immersion was used, and blood pressure decreased immediately after bathing at 41°C. DBP showed a significant decrease during bathing at 41°C compared with the whole-body bath after half-body bathing.  【Discussion】The SBP was markedly decreased immediately after taking a bath at a temperature of 41°C regardless of whether or not the subject was gradually immersed. It is thought that the condition is similar to that of orthostatic hypotension. Furthermore, DBP also showed a decrease of 10 mmHg or more, corresponding to changes during orthostatic hypotension, when bathing only with a whole-body bath at a temperature of 41°C. On the other hand, in the whole-body bath after half-body bathing, the decrease in DBP was less than 10 mmHg even at 41°C.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. PURPOSE: We considered the relationship between spinal alignment and skeletal muscle mass on clinical outcomes following a surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: There are no reports of preoperative factors predicting residual low back pain following surgery for LSS. METHODS: Our target population included 34 women (mean age, 74.4 years) who underwent surgery for LSS. Prior to and 6 months after the surgery, systemic bone mineral density and lean soft tissue mass were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated as the sum of the arm and leg lean mass in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. The spinal alignment was also measured. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopedic Association scoring system, leg and low back pain Visual Analog Scale, and Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ). Additionally, we examined the bone mineral density, skeletal muscle mass, and spinal alignment before and after the surgery. We used the Spearman correlation coefficient to examine the associations among clinical outcomes, preoperative muscle mass, and spinal alignment. RESULTS: Sarcopenia (SMI <5.46) was observed in nine subjects (26.5%). Compared with normal subjects (SMI >6.12), RDQ was significantly higher in subjects with sarcopenia (p=0.04). RDQ was significantly negatively correlated with SMI (r=−0.42, p<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between postoperative RDQ and pelvic tilt (PT; r=0.41, p<0.05). SMI and PT were significantly negatively correlated (r=−0.39, r<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Good postoperative outcomes were negatively correlated with low preoperative appendicular muscle mass, suggesting that postoperative outcomes were inferior in cases of decreased appendicular muscle mass (sarcopenia). Posterior PT due to decreased limb muscle mass may contribute to postoperative back pain, showing that preoperatively reduced limb muscle mass and posterior PT are predictive factors in the persistence of postoperative low back pain.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Arm ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Back Pain ; Bone Density ; Extremities ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Leg ; Low Back Pain ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Observational Study ; Orthopedics ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcopenia ; Spinal Stenosis ; Visual Analog Scale

The surgical outcome is worse when VSP is attempted soon after myocardial infarction due to the more poor general condition, preoperative cardiogenic shock, fragile infarcted myocardial tissue. We successfully rescued a 80-year cardiopulmonary arrest patient who was suffering from subacute postinfarcted VSP complicated by the left ventricular aneurysm. The VSP was closed with the sandwich patch technique approached from both ventricles. The left ventricular aneurysm was repaired with endoventricular circular patch plasty.

Some 50% of patients who undergo cardiac surgery will have heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) antibodies, only 1% will develop typical clinical HIT. Especially delayed-onset HIT is not well-known and extremely rare. A 83-year-old man underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) with a bioprosthetic valve (Mitroflow 21 mm) and pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Intravenous unfractionated heparin (8,000 I.U./day) was administered for 5 days after surgery. He had a good recovery and was discharged to home with a platelet count of 100,600/μl on POD 15 on warfarin. On POD 18, he was readmitted to our hospital due to cerebral infarction with hemiparesis. As MRI revealed a multiple left hemispheric infarction, the presence of cardiogenic cerebral infarction was suspected. Continuous intravenous administration of unfractionated heparin (15,000 I.U./day) was started. On POD 24, the platelet count fell to 27,000/μl, and a contrast CT scan revealed a giant thrombus in the aortic arch. He was found to have HIT antibodies, supporting a diagnosis of HIT. After cessation of heparin therapy and administration of vitamin K antagonist, argatroban was administered. He recovered neurologically and was discharged on POD 58. He remains well at 3 years follow up. If a patient has an unexplained and severe thrombocytopenia after cardiovascular surgery, delayed-onset HIT should be taken into consideration.

Triple-vessel disease of coronary artery was recognized in the examination of a 78-year-old man when hemodialysis was introduced for diabetic nephropathy. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed as initial treatment for the lesion of the right coronary artery. Contrast CT was performed because of persistent fever from the first day after the PCI. Since the tumor occupying the inside of the left atrium which was not found before PCI we were concerned about the failure of the hemodynamics and decided to treat it surgically. Surgery was performed with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, followed by left atrial mass removal surgery under cardiac arrest using cardio-pulmonary bypass. When examining the interior of the left atrium with a right lateral incision of the left atrium, the tumor was found to be on the posterior wall. This surface was smooth, and there was no endometriosis or hematoma. After incising the left atrial adventitia, old hematoma was found in the inside of the left atrium muscle layer, and it was removed as much as possible. The left atrial tumor was actually an intramural hematoma, based on image findings and macroscopic findings. Searching for the cause retrospectively, it was thought that the wire which was displaced during PCI was the cause of bleeding. We confirmed that there was no recurrence of left atrial intramural hematoma on an outpatient visit on the 113th postoperative day. We report a rare case of removing left atrial intramural hematoma under cardiac arrest which appeared after PCI.