• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.5 s.274
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• pp.341-350
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• 2007

Background: We present here the early and midterm surgical results for infective endocarditis and we especially focus on the effect of aggressive reconstruction or root implantation after wide debridement. Material and Method: Between January 1995 and Jun 2006, we enrolled 79 adult infective endocarditis patients who underwent surgical treatment. There were 63 and 16 native and prosthetic valve endocarditis cases, respectively. They included 27 cases of culture negative endocarditis. With performing valve replacement or repair, 28 of the patient underwent a more aggressive surgical option, for example, aortic root replacement or reconstruction, or heart base reconstruction etc. Result: There were statistical relationships between the in-hospital mortality and staphylococcal infection, urgent-based operation and operation during the active phase of endocarditis. Wide debridement and aggressive reconstruction were not related to either the post operative mortality or the early morbidity. Culture negative endocarditis was not related to the postoperative mortality and morbidity. Conclusion: Physicians must pay attention to patients' medical treatment during the preoperative period of the infective endocarditis. If surgery is considered for treating infective endocarditis, it should be performed before the downhill course of the disease so that the surgical outcome is improved. Wide debridement and more aggressive reconstruction are also warranted.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.704-707
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• 1995

The use of the patient`s pulmonary valve for replacement of the patient`s diseased aortic valve was introduced and developed by Mr. Donald Ross. The long term benefits of having a normal, fully viable, trileaflet semilunar valve in aortic position was demonstrated. A 38 year old male had histories of failures of previously implanted aortic prosthetic valves twice and evidence of progressive heart failure. At operation, aortic root abscess was found; the abscess extension to adjacent structures and partial valve dehiscence had occurred. The patient underwent replacement of the aortic root with autologous pulmonary valve, autologous pericardial patch repair of left ventricuar outflow tract and recontruction of the right ventricular outflow tract and pulmonary artery with prosthetic valved conduit. Postoperatively, the patient recovered well. Postoperative doppler echocardiography demonstrated minimal central regurgitation in new aortic valve. Aortic root replacement with pulmonary autograft in a patient of recurrent aortic root abscess and false aneurysm of left ventricuar outflow tract was experienced and reported with follow up echocardiography.