• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.322-327
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• 2004

Coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart is no longer a new methods for any cardiac surgeon. We evaluated the application of the off-pump coronary artery bypass procedure relative to safety and efficiency as measured by postoperative complication and operative mortality. Material and Method: We used our retrospective database to compare the patients having off-pump coronary surgery (n=100) with those having on-pump coronary surgery (n=100) between June, 1999 and August, 2002. Patients whom underwent associated valvular or aortic aneurysmal operation were excluded. Result: Neither groups showed any differences in the patient's risk factors and extent of coronary disease. Off-pump CABG group did not have significantly less mean operation time (295$\pm$73 min vs 323$\pm$83 min, p=ns) and mean hospital day (15.34$\pm$6.02 day vs 13.80$\pm$4.95 day, p=ns). However, off-pump CABG group had significantly shorter mean ventilation time (17.3$\pm$11.27 hour vs 24.98$\pm$16.1 hour, p＜0.05). No patients were converted to on-pump CABG in off-pump CABG. Intraoperative hemodynamic instability in off-pump CABG were 6 cases, of whom 2 cases were in lateral wall approach and 4 cases in right coronary anastomosis. Postoperative mortality was 1 case in off-pump CABG and 2 cases in on-pump CABG. Intra-aortic ballon pump (IABP) was applied in 1 case with off-pump CABG and in 2 cases with on-pump CABG. No patients presented postoperative cerebral infarction ＆ stroke in off-pump CABG but 2 patients in on-pump CABG. Postoperative arrhythmia presented in 4 cases with off-pump CABG and in 6 cases with on-pump CABG. Acute renal failure (ARF) was complicated in 3 cases with off-pump CABG and in 2 cases with on-pump CABG. Conclusion: This study documented the immediate safety and efficiency of the off-pump CABG procedure.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.339-345
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• 1998

Arrhythmias are common after cardiac surgery and are multifactorial. Intravenous magnesium administration reduces the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias in patient with symptomatic heart failure or acute myocardial infarction. This study was designed to evaluate the role of magnesium in preventing PVCs(premature ventricular contractions) occurred frequently after coronary artery bypass graft(CABG). 50 consecutive patients were prospectively entered into a randomized trial to determine the efficacy of postoperative magnesium therapy on the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias after elective coronary artery bypass graft. The patients underwent coronary angiography, echocardiography, electrocardiography and clinical laboratory study preoperatively. Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring was done and magnesium level was checked 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 hours postoperatively. Study group of 25 patients were given 4g of magnesium continuously over the first 24 hours and then 2g/24hours from 25 to 72 hours. The clinical characteristics of both groups were similar(p<0.05). The preoperative mean serum magnesium concentration was similar in both study group, 1.59mg/dl and control group, 1.71mg/dl. The mean postoperative serum magnesium concentration in study group elevated significantly over postoperative 12hours through 36hours(p<0.05). The postoperative mean serum magnesium concentration in control group declined and remained significantly depressed over immediate postoperation through 72hours. The mean serum magnesium concentration was significantly greater in the study group compared with the control group over postoperative 3hours through 72hours(p<0.05). There was a significant decrease in the incidence of arrhythmias such as PVCs(p<0.01) which might jeopardize hemodynamics. There were no recognized adverse effects of magnesium Administration. In conclusion, prophylactic magnesium administration seems to lessen the incidence and severity of rrhythmias after coponary artery bypass graft.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.621-627
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• 1999

Background: Sixty five cases with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) indicated for biventricular repair were operated on between 1984 and september 1998. Comparison between the results of the conventional(classic) connection(LV-PA) and the anatomic repair was done. Material and Method: Retrospective review was carried out based on the medical records of the patients. Operative procedures, complications and the long-term results accoding to the combining anomalies were analysed. Result: Mean age was 5.5$\pm$4.8 years(range, 2 months to 18years). Thirty nine were male and 26 were female. Situs solitus {S,L,L} was in 53 and situs inversus{I,D,D} in 12. There was no left ventricular outflow tract obstruction(LVOTO) in 13(20%) cases. The LVOTO was resulted from pulmonary stenosis(PS) in 26(40%)patients and from pulmonary atresia(PA) in 26(40%) patients. Twenty-five(38.5%) patients had tricuspid valve regurgitation(TR) greater than the mild degree that was present preoperatively. Twenty two patients previously underwent 24 systemic- pulmonary shunts previously. In the 13 patients without LVOTO, 7 simple closure of VSD or ASD, 3 tricuspid valve replacements(TVR), and 3 anatomic corrections(3 double switch operations: 1 Senning+ Rastelli, 1 Senning+REV-type, and 1 Senning+Arterial switch opera tion) were performed. As to the 26 patients with CCTGA+VSD or ASD+LVOTO(PS), 24 classic repairs and 2 double switch operations(1 Senning+Rastelli, 1 Mustard+REV-type) were done. In the 26 cases with CCTGA+VSD+LVOTO(PA), 19 classic repairs(18 Rastelli, 1 REV-type), and 7 double switch operations(7 Senning+Rastelli) were done. The degree of tricuspid regurgitation increased during the follow-up periods from 1.3$\pm$1.4 to 2.2$\pm$1.0 in the classic repair group(p<0.05), but not in the double switch group. Two patients had complete AV block preoperatively, and additional 7(10.8%) had newly developed complete AV block after the operation. Other complications were recurrent LVOTO(10), thromboembolism(4), persistent chest tube drainage over 2 weeks(4), chylothorax(3), bleeding(3), acute renal failure(2), and mediastinitis(2). Mean follow-up was 54$\pm$49 months(0-177 months). Thirteen patients died after the operation(operative mortality rate: 20.0%(13/65)), and there were 3 additional deaths during the follow up period(overall mortality: 24.6%(16/65)). The operative mortality in patients underwent anatomic repair was 33.3%(4/12). The actuarial survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years were 75.0$\pm$5.6%, 75.0$\pm$5.6%, and 69.2$\pm$7.6%. Common causes of death were low cardiac output syndrome(8) and heart failure from TR(5). Conclusion: Although our study could not demonstrate the superiority of each classic or anatomic repair, we found that the anatomic repair has a merit of preventing the deterioration of tricuspid valve regurgitations. Meticulous selection of the patients and longer follow-up terms are mandatory to establish the selective advantages of both strategies.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2004

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) system is a device for respiratory and/or heart failure treatment, and there have been many trials for development and clinical application in the world. Currently, a non-pulsatile blood pump is a standard for ECLS system. Although a pulsatile blood pump is advantageous in physiologic aspects, high pressure generated in the circuits and resultant blood cell trauma remain major concerns which make one reluctant to use a pulsatile blood pump in artificial lung circuits containing a membrane oxygenator. The study was designed to evaluate the hypothesis that placement of a pressure-relieving compliance chamber between a pulsatile pump and a membrane oxygenator might reduce the above mentioned side effects while providing physiologic pulsatile blood flow. The study was performed in a canine model of oleic acid induced acute lung injury (N=16). The animals were divided into three groups according to the type of pump used and the presence of the compliance chamber, In group 1, a non-pulsatile centrifugal pump was used as a control (n=6). In group 2 (n=4), a single-pulsatile pump was used. In group 3 (n=6), a single-pulsatile pump equipped with a compliance chamber was used. The experimental model was a partial bypass between the right atrium and the aorta at a pump flow of 1.8∼2 L/min for 2 hours. The observed parameters were focused on hemodynamic changes, intra-circuit pressure, laboratory studies for blood profile, and the effect on blood cell trauma. In hemodynamics, the pulsatile group II & III generated higher arterial pulse pressure (47$\pm$ 10 and 41 $\pm$ 9 mmHg) than the nonpulsatile group 1 (17 $\pm$ 7 mmHg, p<0.001). The intra-circuit pressure at membrane oxygenator were 222 $\pm$ 8 mmHg in group 1, 739 $\pm$ 35 mmHg in group 2, and 470 $\pm$ 17 mmHg in group 3 (p<0.001). At 2 hour bypass, arterial oxygen partial pressures were significantly higher in the pulsatile group 2 & 3 than in the non-pulsatile group 1 (77 $\pm$ 41 mmHg in group 1, 96 $\pm$ 48 mmHg in group 2, and 97 $\pm$ 25 mmHg in group 3: p<0.05). The levels of plasma free hemoglobin which was an indicator of blood cell trauma were lowest in group 1, highest in group 2, and significantly decreased in group 3 (55.7 $\pm$ 43.3, 162.8 $\pm$ 113.6, 82.5 $\pm$ 25.1 mg%, respectively; p<0.05). Other laboratory findings for blood profile were not different. The above results imply that the pulsatile blood pump is beneficial in oxygenation while deleterious in the aspects to high pressure generation in the circuits and blood cell trauma. However, when a pressure-relieving compliance chamber is applied between the pulsatile pump and a membrane oxygenator, it can significantly reduce the high circuit pressure and result in low blood cell trauma.