• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.668-673
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• 1998

During the past several years, the maze operation has become the most effective method of treatment for chronic atrial fibrillation. When the maze procedure is done concomittantly with other cardiac operations, surgeons, in their initial experiences, may be concerned about the additional operative risks and uncertainty of the results. We performed the Cox-maze III procedure in six cases of chronic atrial fibrillation associated with mitral, mitral & aortic, or coronary arterial disease. Maze III procedure was done with open mitral commissurotomy(3 cases), mitral valve replacement(1 case), aortic and mitral valve replacement(1 case), and two-vessel coronary bypass graft(1 case). In spite of rather prolonged aortic cross clamp time, cardiac recovery was uneventful in all cases. No cases required reexploration for postoperative bleeding. All patients showed regular sinus rhythms immediate or between 2 and 20 days postoperateratively. Transient postoperative supraventricular arrhythmarias were easily controlled by various antiarrhythmic agents. In follow up evaluations, all cases showed regular sinus rhythm on ECG and the right and left atrial transport function was confirmed by Doppler echocardiography in all except one. Though our experience was limited in case number, the Cox-maze III procedure was effective in controlling the chronic atrial fibrillation without serious additional operative risks.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.510-513
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• 2003

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 hapoplasia, 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.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.780-783
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• 2003

Pacemaker lead-related infective endocarditis is an uncommon, but serious complication. We report a case of a 45-year-old man who had symptom of intermittent high fever and rupture of sinus Valsalva that developed after a redo aortic valve replacement and transvenous permanent pacemaker implantation. Positive blood cultures of streptococcus viridans and transesophageal echocardiography showing a large mobile vegetation on pacemaker lead and tricuspid valve lead to the diagnosis of pacemaker lead-related infective endocarditis. Initial antibiotic therapy followed by surgical extraction of the pacemaker lead and wide debridement of infective tissues including multiple vegetations was required. Postoperative antibiotic therapy was continued for 4 weeks. The postoperative course has been uneventful. The patient is totally asymptomatic and is doing well up to now.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.723-728
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• 2000

Background: Minimally invasive techniques for open heart surgery are widely accepted in these days. There are minimally invasive approaches by the right or left parasternal incision and another approaches by mini-sternotomy of upper or lower half or sternum. We report the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive technique with right parasternal incision compared with the routine full sternotomy. Material and Method: From April 1997 through February 1999, 20 patients(Group A) underwent minimally invasive cardiac operations. We chose 41 patients(Group B) whose preoperative diagnosis were the same and general conditions were similar and who underwent routine full sternotomy before April 1997. We compared A group and B group in many aspects. We performed routine full median sternotomy in B group but we did a minimally invasive technique through a small right parasternal incision in A group. Result: mean age was 36.1 years in both groups. In disease entities, there were 11 cases of ASD, 9 cases of mitral valve disease in group A, and 16 cases of ASD, 25 cases of mitral valve diseases in group B. In ASD, operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time of aortic occulusion time were 263 min, 82 min, and 41 min in group A and 180 min, 53 min, and 32 min in group B. In mitral valve disease, operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic occlusion time were 267min, 106 min, and 70min in A group and were 207 min, 82 min, and 69 min in group B. There were significant differences in operation time, CPB time, and ACC time between group A and group B. There was a significant difference in the amount of bleeding in postoperative day 1 between group A and group B of mitral diasease. However, there was no significant difference in the amount of bleeding in other comparisons. Mean length of incision was 8.7 cm in group A. There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between A group and B group. There was no mortality in either group. Conclusion: We conclude that this minimally invasive technique with right parasternal incision is cosmetically excellent but it is not effective in reducing operative time and there was no significant difference in recovery time and postoperative complications compared with routine full sternotomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.876-881
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• 2002

Acute aortic dissection associated with high mortality rate has an extremely poor prognosis if early diagnosis and treatment are not received. Recently, with advanced computed tomography and echocardiography, diagnostic rate is higher and early operation is possible. Therefore preoperative medical therapy at ER(emergency room) lowered the mortality rate. This study was done to analyze the results with preoperative management at ER and operations, retrospectively. Material and Method: A series of 42 patients treated surgically for acute aortic dissections from 1991 to 2001 were included in this study. There were 18 males and 24 females. Mean age was 51.1 years. The admission course through emergency and outpatient department(OPD) was 34 and 8 respectively. Result: 26 patients underwent ascending aorta replacement-7 combined aortic valve replacements, 7 patients underwent descending aorta replacements and 9 patients received Bentall's operation. At emergency department, 20 patients received antihypertensive drugs and $\beta$-receptor blockers and 6 patients died. 22 patients did not receive antihypertensive and $\beta$-receptor block drugs and 10 patients died. There were 16(38%) overall deaths. Conclusion: Early diagnosis at ER or OPD is essential for acute aortic dissection, and it is important to select the most appropriate noninvasive interventions as possible. Therefore, preoperative drug therapy at ER is suggested according the patient conditions.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.613-622
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• 2001

Interaction of blood flow and leaflet behavior in a bileaflet mechanical heart valve was investigated using computational analysis. Blood flows of a Newtonian fluid and a non-Newtonian fluid with Carreau model were modeled as pulsatile, laminar, and incompressible. A finite volume computational fluid dynamics code and a finite element structure dynamics code were used concurrently to solve the flow and structure equations, respectively, where the two equations were strongly coupled. Physiologic ventricular and aortic pressure waveforms were used as flow boundary conditions. Flow fields, leaflet behaviors, and shear stresses with time were obtained for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid cases. At the fully opened phase three jets through the leaflets were found and large vortices were present in the sinus area. At the very final stage of the closing phase, the angular velocity of the leaflet was enormously large. Large shear stress was found on leaflet tips and in the orifice region between two leaflets at the final stage of closing phase. This method using fluid-structure interaction turned out to be a useful tool to analyze the different designs of existing and future bileaflet valves.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 1987

Twenty six patients were operated a total correction of tetralogy of Fallot between Jan., 1984 and July, 1985 at the Dept. of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Chonnam University Medical School, and a comparison between the survived group [n = 18] and the dead group [n = B was performed to detect factors influencing laboratory data, cineangiographic findings, operative findings and methods, and pump time. Following results were obtained, 1. There was no significant difference between two groups in the preoperative P.O2 and hematocrit level. 2. The size of the interventricular defect was not related to the operative mortality. 3. There was a significant difference in mortality rate between combined type of stenosis of pulmonary artery, valve and infundibulum and other types of right ventricular outflow tract stenosis. 4. There was a significant difference in mortality rate between the transannular patch reconstruction and other types of operative procedure. 5. There was no significant difference between two groups in total bypass time and aortic time. 6. There was no significant difference between two groups in left ventricular end diastolic volume and right ventricular end diastolic volume. 7. The operative mortality was related to the ratio of the diameter of the pulmonary valve annulus or each pulmonary artery to the ascending or descending aorta in cineangiographic findings, but there was no statistical significance of which probably is due to the lack of the total number of patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 1983

This report is concerned to our experience of 10 cases of open heart surgery under the extracorporeal circulation at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Capital Armed Forces General Hospital during the period between May, 1982 and February, 1983. 1. Six cases were male and two cases were female. Age was varied from 21 years to 50 years and mean age was 34 years. 2. The cases included 2 Ventricular Septal Defects, 1 Atrial Septal Defect, I Tetralogy of Fallot and 6 acquired valvular heart diseases. 3. The surgical managements were 3 primary repairs for Ventricular Septal Defects and Atrial Septal Defect, I total correction for Tetralogy of Fallot and 6 mitral valve replacements with bovine xenograft by Ionescu-Shiley combining 3 Tricuspid annuloplasties [ De Vega method ] and 1 deauricularization of left atrial appendage for acquired valvular heart diseases. 4. The average cardiopulmonary bypass time was 37 minutes for acyanotic congenital heart diseases and 92 minutes for cyanotic heart disease and acquired valvular heart diseases. And the average aortic cross clamping time was 19 minutes for the former and 70 minutes for the latter. 5. Postoperatively, there were 1 hemolytic anemia, 1 congestive heart failure, 1 hemolytic jaundice and 1 thermal burn as complications, but there was no operative mortality. 6. All patients received valve replacement were recommended anticoagulation with Persantin and Aspirin.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.827-832
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• 1993

From Jan 1982 through Dec.1991, thirty-three DeVega`s tricuspid annuloplasties were performed in association with mitral and combined mitral and aortic valve disease. Preoperatively,all of the patients were in NYHA functional class III or IV.There were one early death and 4 patients died during follow up period of 18 to 138 months [ mean follow up : 67.3 months ]. Nine patients required reoperation because of biological mitral valve failure at 4.7 to 11 years after tricuspid annuloplasty[TAP]. Among these patients,2 cases needed for reoperation of TAP due to loosening of suture material. Twenty four [86%] of the survivors were in NYHA functional class I or II after TAP.The actuarial survival rate for the TAP was 74% at 138 months. Rt atrial pressure of 9 reoperation cases were significantly decreased [P<0.05] compared with initial Rt.atrial pressure [ Mean period; 93.6 months].Doppler echocardiographic studies for tricuspid regurgitation were performed in 15 cases after TAP [Mean period: 42.3 months].These results showed significantly reduced [P<0.01] tricuspid annulus diameter and tricuspid regurgitation distance [ P<0.05 ].Our surgical experience that the DeVega`s TAP is a simple,safe,effective procedure and resulted in good hemodynamic improvement with moderate to severe functional tricuspid regurgitation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.482-487
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• 1990

The leading cause of death in patients with chronic renal failure is cardiovascular diseases. The problems relevant to cardiac surgery in these patients are occurring more frequently with a growing number of patients at risk. Among these, important risk factors related to uremic patients undergone open heart surgery are fluid and electrolytes imbalance, coagulopathy, increased susceptibility to infection. Since 1968 when Lansing and colleagues reported the first successful aortic valve replacement in patients with chronic renal failure and infective endocarditis, there have been increasing reports of the cardiopulmonary bypass surgery in chronic renal failure patients with acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality From Jan. 1988 to Nov. 1989 we have experienced four uremic patients necessitating open heart surgery ; one needing a coronary artery bypass graft and the other 3 needed cardiac valve replacement. Based on our observations we would like to suggest followings 1]Intraoperative ultrahemofiltration during C-P bypass thought to be an excellent means for the control of hyperkalemia and fluid balance. 2] The immediate postoperative application of peritoneal dialysis instead of hemodialysis is beneficial in controlling fluid and electrolyte imbalance. 3]The cause of one early postoperative death was not associated to renal failure, rather it was the result of an accidental rupture in the right ventricular wall.