• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.256-264
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• 1989

Modified Blalock-Taussig operation remains the standard technique of systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt in patients of congenital heart disease with decreased pulmonary blood flow. We reviewed the 41 patients who had been performed modified Blalock-Taussig operation from March 1985 to Feb. 1988, and angiographically measured pulmonary artery size before and after shunt, and calculated pulmonary artery index [PAI] and ratio of left and right pulmonary artery to descending aorta[[LPA+RPA]/dAo]. The mean duration of palliation after shunt operation was 624 days and mean age of the patient at shunt operation was 3.59 years. Mean PAI increased significantly from 131.15*67.11 mm2/M2 preoperatively to 232.70*84.46 mm2/M2 postoperatively. Mean ratio of right and left pulmonary artery to descending aorta also increased significantly from 1.48*0.40 preoperatively to 1.92*0.50 postoperatively. All patients manifested clinical improvement; there was mean decrease in hematocrit of 8.95%, mean increase in arterial oxygen saturation of 11.08%. Pulmonary arterial growth was not influenced by age at operation, initial pulmonary artery size, or graft size, but significantly influenced by antegrade flow. The patients who have some antegrade flow were in more increase of PAI. There were no linear correlation between change of PAI, change of [[LPA+RPA]/dAo], SaO2, and duration. But, according to Scatterplot between change of PAI and duration, some complex correlation was suggested and mean PAI was decreased after 2-year palliation. We concluded that modified Blalock-Taussig operation is excellent palliative surgery for pulmonary artery growth especially on the patient who have some antegrade flow, and the proper duration of palliation was about 2 years.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.429-434
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• 1992

We experienced a rare case of traumatic ventricular septal defect by penetrating stab injury The patient was 26-year-old women who got stab wound at the left anterior third intercostal space and left sternal border with a knife. seven hours after admission, the patient was undertaken an emergency thoracotomy due to hypovolemic shock caused by massive bleeding from transected left internal mammary artery, vein, and right ventricular outflow tract. On postoperative second day, the patient was suffered from moderate dyspnea, and arterial blood gas analysis and chest X-ray revealed hypoxemia and pulmonary edema. Right heart cardiac catheterization with Swan-Ganz Cathater showed oxygen step-up between right atrium and main pulmonary artery and a 1.6:1 ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow. At operation, harsh systolic thrill was palpable along right ventricular outflow tract. Through small vertical right ventriculotomy, the linear ventricular septal laceration on infundibular septum was noticed, and its size was 1.5cm with sharp margin This defeat was repaired by three interrupted matress sutures using Prolene 4-O with pledget. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she discharged with good physical condition.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.200-204
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• 2006

Purpose: Determination of pulmonary to systemic blood flow ratio (QP/QS) is important for the management of patients with left-to-right shunt. This study was performed to assess the agreement of Qp/Qs ratio using the radionuclide method and oxymetry, to investigate the factors influencing the agreement, and to know how interchangeable the results of each technique. Materials and Methods: We compared the Qp/Qs measured by single-pass radionuclide angiocardiography and oxymetry during catheterization in 207 patients who underwent both studies. In radionuclide method, Qp/Qs was calculated from the pulmonary time-activity curves using a gamma variate fit. The correlation and Bland-Altman analysis were performed according to the levels of shunt and associated lesions. Results: The mean Qp/Qs was $1.83{\pm}0.50$ by radionuclide, and $1.74{\pm}0.51$ by oxymetry. The overall correlation coefficient was 0.86(p<0.001), and Bland-Altman range of agreement encompassing 4SD was 1.05. For atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, tricuspid and mitral insufficiency, the correlation coefficient was 0.78, 0.90, 0.84, 0.63 and 0.44, and Bland-Altman range was 1.51, 0.74, 0.96, 1.57, and 1.50, respectively. Conclusion: There is good agreement but wide variance between the Qp/Qs ratios by radionuclide method and oxymetry. Associated atrioventricular valvar insufficiency decreases the correlation coefficient and widens the variance. Wide overall variance suggests that Qp/Qs measurements by two techniques should not be used interchangeably.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1117-1123
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• 1988

Prolapse of the aortic valve is the main cause of insufficiency of the aortic valve as a complication of ventricular septal defect. Aortic insufficiency gets worse by the progress of prolapse of aortic valve due to lack of support of the valve and the hemodynamic effect of blood flow through the ventricular septal defect. This produces typical clinical picture, that may be serious and threatening when it is untreated. Type and timing for the surgical treatment of the ventricular septal defect with aortic insufficiency is considered. Among 113 ventricular septal defect, 9 patients of ventricular septal defect with associated aortic insufficiency were experienced from June. 1983 to June 1988 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chon-Buk University Hospital. Male was 6 patients and female was 3 patients. Ages were from 7 years to 24years. 5 patients were from 10 to 19 years age. 3 patients were below 10 years age. The ratio of pulmonary blood flow to systemic f low [Qp/Qs] was 1.53 and in pulmonary vascular resistance, normal or slight increase was 7 patients, moderate 1 patient, and severe 1 patient. Ventricular septal defect was subpulmonic in 5 patients and infracristal in 4 patients. Prolapse of right coronary cusp was 7 patients, right and non coronary cusp 1 patient and non coronary cusp 1 patient. Teflon patch closure of ventricular septal defect was undertaken in 3 patients and primary closure in 1 patient. Among the 4 patients of defect closure alone, one patient performed valve replacement 7 months later due to progressive regurgitation and cardiac failure and the result was good. The other 3 patients were good result. Closure of ventricular septal defect and aortic valvuloplasty performed in 4 patients. 2 patients of these required valve replacement for the sudden intractable cardiac failure and died due to low cardiac output. The cause of intractable cardiac failure was tearing of repaired valve at the fixed site. The other 2 patients were good result. Closure of ventricular septal defect and valve replacement performed in 1 patient with good result.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.340-345
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• 2013

Background: This study aims to evaluate whether or not the method of right vertical axillary minithoracotomy (RVAM) is preferable to and as reliable as conventional sternotomy surgery, and also assesses its cosmetic results. Methods: Thirty-three patients (7 males, 26 females) with atrial septal defect were admitted to the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic of Cukurova University from December 2005 until January 2010. The patients' ages ranged from 3 to 22. Patients who underwent vertical axillary minithracotomy were assigned to group I, and those undergoing conventional sternotomy, to group II. Group I and group II were compared with regard to the preoperative, perioperative and postoperative variables. Group I included 12 females and 4 males with an average age of $16.5{\pm}9.7$. Group II comprised 14 female and 3 male patients with an average age of $18.5{\pm}9.8$ showing similar features and pathologies. The cases were in Class I-II according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classification, and patients with other cardiac and systemic problems were not included in the study. The ratio of the systemic blood flow to the pulmonary blood flow (Qp/Qs) was $1.8{\pm}0.2$. The average pulmonary artery pressure was $35{\pm}10$ mmHg. Following the diagnosis, performing elective surgery was planned. Results: No significant difference was detected in the average time of the patients' extraportal circulation, cross-clamp and surgery (p>0.05). In the early postoperative period of the cases, the duration of mechanical ventilator support, the drainage volume in the first 24 hours, and the hospitalization time in the intensive care unit were similar (p>0.05). Postoperative pains were evaluated together with narcotic analgesics taken intravenously or orally. While 7 cases (43.7%) in group I needed postoperative analgesics, 12 cases (70.6%) in group II needed them. No mortality or major morbidity has occurred in the patients. The incision style and sizes in all of the patients undergoing RVAM were preserved as they were at the beginning. Furthermore, the patients of group I were mobilized more quickly than the patients of group II. The patients of group I were quite pleased with the psychological and cosmetic results. No residual defects have been found in the early postoperative period and after the end of the follow-up periods. All of the patients achieved functional capacity per NYHA. No deformation of breast growth has been detected during 18 months of follow-up for the group I patients, who underwent RVAM. Conclusion: To conclude, the repair of atrial septal defect by RVAM, apart from the limited working zone for the surgeon in these pathologies as compared to sternotomymay be considered in terms of the outcomes, and early and late complications. And this has accounted for less need of analgesics and better cosmetic results in recent years.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-113
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• 1998

The sympathoadrenal system plays an important role in homeostasis in widely varing external environments. Conflicting findings, however, have been reported on its response to hypoxia. We investigated the effect of hypoxia on the sympathoadrenal system in dogs under halothane anesthesia by measuring levels of circulating catecholamines in response to graded hypoxia. Ten healthy mongreal dogs were mechanically ventilated with different hypoxic gas mixtures. Graded hypoxia and reoxygenation were induced by progressively decreasing the oxygen fraction in the inhalation gas mixture from 21%(control) to 15%, 10% and 5% at every 5 minutes, and then reoxygenated with 60% oxygen. Mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure and mean pulmonary arterial pressure were measured directly using pressure transducers. Cardiac output was measured by the thermodilutional method. For analysis of blood gas, saturation and content, arterial and mixed venous blood were sampled via the femoral and pulmonary artery at the end of each hypoxic condition. The concentration of plasma catecholamines was determined by radioenzymatic assay. According to the exposure of graded hypoxia, not only did arterial and mixed venous oxygen tension decreased markedly at 10% and 5% oxygen, but also arterial and mixed venous oxygen saturation decreased significantly. An increased trend of the oxygen extraction ratio was seen during graded hypoxia. Cardiac output, mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance were unchanged or increased slightly. Pulmonary arterial pressure(PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance(PVR) were increased by 55%, 76% in 10% oxygen and by 82%, 95% in 5% oxygen, respectively(p<0.01). The concentrations of plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine increased by 75%, 29%, 24% in 15% oxygen and by 382%, 350%, 49% in 5% oxygen. These data suggest that the sympathetic nervous system was activated to maintain homeostasis by modifying blood flow distribution to improve oxygen delivery to tissues by hypoxia, but hemodynamic changes might be blunted by high concentration of nitrous oxide except PAP and PVR. It would be suggested that hemodynamic changes might not be sensitive index during hypoxia induced by high concentration of nitrous oxide exposure.