No abstract

IntroductionChagas disease is a major cause of cardiomyopathy and sudden death in our country. It has a high mortality when their patients develop New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to analyze the clinical outcome of patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure with optimized pharmacological therapy, undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy.MethodsBetween January 2004 and February 2009, 72 patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy in NYHA class III and IV underwent cardiac resynchronization therapy and were monitored to assess their clinical evolution. We used the t test or the Wilcoxon test to compare the same variable in two different times. A P value < 0.05 was established as statistically significant.ResultsThe average clinical follow-up was 46.6 months (range 4-79 months). At the end of the evaluation, 87.4% of patients were in NYHA class I or II (P<0.001). There was response to therapy in 65.3% of patients (P<0.001), with an overall mortality of 34.7%.ConclusionIn patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy, we found the following statistically significant changes: improvement in NYHA class and increase of left ventricle ejection fraction, a decrease of the systolic final diameter and systolic final left ventricle volume and improvement of patient survival.

Sonication fluid culture from the removed cardiac implants has the potential to improve the microbiological diagnosis of CIDAIs.

Many studies have shown important changes in lung function tests after coronary artery surgeries. It is controversial if off-pump surgery can give a better and shorter recovery than the on-pump. A prospective study was conducted on 42 patients submitted to coronary artery surgery and divided into two groups: 21 off-pump using intraluminal shunt (G (I)) and 21 on-pump (G (II)), matched by the anatomical location of the coronary arteries lesions. All patients had spirometric evaluation, blood gas measurements and alveolo-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO(2)), at the fourth and 10th postoperative days (PO(4) and PO(10)). Preoperatively, G(I) and G(II) had similar results (P>0.372). Spirometry showed decreases at PO(4) and remained decreased until PO(10) for both groups, with significant differences between the groups. The blood gas measurements showed reduction in arterial oxygen pressure (PaO(2)) and carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO(2)), while there was an increase in A-aDO(2) at PO(4) and PO(10) in both groups. The results suggest that different changes occur in pulmonary function when the surgery is performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. The off-pump patients showed significantly greater improvement than the on-pump group.

Os autores apresentam a experiência com a técnica desenvolvida em 1983, na Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, que consiste em substituir a circulação extracorpórea nas operações de revascularização do miocárdio, por uma derivação (shunt), introduzida na luz da coronária. Este shunt consiste em um pequeno tubo de silicone, flexível, transparente, com diâmetros variando de 1 a 3 mm, que permanece na luz do vaso durante a feitura da anastomose entre o enxerto e a coronária. Esta técnica oferece mais segurança ao paciente, por dispensar o uso da circulação extracorpórea e, conseqüentemente, os seus malefícios, além de evitar isquemia do miocárdio durante a anastomose e mantendo um campo cirúrgico sem sangue, facilitando, assim, a realização da anastomose. De 1983 a 1995, foram operados 419 pacientes, tendo sido realizados 671 enxertos, dos quais 153 com a artéria torácica interna para as coronárias das faces anterior e inferior do coração. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 1,43%, com 1,67% de incidência de infarto do miocárdio no intra-operatório. A técnica mostrou ser segura, sem complicações graves durante o seu emprego. Os pacientes evoluíram bem no pós-operatório imediato, necessitando menor tempo de intubação, menor permanência na UTI ou internação. Em um grupo inicial estudou-se a qualidade das anastomoses, através da cinecoronariografia pós-operatória em um período médio de 24 meses, mostrando uma taxa de enxertos pérvios de 84%. A técnica mostrou ser simples, segura e econômica, além dos benefícios ao paciente, por ser menos agressiva. Com o advento da cirurgia minimamente invasiva, esta técnica traz a contribuição definitiva para maior segurança dos pacientes.
An analysis was made of the results in a group of 419 patients that underwent myocardial revascularization without cardiopulmonary bypass, by means of a technique using a temporary intraluminal shunt (TIS) described originally by Rivetti and Gandra in 1991. The technique consists of inserting a shunt of a flexible and transparent sylastic tube with external diameter varying from 1 mm to 3 mm into the coronary artery which allows distal irrigation of the coronary artery during the anastomosis between the vein or mammary artery and the coronaries. It offers safety to the patient by avoiding ischemia and its consequences, by molding the coronary artery and maintaining a bloodless field. Mortality was 1,4% in this series and 1,6% of myocardial infarction. There were no life-threatening complications during the procedure. There were no complications similar those normally occurring in the post-operative period of cardiopulmonary procedures. This technique is useful for any patient with coronary stenosis in the antero-diaphragmatic region, but it also provided a good quality of the anastomosis in the cases studied