A 40-year-old female was admitted to the hospital for an operation with a presumptive diagnosis of right atrial myxoma. She had had a hysterectomy for leiomyoma 8 months earlier and has since experienced progressive dyspnea on exertion, pedal edema, and two syncope episodes in the past 2 months. Cardiac murmur was detected and two-dimensional echocardiography was arranged. A mobile right atrial mass was discovered, which was thought to be a myxoma. The patient subsequently received open heart surgery. Histologic examination of the resected mass confirmed intravenous leiomyomatosis. Magnetic resonance imaging performed on the eighth postoperative day revealed an intravascular mass from the right common iliac vein to the upper abdominal inferior vena cava. The patient underwent a second operation one and half months after the first operation, with resection of the tumor mass in the inferior vena cava and resection of multiple uterine myoma. She recovered well. Repeat magnetic resonance imaging 6 months following the second operation showed that the inferior vena cava and right atrium were clear of tumor.

This study has demonstrated that labetalol pretreatment (1.2 mg/kg) with supplemental SNP provides more favorable blood pressure control during surgical resection of pheochromocytoma than with SNP alone.

Purpose Our study aimed to determine the impact of a novel technique of anesthesia administration on the clinical outcomes and complications in geriatric patients with severe systemic disease undergoing hip surgery. Methods We retrospectively identified patients aged > 65 years with severe systemic disease that was a constant of life [American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) IV] who underwent surgery for hip fracture between January 2018 and January 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: Group I [fascia iliaca compartment block plus propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (FICB + TIVA)] and Group II [general anesthesia (GA)]. The primary outcomes were 30-day and 1-year mortality. The secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, postoperative morbidity, Visual Analog Scale score, and consumption of analgesics. Results There was no significant difference in the 30-day mortality (5 vs. 3.8%, p = 0.85) and 1-year mortality (15 vs. 12%, p = 0.73) between the groups. Group I had significantly lower ICU requirements (p = 0.01) and shorter lengths of ICU stay (p < 0.001) and hospital stay (p < 0.001). Moreover, a smaller proportion of patients in Group I required postoperative morphine or oral opiates. Conclusion Geriatric patients who underwent hip surgery under FICB + TIVA required fewer ICU admissions, shorter lengths of ICU and hospital stay, and had lesser postoperative opioid consumption than those who were under GA. Hence, we recommend the novel FICB + TIVA technique for hip fracture surgery in geriatric patients with poor general health status and high surgical risks (ASA IV).

We report a case of unexpected malfunction of prosthetic mitral leaflets, discovered by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) immediately after implantation, due to selection of an inappropriate size of prosthesis; the problem was amended immediately by surgical revision. The subject was a 48-year-old man admitted for mitral valve replacement because of severe mitral stenosis. He had undergone mitral commissurotomy 21 years previously. Preoperative echo findings showed severe mitral stenosis with regurgitation and a huge thrombus in the left atrial chamber. During operation, the surgeon also discovered severe calcification over the mitral valve with rheumatic changes in both leaflets and the chordae. Because the posterior leaflet had totally fused with the annulus, resection could not be performed. A 33-mm Edwards-Carpentier porcine xenograft was then installed and sutured onto the approximate annular position. The posterior chordae were also not resected, and the atriotomy was closed. Once the aortic cross-clamp was removed and the patient was re-warmed, the left atrium distended rapidly. No ventricular wall motion was seen. Immediate TEE evaluation demonstrated that the prosthetic valve was dysfunctional and the leaflets were immobile. Total cardiopulmonary bypass was then resumed. A smaller 29-mm valve was reimplanted in the same anatomic position. The 33-mm tissue valve was then re-examined and checked for any structural abnormality or functional inadequacy. The prosthetic valve stent was intact and the leaflets were mobile upon gross inspection. The patient was successfully weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass with high dose inotropic agents and intra-aortic balloon pump support. In conclusion, TEE can provide us with immediate, accurate and detailed information to evaluate an unexpected circumstance and disclose an operative misadventure during or after cardiac surgery.