BACKGROUND Chylothorax after congenital heart surgery (CHD) is a potentially challenging complication. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with the management of chylothorax following congenital heart surgery. METHODS Between September 1997 and August 2006, of 1341 pediatric patients undergoing correction of congenital heart disease in our institution, 18 (1.3%) developed c...

pseudoaneurysms of the ascending aorta, which are rare and life-threatening complications in cardiovascular surgeries, can be caused by the bentall procedure. we describe a 44-year-old woman, who had a medical history of acute aortic dissection (type a) and the bentall procedure and was admitted because of exertional dyspnea, edema of the lower extremities, ascites, and holosystolic murmur in t...

background: surgical treatment of a ruptured abdominal aorta aneurysm (raaa) continues to present a significant challenge to surgeons. there are some patient factors such as age and gender that cannot be changed, and comorbid conditions can be optimized but not eliminated.  the purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors affecting high mortality after the surgical repair of an raaa. ...

background in some hospitals, urinalysis is done routinely for all patients scheduled for cardiac surgery. occasionally pyuria or bacteria is reported in the microscopic urinalysis of these patients that are clinically asymptomatic for urinary tract infections. objectives we were seeking answer to this question: is the presence of a different number of bacteria in preoperative microscopic urina...

right ventricular failure due to right coronary artery disease, right ventricular hypertrophy, stunning, abnormal septal motion, myocardial infarction, or non-homogeneous distribution of cardioplegia is an uncommon but serious complication of open heart surgery. we report a patient with severe right ventricular hypertrophy secondary to severe mitral valve stenosis and another patient with detac...

Chylothorax occurs when there is rupture, laceration or obstruction of the thoracic duct, resulting in the release of chyle into the pleural space. Chylothorax can occur in cases of congenital lymphatic malformation, lymphoma, mediastinal tumor and infectious disease, as well as during surgical procedures and after traffic accident-related trauma. It can also be idiopathic. The condition presen...

Chylothorax is an abnormal condition of lymphatic fluid collection in the pleural space, and the somatostatin analog octreotide is thought to have a beneficial effect on chylothorax. However, the octreotide dosage and administration route for chylothorax have been inconsistent to date. We report three neonatal cases of persistent chylothorax successfully treated with high-dose octreotide infusi...

severe inflammation after cardiopulmonary bypass with the vasculitis of the acral extremity and vertebro-basilar arterial system leads to the locked-in syndrome and blue toe syndrome. in broad terms, systemic, idiopathic, and environmental factors provoke syndromes that present with digital discoloration or the blue toe syndrome. painful digital discoloration, accompanied by ulceration, suggest...

the optimal treatment method for right ventricular failure after valve surgery complicated by a low cardiac output has not been determined, although several case reports have been published on patients with ventricular failure and arrhythmia who were bridged to cardiac transplantation using biventricular or left ventricular assist devices. this case series illustrates successful circulatory sup...