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Isolated left vertebral artery (ILVA) is one of the most frequent vertebral abnormalities. When performing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), the ILVA may have to be closed depending on the position of the stent graft; in these cases, the decision to reconstruct the ILVA depends on the state of cerebral blood flow. Here, we report a case of a 68-year-old male, in whom the Willis arterial circle was incomplete; we therefore performed a reconstructive method during zone 2-landing TEVAR that ensured ILVA and left subclavian artery blood flow without the use of artificial vessels. Only one supraclavicular incision was required for reconstruction. This method has some procedural difficulties; however, it does not use artificial blood vessels and can be performed with a single incision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report details the management of a 79-year-old man who developed massive postoperative pneumothorax following redo coronary artery bypass grafting due to severe lung adhesions. We successfully treated the patient using veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation without femoral cannulation, allowing for early rehabilitation initiation. Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a reasonable option for cases of severe respiratory failure due to pneumothorax with lung destruction caused by re-sternotomy during re-do cardiac surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 78-year-old man underwent pericardial patch repair for left ventricular (LV) rupture during mitral valve replacement. After the first operation, a huge (>10 cm) LV pseudoaneurysm was detected, necessitating reoperation. LV rupture is a rare but often fatal complication of mitral valve replacement. Although repair of LV rupture during mitral valve replacement has been reported, the development of pseudoaneurysm after such repair is exceedingly rare. In this case, we successfully treated a huge LV pseudoaneurysm using two pericardial patches to sandwich the rupture hole from the inside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigates short-term outcomes following surgical interventions for atrial fibrillation (Af), including the Cox-maze Ⅳ procedure (maze procedure) and pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), performed concurrently with other cardiac surgeries. Additionally, we aim to determine the indications for surgical intervention for Af., Method: We retrospectively studied a total of 1,580 patients, out of which 274 had preoperative Af, that underwent cardiac surgery between January 2015 and April 2023. Patients who underwent emergency surgery, died in the hospital postoperatively, or received pacemaker implantation were excluded. Patients were first divided into two groups:the intervention group (n=135, 53.6%) and the non-intervention group( n=117, 46.4%), further categorized by whether they were in sinus rhythm at discharge. The intervention group was then subdivided into the maze procedure group( n=54), and the PVI group (n=76)., Results: Within the maze procedure group, significant differences were observed between the sinus rhythm and non-sinus rhythm groups in terms of age, preoperative Af duration, and aortic valve intervention status. In the PVI group, patients with persistent Af, longer preoperative Af duration, and larger left atrium diameter( LAD) were less likely to return to sinus rhythm. Smaller LAD was also a significant factor for returning to sinus rhythm in the non-intervention group. Multivariate analysis for all patients revealed that an LAD smaller than 50 mm was the strongest predictor for returning to sinus rhythm post operation( p<0.01)., Conclusion: For patients with persistent Af, the maze procedure is favored over PVI as a surgical intervention. When LAD exceeds 50 mm, the likelihood of returning to sinus rhythm is diminished.

A 61-year-old woman presented to our hospital with complaints of palpitation, dyspnea, and complete atrioventricular block. A tumor filling the right atrium was detected by computed tomography (CT)and echocardiography. Since the symptoms were severe and there was a risk of sudden death due to pulmonary embolism, tumor resection was performed. Pathological results suggested that the tumor was well-differentiated metastatic adenocarcinoma originating from colorectal cancer. Since the tumor could not be completely removed, radiation therapy was performed after the operation. Cardiac metastases from colorectal cancer are relatively rare and are occasionally seen in autopsy cases, but infrequently in surviving cases. Regular follow-up is therefore required.