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Thirty-two patients were submitted to an emergency surgical procedure for left ventricular asynergy, following myocardial infarction. Indications and results are analyzed. All patients were operated upon with the aid of cardiopulmonary by-pass; an aneurysmectomy was performed in twenty-nine patients, a plication technique in three. These procedures were combined with mitral and/or aortic replacement in five patients, closure of ventricular septal defect in five, aorto-coronary saphenous vein by-pass in five. Early over all post-operative mortality was 75%: 80% in patients operated within three months from myocardial infarction, 67% in patients operated after three months from myocardial infarction.

Five patients were operated on for ventricular septal rupture following myocardial infarction. The mean time interval between occurrence of infarction and surgery was 37 days (from 4 to 54 days). At EKG, the infarction site was anteroseptal in two cases and postero-inferior in three. Progressive deterioration of cardiac function leading to cardiogenic shock was noticed in four patients. Four patients had cardiac catheterization before surgery: the mean pulmonary to systemic flow ratio was 2.5:1 (from 3.8:1 to 1.8:1); in each case L.V.E.D.P., pulmonary wedge and pulmonary arterial pressures were elevated. Left ventricular angiograms and selective coronariograms were obtained in three patients, demonstrating the presence of left ventricular aneurysm in all three. In two patients, repair was performed through right ventriculotomy; in patients with left ventricular aneurysm, a left ventriculotomy and aneurysm resection were performed. This technique seems to permit much clearer view of the rupture site. In all patients the V.S.D. was closed by a dacron patch, reinforced with teflon pledgets. Two of the five patients died in the early postoperative period. Both had been operated within the first week from the onset of the ventricular septal rupture, because of cardiogenic shock, refractory to medical therapy. The three survivors showed remarkable improvement after surgery and they are in functional class II at a mean follow up period of 20 months. Emphasis is put on factors influencing surgical treatments and prognosis of these patients.

A fistula located between the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava is an unusual acquired condition which necessitates prompt diagnosis and, in most instances, emergency surgical repair. The signs and symptoms are related to the size of the shunt. The classical findings are those of a continuous abdominal bruit, edema and venous pooling of the legs, wide pulse pressure, and sudden progressive high-output cardiac failure. Aortography is the definitive diagnostic procedure. However it is impractical in those situations presenting an asymptomatic fistula and contraindicated in presence of signs of progressive renal failure, where emergency surgical treatment is required. In these instances aorta-caval fistula can be correctly diagnosed by means of radionuclide aortography. The fistula can usually be repaired from within the aneurysm after endoarterectomy. Then the aortic graft replacement is completed. In rare cases the pathology at operation is such that this type of repair cannot be performed and an unexpected replacement of the inferior vena cava may be required. The purpose of this paper is to present the description of a patient in whom the diagnosis of aorta-caval fistula was confirmed by means of an isotope angiogram, followed by a successful surgical graft replacement of the abdominal aorta and a dacron tubular graft replacement of the inferior vena cava.