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Inflammatory response and hemodilution are the main drawbacks of extracorporeal circulation. We hypothesize that the use of miniaturized extracorporeal circulation (MECC) might lower the systemic and myocardial inflammatory patterns compared with a standard system (SECC) and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). Sixty-one patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft were prospectively randomized to MECC (n = 19), SECC (n = 20), or OPCABG (n = 22). Blood samples were collected from radial artery and coronary sinus to analyze blood lactate, hemodilution, and markers for inflammation and endothelial activation such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and E-selectin. No differences were observed in early clinical outcome. Interleukin -6 levels increased in every group during and after cardiac surgery, whereas TNF-α values grew in the SECC group (p = 0.05). E-selectin systemic values decreased during and after operation (p = 0.001) in every group. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 systemic and cardiac levels raised only in SECC group (p = 0.014). In conclusion, MECC is comparable to SECC and OPCABG in the clinical outcome of low-risk patients, and it might be extensively used with no additional intraoperative risk. The analysis of the inflammatory patterns of endothelial activation shows MECC as effective as OPCABG, suggesting further studies to clarify MECC recommendation in high-risk patients.

In severely symptomatic patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and mild septal hypertrophy, mitral valve (MV) abnormalities may play an important role in MV displacement into the left ventricular (LV) outflow tract. Therefore, isolated myectomy may not relieve outflow obstruction and symptoms, and MV replacement is often the surgical alternative.This study sought to assess the clinical and hemodynamic results of cutting thickened secondary MV chordae combined with a shallow septal muscular resection in severely symptomatic patients with obstructive HCM and mild septal hypertrophy.Clinical features were compared before surgery and at most recent clinical evaluation in 39 consecutive patients with obstructive HCM.Over a 23 ± 2 months follow-up, New York Heart Association functional class decreased from 2.9 ± 0.5 pre-operatively to 1.1 ± 1.1 post-operatively (p0.001), with no patient in class III at most recent evaluation. The resting outflow gradient decreased from 82 ± 43 mm Hg to 9 ± 5 mm Hg (p0.001) and septal thickness decreased from 17 ± 1 mm to 14 ± 2 mm (p0.001). No patient had MV prolapse or flail and 1 had residual moderate-to-severe MV regurgitation at most recent evaluation. MV geometry before and after surgery was compared with that of 25 consecutive patients with similar clinical profile and septal thickness that underwent isolated myectomy. After adjustment for differences in pre-operative values between the groups, the post-operative anterior MV leaflet-annulus ratio was 17% greater and tenting area 24% smaller in patients with chordal cutting, indicating that MV apparatus had moved to a more normal posterior position within the LV cavity, preventing MV systolic displacement into the outflow tract and outflow obstruction.This procedure relieves heart failure symptoms, abolishes LV outflow gradient, and avoids MV replacement in patients with obstructive HCM and mild septal thickness.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary artery defect leading to sudden cardiac death. Diagnosis is made after the onset of symptoms, mainly in the pediatric population. We describe an uncommon presentation of ALCAPA and rheumatic mitral valve regurgitation, diagnosed by a coronary 64-CT scan performed before a planned mitral valve repair operation.