Gerbode defect is a rare shunt between the left ventricule and right atrium. The etiology typically congenital. infravalvular type most common. congenital defects are believed to close by forming an aneurysmal pouch through incorporating adjacent tricuspid valve tissue. Endocarditis responsible for this re-opening defect. Diagnosis based on transesophageal echocardiography. Surgical closure dem...

Clinically significant mitral prosthetic paravalvular leaks may occur in up to 5% of patients following surgical mitral valve replacement. Successful closure may offer relief from symptoms of heart failure and hemolysis, but surgical closure is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Alternative transcatheter closure techniques are being developed. We present a patient who was succes...

BACKGROUND Valvular heart diseases and mainly rheumatic heart diseases complicate about 1% of pregnancies. During pregnancy physiological hemodynamic changes of the circulation are the main cause of mitral stenosis (MS) decompensation. Prior to introduction of percutaneous mitral balloon commissuroplasty (PTMC), surgical comissurotomy was the preferred method of treatment in patients with refra...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Since its clinical introduction in the 80s, intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has represented one of the greatest advances in modern cardiac anesthesia. It is a semi-invasive technique that allows direct and fast visualization of structural anatomy of the heart and great vessels as well as contributes to hemodynamic and functional evaluation of the ...

UNLABELLED Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an invaluable intraoperative diagnostic monitor that is considered to be relatively safe and noninvasive. Insertion and manipulation of the TEE probe, however, may cause oropharyngeal, esophageal, or gastric trauma. We report the incidence of intraoperative TEE-associated complications in a single-center series of 7200 adult cardiac surgical ...

Background. Transient bacteremia may lead to endocarditis in patients with significant valvular lesions. Methods and Results. Because transesophageal echocardiography selects a patient population with a high prevalence of valvular lesions, we prospectively evaluated the risk of transient bacteremia associated with transesophageal echocardiography in 49 patients. Blood cultures were obtained imm...

The minimally invasive surgical transthoracic occlusion of an atrial septal defect (ASD) or a ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an increasingly widespread alternative treatment for congenital heart disease. The aim of this study is to summarize our clinical experience with minimally invasive surgical transthoracic occlusion of ASD and VSD without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Between April 201...

Pulmonary emboli are complex syndromes of altered coagulation and perfusion that remain prevalent among the population, especially the hospitalized. Adequate preparation by the clinicians and realization of the subtle yet potentially catastrophic nature of pulmonary emboli are critical when surgical intervention is required. This case report describes a 49-year-old woman with a diagnosis of mas...