A33-year-old man presented to the hospital with shortness of breath and chest pain. He was subsequently diagnosed with Streptococcus mitis endocarditis involving the aortic valve. The initial echocardiogram revealed moderate aortic valve regurgitation and a normal mitral valve without regurgitation. The patient was treated with afterload reduction and antibiotics. Blood cultures were negative w...

BACKGROUND We have used the Starr-Edwards ball (S-E) valve since 1963, the St. Jude Medical (SJM) valve since 1978, and the ATS valve, since 1993 as the first choice of mechanical valve. In this study, the results with each valve during the 40 years were investigated in single mitral valve replacement (MVR) cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS The mean age for S-E valves was 32.8+/-11.1 years old (y.o...

of rheumatic mitral stenosis 20 years previously. The patient was readmitted for treatment of idiopathic fever. On admission, slight fever (37.2°C), blood pressure of 121/96 mmHg, and a pulse rate of 68 beats/min were recorded. Auscultation of the heart produced a metallic click sound without significant murmur. On blood tests, white blood cell count and serum C-reactive protein were elevated, ...

From the Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, New York. Drs. Paradis, Kodali, Daneault, and Williams have received consulting fees from Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. Kodali is also a consultant for St. Jude Medical; he serves on the Scientific Advisory Board and has equity in Thubrikar Aortic Valve Inc. Dr. Hahn is a ...

Methods A 38 years old man with diagnose of Takayasu arteritis was admitted to our hospital with chest pain. Echocardiography revealed severe aortic regurgitation + ascending aorta dilatation. Computed tomographic angiography showed ascending aorta was 44 mm. He was scheduled for elective cardiac operation. His medication was adjusted as Addison protocol for operation. Axillary artery cannulati...

Identification of long-term risk factors after heart valve replacement can be quite challenging due to the nature of the covariates. Two specific factors need to be considered : (1) time-dependent covariates, and (2) the validity of the proportional hazard model. PHREG in SAS® is a very convenient procedure for solving these problems. In addition to those commonly encountered problems such as v...