A 66-year-old woman was diagnosed with hepatic metastasized carcinoid tumor of the ileocecal junction resulting in elevated plasma chromogranin A levels and urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels. Further examination showed right-sided heart failure with severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. Carcinoid tumors produce serotonin which leads to flushing, secretory diarrhea, bronchospasm...

 Introduction: Despite advances in cardiac surgery, many patients might still encounter some post-surgical complications and difficulties. To overcome such difficulties, they should receive the required education. In view of the fact that determining the educational needs is the first step in educational planning, the present study aims to determine the educational needs of patients undergoing ...

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS) is a complex autoimmune disease often connected to systemic lupus erythematodes. Main features are thromboses, fetal loss and specific antibodies. The involved autoantibodies are directed against plasma proteins such as beta2glycoprotein1 (beta2GPI) or prothrombin which depend on negatively charged phospholipids. Direct antibodies against phospholipids are o...

Functional mitral regurgitation is a significant complication of end-stage cardiomyopathy. Dysfunction of one or more components of the mitral valve apparatus occurs in 39-74% and affects almost all heart failure patients. Survival is decreased in subjects with more than mild mitral regurgitation irrespective of the aetiology of heart failure. The goal of treating functional mitral regurgitatio...

Objective—To identify predictors for the safe use of antibiotic treatment without reoperation in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis. Setting—Retrospective study in a tertiary care centre. Subjects and design—All 49 episodes of definite prosthetic valve endocarditis (Duke criteria) diagnosed at one institution between 1980 to 1997 were analysed. Ten episodes (20%) were treated with anti...

Open-heart surgery is a relatively high-risk procedure when performed in patients with Child-Pugh class C cirrhosis. Even though they can tolerate cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), most of them suffer major postoperative complications and prolonged hospital stay. The present report describes a case of a patient with Child-Pugh class C cirrhosis who developed severe heart failur...

Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement has changed the way we approach congenital and structural heart disease. In patients with a conduit between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery or a bioprosthetic pulmonary valve, there will eventually be pulmonary valve dysfunction. This leads to right ventricular failure and possibly arrhythmias. Due to prior operations and the comorbid condition...

BACKGROUND There is some evidence for the benefits of leukodepletion in patients undergoing coronary artery surgery. Its effectiveness in higher risk patients, such as those undergoing heart valve surgery, particularly in terms of overall clinical outcomes, is currently unclear. OBJECTIVES To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of leukodepletion on clinical, patient-reported and economi...

Background. The study investigates the occurrence, severity, and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in octogenarians following heart valve surgery. Methods. All patients, age >80 years, not on dialysis and without kidney transplant, undergoing heart valve replacement at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, in the years 2002-2003 were enrolled. AKI was diagnosed based on AKIN criteria. Results. 209 octoge...

BACKGROUND Carcinoid involvement of left-sided heart valves has been reported in patients with a patent foramen ovale, carcinoid tumor of the lung, and active carcinoid syndrome with high levels of serotonin. The present study details the clinical features and surgical management of patients with carcinoid heart disease affecting both left- and right-sided valves. METHODS AND RESULTS Eleven p...