The costs of heart operations and the problems related to anticoagulation after prosthetic valve replacement are among the limitations faced by patients in nonindustrialized countries with mitral stenosis caused by chronic rheumatic heart disease. The young age at which these patients are seen also compels the surgeon to preserve the native valve. The least costly and optimal way to achieve this objective is by closed mitral valvotomy. After closed mitral valvotomy, mitral restenosis is commonly encountered. We report here our 10-year experience with operation on 113 consecutive patients with mitral restenosis. Closed transventricular revalvotomy was performed with Tubbs dilator in 105 of 113 patients. Mean age was 343 years, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.5. Most patients were in New York Heart Association functional classes III and IV (74.3% and 19.4%, respectively). Mean interval between first and second valvotomy was 9.4 years, Hospital mortality rate was 2.8%, trivial postoperative mitral regurgitation occurred in 16.1%, and moderately severe regurgitation occurred in 1.9%. Early postoperative systemic embolism occurred in 3.8% of the cases. Moderate to excellent symptomatic improvement was noted in 89.4% of the cases and poor results were seen in 10.2%. Late follow-up of 76 patients ranged from 2 to 10 years (mean 3.8 years), with 39.4% patients in New York Heart Association class I and 50% in class II. Close mitral revalvotomy is thus an economical, simple, and safe palliative procedure that carries good long-term results.
Pericardial effusion (PE) remains an important cause of morbidity after cardiac surgery, and it can be life threatening when tamponade leads to hemodynamic compromise. Transthoracic echocardiography is the most important tool for diagnosis, grading, performing the pericardiocentesis procedure and follow up of post surgical pericardial effusions. The present case highlights the unique technique of posterior approach for pericardiocentesis for a post surgical effusion in the presence of a large left pleural effusion which otherwise would have required surgical drainage.
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