Retrospective analysis revealed that 24 of 4401 adult patients (0.5%) developed severe gastrointestinal complications after open heart surgery during a 3-year period from January 1995. There were 4 women (17%) and 20 men (83%). Mean age was 61.7 ± 2.02 years. Gastrointestinal bleeding (33.3%) mesenteric ischemia (20.8%) pancreatitis (20.8%) hepatic dysfunction (16.7%) and cholecystitis (16.7%) were the most common complications. Mortality was 41.7% (10 patients). During the same period mortality ...

Myxornas are common cardiac tumors that are traditionally managed by complete excision through a median sternotorny approach with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. We discuss a patient with left atrial myxoma and chronic atrial fibrillation who underwent surgical excision and combined irrigated radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation through a Port Access approach. Minimally invasive operations constitute an expanding field for the treatment of many cardiac diseases and may be an alternative ...

The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate graft patency of off-pump coronary artery surgery intraoperatively by transit-time flow measurement and to compare this technique with postoperative magnetic resonance flow mapping. Twenty patients (13 men and 7 women

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to compare outcome in two groups of patients who were classified according to their risk groups and underwent coronary revascularization with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. Material and Methods: Between January 1996 and July 2000 480 cases that underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) were included in a retrospective nonrandomized manner for study. Group I included 210 patients who were revascularized using off-pump techniques. Octopus ...

Background: The results of studies that clarify the association of genetic markers at the apolipoprotein B (apo B) gene (EcoRI and XbaI polymorphisms) with coronary artery disease (CAD) are not consistent and suggest that the effect is context dependent (dependent on ethnicity and sex). The present study represents the first investigation of the apo B gene polymorphisms in Turkish patients with CAD and their influence on lipid levels. Aim: The study investigated the association of apo B gene EcoRI ...

Background. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the saline-irrigated radiofrequency modified Maze operation for treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation and to compare the results of the left and biatrial procedures. Methods. During a period of 11 months 62 patients with chronic atrial fibrillation who were having concomitant cardiac surgery underwent the procedure. The mean age of the patients was 52 +/- 14 years. Patients underwent either a biatrial (group A

Context.-Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a central role in lipid metabolism hydrolyzing triglyceride in chylomicrons and very-low-density lipoproteins. The PvuII polymorphic variant of LPL gene is common and might affect risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Objective.-Our aim was to determine whether LPL-PvuII polymorphism can be considered to be an independent risk factor or a predictor for CAD in Turkish subjects. Design.-We used polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion to ...

The surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) has entered a new era with the development of new tools and advanced techniques. The Maze III operation remains as the gold standard for the surgical treatment of AF. However new energy sources have been adopted for treating this arrhythmia in an effort to reduce the invasiveness and technical concerns with the original procedure. Success rates ranging between 70-98% have been reported using these new techniques. On the other hand interventional ...