VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA STORM FROM CIRCUMFLEX ARTERY OCCLUSION DAYS AFTER MITRAL VALVE SURGERY

Abstract Introduction: A rare complication of mitral valve surgery is the injury of the circumflex artery due to their close anatomical proximity resulting in a perioperative myocardial infarction and subsequent fibrosis with increased risk of developing ventricular arrhythmias. Case presentation: We hereby describe the case of a 74-year-old male patient who underwent minimally invasive mitral valve replacement surgery for severe mitral regurgitation two weeks prior to presenting to the emergency department with dyspnea, palpitations and slight thoracic discomfort. He was diagnosed with recurrent sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia due to inferior wall myocardial infarction. Angioplasty of the culprit lesion was attempted, but the procedure failed due to the elastic recoil of the vessel. Our patient received antiarrhythmic therapy and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death, with no further recorded episodes of ventricular tachycardia. Conclusion: Although injury of the circumflex coronary artery during mitral valve surgery is described as rare, we strongly believe that increasing awareness of the potential risks involved can further prevent fatal complications.

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Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion in Atrial Fibrillation Radiofrequency Ablation during Mitral Valve Surgery: A Single-Center Experience

Cardiology Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2021/9999412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

C. Lavalle ◽

M. Straito ◽

E. Chourda ◽

S. Poggi ◽

G. Frati ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Radiofrequency Ablation ◽

Mitral Valve ◽

Left Atrial ◽

Mitral Valve Surgery ◽

Valve Surgery ◽

Maze Procedure ◽

Circumflex Artery ◽

Left Circumflex Artery

Background. Atrial fibrillation surgical radiofrequency ablation (AFSA) during mitral valve surgery (MVS) has almost completely superseded the Cox-Maze procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 100 patients who underwent MVS + AFSA in our institution from January 2008 to June 2017. We compared the effectiveness of AFSA in patients who underwent LAA exclusion to those who did not. Moreover, we analyzed the role of preoperative AF duration (≤ or >1 year) and medial-lateral left atrial dimensions (ML-LAD) (≤ or >6 cm). The efficacy endpoint was freedom from AF at discharge and at 2-year follow-up. The safety endpoints were need of a permanent pacemaker (PMK), surgical re-exploration, occurrence of stroke, and left circumflex artery or esophageal lesions. Results. Overall, the rate of AF freedom was 69% at discharge and 80% at 2-year follow-up. LAA exclusion did not influence AF freedom at 2-year follow-up, and 84.6% of patients who underwent LAA exclusion were in the sinus rythm (SR) at 2 year compared to 75% of those who did not receive LAA exclusion free from AF as well ( p = 0.230 ). AF duration ≤1 or >1 year did not influence sinus rhythm (SR) maintenance (85.7% vs. 75.8%; p = 0.224 ), and in these two groups, LAA exclusion did not change the efficacy of AFSA. ML-LAD ≤ 6 cm was associated with better results in terms of SR maintenance. A statistically significant association between LAA exclusion and SR maintenance at 2-year follow-up ( p = 0.017 ) was found among patients with ML-LAD ≤ 6 cm. Complications included 7 cases of PMK implantation, 2 cases of surgical re-exploration, and 1 case of stroke. No circumflex artery or esophageal lesions occurred after surgical procedures. Conclusions. In our experience, AFSA during isolated MVS resulted in good outcomes in terms of SR maintenance and incidence of complications. AF duration ≤ 1 year did not influence results, while patients with ML-LAD ≤ 6 cm had significantly better results regarding SR at follow-up. In patients with ML-LAD ≤ 6 cm, LAA exclusion significantly increased the success rate of SR maintenance at 2-year follow-up.

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