Browsing by Author "Kočica, Mladen (6507502534)"

Introduction Anomalous aortic origin of the right and the circumflex coronary arteries presents extremely rare and potentially dangerous combination in patients scheduled for combined coronary bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement surgery. We report this illustrative case to emphasize the importance of meticulous diagnostic setup enabling the surgeon to anticipate and avoid numerous possible pitfalls. Case outline A 74-year-old woman, with anterior-wall myocardial infarction and aortic valve stenosis, underwent successful combined coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement. Preoperative coronary angiography revealed unusually high take-off of the right main coronary trunk and anomalous origin and course of the circumflex coronary artery. Anatomy of both anomalous coronary arteries in the light of underlying surgical pathology necessitated a meticulous preparation and caution during successive phases of surgical treatment. Conclusion Estimating potential procedural risk should be standard practice for each patient with known congenital coronary artery anomalies, regardless of the natural risk imposed by a particular anomaly. Preoperative evaluation of coronary circulation, with high surgical awareness and knowledge of different congenital coronary artery anomalies, should be a standard approach in cardiac surgical practice. This would add a predictive value for an actual procedural risk in cases of previously unrecognized anomalies. © 2018, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Introduction. Coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are rare disorders, especially the left main CAA. In the literature, there are several reported cases with CAAs, various localization, size, clinical presentation, and way of treatment. There is no unique consensus about the most adequate treatment for these patients; however, surgery is still preferable, although there are some new experiences of percutaneous treatment. The decision is made for each patient individually. We report a case of giant left main CAA, with acute coronary syndrome and heart failure presentation, surgically treated. Case report. A 66-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department of our clinic due to chest pain and dyspnea. Acute non-ST-elevation segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) of anterolateral localization was diagnosed (creatine kinase max 1,111 U/L, troponin T 3.754 ng/mL), complicated with acute heart failure. Heart catheterization and coronary angiography revealed a giant saccular, 3.5 × 3.5 mm left main CAA full with thrombi, compressing the proximal segments of the left anterior descending and circumflex artery. Conclusion. Giant left main CAAs are rare pathologic findings, and there are no established principles for treatment. Although the percutaneous way of treatment is now available in selected cases, the surgical approach is still preferred for these patients. © 2023 Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.

Background/Aim. Growing waiting lists for cardiac surgery have become a real problem in the Republic of Serbia, imposing serious difficulties in patient-surgeon communication. The aim of the study was to determine the current state of the institutional informed consent policy before elective cardiac surgical procedures in light of actual national legislation. Methods. An anonymous, voluntary survey was conducted among 200 consecutive patients at the Clinic for Cardiac Surgery, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, from September to December 2019, after signing an official institutional consent form. A targeted questionnaire was created to determine the quantity and quality of patients’ information about general and the most important aspects of cardiac surgical care. Results. The mean age of respondents was 66.2 years, with male predominance (68.0%), homogenous ethnicity, and low-to-middle (84.0%) education levels. A significant percentage had no information on the type of surgery (16.0%), extracorporeal circulation (46.0%), anaesthesia (56.0%) and transfusion (51.5%). Of those having some information, 7.0–20.0% graded them sufficient. The worst situation was recorded concerning risks of disease and surgical treatment, where 88.0% of patients had no information and almost 90.0% had some information and graded them as non-sufficient. Surprisingly, 81.5% of patients signed the consent form without any prior discussion with the operating surgeon. For 56.0% of patients, the information in the actual consent form was clear and sufficient. While 85.5% of patients claimed the importance, the others (14.5%) were not interested to know the most relevant information about their disease and surgery. Conclusion. The results unambiguously indicate an unacceptably low level of our patients’ information about the cardiac surgical procedure, extracorporeal circulation, anesthesia, transfusion, and estimated risk. The majority of them (85.5%) comprehends the importance and expects timely and adequate information. An extremely high percentage (81.5%) of patients had no chance to discuss the procedure with the operating surgeon. Both surgical indifference and insufficient knowledge of professional, ethical, and legal importance are the most important reasons for the actual informed consent policy in cardiac surgery. © The Author(s) 2022.