[Left ventriculoplasty for non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with severe heart failure in 70 patients]

Treatment of cardiac failure due to non-ischemic cardiomyopathy by left ventriculoplasty using partial left ventriculectomy (Batista operation) or septal anterior ventricular exclusion was evaluated.

Left ventriculoplasty was performed in 70 patients (59 men and 11 women with a mean age of 51 years) from December 1996 to June 2000. Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class was IV in 43 patients including 29 receiving inotropic support, and class III in 27 patients. Nineteen patients required emergency surgery because of on-going shock and 51 patients were operated electively. Combined cardiac procedures were mitral valve reconstruction in 62 patients (45 replacements, 17 repairs), tricuspid annuloplasty in 37, and aortic valve replacement in 4. The initial 24 patients underwent typical Batista operation regardless of myocardial viability. The other 46 patients underwent selective ventriculoplasty to excise or exclude the weakest part according to the findings of the intraoperative echo-guided volume reduction test.

The intraaortic balloon pump was used in 12 patients and the left ventricular assist device in 2 patients. Three (5.9%) of the 51 patients who underwent elective operation and 12 (63.2%) of the 19 patients with emergency operation died in the hospital, giving an overall hospital mortality of 21.4% (15/70). Hospital mortality was reduced from 33.3% (8/24) in the initial 24 patients to 15.2% (7/46) in the recent 46 patients with the volume reduction test. Mean ejection fraction increased from 22.2 +/- 6.7% to 29.6 +/- 6.0%. Diastolic dimension decreased from 81.1 +/- 9.5 to 69.8 +/- 19.2 mm. End-diastolic and systolic volume indices decreased from 199.0 +/- 47.9 to 124.1 +/- 34.9 ml/m2 and from 154.0 +/- 41.2 to 89.3 +/- 31.7 ml/m2, respectively, at one postoperative month in the 55 hospital survivors. The mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure decreased from 25.6 +/- 7.8 to 13.6 +/- 4.5 mmHg. Serum brain natriuretic peptide decreased from 999 +/- 647 preoperatively to 547 +/- 362 pg/ml one month after the operation. Thirteen patients (18.6%) died in the late period mainly due to heart failure. Among the 42 survivors, 37 patients returned to NYHA functional class I-II, and cardiac events were rare after one postoperative year. Actuarial survivals at 3 years in elective and emergency operations were 71.9% and 33.3%, respectively.

Left ventriculoplasty is acceptably safe for elective operation and clinical improvement can be obtained by proper surgical procedures and careful postoperative medical treatment.