Open Cardiac Surgery in a Patient With Chronic Budd-Chiari Syndrome

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare congestive hepatopathy arising from hepatic venous outflow obstruction. The clinical presentation of BCS varies depending on the presence of collateral veins. The authors report a rare case of infective endocarditis and chronic primary BCS in a 50-year-old man who underwent open cardiac surgery. Due to the presence of dilated collateral veins flowing directly into the inferior vena cava, cardiopulmonary bypass was established by arterial cannulation of the ascending aorta, with venous cannulation of the upper portion of the superior vena cava, as well as the dilated collateral vein. Mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valvuloplasty were performed uneventfully, and the patient then was admitted to the intensive care unit. Patients with primary BCS need to be evaluated rigorously preoperatively and intraoperatively for collateral flow to establish cardiopulmonary bypass.