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Published on: December 11, 2017
Mitral Annular Calcification: The "Pack and Seal" Technique
Carlotta Brega1, Marta Di Carlo2, Costanza Fiaschini2
1Cardiovascular Department, Maria Cecilia Hospital, GVM Care & Research, Cotignola, Italy.
Insights
The "Pack and Seal" technique offers a safe surgical approach for mitral valve replacement in patients with mitral annular calcification. This method achieved favorable in-hospital outcomes with no operative deaths.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Mitral annular calcification (MAC) presents significant surgical challenges.
- A novel calcium-respecting approach is needed for safe mitral valve replacement (MVR).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the "Pack and Seal" technique for MVR in patients with MAC.
- To report in-hospital outcomes of this surgical approach.
Main Methods:
- The "Pack and Seal" technique was employed for MVR in nine patients with MAC.
- Patient demographics, surgical details, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- No operative or 30-day mortality was observed.
- No postoperative leakages or reoperations for bleeding occurred.
- One stroke and two pacemaker implantations were reported with no major sequelae.
Conclusions:
- The "Pack and Seal" technique is a safe and reproducible surgical option for MVR in the presence of MAC.
- Favorable in-hospital results support the use of this technique.
Abstract:
Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a multifactorial chronic disease and a challenging entity to the surgeon. For cases of MAC, we perform the "Pack and Seal technique", a calcium-respecting approach that allows safe mitral valve replacement (MVR). Nine MVRs were performed where surgery was elective, except for one urgent active endocarditis (mean EuroSCORE II was 5.95±3.71). The mean patient age was 71.9±10.6 years and mean body mass index was 26.4±3.8. No operative and 30-day deaths were reported. No postoperative leakages were found. No reoperations for bleeding were needed. One stroke was reported, with no major sequelae. Two pacemaker implantations were performed because of postoperative atrio-ventricular block. We report the "Pack and Seal" technique as a safe and reproducible surgical approach, with favourable in-hospital results.
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