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The primary goal of medications is to relieve symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations. Beta blockers are considered first-line agents, as they can slow down the heart rate and decrease the likelihood of ectopic beats. For people who cannot tolerate beta blockers, nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers such as verapamil can be used, but are potentially harmful in people who also have low blood pressure or severe shortness of breath at rest. These medications also decrease the heart rate, though their use in people with severe outflow obstruction, elevated pulmonary artery wedge pressure, and low blood pressures should be done with caution. Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers should be avoided in people with evidence of obstruction. For people whose symptoms are not relieved by the above treatments, disopyramide can be considered for further symptom relief. Diuretics can be considered for people with evidence of fluid overload, though cautiously used in those with evidence of obstruction. People who continue to have symptoms despite drug therapy can consider more invasive therapies. Intravenous phenylephrine (or another pure vasoconstricting agent) can be used in the acute setting of low blood pressure in those with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who do not respond to fluid administration.
MR Imaging is best suited to evaluate patients with Shone's complex. Routine blood tests should be done prior to cardiac catheterization. The surgeons will repair the mitral valve and al the partial surgical removal of supramitral ring is done. This surgical method is preferred to the valve replacement procedure.
Classifying cardiac lesions in infants is quite difficult, and accurate diagnosis is essential. The diagnosis of Shone’s complex requires an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) and a cardiac catheterization procedure, that is, insertion of a device through blood vessels in the groin to the heart that helps identify heart anatomy.
When treated early, that is, before the onset of pulmonary hypertension, a good outcome is possible in patients with Shone’s syndrome. However, other surgical methods can be employed depending upon the patient’s medical background. The single most important determinant of poor outcome during the surgical management of patients with Shone's syndrome is the degree of involvement of the mitral valve and the presence of secondary pulmonary hypertension.
Acute decompensated heart failure due to AS may be temporarily managed by an intra-aortic balloon pump while pending surgery. In those with high blood pressure nitroprusside may be carefully used. Phenylephrine may be used in those with very low blood pressure.
The tumor must be surgically removed. Some patients will also need their mitral valve replaced. This can be done during the same surgery.
Myxomas may come back if surgery did not remove all of the tumor cells.
Sometimes CHD improves without treatment. Other defects are so small that they do not require any treatment. Most of the time CHD is serious and requires surgery and/or medications. Medications include diuretics, which aid the body in eliminating water, salts, and digoxin for strengthening the contraction of the heart. This slows the heartbeat and removes some fluid from tissues. Some defects require surgical procedures to restore circulation back to normal and in some cases, multiple surgeries are needed.
Interventional cardiology now offers patients minimally invasive alternatives to surgery for some patients. The Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV), approved in Europe in 2006 and in the U.S. in 2010 under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE), is designed to treat congenital heart disease patients with a dysfunctional conduit in their right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). The RVOT is the connection between the heart and lungs; once blood reaches the lungs, it is enriched with oxygen before being pumped to the rest of the body. Transcatheter pulmonary valve technology provides a less-invasive means to extend the life of a failed RVOT conduit and is designed to allow physicians to deliver a replacement pulmonary valve via a catheter through the patient’s blood vessels.
Most patients require lifelong specialized cardiac care, first with a pediatric cardiologist and later with an adult congenital cardiologist. There are more than 1.8 million adults living with congenital heart defects.
The effect of statins on the progression of AS is unclear. The latest trials do not show any benefit in slowing AS progression, but did demonstrate a decrease in ischemic cardiovascular events.
In general, medical therapy has relatively poor efficacy in treating aortic stenosis. However, it may be useful to manage commonly coexisting conditions that correlate with aortic stenosis:
- Any angina is generally treated with beta-blockers and/or calcium blockers. Nitrates are contraindicated due to their potential to cause profound hypotension in aortic stenosis.
- Any hypertension is treated aggressively, but caution must be taken in administering beta-blockers.
- Any heart failure is generally treated with digoxin and diuretics, and, if not contraindicated, cautious administration of ACE inhibitors.
While observational studies demonstrated an association between lowered cholesterol with statins and decreased progression, a randomized clinical trial published in 2005 failed to find any effect on calcific aortic stenosis. A 2007 study did demonstrate a slowing of aortic stenosis with the statin rosuvastatin.
Treatment is not necessary in asymptomatic patients.
The treatment options for mitral stenosis include medical management, mitral valve replacement by surgery, and percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty by balloon catheter.
The indication for invasive treatment with either a mitral valve replacement or valvuloplasty is NYHA functional class III or IV symptoms.
Another option is balloon dilatation. To determine which patients would benefit from percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty, a scoring system has been developed. Scoring is based on 4 echocardiographic criteria: leaflet mobility, leaflet thickening, subvalvar thickening, and calcification. Individuals with a score of ≥ 8 tended to have suboptimal results. Superb results with valvotomy are seen in individuals with a crisp opening snap, score < 8, and no calcium in the commissures.
Treatment also focuses on concomitant conditions often seen in mitral stenosis:
- Any angina is treated with short-acting nitrovasodilators, beta-blockers and/or calcium blockers
- Any hypertension is treated aggressively, but caution must be taken in administering beta-blockers
- Any heart failure is treated with digoxin, diuretics, nitrovasodilators and, if not contraindicated, cautious inpatient administration of ACE inhibitors
Tricuspid valve stenosis itself usually doesn't require treatment. If stenosis is mild, monitoring the condition closely suffices. However, severe stenosis, or damage to other valves in the heart, may require surgical repair or replacement.
The treatment is usually by surgery (tricuspid valve replacement) or percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty. The resultant tricuspid regurgitation from percutaneous treatment is better tolerated than the insufficiency occurring during mitral valvuloplasty.
Surgical septal myectomy is an open-heart operation done to relieve symptoms in people who remain severely symptomatic despite medical therapy. It has been performed successfully since the early 1960s. Surgical septal myectomy uniformly decreases left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and improves symptoms, and in experienced centers has a surgical mortality of less than 1%, as well as 85% success rate. It involves a median sternotomy (general anesthesia, opening the chest, and cardiopulmonary bypass) and removing a portion of the interventricular septum. Surgical myectomy resection that focuses just on the subaortic septum, to increase the size of the outflow tract to reduce Venturi forces, may be inadequate to abolish systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. With this limited resection, the residual mid-septal bulge still redirects flow posteriorly; SAM persists because flow still gets behind the mitral valve. It is only when the deeper portion of the septal bulge is resected that flow is redirected anteriorly away from the mitral valve, abolishing SAM. With this in mind, a modification of the Morrow myectomy termed extended myectomy, mobilization and partial excision of the papillary muscles has become the excision of choice. In people with particularly large redundant mitral valves, anterior leaflet plication may be added to complete separation of the mitral valve and outflow. Complications of septal myectomy surgery include possible death, arrhythmias, infection, incessant bleeding, septal perforation/defect, stroke.
If restenosis occurs without a stent, it is usually treated with more angioplasty. Once restenosis has occurred and been treated by angioplasty, the chances of restenosis occurring again are increased by a factor of 2. This treatment is also used if restenosis occurs at either the proximal or distal end of the stent.
If restenosis occurs within a stent (also known as in-stent stenosis), it may be treated with repeated angioplasty and insertion of another stent inside the original, sometimes with a drug-eluting stent.
Over the past 5 years, ISR is preferentially treated with a drug eluting balloon, which is a balloon coated with the same anticancer drugs that prevent restenosis. The Balloon avoids the need for a double layer of metal which is used when an in-stent restenosis is treated with another stent within the original stent
Alternative treatments include brachytherapy, or intracoronary radiation. The radiation kills cells and inhibits tissue growth (similar to a patient undergoing cancer therapy).
It is initially treated with medications, including diuretics, and medications for blood pressure control. When high-grade renal artery stenosis is documented and blood pressure cannot be controlled with medication, or if renal function deteriorates, surgery may be resorted to. The most commonly used procedure is a minimally-invasive angioplasty with or without stenting. It is unclear if this approach yields better results than the use of medications alone. It is a relatively safe procedure. If all else fails and the kidney is thought to be worsening hypertension and revascularization with angioplasty or surgery does not work, then surgical removal of the affected kidney (nephrectomy) may significantly improve high blood pressure.
The definitive treatment for Heyde's syndrome is surgical replacement of the aortic valve. Recently, it has been proposed that transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) can also be used for definitive management. Direct surgical treatment of the bleeding (e.g. surgical resection of the bleeding portion of the bowel) is only rarely effective.
Medical management of symptoms is possible also, although by necessity temporary, as definitive surgical management is required to bring levels of von Willebrand factor back to normal. In severe bleeding, blood transfusions and IV fluid infusions can be used to maintain blood pressure. In addition, desmopressin (DDAVP) is known to be effective in people with von Willebrand's disease, including people with valvular heart disease. Desmopressin stimulates release of von Willebrand factor from blood vessel endothelial cells by acting on the V2 receptor, which leads to decreased breakdown of Factor VIII. Desmopressin is thus sometimes used directly to treat mild to moderate acquired von Willebrand's disease and is an effective prophylactic agent for the reduction of bleeding during heart valve replacement surgery.
In terms of treatment for pulmonary valve stenosis, valve replacement or surgical repair (depending upon whether the stenosis is in the valve or vessel) may be indicated. If the valve stenosis is of congenital origin, balloon valvuloplasty is another option, depending on the case.
Valves made from animal or human tissue (are used for valve replacement), in adults metal valves can be used.
A device, known as the Amplatzer muscular VSD occluder, may be used to close certain VSDs. It was initially approved in 2009. It appears to work well and be safe. The cost is also lower than having open heart surgery. The device is placed through a small incision in the groin.
The Amplatzer septal occluder was shown to have full closure of the ventricular defect within the 24 hours of placement. It has a low risk of embolism after implantation. Some tricuspid valve regurgitation was shown after the procedure that could possibly be due from the right ventricular disc. There have been some reports that the Amplatzer septal occluder may cause life-threatening erosion of the tissue inside the heart. This occurs in one percent of people implanted with the device and requires immediate open-heart surgery. This erosion occurs due to improper sizing of the device resulting with it being too large for the defect, causing rubbing of the septal tissue and erosion.
Angioplasty with or without stenting is the best option for the treatment of renal artery stenosis due to fibromuscular dysplasia.
Cardiac fibroma is commonly treated through surgical excision procedures. The removal of cardiac tumors require an open heart surgery. During the surgery, the surgeon removes the tumor and tissues around it to reduce the risk of the tumor returning. A heart-lung machine is used to take over the work of the heart and lungs because surgery is complicated and requires a still heart. The recovery is usually between 4–5 days in the hospital and 6 weeks in total. An echocardiogram is taken every year to make sure the tumor has not returned or formed any new growth.
If surgery is too difficult, a heart transplantation is a second option. Continuous observations and checkups are recommended to monitor the condition. In cases of arrhythmias, anti-arrhythmic medication is given before surgical treatments are considered. There has been excellent outcomes for individuals who undergo surgery to remove the tumor. If the tumor is completely resected, individuals will have a disease-free survival. If the tumor is incomplete it will continue to grow and recurrence of symptoms occur.
Although a myxoma is not cancer, complications are common. Untreated, a myxoma can lead to an embolism (tumor cells breaking off and traveling with the bloodstream), which can block blood flow. Myxoma fragments can move to the brain, eye, or limbs.
If the tumor grows inside the heart, it can block blood flow through the mitral valve and cause symptoms of mitral stenosis or mitral regurgitation. This may require emergency surgery to prevent sudden death.
a) Surgical closure of a Perimembranous VSD is performed on cardiopulmonary bypass with ischemic arrest. Patients are usually cooled to 28 degrees. Percutaneous Device closure of these defects is rarely performed in the United States because of the reported incidence of both early and late onset complete heart block after device closure, presumably secondary to device trauma to the AV node.
b) Surgical exposure is achieved through the right atrium. The tricuspid valve septal leaflet is retracted or incised to expose the defect margins.
c) Several patch materials are available, including native pericardium, bovine pericardium, PTFE (Gore-Tex or Impra), or Dacron.
d) Suture techniques include horizontal pledgeted mattress sutures, and running polypropylene suture.
e) Critical attention is necessary to avoid injury to the conduction system located on the left ventricular side of the interventricular septum near the papillary muscle of the conus.
f) Care is taken to avoid injury to the aortic valve with sutures.
g) Once the repair is complete, the heart is extensively deaired by venting blood through the aortic cardioplegia site, and by infusing Carbon Dioxide into the operative field to displace air.
h) Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography is used to confirm secure closure of the VSD, normal function of the aortic and tricuspid valves, good ventricular function, and the elimination of all air from the left side of the heart.
i) The sternum, fascia and skin are closed, with potential placement of a local anesthetic infusion catheter under the fascia, to enhance postoperative pain control.
j) Multiple muscular VSDs are a challenge to close, achieving a complete closure can be aided by the use of fluorescein dye.
Mitral valvuloplasty is a minimally invasive therapeutic procedure to correct an uncomplicated mitral stenosis by dilating the valve using a balloon.
Under local anaesthetic, a catheter with a special balloon is passed from the right femoral vein, up the inferior vena cava and into the right atrium. The interatrial septum is punctured and the catheter passed into the left atrium using a "trans-septal technique." The balloon is sub-divided into 3 segments and is dilated in 3 stages. First, the distal portion (lying in the left ventricle) is inflated and pulled against the valve cusps. Second, the proximal portion is dilated, in order to fix the centre segment at the valve orifice. Finally, the central section is inflated, this should take no longer than 30 seconds, since full inflation obstructs the valve and causes congestion, leading to circulatory arrest and flash pulmonary edema.
With careful patient pre-selection, percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) is associated with good success rates and a low rate of complications. By far the most serious adverse event is the occurrence of acute severe mitral regurgitation. Severe mitral regurgitation usually results from a tear in one of the valve leaflets or the subvalvular apparatus. It can lead to pulmonary edema and hemodynamic compromise, necessitating urgent surgical mitral valve replacement.
Other serious complications with PBMV usually relate to the technique of trans-septal puncture (TSP). The ideal site for TSP is the region of the fossa ovalis in the inter-atrial septum. Occasionally, however, the sharp needle used for TSP may inadvertently traumatize other cardiac structures, leading to cardiac tamponade or serious blood loss.
Although the immediate results of PBMV are often quite gratifying, the procedure does not provide permanent relief from mitral stenosis. Regular follow-up is mandatory, to detect restenosis. Long-term follow-up data from patients undergoing PBMV indicates that up to 70-75% individuals can be free of restenosis 10 years following the procedure. The number falls to about 40% 15 years post-PBMV.
The Norwood procedure is a procedure to correct fetal aortic stenosis that occurs after birth. This typically consists of three surgeries creating and removing shunts. The atrial septum is removed, the aortic arch is reconstructed to remove any hypoplasia, and then the main pulmonary artery is connected into this reconstructed arch, resulting in the right ventricle ejecting directly into systemic circulation. In the end, the right ventricle is pumping blood to systemic circulation and to the lungs. However, this procedure carries a very high risk of failure and the patient will likely require a heart transplant.
Another treatment option is to correct the stenosis in utero. In this procedure, fetal positioning is crucial. It is important that the left chest is located anteriorly, and that there are no limbs between the uterine wall and the apex of the left ventricle. The LV apex needs to be within 9 cm of the abdominal wall and the left ventricle outflow track has to be parallel to the intended cannula course in order for the wire to be blindly directed at the aortic valve. A 11.5 cm long, 19-gauge cannula and stylet needle passes through the mother’s abdomen, uterine wall, and fetal chest wall into the left ventricle of the fetus. Then a 0.014 inch guide wire is passed across the stenosis aortic valve, where a balloon is inflated to stretch the aortic annulus.
An alternative to the Norwood procedure is known as the hybrid procedure, was developed in 2008. In the hybrid procedure, bilateral pulmonary artery bands are positioned to limit pulmonary flow while, at the same time, placing a stent in the ductus arteriosus to hold it open. This maintains the connection between the aorta and the systemic circulation. A balloon atrial septostomy is also done. This ensures that there is enough of a connection between the two atria of the heart to provide open blood flow and mixing of oxygen rich and poor blood This procedure spares the baby from undergoing open heart surgery until they are older. They typically come back at 4–6 months of age when they are stronger for the open heart surgery.
In terms of the treatment of Buschke–Ollendorff syndrome, should the complication of aortic stenosis occur then surgery may be required.
In the first stage of restenosis, administering anti-platelet drugs (called IIb/IIIa inhibitors) immediately after surgery greatly reduces the chance of a thrombosis occurring.
Drug-eluting stents are now being trialled in Europe, Canada and the USA, as well as in Asia-Pacific. These stents are coated with pharmaceuticals that inhibit tissue growth and thus reduce the risk of restenosis from scar-tissue and cell proliferation.
There has been some success with these new stents in reducing the occurrence of restenosis, with clinical studies showing an incidence rate of 5% or lower.
Treatment is symptomatic, often addressing indicators associated with peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. Laryngotracheal calcification resulting in dyspnea and forceful breathing can be treated with bronchodilators including the short and long-acting β2-agonists, and various anticholinergics. Prognosis is good, yet life expectancy depends on the severity and extent of diffuse pulmonary and arterial calcification.
While Larsen syndrome can be lethal if untreated, the prognosis is relatively good if individuals are treated with orthopedic surgery, physical therapy, and other procedures used to treat the symptoms linked with Larsen syndrome.