title: Damage to the right coronary artery as a cause of death after aortic valve surgery.
abstract: During a 6-year period (1983-1988), 1137 patients underwent surgery which included replacement of the aortic valve. There were 73 deaths within 30 days of surgery. A retrospective analysis showed that in four cases the cause of death probably was related to intraoperative damage to the right coronary artery, which in three cases was accidentally obstructed by a suture and in the fourth case was found at autopsy to be occluded by an organized thrombus. None of the four patients died intraoperatively. Death occurred 2 hours to 20 days postoperatively from arrhythmia and/or pump failure caused by myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehrén
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rådegran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001021:Aortic Valve; D002423:Cause of Death; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000293:injuries*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012189:Retrospective Studies