title: Contribution to the treatment of post-infarction cardiac aneurysms.
abstract: The authors discuss contemporary problems of resection of post-infarction cardiac aneurysms. In their opinion the main cause of left-sided cardiac failure is enlargement of the left ventricle which leads to increaser demands on the tension of muscle fibres and work of the heart. These mechanisms potentiate at the same time the ischaemia of the heart muscle. Reduction of the left ventricle by appropriate resection eliminates or improves markedly this adverse condition in particular when there is an opportunity of simultaneous revascularization by an aorto-coronary by-pass. Based on the results in a series of 52 operations the authors consider assessment of the stroke volume before and after the foreseen resection a suitable and reliable criterion for indication of the operation. Its application led to a substantial decline of the surgical mortality caused in particular by the postoperative low cardiac output syndrome.
mesh_terms: D006322:Heart Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008722:Methods; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D013318:Stroke Volume