Faculty Bibliography

Orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) may represent the only treatment option for patients with end-stage cardiovascular disease due to mediastinal radiation therapy (MRT). The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OHT in this patient population. We conducted a retrospective, single-center cohort study of patients with MRT-associated cardiovascular disease who underwent OHT between January 1987 and September 2008. Nine patients (3 men), aged 46 +/- 11 years at the time of their OHT, were identified. Time from MRT to OHT was 26 +/- 11 years. Lymphoma was the indication for MRT in all patients. Five patients had non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, 2 had ischemic cardiomyopathy and 2 had constrictive pericarditis. Three patients expired in the peri-operative period, whereas another patient died 3 years post-transplant from lung carcinoma. Two additional patients developed a secondary malignancy post-transplant. Five patients are still alive at a mean follow-up of 10 +/- 8 years. Early survival rate is poor in patients who undergo OHT for MRT-associated end-stage cardiovascular disease. In addition, long-term follow-up shows an elevated incidence of malignancies. Our results raise concern about the safety and efficacy of performing OHT in patients with MRT-associated cardiovascular disease.

We report a case of a spontaneous sternal fracture secondary to idiopathic osteoporosis in a man in his late forties. His restrictive lung disorder from thoracic kyphoscoliosis was exacerbated by surgery to repair the sternal fracture. Inpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation helped this patient regain independence in functional status and ambulation after repair of the fractured sternum.