Abstract
Dynamic cardiomyoplasty occupies an important place among recent advances in treatment of heart failure. We report the first clinical dynamic cardiomyoplasty case in Korea. The patient was a 25-year-old male with viral cardiomyopathy and chronic active hepatitis. The preoperative echocardiogram showed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 30% and grade 2 mitral and tricuspid regurgitation with dilated left and right atria. The left latissimus dorsi muscle was mobilized to wrap the heart and a myocardial stimulator was connected and placed in the abdominal pocket. After a 10-week training period, the stimulation ratio was set at 1:4 and the stimulator functioned well. At the 8-month follow-up the left ventricular ejection fraction ranged between 30% and 35% and the patient was feeling much better with slightly increased activity.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.