The inverted left atrial appendage; the possibility of the interference with the bloodstream into the left ventricle during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass: A case report

Choi, Eun Kyung; Jung, Tae Eun; Park, Sang Jin

Case Report

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2013;8(1):30-32.
Published online January 31, 2013.

The inverted left atrial appendage; the possibility of the interference with the bloodstream into the left ventricle during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass: A case report

Eun Kyung Choi, Tae Eun Jung, Sang Jin Park

¹Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea. apsj0718@naver.com
²Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea.

Abstract

This report presents an experience of difficulties in weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) after the closure of atrial septal defect. Transesophageal echocardiogram following the first attempt of weaning the CPB revealed the inverted left atrial appendage protruding into the mitral valve. Only after the correction of the inverted left appendage, the CPB weaning was completed without any difficulties.

Key Words: Atrial appendage, Cardiopulmonary bypass, Transesophageal echocardiogram