The Regional University Hospital of Málaga (Spain), part of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) under the Ministry of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies of the Andalusian Regional Government, has performed a highly complex surgical procedure to remove a cardiac tumour measuring approximately 11 centimetres. The patient has made a favourable recovery and has been discharged from hospital.
The procedure, performed last June by the hospital’s Cardiovascular Surgery Department, enabled the complete removal of a lesion with rare characteristics due to its size, location and proximity to vital cardiac structures.
The tumour had developed from the myocardium and occupied a considerable area within the pericardium, the membrane that surrounds and protects the heart. Its growth had compressed the right ventricle, which pumps blood to the lungs. Furthermore, the lesion was supplied by blood vessels originating from the coronary arteries, making its removal even more challenging.
During the operation, the surgical team carefully dissected and removed the entire mass while preserving the heart’s structures and minimising the removal of healthy myocardial tissue. Following the tumour’s removal, the surgeons reconstructed the affected area to preserve the heart’s anatomy and function.
Enrique Ruiz, Head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department, emphasised that “these types of cases require very precise planning and close coordination among all the professionals involved. More than eleven professionals participated in the procedure, including cardiovascular surgeons, anaesthesiologists, perfusionists and nursing staff, in addition to the prior work of the cardiology department using the imaging techniques necessary to plan the surgery.”
Cardiovascular surgeon Esteban Sarria explained that “the main challenge during the procedure was to completely remove a large mass that was very close to essential structures of the heart and supplied by vessels originating from the coronary arteries.” He added that “the surgery required particularly careful dissection to preserve healthy cardiac tissue and, after removing the tumour, to reconstruct the affected area while maintaining the anatomy and function of the heart.”
Cardiac tumours are rare, and it is even more unusual for them to reach the size observed in this case. Although they can develop in different areas of the heart, their growth can affect nearby structures and compromise their function.
Experience in cardiovascular surgery
The Cardiovascular Surgery Department at the Regional University Hospital of Málaga began operating in 1980 and has since performed more than 10,500 major cardiac procedures on adult patients using cardiopulmonary bypass. Its services also include off-pump cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, cardiac pacing and paediatric cardiac surgery.
The department was a pioneer in Andalusia in the endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms and currently performs more than 70 such procedures each year. It is also the provincial referral centre for initiating ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) therapy and transporting critically ill adult patients who require this support.
The Regional University Hospital of Málaga is also one of three national CSUR (Reference Centres, Services and Units) centres for the care and transport of paediatric patients requiring ECMO. Since this therapy was introduced in 2014, the team has treated children from Málaga and other provinces, including Badajoz, Huelva, Jaén, Almería and Granada.
