Malignant cardiac tumors typically have a grave prognosis; their resection with negative margins is optimal. We present the case of a 21-year-old woman in whom we surgically resected a primary cardiac sarcoma and reconstructed the right atrium with use of a porcine urinary bladder membrane-the MatriStem(®) Surgical Matrix PSMX. The patient recovered uneventfully. Six months postoperatively, the right atrial wall had retained its integrity. In addition to our patient's case, we discuss the benefits of using the MatriStem membrane in cardiac reconstruction.
Keywords: Biocompatible materials; cardiac surgical procedures; extracellular matrix/transplantation; heart neoplasms/surgery; sarcoma/surgery; tissue scaffolds; treatment outcome; urinary bladder.