Minimally invasive transxiphoid approach for management of pediatric cardiac tamponade - one center's experience.

Introduction: Cardiac tamponade is excessive collection of fluid in the pericardial sac surrounding the heart that leads to restriction of cardiac function and causes critical cardiogenic shock and rapid circulatory depression. Despite the potential variety of different etiologies in the face of a dangerous decrease of cardiac output, the emergency life-saving procedure is surgical pericardial fluid evacuation.

Aim: To perform a retrospective analysis of clinical data and the results of minimally invasive transxiphoid pediatric cardiac tamponade evacuation procedures performed in a cardiac surgery center.

Hybrid approach for closure of muscular ventricular septal defects.

Background: The complexity of ventricular septal defects in early infancy led to development of new mini-invasive techniques based on collaboration of cardiac surgeons with interventional cardiologists, called hybrid procedures. Hybrid therapies aim to combine the advantages of surgical and interventional techniques in an effort to reduce the invasiveness. The aim of this study was to present our approach with mVSD patients and initial results in the development of a mini-invasive hybrid procedure in the Gdansk Hybrid Heartlink Programme (GHHP) at the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Pomeranian Centre of Traumatology in Gdansk, Poland.

Miniinvasive hybrid procedure for device migration after percutaneous closure of persistent arterial duct: a case report.

We report a case of an 8-month-old girl admitted to the Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Pomeranian Centre of Traumatology in Gdansk with migration of an Amplatzer Duct Occluder II device (AGA Med. Corp., USA) to the left pulmonary artery after interventional patent arterial duct (PDA) closure.

Candidemia in children after complex congenital heart defects surgery treated with caspofungin--our own experience and a review of literature.

Background: Invasive fungal infections due to Candida species constitute an increasing clinical problem. There are no guidelines for the management of candidemia in children undergoing surgical procedures for congenital heart defects (CHD). The aim of the study was to draw attention to the problem of candidemia in children who are operated on due to congenital heart defects.