Initial experience introducing an enhanced recovery program in congenital cardiac surgery.

Objective: We hypothesized that a new enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program would accelerate functional recovery after congenital heart surgery and reduce length of stay and complications.

Methods: Evidence-based interventions in perioperative care were evaluated for relevance, and components of the ERAS cardiac program were determined. The target patient population included infants to adults with low comorbidities.

Perioperatively Inhaled Hydrogen Gas Diminishes Neurologic Injury Following Experimental Circulatory Arrest in Swine.

This study used a swine model of mildly hypothermic prolonged circulatory arrest and found that the addition of 2.4% inhaled hydrogen gas to inspiratory gases during and after the ischemic insult significantly decreased neurologic and renal injury compared with controls. With proper precautions, inhalational hydrogen may be administered safely through conventional ventilators and may represent a complementary therapy that can be easily incorporated into current workflows.