Ventricular arrhythmias following balloon-expandable transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement in the native right ventricular outflow tract.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmia incidence in children and adolescents undergoing transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) within the native right ventricular outflow tract (nRVOT) is unknown. We sought to describe the incidence, severity, and duration of ventricular arrhythmias and identify associated risk factors in this population.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 78 patients <21 years of age who underwent TPVR within the nRVOT.

Over-expansion of right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduits during transcatheter pulmonary valve placement.

Objectives: To determine the safety and feasibility of over-expansion of right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduits during transcatheter pulmonary valve placement.

Background: Transcatheter pulmonary valve placement is an alternative to surgical pulmonary valve replacement. Traditionally, it was thought to be unsafe to expand a conduit to >110% of its original size.

Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valve Implantation in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is common in adults but rare in children and adolescents. Since 2014, our institution has incorporated a transcatheter approach as an option for aortic valve replacement in this population. The purpose of this study was to compare short-term outcomes of TAVI with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Short-Term Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Children.

Background: There are no published data on left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in children. The aim of this study was to assess changes in LV echocardiographic parameters 6 months after TAVR in children.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included all 22 patients (age < 21 years) who underwent TAVR.

Blalock-Taussig shunt versus patent ductus arteriosus stent as first palliation for ductal-dependent pulmonary circulation lesions: A review of the literature.

Background: Infants with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow (PBF) often undergo a palliative procedure to provide a stable source of PBF prior to definitive palliation or repair. In the current era, a surgical shunt or ductal stent is used to provide PBF. We aimed to review the current literature comparing ductal stents to surgical shunts.

Resource Utilization for Initial Hospitalization in Pediatric Heart Transplantation in the United States.

Pediatric heart transplantation (HT) is resource intensive. Event-driven pediatric databases do not capture data on resource use. The objective of this study was to evaluate resource utilization and identify associated factors during initial hospitalization for pediatric HT.

The role of MEKK1 in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

MEKK1 is a ubiquitously expressed mitogen activated protein kinase that is involved in tissue remodeling in a variety of settings including carotid artery blood flow cessation, wound healing, and breast adenocarcinoma intravasation. Here, we have tested the function of MEKK1 in genetic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). MEKK1 was genetically deleted in C57Bl6/J mice expressing a mutant alpha-myosin heavy chain (HCM-MEKK1(-/-)).

Exercise can prevent and reverse the severity of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common form of sudden death in young competitive athletes. However, exercise has also been shown to be beneficial in the setting of other cardiac diseases. We examined the ability of voluntary exercise to prevent or reverse the phenotypes of a murine model of HCM harboring a mutant myosin heavy chain (MyHC).