Postoperative Outcomes of Fontan Operation in a Multicenter Italian Study. How Far Have We Gone? Early Outcomes After Fontan Operation.

Despite the clinical results of the Fontan operation have certainly improved, it still presents with an inherent surgical risk of death and early morbidities. This is a retrospective clinical study of children undergoing Fontan operation in 9 congenital cardiac centers in Italy between 1990 and 2023. Clinical and surgical data were collected via a dedicated RedCap database.

Global Cardiac Surgery-Accessibility to Cardiac Surgery in Developing Countries: Objectives, Challenges, and Solutions.

Cardiac surgery is a modern science in the history of medicine. The impact of cardiac disease, in terms of treatment and prognosis, has made this discipline indispensable to global health. In recent decades, the greatest investment has been dispensed to technological and material improvements to increase life expectancy.

Hybrid Palliation for Hypoplastic Borderline Left Ventricle: One More Chance to Biventricular Repair.

Treatment options for hypoplastic borderline left ventricle (LV) are critically dependent on the development of the LV itself and include different types of univentricular palliation or biventricular repair performed at birth. Since hybrid palliation allows deferring major surgery to 4-6 months, in borderline cases, the decision can be postponed until the LV has expressed its growth potential. We aimed to evaluate anatomic modifications of borderline LV after hybrid palliation.

Case Report: "Smart Palliation" and "Clepsydra Shape": A new approach in complex congenital heart disease.

A limiting factor in using vascular conduits in the pediatric/newborn population is their inability to grow. Many complex congenital heart diseases require palliative surgery, but using rigid and nonexpandable conduits does not allow the structures to grow and anticipates the need for redo surgery. In newborns, a way to increase the palliation time according to the patient's growth is desirable.