Multicentre comparative analysis of long-term outcomes after aortic valve replacement in children.

Objective: The ideal valve substitute for surgical intervention of congenital aortic valve disease in children remains unclear. Data on outcomes beyond 10-15 years after valve replacement are limited but important for evaluating substitute longevity. We aimed to describe up to 25-year death/cardiac transplant by type of valve substitute and assess the potential impact of treatment centre.

Outcomes of Mechanical Mitral Valve Replacement in Children.

Background: Mitral valve anomalies in children are rare but frequently severe, recalcitrant, and not often amenable to primary repair, necessitating mechanical mitral valve replacement (M-MVR). This study examined outcomes of a cohort undergoing a first M-MVR at age younger than 21 years.

Methods: We queried the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium, a multi-institutional United States-based cardiac intervention registry, for patients undergoing first M-MVR for 2-ventricle congenital heart disease.

Long-Term Transplant-Free Survival After Repair of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection.

Background: Long-term survival, risk of transplantation, and causes of death after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) remain unknown. By linking the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium with the National Death Index and the United Network for Organ Sharing, we evaluated long-term transplant-free survival in children undergoing repair of TAPVC.

Methods: We identified 777 infants within the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium who underwent TAPVC repair (median 21 days; interquartile range, 5 to 80) and had sufficient personal identifiers for linkage with the National Death Index and United Network for Organ Sharing.

Use of Mechanical Circulatory Support in Isolated Right Heart Failure: A Bridge to Transplantation.

Acute myocarditis may lead to left ventricular dysfunction and subsequent need for cardiac transplantation. We describe a 15-month-old child who presented with right heart failure of unclear cause. Echocardiography showed normal left ventricular function; however, right ventricular function was markedly reduced.

Type IV Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection.

Background: Mortality associated with correction of type IV total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is generally reported in combination with other anatomic types. The objective of this study is to review surgical outcomes associated with the repair of type IV TAPVC by analyzing a multi-institutional cohort specific for this group. We also analyze patient-specific variables that may contribute to poor operative outcomes.

Autopsy-based assessment of extent and type of osteomyelitis in advanced-grade sacral decubitus ulcers: a histopathologic study.

Context: Decubitus ulcers constitute a serious medical problem, often encountered in association with hospitalization or institutionalization in senior citizens' or nursing homes. Potentially life-threatening sepsis has been reported to originate not only from soft tissue infection, but also from osteomyelitis as a complication of involvement of bone tissue in decubitus ulcers.

Objective: To assess the histopathology of osseous structures involved in grade IV decubitus ulcers.