Preoperative versus postoperative survival in patients with univentricular heart: a nationwide, retrospective study of patients born in 1990-2015.

Objectives: Few data exist on mortality among patients with univentricular heart (UVH) before surgery. Our aim was to explore the results of intention to perform surgery by estimating preoperative vs postoperative survival in different UVH subgroups.

Design: Retrospective.

Long-term follow-up and sex differences in adults operated for tetralogy of Fallot.

Objective: Adults operated for tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) have high risk of ventricular arrhythmias (VA). QRS duration >180 ms is an established risk factor for VA. We aimed to investigate heart function, prevalence of arrhythmias and sex differences in patients with TOF at long-term follow-up.

Impact of pregnancy and risk factors for ventricular arrhythmias in women with tetralogy of Fallot.

Objective: Patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) have high survival rates 30 years after surgical repair. Many patients experience pregnancy; however, the effects of pregnancy on the long-term cardiovascular outcome are not well known. We investigated the association of pregnancy and cardiac function with occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in women with TOF.

Survival in patients with univentricular hearts: the impact of right versus left ventricular morphology.

Objective: Patients with univentricular hearts (UVH) have high mortality despite modern treatment, and better methods to identify patients at highest risk are needed. We wanted to improve risk stratification in patients with UVH by focusing on the prognostic significance of single right versus single left ventricular morphology (SRV vs SLV).

Methods: All 395 patients with UVH operated at our centre were prospectively included from 1972 to 2016 (195 SRV, 166 SLV, 34 mixed or indeterminate ventricular morphology).

Psychosocial and clinical outcomes of percutaneous versus surgical pulmonary valve implantation.

Objective: This prospective non-randomised study was performed to compare the psychosocial function and clinical outcomes following surgical and percutaneous implantation of a pulmonary valve at 3 months and 1 year after treatment.

Methods: All patients were consecutively admitted for treatment by either method from June 2011 to October 2014. The data of 20 patients treated with the percutaneous technique and 14 patients treated with open heart surgery were compared.

Can visual analogue scale be used in radiologic subjective image quality assessment?

Background: Assessment of qualitative or subjective image quality in radiology is traditionally performed using a fixed-point scale even though reproducibility has proved challenging.

Objective: Image quality of 3-T coronary magnetic resonance (MR) angiography was evaluated using three scoring methods, hypothesizing that a continuous scoring scale like visual analogue scale would improve the assessment.

Materials And Methods: Adolescents corrected for transposition of the great arteries with arterial switch operation, ages 9-15 years (n=12), and healthy, age-matched controls (n=12), were examined with 3-D steady-state free precession magnetic resonance imaging.

Right ventricular pressure response to exercise in adults with isolated ventricular septal defect closed in early childhood.

We previously demonstrated an abnormally high right ventricular systolic pressure response to exercise in 50% of adolescents operated on for isolated ventricular septal defect. The present study investigated the prevalence of abnormal right ventricular systolic pressure response in 20 adult (age 30-45 years) patients who underwent surgery for early ventricular septal defect closure and its association with impaired ventricular function, pulmonary function, or exercise capacity. The patients underwent cardiopulmonary tests, including exercise stress echocardiography.

In-hospital cost comparison between percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation and surgery.

Objectives: Today, both surgical and percutaneous techniques are available for pulmonary valve implantation in patients with right ventricle outflow tract obstruction or insufficiency. In this controlled, non-randomized study the hospital costs per patient of the two treatment options were identified and compared.

Methods: During the period of June 2011 until October 2014 cost data in 20 patients treated with the percutaneous technique and 14 patients treated with open surgery were consecutively included.

Surgical options after Fontan failure.

Objective: The objective of this European multicenter study was to report surgical outcomes of Fontan takedown, Fontan conversion and heart transplantation (HTX) for failing Fontan patients in terms of all-cause mortality and (re-)HTX.

Methods: A retrospective international study was conducted by the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association among 22 member centres. Outcome of surgery to address failing Fontan was collected in 225 patients among which were patients with Fontan takedown (n=38; 17%), Fontan conversion (n=137; 61%) or HTX (n=50; 22%).

Off-pump hepatic to azygos connection via thoracotomy for relief of fistulas after a Kawashima procedure: Ten-year results.

Objectives: An almost universal incidence of developing pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas after the Kawashima operation has been reported. Exclusion of the hepatic venous flow from the pulmonary circulation causes the development of these malformations. Redirection of hepatic venous flow to the pulmonary circulation mostly leads to the regression of the arteriovenous fistulas.

Achievements in congenital heart defect surgery: a prospective, 40-year study of 7038 patients.

Background: This article presents an update of the results achieved by modern surgery in congenital heart defects (CHDs) over the past 40 years regarding survival and the need for reoperations, especially focusing on the results from the past 2 decades.

Methods And Results: From 1971 to 2011, all 7038 patients <16 years of age undergoing surgical treatment for CHD at Rikshospitalet (Oslo, Norway) were enrolled prospectively. CHD diagnosis, date, and type of all operations were recorded, as was all-cause mortality until December 31, 2012.

Pulmonary valve replacement with a bovine pericardial valve: a five year follow-up study.

Objectives: From a population of 90 patients after pulmonary valve replacement with a biological valve (Carpentier-Edwards Perimount valve), 56 of 80 available patients were examined five years after surgery.

Background: Pulmonary valve replacement is needed in many patients with congenital heart disease. Homografts have limited availability and predictable degeneration, and mechanical valves require anticoagulation.

Perceived health after percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation: in-depth interviews of patients and next-of-kin.

Objective: Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation is an alternative to open heart surgery in selected patients with pulmonary outflow tract disorder. The technique may reduce the number of open-chest surgeries in these patients. This study was conducted to understand how the patients and their next-of-kin experienced this new treatment option.

Favourable mid-term outcome after heart transplantation for late Fontan failure.

Objectives: Fontan failure (FF) represents a growing and challenging indication for paediatric orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The aim of this study was to identify predictors of the best mid-term outcome in OHT after FF.

Methods: Twenty-year multi-institutional retrospective analysis on OHT for FF.

Pediatric coronary artery revascularization: a European multicenter study.

Background: We sought to evaluate the hospital and midterm results of different surgical revascularization techniques in pediatric patients within the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association.

Methods: From 1973 to 2011, 80 patients from 13 European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association centers underwent 65 pediatric coronary artery bypass grafting (PCABG) and 27 other coronary artery procedures (OCAP; 12 patients had combined PCABG and other coronary artery procedures). Excluded were patients with Kawasaki disease.

Combined repair of upper sternal cleft and transposition of the great arteries in a newborn.

We report the case of a newborn with the unusual association of an upper sternal defect and transposition of the great arteries. Surgical correction of the cardiac disease consisted of the arterial switch procedure. The already less compliant bony thorax of the infant made direct approximation of the upper sternal defect only possible with adjuvant bilateral chondrotomy.

Correction of postpneumonectomy syndrome in infants with saline-filled expandable prosthesis.

We report two infants who underwent right pneumonectomy in infancy and developed postpneumonectomy syndrome with obstruction of the left main bronchus causing severe airway obstruction in one patient and gastrointestinal reflux due to a displaced and grossly dilated oesophagus in the other patient. Both patients were operated with implantation of an expandable breast prosthesis.

Pediatric cardiac surgery in Northern Russia. Results from an international cooperative program.

Objectives: In order to evaluate a Norwegian-Russian clinical cooperation, this study sought to compare the incidence, early mortality and morbidity of surgically treated patients with atrial septum defect (ASD), ventricular septum defect (VSD) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) in Norway and Archangels region in Russia.

Design: A retrospective analysis of patient records of all those surgically treated for ASD, VSD and TOF in Norway and from Archangels region from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2005.

Results: The Norwegian cohort consisted of 191 ASDs, 227 VSDs and 126 TOFs.

Single-center 50 years' experience with surgical management of tetralogy of Fallot.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of total repair for tetralogy of Fallot. We aimed to characterize late survival and the time-related risk of late reoperation.

Methods: Operative protocols, patient records, and the database of the department were evaluated from 1951 until 2008.

Eight years of pulmonary valve replacement with a suggestion of a promising alternative.

Unlabelled: In a retrospective study we assessed surgical results following right ventricular to pulmonary artery connection repair or replacement at a medium of 2.4 years (0-8) follow-up. Data were retrieved from hospital charts.

A novel method of hybrid intraoperative catheter-based closure of ventricular septal defects using the Amplatzer® PDA occluder.

Background: In five patients, an apical muscular septal defect was closed in a hybrid approach using the Amplatzer® duct occluder during open heart surgery, whereas concomitant defects were treated surgically. In addition to their different heart defects that needed surgery, all had a muscular ventricular septal defect in the apex of the heart, poorly accessible for traditional, surgical approach. We describe the method and outcome in these patients.

Polytetrafluoroethylene bicuspid pulmonary valve implantation: experience with 126 patients.

This article reports our initial experience in 126 consecutive patients treated with placement of a surgically created polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bicuspid pulmonary valve at The Congenital Heart Institute of Florida (CHIF). A bicuspid pulmonary valve is created with PTFE and sutured into the right ventricular outflow tract. PTFE bicuspid pulmonary valves were placed in 126 patients (age: range, 3.

Perfusion temperature, thyroid hormones and inflammation during pediatric cardiac surgery.

Objectives: During cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery there are several alterations in concentrations of thyroid hormones. Although hypothermia and inflammation have been implicated in the disturbed thyroid axis during CPB, these issues are far from clear.

Methods And Results: We measured serum/plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones and inflammatory mediators in children with body weight <10 kg, undergoing open heart surgery, randomized to mild (n=15, 32 degrees C) or moderate (n=15, 25 degrees C) hypothermia.