Eighth Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons Pedimacs Report.

Background: The Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (Pedimacs), supported by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, provides detailed information on pediatric patients supported with ventricular assist devices (VADs).

Methods: From September 19, 2012, to December 31, 2023, there were 1648 devices in 1349 patients (<19 years) from 39 North American Hospitals with 100 patients enrolled in 2023.

Results: Cardiomyopathy was the most common underlying etiology (59%), followed by congenital heart disease (26%) and myocarditis (8%).

Pump-controlled retrograde trial off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning strategies are not standardized. When dealing with patients with complex physiologies and borderline haemodynamics, it is prudent to have a fail-safe method of approaching decannulation from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Standardizing the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning strategy with a pump-controlled retrograde trial off protocol seems a feasible alternative to traditional venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning approaches.

Emerging carbapenem-resistant in a tertiary care hospital in Lima, Peru.

The emergence of carbapenem-resistant (CRKP) poses a significant public health threat, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited surveillance and treatment options. This study examines the genetic diversity, resistance patterns, and transmission dynamics of 66 CRKP isolates recovered over 5 years (2015-2019) after the first case of CRKP was identified at a tertiary care hospital in Lima, Peru. Our findings reveal a shift from to as the dominant carbapenemase gene after 2017.

Applying to Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency: A Survey-Based Cost Analysis.

Background: Application costs are known for other competitive surgical subspecialties but not for integrated thoracic surgery residency (I6). We sought to quantify I6 application costs, assess the value of away rotations and geographic connections, and identify characteristics of matched applicants.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency survey-based database for I6 applicants (2019-2022).