Long-term follow-up after primary complete repair of common arterial trunk with homograft: a 40-year experience.

Background: We sought to determine the long-term performance of homograft and truncal valve after complete repair of common arterial trunk.

Methods: From January 1964 to June 2008, 32 patients (median age, 14 days; range, 5 days to 2.5 years) underwent primary homograft repair of common arterial trunk.

Balloon valvuloplasty of the aortic valve in children: a surgical view.

The paper by Fratz et al. describes the follow-up of 188 children who had balloon aortic valvuloplasty (AoVP) between 1986 and 2004. Moderate or severe aortic regurgitation occurred more often in the 68 neonates--in whom there was significant early mortality--than in the 120 older children; however, AoVP produced a satisfactory reduction in aortic valve gradient in both groups.

Permanent pacemaker implantation after isolated aortic valve replacement: incidence, indications, and predictors.

Background: Conducting system defects are common in patients with aortic valve disease. Aortic valve replacement may result in further conduction abnormalities and necessitate permanent pacemaker implantation (PPM). We sought to identify the contemporary incidence and predictors for early postoperative PPM in patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement.

Subcoronary allograft aortic valve replacement: parametric risk-hazard outcome analysis to a minimum of 20 years.

Background: Differences in sterilization, preservation, and implantation have been implicated in aortic allograft longevity. We report follow-up to 30 years of patients from a single unit who underwent aortic valve replacement with aortic allografts sterilized in antibiotics and refrigerated at 4 degrees C.

Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients underwent subcoronary allograft aortic valve replacement and have been followed up to a minimum of 20 and maximum of 30 years.

Medium term outcome for infant repair in tetralogy of Fallot: Indicators for timing of surgery.

Objective: To assess the impact of early corrective surgery on the short and medium term outcome in tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

Materials And Methods: All patients under 12 months of age undergoing correction of isolated TOF between February 1997 and July 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. Outcome data for mortality, post-operative care management, major morbidity and clinical follow-up were analysed.

Annuloplasty of the regurgitant mitral valve after myocarditis in children.

Acute myocarditis is characterized by the development of rapid life-threatening congestive heart failure and arrhythmias. In many cases with hemodynamic compromise, medical therapy and mechanical support alone are not sufficient. Various surgical procedures have been tried to bridge patients with myocarditis to both transplant and recovery.

An attempt at data verification in the EACTS Congenital Database.

Objective: The multi-national and multi-institutional collection of data on outcomes in Congenital Heart Surgery (CHS) provides the possibility of analysis of results of treatment and may result in further improvement of the quality of care. The verification of data as far as the completeness and accuracy is necessary to give confidence to all sides--the patients, centers and regulatory authorities. The source data verification (SDV), although difficult, appears possible even in such a large-scale database.

The effect of leucodepletion on leucocyte activation, pulmonary inflammation and respiratory index in surgery for coronary revascularisation: a prospective randomised study.

Objective: Leucocyte activation is central to end-organ damage that occurs during cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) increases in inflammatory lung conditions and has been proposed as a marker of pulmonary inflammation during CPB. This study examined the effect of leucodepletion on leucocyte activation, pulmonary inflammation and oxygenation in patients undergoing coronary revascularisation.

Survival after surgery or therapeutic catheterisation for congenital heart disease in children in the United Kingdom: analysis of the central cardiac audit database for 2000-1.

Objectives: To analyse simple national statistics and survival data collected in the central cardiac audit database after treatment for congenital heart disease and to provide long term comparative statistics for each contributing centre.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal, observational, national cohort survival study.

Setting: UK central cardiac audit database.

Reoperations and survival after primary repair of congenital heart defects in children.

Objective: The objective of this article is to evaluate the incidence of reoperation and the associated risk and survival after primary repair of congenital heart defects using cardiopulmonary bypass in children.

Methods: We present a retrospective analysis of 1220 consecutive children under 16 years [649 (53%) under 1 year] operated on between 1976 and 2001 by 1 surgeon (J.L.

Repair of tetralogy of Fallot in infancy with a transventricular or a transatrial approach.

Objective: The optimal time and approach of repair of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome following repair of TOF in infants with particular regard to the surgical approach used.

Patients: One hundred and sixty infants (mean age 195+/-89 days, range 11-364 days) undergoing repair of a simple TOF were studied.

Risk of reoperation for structural failure of aortic and mitral tissue valves.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The study aim was to assess the risk of reoperation for patients with a failing stented tissue valve.

Methods: Between 1980 and 1999, 259 patients (118 males, 141 females; mean age 60.1+/-15.

Mitral valve surgery for acute papillary muscle rupture following myocardial infarction.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Acute papillary muscle rupture (PMR) is a rare but fatal complication of myocardial infarction (MI). Surgery represents the best treatment option, but carries a high risk. Our experience of emergency mitral valve surgery in patients with acute PMR following MI during the past 22 years is reviewed.